As a creative genius, what is important to you in storytelling?
Well, I think of myself as the gatekeeper of the story. So, for me, there is nothing more important than the story. There is nothing more important than development. Really, where you enter a film and where you exit the film’s storyline is probably the most important thing when you actually make a film. So, for me, I look at what are the trials and tribulations of the character. What are the trails and attributions of the story? And what is the roadblock that prevents you from getting where you need to go or getting the character from where it needs to go? It is so important for me to recognize and identify this as I write, direct or produce.
Tell us about your movie ‘Force of Nature’, where did the concept come from?
FORCE OF NATURE came about as a part of a multi-picture development deal between EFO Productions and Lionsgate. While I don’t know the back story, honestly, Baker Entertainment Group, Emmett Furla Oasis (EFO), and Lionsgate had been developing it for about eight months before it went into production. They asked me to direct it, and I declined. Then Michael Polish came on board to direct and I moved to executive producer. Then development went on from there. Because it was a development deal and not a production deal, EFO produced the film and Lionsgate distributed it, and I was just a part of the development of the cast, crew, and story.
Every production is different, what is something you learned while working on ‘Force of Nature’?
Well, I think it was one of Mel Gibson’s first movies where he wasn’t first-billed, but he really was the biggest star of the picture. The greatest thing about FORCE OF NATURE was that nobody expected it to be the hit that it is. I mean if you look at iTunes, Amazon during this pandemic, it’s been in the top ten for weeks since it came out June 30th. As much as it is an action film, it definitely has more character than most.
You had mentioned that “The movies I want to make are more brilliant than those that you are allowed to make.” What is Hollywood today?
In the world of the internet, which means where you can go out into the world and intranet which is the opposite, meaning you have walls that confine you from going out. I believe that in old Hollywood, we lived in an intranet system. This basically means that at one point there were many gatekeepers and the studios who set the tone for the industry. However, today, the studios do not even resist anymore. Now, studios are renting out all of their stages and systems. For example, people like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and all of the other players that are out there and provide content have become the intranet. These companies have created a place where actors are now free agents. It is kind of like when football moved to free agents. They try to make as much money as they can with as little work as possible. They don’t do any press. They’re not confined to one’s studios. When they are it- It is a big paycheck.
Your new film, “American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally,” stars Al Pacino and Meadow Williams. What intrigued you about this story?
This story about Axis Sally needed to be told. When you look at the performances of Al Pacino and Meadow Williams you can clearly see that they absolutely hit it out of the park. This story was about someone who is on trial so what we had to do with that trial and how long it truly took us to get this film made is what’s amazing. As an executive producer of the film, it took me a long time to bring it to Emmett/Furla/Oasis (EFO) and to get EFO to be on board. Obviously, the film was made because of Al Pacino and he wanted to be a part of this journey. My relationships are what makes people come together. This movie was made because I put everybody in the same room.
Do you see history repeating itself?
In my opinion, history always repeats itself. I don’t believe that anything is new or too far-fetched for history to repeat itself. I believe that the film industry needs an awakening and a change of attitude in order for it to flourish and actually find its gravitational pull. Unfortunately, I think that has been lost to an industry that was once brilliant. If you just look at the Oscars of this last year, they were probably the worst Oscars–actually, they were the worst Oscars I’d ever seen. I would hope that everybody took stock and notes to make the changes accordingly in order to save the film industry because I think that the Oscars have not been where they were for the last 25 years now. And the Emmys now have brilliant content on the horizon which allowed them to change. So, would history repeat itself? Absolutely.
“When you break” time stops. How have movies made fantasies alive?
As we can remember in the 1930s and 1970s and even today, nobody is going to take away movies ever because they allow us to be a part of something that we know or something that we want. At the end of the day, movies always are and always will be the escape. Movies have just gotten bigger and bigger with the budgets bigger and bigger for the streaming platforms. Therefore, our expectations for these movies are so high. These expectations continued to rise due to the way that the world has become jaded by technology and CGI. At the end of the day, I truly believe that television is doing what movies did a decade ago and movies are doing what television did in its earlier days. So, they kind of flip-flopped and it is kind of odd. I hope it comes back because I love the glamor of Hollywood. I love Hollywood. I love movie stars. I love the ideas of what the studios set up years and years ago. And sadly, that doesn’t exist anymore.
You are philosophical. How have your ideals been a pro and con to your success in the entertainment world?
Well, I stand for the truth. I try to strive for the truth. With that I mean that in each project, you have to have envision what you want to get out of that project. You cannot waver too much or else you will never get that project you imagined. Instead, you’ll get a different one. So for me, being earnest and straightforward can upset people. So, the producer in me makes sure that it happens and the director in me makes sure the story and the creative comes out as needed. I’m done being me because I rub people the wrong way. Unfortunately, that doesn’t get me or the product anywhere. But it does protect me and my projects from not becoming worse than what it is or what it means in order to get made. It is really important for me to do as I say, say as I do, and treat others the same way.
Any additional thoughts?
In my experience with trying to make movies, I have found that it is the importance of the audience to recognize the effort of what is being made so that we, myself and the audience can be on the same page. I make movies with the purpose of the audience recognizing and taking my journey to help them as they move into their journeys of making films, creating television shows or documentaries. It is really important that I give something to younger generations so other people can have it easier.
Official Film Site: https://www.bakerentertainmentgroup.com/copy-of-projects
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonathanbaker
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IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6763730/?ref_=nv_sr_1