While we're deep in post-production for IMPULSE, I've asked some of our cast and crew for their thoughts on the production. Bryan & I plan on sharing our own experiences later, but we first wanted to highlight some of the great people who helped us out on this journey.
TRAVIS SHEPHERD, Location Manager
When reminiscing about Impulse, the one thing that stands out above all else is: The town of Perry.
While most of the crew and I have worked on several low budget productions before, we have never worked on one with stakes this high. The stress we should have been facing was eased immensely by the town and all of the citizens that helped us every step of the way.
Special shout-out to Mo Michaelsen who saved our butts on more than one occasion with his generosity as well as everyone else who contributed in any way; large or small.
KRISTEN NORWOOD, "Ashley"I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone on the set of Impulse whose experience was better than mine. I say this because while everyone else was a professional director, producer, director of photography, camera operator, lighting specialist, actor, etc., I was just a lowly grad student trying really hard to play it cool!
Scott and Bryan, two of my favorite former students, gave me the chance to fulfill one of my most far-flung dreams – to be an actor. I still have no idea why they wanted me for the part – especially why they would want me to try to act alongside Chris Masterson (how intimidating is that?)! I still can’t believe I did that. I’m now surely within 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon…Me to Chris Masterson (Impulse), Chris Masterson to Julia Roberts (My Best Friend’s Wedding), Julia Roberts to Kevin Bacon (Flatliners) – ha! Less than six.
I think maybe my favorite moment on set was when I walked behind the monitor for the first time and saw how the scene that was taking place right in front of me translated to film. I mean, it looked like a movie! That’s probably really lame, but for someone who had never seen that before, it was a very cool sight. It is safe to say that while my acting career was short (I was only on set for 1 day), it was a day that I will never forget. And it is a day that I unabashedly recount for anyone who will listen.
MOLLY KETCHUM, "Mrs. Evans"It was a crisp fall day, the sky was blue, the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day, and it was the day I was going to die. Well, to be more precise, it was the day Mrs. Evans was going to die. I, as Mrs. Evans, was looking forward to my demise. I knew I would be bound, gagged and killed at my dining room table, along with Mr. Evans. I wasn’t sure if I would be shot, or beaten to death. I just knew I would soon be dead.
Making the film Impulse was a great experience! The weather was chilly, but the cast and crew were warm and friendly. I enjoyed the chance to sit in the make-up chair and become a walking corpse; my fatal head wound would be applied later. Watching the filming of other scenes, and being in my own is always interesting. During the movies I have been a part of, I have learned a lot about the process, and have decided that the actors are seldom the most important part. Without all the directors, camera operators, make-up folks, grips, gaffers, etc, etc, etc – the actors would merely be there looking handsome, beautiful, or just plain dead…
PAUL STEFFENSEN, Special Effects CoordinatorI only spent a few days working on the film doing the blood effects, but I had a great time working on Impulse – I love making people bleed.
It was fast paced and hectic, but what film shoot isn’t!
It was nice working with all of you and especially with Mary-Kate, who is a great local make-up artist.
I can’t wait to see the finished film!
BRANDY ROBERTS, Extra & mother of actor Harvey Roberts ("Skateboarder")Memorable parts: I must say, watching my son lie in the road soaked with blood is pretty memorable. He thought that was the coolest thing ever. He still talks very fondly of that. I must admit, he's right.
For me, it was trying to hang on for dear life with one hand while trying to strategically place a guitar in the middle of the road.
Darin's (or was he Wes on this one?) erratic driving and some serious guess work involved.
I am still fairly sure he was counting my life insurance money as he drove.
RYLIE BEHR, "Terry"It was great working on the show with all the crew, the directors (Scott Beck and Bryan Woods), and the actors in my scenes (Chris Masterson and James Serpento). I also loved the dog in my scene and have wanted to work with animals on films before but haven't ever been given that chance.
Like most films we became a little family, and it was sad when we wrapped. I think the project will turn out great because there were so many talented people doing each part.
I was glad to be part of it and can't wait to see it when it is edited.
JAMES SERPENTO, "Business Man"I’m really speaking only for myself, but I’m betting the following is true for anyone working in show business: That there’s always something conspiring against doing one’s best work: a “real job,” a child needing an owie attended to, natural laziness. When faced with a Major Work – a feature film, a full-length production in the theater – that can make “homework” tough going. String enough of those Major Projects in a row and – again, I don’t know about you, but I know it’s true of me – I go into survival mode and start cutting corners just so that something is ready on Test Day.
But I don’t like it, and I’m not fooling myself.
So – when a project like Impulse comes along, I’m thrilled not only because it’s a chance to work with filmmakers I much admire, but because I know that, since it’s a short piece, I can drill down into my preparation and cover more of my bases and thus bring a measure of confidence onto the set that I might not be able to otherwise.
Don’t get me wrong – there’s always nervousness, there’s always the chance that it’s all mistaken, that’s just the nature of the beast. But if I’m goin’ down, I’d rather go down knowing I’d investigated everything I knew how to.
I try not to be chatty on a set; not if I can help it. This is immensely difficult because I love show people – actors, directors, technicians – I’m endlessly curious about them and there’s almost nowhere I’d rather be than in their company. So, I don’t want to be rude. But ultimately, my devotion should be to an audience and what I’ve been charged with illuminating for it, and that requires more concentration than any other non-life-saving process I can think of, or have ever undertaken.
This, plus the fact that I'm just plain older than everyone.
Even given the above, I felt it was important not to ever get too close to Chris Masterson or Rylie Behr (co-stars). This was beyond just doing the work of the character himself – work that required visiting darker places than I could ever tell anyone about (which is as it should be all the time, if you ask me; much as I love actors I’ve never understood our tendency to want to explain our choices.) But, in relation to an ensemble, the script wants me to be forever “coming out of nowhere” – a creature with no history, no connections, a self-appointed avenging angel, but with precious little left to avenge. One can “act it,” or one can really do it. I tried to choose the latter. And Shame the Devil.
I’m grateful for the chance to work with the Bluebox crew. They’re a great bunch and they’re certainly Iowa’s best and brightest hope for filmmaking, if you ask me; there they were, sluggin' it out, gettin’ the shot, right in the middle of the state’s current episode of cultural self-destruction – the Tax Credit mess – and doing it with the diligence and meticulousness that go by the name of “breathing” for them. It may be a dark film but, in their hands and the hands of a terrific crew and cast-mates, it was a fine set. Many thanks.
Last movie Scott watched: Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
