0:01:00 – Speaker 2
Greetings and salutations. My name’s Jonathan Nadeau, welcome to Embrace your Storm. And we’ve gotten on another exciting episode for you, as always. This film is going to be at the Tornado Music and Film Festival at Foxwoods on May 26th, 27th and 28th. Look more at the website to find out more about that. And today we have on Stefan and he has his film here, midwater. That’s going to be at the festival. So, stefan, thanks for coming on, hi, thanks for having me. That’s my pleasure. So, before we get to Midwater and all that, how did you get involved in even the creation of film, writing, directing? How did you get into this industry?
0:01:45 – Speaker 3
Okay. So, since I’m really young, I’m a movie enthusiast. I love to watch movies.
I love to collect VHS, after DVDs and now Blu-rays, always love to have movies, watching movies and really young I started to want to be an actor. So I was living in the South of France in a small town named Nice, but we had a lot of movies coming for shooting like James Bond Running. We got a lot of big, big movies coming. So when we have these movies, the higher locals to be background actors. So I started to be a background actor when I was like 15 or something like that.
0:02:35 – Speaker 2
Okay, were you in the James Bond movie?
0:02:38 – Speaker 3
Golden Eye Nice yeah, I mean just background.
0:02:43 – Speaker 2
Yeah, I know it’s so cool though. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
0:02:48 – Speaker 3
I was in a movie like two movies with John Claude Van Damme. No kidding which one, which one Maximum Risk and the Double Team.
0:02:57 – Speaker 2
Man, no kidding, that’s funny.
0:02:59 – Speaker 3
So I really like it. I really enjoy to see how it works, how the process of making movies, and I decided I won’t be more than a background actor. You know like really wanting to be on the camera. So I got a couple of small gigs, you know, but at some point in a small town like that, if you want to move up, you know the ladder, if you’re in France, you have to go to Paris. I don’t really like the life in Paris. In Nice we have the ocean, we have the sea.
0:03:32 – Speaker 2
Is that more near, can or whatever?
0:03:34 – Speaker 3
Yes, exactly Like literally like 20 minutes away from Can like 30 minutes away. So we got a nice life quality.
0:03:42 – Speaker 2
One thing about France I might be wrong. Doesn’t the government support a lot of film like very heavily, like that? You get a lot of like monetarily support from the government, right?
0:03:53 – Speaker 3
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we have like yeah, that’s cool. Is that why a lot of?
0:03:57 – Speaker 2
movies go record there, go film there, exactly.
0:04:00 – Speaker 3
No, no, the government is really supportive for French movies. They would spend like French culture, you know, and everything. So that’s why.
0:04:07 – Speaker 2
What if Americans go to record there, though film there? It’s not the same thing, right? It’s only French like citizens.
0:04:12 – Speaker 3
So yeah, you have to be a, you have to be a French and the movie have to be like a French movie.
0:04:18 – Speaker 2
However, the NATO, does that count?
0:04:21 – Speaker 3
Yeah, we’re not. You gotta try. You know, I hear you.
0:04:30 – Speaker 2
Jean-Mapel, jean-lautin, nato. Yeah, that could work, I would try.
0:04:35 – Speaker 3
It won’t help.
0:04:38 – Speaker 2
No, that’s awesome, Like I think there’s. I don’t know if there’s another country. I feel like somewhere else in the EU there are other countries over there that are way supportive of not not just necessarily art, but film in particular.
0:04:51 – Speaker 3
Yeah, I mean, I know Spain have like good tax incentive. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, there’s like, yeah, a lot of places. That’s why a lot of big production go to a film in Europe, because tax incentive.
0:05:06 – Speaker 2
Exactly, yeah, yeah, that’s really cool. So then, so that you got, you got kind of the bug, you know being extras and stuff like that. What was your next move then?
0:05:16 – Speaker 3
So, yes, so at some point I had to go to Paris and I’m like I don’t want to quit on my life quality, you know, to go to Paris. However, a couple of years earlier, my dad took me to Los Angeles, you know, for visiting.
0:05:31 – Speaker 2
And.
0:05:31 – Speaker 3
Los Angeles is pretty much like the South of France, time 100, you know like Really Way bigger. We have here the sun of the ocean, like two hours away from the mountain. We got like you know, like people are nice and everything. So I’m like let’s try over there. So at the time I didn’t really speak English. I didn’t have no paper.
0:05:53 – Speaker 2
Really.
0:05:54 – Speaker 3
Yeah, I didn’t have. I mean, I spoke. You know the basic stuff that you learn in high school.
0:05:58 – Speaker 2
Yeah, well, your English is really good now.
0:06:00 – Speaker 3
So yeah, thank you. I’m trying, you know, to always to improve. Well, dude, your English is way better than my French. So let’s see, if you go to France for 12 years, you French may be better than me.
0:06:11 – Speaker 2
Yeah, I guess I hope I better pick it up by then. If not, I have a feeling I’ll be kicked out. I would be good.
0:06:25 – Speaker 3
So, when I arrived here. You know I start to go to an acting school. You know that was funny because my first scene that I have to do in front of people I was really into it. But when I was done I look at the audience on there all like, look at me, like what, if fuck just happened. You know, I’m like, oh damn, I really have to work on that.
0:06:45 – Speaker 2
Right, because you felt like you messed up and everyone was like astonished by what they just saw.
0:06:49 – Speaker 3
Exactly.
0:06:50 – Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah.
0:06:52 – Speaker 3
But so I start to go to some auditions and stuff like that and you know like LA doesn’t wait for you when you arrive you know like yeah like 10,000 of people, like arriving every day on the same amount of people.
0:07:06 – Speaker 2
Same day so.
0:07:08 – Speaker 3
I’ve been to some auditions, for you know, when you read the descriptive on what they’re looking for, I’m like, oh, they’re looking for me, that’s me, that, I’m this guy, you know Audition and I end up in a room of like 50 guys like me.
0:07:23 – Speaker 2
You know that, that must that. I never thought of that. That must be, uh, not intimidating. But you’re like, oh, I’m the perfect guy. He walked in the room like wow, there’s 50 perfect guys.
0:07:36 – Speaker 3
But the choice, you know it’s death. So I’m like, okay, have to make myself a Jim real, no, but myself a camera, and then I have to learn how to use the camera. At the time you know about myself at Sony and they used to give like free classes for people.
0:07:55 – Speaker 2
Yeah.
0:07:55 – Speaker 3
I’m right. So I used to go every week Over there to learn like more and more need a lot to use the camera. And then I start to use my camera to film myself in some friend of me Stuff like that. Then I realized now that I film the stuff after the editing put everything together so I got myself final cuts to classes same.
Man, you didn’t mess around saying you know it was like a pain in the ass on the really long process, yeah, um, and down the road I kind of like manage to make like a like distance, you know, cut and everything, and some of my friends want me To make their own demo reel, you know. So I start to go like shift, like slower and slower behind the camera.
0:08:39 – Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah.
0:08:41 – Speaker 3
And I figured out. I only enjoy more, you know, telling the story, like telling the actors what to do, pulling my camera somewhere, putting the light, putting you know, like trying to get something, like it’s like making a puzzle. You put all those pieces together and at the end you have like a full picture. Yeah, yeah, and I really enjoy that and more and more I start to go behind the camera and Start to direct, and I did like a couple of short film and did like some commercials, like some stuff like that.
And I really enjoy it and I’m keeping going, like you know, like drawing and having the ball rolling.
0:09:16 – Speaker 2
The thing I like about your story is like, uh, I went from, you know, france to la. I didn’t speak english, but I went there and they had to learn english. And they’re like, yeah, I did take this class because I didn’t know what I was doing. And then, yeah, I had to take this class because I didn’t know what I was doing, and you know, but like you didn’t let it stop, you just kind of kept all right, I guess I need to learn this.
You know I’m saying the people need to see, like I think a lot of people hear stories and like they never think there’s hurdles or anything that gets in the way of someone. But people always have to overcome stuff, you know, and it’s just exactly trying to point out. You didn’t let anything get in your way and you know you got it done exactly and especially in our days.
0:09:53 – Speaker 3
You know, there is no excuses because we have like seriously so much knowledge Accessible.
0:09:58 – Speaker 2
You know, you know what it’s funny that you said that the interview that I did right before you and older, an older gentleman. He was in his 60s. He said the very same things. I was like, because he was like you know, people are lazy these days. He’s like there’s no excuse for anyone not to do whatever they want because you have the internet, people. And I was like. And I was like, yeah, this guy grew up when the internet didn’t exist. Okay.
0:10:24 – Speaker 1
So like he knows.
0:10:25 – Speaker 2
He knows what it’s like to not have internet and to know what you know he’s like. So he knows you’re all spoiled that. You know that. Have the internet now. But you’re right Like there’s no reason why Nobody can do what they they really want. If, if you really want to do it, there’s nothing there to stop yeah exactly, exactly.
0:10:40 – Speaker 3
And I think, as human, we always find like a good reason not to do it, you know, like totally. Oh, I can do that because I’ve got my friend over, I’ve got my parents, I’ve got, I got to pay my bills, I got. I mean there is like so many excuses not to do it. But when you put everything aside, you know, and it just you in front of a wall and you have to, you know, just figure it out and find a way.
0:11:06 – Speaker 2
Yeah, so what is it about like kind of the producing, directing and stuff like that? What is it like? Is it cathartic or like therapeutic? What is it about that kind of process for you, that that you find enjoyable?
0:11:18 – Speaker 3
I’m uh, you know, I’m a dreamer.
Sometimes I just daydream you know, and, um, I had, like you know, I’m asking myself some like questions, you know, about life, about humans, about everything. And sometimes it’s just like, oh damn, let’s make a movie about it, and I just put something together to make like. You know the way I make it. It’s funny because at the beginning you know I’m so much into it because I’m pretty pretty much doing everything myself, because that’s like low budget, you know you don’t have money to hire a DP, to hire like an editor, to hire a color guy, you know like, so you really have to figure it out everything yourself. So when you have like the questions in your head or like like an ID, you know you just make something to answer that question or to bring that ID to life and you see everything coming up to me. It’s like, you know, like a painter, like just finished to make a painting, you know, and not totally.
0:12:21 – Speaker 2
it’s like the musician that has that song in his head and he’s able to get it out Exactly. He’s able to get it out. So when else can hear it?
0:12:28 – Speaker 3
Exactly.
0:12:29 – Speaker 2
Yeah, no, totally, I get exactly what you’re saying.
0:12:31 – Speaker 3
Yeah.
0:12:32 – Speaker 2
Yeah so now now come bringing that into like midwater, because that this is such a now hearing to how you recorded that, how you filmed it. It’s really interesting, Like let’s talk about that and kind of what gave you, you know, the idea to do this?
0:12:47 – Speaker 3
Okay, so midwater. If you see the actress in it, she’s my ex girlfriend.
0:12:55 – Speaker 2
Oh really, yeah. What’s your ex girlfriend at the time? Yeah.
0:12:59 – Speaker 3
Oh, she’s a really big actress in France. So we, you know, and she came to visit me in LA and we’re like talking about doing something together, you know, like a film, like a cause. She’s sing too. So we did like a music video, we did some stuff and I’m like I want you, you know, to make something in English. So, you know, if we stay together, I mean we’d be good, you know, to try to expand your career here. So like, yeah, I told you, and I did shoot something underwater. I didn’t have the concept yet and for her she’s really like into, like, you know, like a paranormal, you know yeah yeah, yes and everything.
So I start to get that idea having, like you know, like like some famous people stuck together, you know, in the after. So in that case, what’s more? Like a gangster like Al Capone, easy and butch Cassidy, like a gangster from different era, who meet each other, you know, and get stuck to each other. They don’t even know that from, they’re from different areas you know, but they just okay, and they stuck, there’s nothing to do and everything.
And I’m like, oh, that’s a cool story, but what can make it a bit cooler? And we just I just got a pull on it, why don’t we shoot everything on the water? And she’s like yes, right Again, I shoot in English underwater.
0:14:21 – Speaker 2
She’s like let’s see how, how, how, how much, how much more difficult can we make this? Exactly, Exactly.
0:14:31 – Speaker 3
Had a friend of mine who did like big movies. He was doing like CGI and everything you know. Oh wow, and I start to talk to that about him. I mean about that to him, and he was like, oh no, that’s not possible. You need to add that, that, that, and I talked to a few people and more. They told me that’s not possible. And more you want to do it Exactly More. I hear you, I hear you.
So I called a couple of friends of mine no, no tell, especially a Nick Gomez, the guy who played, but Cassidy, you probably see him here wasn’t walking dead, he wasn’t dead.
0:15:07 – Speaker 2
Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:15:08 – Speaker 3
He’s in a new TV show. She Hulk the Marvel character. I mean, he’s an amazing actor. And when I told him that like, oh yes, definitely, let’s do that, so that’s something on the water, so he just wanted to follow me. Oh great, you know. So I keep on. I called another friend of mine, deschante Williams, aka Smooth Galaxy, the guy who played easy.
Yeah, the dance performer and everything, and like I mean, if you need me, I mean, and my other friend, john Mark Minnet, who played, is like okay, come to me. And so I’m like great, I’ve got a cast. So I start to work on the story itself. You know why would be underwater, why would they talk and why would that stuck and everything. And then was time for the preproduction, like how am I going to do that? Like you know, you have cards, they have stuff on the table. You know how to have everything that they can use but wouldn’t fly away. So to get like a metallic table, like put magnet on everything. You know that’s funny. Yeah, we had to hide like scuba diving tanks under the table. So when they need to breathe, you know they can take a break and breathe, because wow, that is so funny yeah we was like a lot, a lot of logistics to make it happen.
0:16:33 – Speaker 2
But there’s a will, there’s a way, exactly, exactly. So that is so cool.
0:16:39 – Speaker 3
Yeah, we take us like two days to shoot. I don’t know if you notice, but I mean the easiest way to shoot something like that is to do like close up on each other. You know they do one sentence. You cut right if the yeah, yeah, but I didn’t want to be stuck to that, so I wanted some wilder shot. When you see all of them, you know, in the table and interacting. However, they can’t see each other, they can hear each other, they can speak, you know. So I have to come with that system. You know, with a metallic tube when I hit it to make a sound, so one knows that that sound corresponds to what you have to say. When I do sound, the other one knows that you have to respond and stuff like that. You know that is so funny. Yeah, it was like really like interesting and thrilling to make because I’ve got all my actors who literally trust me hundred percent with the end.
0:17:34 – Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah, they’ll like, yeah, do it.
0:17:35 – Speaker 3
So and the end, I mean I’m really happy with the end, with the results.
0:17:41 – Speaker 2
It’s a really great film. Yeah, yeah, is there anything else you want to mention Like? Is there any other projects you work on in the future? Do you have a website you want to aim anyone towards?
0:17:51 – Speaker 3
I do not have a website. I used to have a website that had, like a company named Shadow Fox, but because of the COVID, you know, it kind of like we have to bounce on a different thing. However, I’m working now. I just finished a script named Like a Needle in a Haystack, which is a strong female hero who been through some like dramatic experience. She’s a reporter and, because of the investigation she’s working on, her husband get killed, she let’s get left for dead, but instead of having, like you know, like all these revenge movies, she doesn’t come back for revenge. That’s the opposite. She just tried to run away from society because now she’s traumatized. She cannot hang out with people because, you know, she’s a friend of people and the only connection that she has with the society is the cop in charge of the stuff in her case, who comes to visit her from time to time, and one day when he’s visiting her, there is like a plane full of narcotics who crash in her front yard, you know, in the middle of nowhere.
Yeah cop try to save the day, you know. But the drug dealers come to pick up the drug and shoot the cop and, like, injure him badly. So she grabbed him and just try to run away to save him and save herself. And the whole story happened of. I mean, it’s about her running away, right, she find that point when she start to regain confidence on herself and her friend, just to give her the strength to make him back after for a possible sequel and everything. But it’s more like a redemption movie. You know, that’s all. Yeah, very cool. Yeah, that’s what we were I’m working on with my friend, chad Conley. We’re like we work the the, we write the script together and now I’m trying to make it happen. You know, awesome.
0:19:53 – Speaker 2
Very cool. So, yeah, if you guys want to check out midwater, don’t forget to come to the tornado music and film festival. It’s going to be August 26, 27, 28 at Fox Woods casino. There’s going to be links everywhere on this, on this post and everything You’ll be able to find it, don’t worry. And Stefan, thanks for coming on. Man, I love midwater, thanks for your work and we’re looking forward to showing your film.
0:20:15 – Speaker 3
Thank you for having me in a festival, thank you for having me in your broadcast, and I can’t wait to see the festival.
0:20:23 – Speaker 2
No me, neither, me, neither. We can’t wait. So everyone thanks for listening and downloading, and don’t forget to embrace your storm.
0:20:29 – Speaker 1
See you. Thank you, bye. Tornado with Jonathan Nado. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe now so you’re first to hear new episodes with more stories of inspiration about the highs and lows of life and how embracing the storm is so much more fulfilling of a life than being crushed by the weight of the world. And until then, we hope you’re inspired to do something, whether it’s creating, participating or learning, whatever leads you to your personal passion.
