2007-03-08 - 7:58 p.m.
LOCAL SCENE
Author finishes shooting his first movie
By Phil Villarreal
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.08.2007
Dan Smith is a prolific author with four books under his belt who's turned his attention to film. The 29-year-old has finished filming on his first movie, the 10-minute short "Jen X," and plans on finishing editing the film and holding a premiere this month.
Smith, who credits Tucsonans Jon Proudstar and James Arnett for guidance and inspiration with his film, spoke to the Star by telephone. Excerpts:
You're 29. Isn't that a little young to be considered "Gen X"?
"I read this little snippet that said people born in 1977 were in Gen X. I hope I'm in Gen X. . . .
What I want to point out with the film is that Gen X is a generation that got labeled with something that doesn't give full merit to what it is. What I want to do is put it away � take away the label and show a story about gas prices, pregnancy and everything we have to deal with.
"It's about how stale and compartmentalized society has become, and people have become numbers on a sheet, and the feeling has been taken out of society. Corporate America has a lot to do with it, taking emotion out of employees around the country. We're not happy, and we don't know why we're not happy because we have all these nice things."
What's your story about?
"It's set in a town that's run by a minion of Satan. He's corrupted the town so badly � Gen X chases false idols � and he's so bored with that kind of evil that the only challenge would be to create something."
What do you want your film to accomplish?
"I tried for over 10 years to make the movie, so this is a victory lap for me. People are really happy for me. I wanted to use this to get a book deal, but I got one before I finished shooting the film."
Your previous books were self-published under the pen name J. Floyd King. What is your book deal?
"It's with Publish America. It's called 'The Disciples,' a novel about what inspired Gen X in broader scope. I got the deal at the end of 2006. The advance was $1, and I don't have to pay for anything. They handle printing and marketing. The book will be out later this year."
Will you make any of your other books into films?
"I definitely can see that happening. I'm a very visual writer. It wouldn't be an easy adaptation but a fun adaptation. For a long time, I wrote such weird stuff. That's why I used the pen name. I wanted to distance myself from it."
How would you like your film career to go?
"I want to make great movies. I saw Martin Scorsese got his best-director trophy, and that's long overdue. To make one movie that's as well-regarded as any of his would be a dream come true. Films like his and Quentin Tarantino's, with dialogue that has such a pop to it, are what inspire me. To make something that Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino would like, that would be great."
If you're involved in filmmaking and would like to be featured in a Q&A, write to [email protected].
