We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mark Michaels. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mark below.
Mark, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Writer/Director for my first western; JOE CRIST JOE CRIST represents a significant milestone in my directorial journey.- I have always had a deep-seated desire to create a film with a ‘Higher Purpose’, and this aspiration comes to fruition with this latest project –
Synopsis; Former bounty hunter, Joe Crist, awakens from a 40 day coma to find he has been ‘touched’ for a higher calling –
Set against the rugged backdrop of America’s great southwest, including locations like Gammons Gulch, Arizona, and White Horse Ranch, California, JOE CRIST boasts a narrative woven with the textures of hope and the human spirit –
The storyline and visual aesthetics have been inspired by iconic works such as A Fistful of Dollars and The Robe – We have a unique blend of action, emotional depth and humor that sets JOE CRIST apart –
Mark, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My first 5 years of youth were spent in India – Thus I follow a spiritual leaning toward all religions – And maybe I absorbed some of that countries’ love of movies… To be in a dark theatre, waiting with apt anticipation for the screen to light up with dreams…pure magic! The theatre stage was terrifying to me – Public speaking! How do actors do it? I had to know and I was baptized in fire acting on stage in Boston – It was thrilling! And i was hooked!
I studied acting on both coasts and eventually settled in Tinseltown –
Acting led to writing…writing parts for myself in plays….Writing plays led to writing screenplays…And directing myself in plays led to directing myself in films –
Life for me is self discovery – And my films reflect that –
I launched my company Fire Breathing Films, Inc in 2016 –
My first film, was an experiment in film as art – Shot in black and white, it told the story of a dysfunctional family dealing with a painful death – It is best to leave the viewing of this film for another year –
My next feature, the psychological thriller MIND RAGE, was about two brothers on opposite sides of the law –
I followed with THE FIANCE; another psychological study on how relationships may change when someone commits fully to a partner – Of course I had to include Big Foot in this scenario!
Then came VAMPYRZ ON A BOAT, somewhat self explanatory if you know what I mean –
This led to my most fully realized movie;JOE CRIST – a comedy spaghetti western with a faith vibe –
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I have come full circle; from my early black and white experimental art film to my new art film JOE CRIST – When people watch JC they see what is on the screen – When I watch JC, I see art – The colors, the textures, the action, the emotion and the humor add up to my expression of film as art – How do I know JC is art to me? Easy…I can watch JC over and over and over again – just as I would look over and over and over again at a painting I love –
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
After I made MIND RAGE I had what you would term a nervous breakdown – I had just lost a powerful agent representing me and MIND RAGE was not in demand – What was I thinking that I could make movies that people would want to see? I pivoted to the exact opposite of the movie business; I went into the metals business – I started a company that supplied high precision metal parts – And as luck would have it, it was successful – That success allowed me to dip my toe into the movies again with THE FIANCE –
Sometimes out of adversity comes…you get the drift –
Contact Info:
- Website: https://firebreathingfilms.net
- Youtube: JOE CRIST trailer; https://youtu.be/XXxNp7HUBFY