Embark on a cinematic journey with us as we engage in an in-depth conversation with the talented writer-director Rachel Jacob. Ever wondered how personal experiences can translate into a deeply moving film? Rachel demystifies this by unveiling her work on 'The Dead Driver', a poignant film based on Michelle Silva's real-life experiences, and discussing the innovative production techniques used, including LED walls.
Rachel's development into directing is nothing less than fascinating. Her reverence for Stanley Kubrick and the lessons learned from the Circle Exercise hosted by Jim Gleason are clearly mirrored in her directing style. She dives deeper into how her writing approach serves her directing process, emphasizing the importance of understanding actors' needs and adopting a less-is-more strategy to achieve natural, realistic performances.
But it doesn't stop there. Rachel shares her insights about the vibrant culture of the New Orleans film scene and the significance of upholding a good reputation in the industry. We also discuss the art of balancing different roles in a production, underscoring the importance of mutual communication and trust. This episode is a captivating exploration into the world of film production, making it a must-listen for all film enthusiasts out there. Buckle up for an illuminating ride!
Follow us on IG @nolafilmscene, @kodaksbykojack, and @tjsebastianofficial. Check out our 48 Hour Film Project short film Waiting for Gateaux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pFvn4cd1U
Embark on a cinematic journey with us as we engage in an in-depth conversation with the talented writer-director Rachel Jacob. Ever wondered how personal experiences can translate into a deeply moving film? Rachel demystifies this by unveiling her work on 'The Dead Driver', a poignant film based on Michelle Silva's real-life experiences, and discussing the innovative production techniques used, including LED walls.
Rachel's development into directing is nothing less than fascinating. Her reverence for Stanley Kubrick and the lessons learned from the Circle Exercise hosted by Jim Gleason are clearly mirrored in her directing style. She dives deeper into how her writing approach serves her directing process, emphasizing the importance of understanding actors' needs and adopting a less-is-more strategy to achieve natural, realistic performances.
But it doesn't stop there. Rachel shares her insights about the vibrant culture of the New Orleans film scene and the significance of upholding a good reputation in the industry. We also discuss the art of balancing different roles in a production, underscoring the importance of mutual communication and trust. This episode is a captivating exploration into the world of film production, making it a must-listen for all film enthusiasts out there. Buckle up for an illuminating ride!
Follow us on IG @nolafilmscene, @kodaksbykojack, and @tjsebastianofficial. Check out our 48 Hour Film Project short film Waiting for Gateaux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pFvn4cd1U
Hi, this is Rachel Jacob and you're listening to Nola Film Scene.
Speaker 3:Hello, welcome to Nola Film Scene with TJ Play-Doh. I'm TJ and, as always, I'm Play-Doh. Hey, welcome back to Nola Film Scene. We're here with our friend Rachel Jacob. Hi, rachel.
Speaker 1:Hi, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for joining us.
Speaker 1:I'm so excited. There's been a lot of buzz about this.
Speaker 3:Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you're known for, please.
Speaker 1:I don't know about known for, but I'm Rachel. I'm from New Orleans, louisiana. I lived all over, but I always come back here, as a good Nola girl does, and I am a writer-director and sometimes active. And that's what I do. Excellent, yeah, very pleased to be here.
Speaker 3:And I started to say it before we began the recording. But I wanted to wait, because where did we meet? Do you remember?
Speaker 1:We met at the Circle Exercise.
Speaker 2:A.
Speaker 1:Jim Gleason Circle Exercise, which is phenomenal.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's great, but every guest every guest and we didn't plan it. We didn't go. Let's look through the Circle Exercise list. No, it's like, hey, you want to do on it, we sit down. Damn, I know you're from the circle, the circle, yeah, the circle.
Speaker 1:It's a special place, the circle.
Speaker 3:It is I loved it yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and kudos to Jim. You remember that old game six degrees or seven degrees of separation, yeah, I think it's like down to five now, like like. I think with the Circle Exercise it might even be less than that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like two.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's right. I did my Kevin Bacon one, I think I'm two, I'm two away from him.
Speaker 1:Two degrees of Kevin Bacon?
Speaker 3:Wow, okay, I have to think about that you have to work on a project with him, because he's zero himself, because he's always with himself.
Speaker 2:If you work exactly with him.
Speaker 3:That's one. I don't know if his wife is one or a half. If that's close.
Speaker 1:Well, you would be two if you met his wife and not him.
Speaker 3:Correct. So I've worked with some people and I say worked with I was background, so I don't know if that counts, but I'm counting it.
Speaker 1:And then so that who worked with Kevin Bacon. Yeah, I would have to really think about that one.
Speaker 3:Next time on the film scene the Kevin Bacon game. So congratulations on your latest film. I forgot the dad driver no.
Speaker 1:Well, technically it's a young boy, but that's like kind of super brand new. But yes, my latest film that is just finishing the circuit is the dad driver with Michelle Silva at Entertainment Goes. So yeah, that's that's what has made a fresh wave of social media appearances, shall we say, which was very, I think, unexpected and very exciting for everybody involved. So, yeah, cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we've been been keeping an eye on that, michelle's great.
Speaker 1:She is awesome. Yeah, she is the best. I love her so thank you.
Speaker 2:Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Speaker 1:About the dad driver. Yeah, so it's a very personal experience from her, based off of an experience she had in her life. Like the story is not like autobiographical in any sense, but definitely I guess you could say it's sort of like an autobiography of emotions for her At least that's how I would put it. It's the story of a family losing their daughter at a young age you know she's 15, 16, 17, and her them being with her in her final moments and what happens to her after she dies, as well as what happens in real life with her body after she dies and the you know, the nurse calling time of death, the dead driver, the person who comes with the coroner's van to pick up the body, and how that's done and where it's taken and where she's going and why, and the things that happen during these, like during these processes. So it's kind of like a we flip in and out of a supernatural experience to a very, very, very real, like the body jiggling as it's getting put into the van, Like realness. So it's this sort of like supernatural slash, like hardcore real life, like interwoven piece that Michelle wrote in honor of her Nana who passed away and she had an experience with her Nana passing away and all of that, and yeah, that's what that's what the film is about, and we made it.
Speaker 1:Let's see, we we went into production for it over a year ago now, which is crazy. So we shot it last summer and it was. It was a big to do. It was a very, very big to do. I mean, the things that we got to do on this short film were incredible. We got to shoot on what is it? The stagecraft technology. I can't remember the name, the actual name of the brand of that type of technology that we used, but we got to shoot on the LED wall, which is that, yeah, which is that? Wis? I was just like, am I on the set of the Mandalorian? Like what's going on? Like you can you make whatever environment that you want and it works. So that was an amazing experience and like huge learning experience, and I mean in honor and like what a privilege to be able to do that.
Speaker 1:So we, you know, we spent time on that set with the van, just because the way that we needed to shoot the van and our coinciding budget meant that we needed to be and the need for safety meant we needed to do it with the wall and not out on a highway or out on the street. So that's what we did and it was incredible. So we did. You know, we spent some time there. We spent some time out in the fields in not northern Louisiana but north of New Orleans, where there's, you know, woods and fields and forests and things like that.
Speaker 1:And TJ Exactly yeah we went north to go get like a very, you know, like an ethereal feel for like the afterlife, and then we spent the rest of the time inside the van and then at the house, which were our main you know, these were our main locations. A lot went into the preparation and the execution of this short film, so it was a heck of an experience. I'm very proud, especially of a few of the sequences that I really saw in my head very clearly, that we were able to pull off, and we I was only able to do that because of an amazing camera team and crew. So, yeah, it was quite an experience and it's been in festivals now for about a year and I think it's kind of at the end of its run and we just got the surprise like.
Speaker 1:Hey, all the things in Las Vegas. So that was.
Speaker 3:That was very exciting and such an honor, all the things being you. You won. You won some awards.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we were. We were nominated for many things, which is, like you know. You're in the festival for a long time, so you've made it through all the rounds to get to the nominations, which was a huge honor, and Michelle won best film, best filmmaker of the year, which is incredible. So I feel like that's the wind for everybody right there.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, yeah yeah, that was so cool to see somebody a team from New Orleans go that far with it. That was incredible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was really awesome. And what's even more awesome is like the absolute random randomness of her running into the president of WIFT in Louisiana at the festival. Like she was there for other reasons and they ran into each other and like did a whole Louisiana thing, it was awesome. So I was like oh my God, this is a guy have to show my ignorance.
Speaker 3:What is WIFT?
Speaker 1:Women in film and television.
Speaker 3:Thought so, but I didn't want to assume.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a national well, technically international organization, but they have chapters all over the place and so there is a chapter in New Orleans with New Orleans, and they have. We have our meetings based out of the second line stages and there's a gala for the state every year in December. So that's the big, the big to do that. We all love to go to a network and meet and celebrate the achievements of everybody. You know, that year Very cool, very cool.
Speaker 3:So one thing we've been asking a lot of people is about inspiration and what inspired you. You can pick from any of these kind of topics what inspired you to start on this road, whether it was acting or directing or both, or maybe there's a project, even that driver or something else, it's something that really struck home. What inspiration caught your eye and started you down this road, or down a road, to make a move.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't know if I could like call it back to any one thing, because I feel like it was a slow progression throughout my whole life. That definitely started in a love of old films instilled in me by my parents, especially my father. I mean, like look at my old Hollywood wall, you know very cool.
Speaker 1:So definitely like a love of the golden age of Hollywood and cinema, and like from a young age, from a very, very young age and then, as I grew older, just needing to give visual expressions of whatever I was going through. Like I remember and I think I've told, I've told this story before is like I was 18 years old in a college English lit class and one of the assignments was to do a presentation with a team on Kate Chopin's the Story of an Hour and I looked at my team and I was like let's make a silent film as our presentation. So we did, and they were in my, my class was like what are you doing? And I was like I don't know. So we did. It was terrible but it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:I loved it. I was like I got to keep doing this. I had. I didn't switch to film then or anything. In fact I like took a break from college for a while. I went back later. I definitely always, have always had a love of acting. I did theater in high school and I did theater in college. I've always loved doing that, but I always wanted to do like film acting. So I definitely I did auditions. You know I've done short films, whatever. So I definitely think that this all started like the love of it started like after just loving films in general, started in acting and wanting to be creative in that space and wanting to express myself that way, and then it like just developed slowly into more things like writing and directing, much later on. So yeah, I think it's. I think it's a whole bunch of things all all lumped in together. Yeah, it's, I would say, love of movies, then acting and then a discovery of writing and directing.
Speaker 3:Right, right, where that becomes. You can't say all your vision, but your vision is the main focus. It's kind of like I haven't directed anything but going from background to any speaking parts. Is there's no control? There's no, there's barely any input, and you do an indie movie with your friends and even doing backgrounds. Well, what about this? Hey, that's a great idea to be able to contribute. So it sounds like that part lit up in you. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And it lit up much later too. I needed some sharpening, if you will, and I still do.
Speaker 1:You know, I think definitely studies learning, like I didn't expect to ever be a writer in my life, like never, never would I have thought that.
Speaker 1:And then when I took a screenwriting, a mandatory screenwriting class in later in college and I happened to have like the perfect professor for the job, I was like screenwriting, oh, oh my gosh, yeah, I'm really resonated and I was like this is how I can, this is how I can get things out, because I can express what I'm seeing in my head a particular way, as opposed to like a novel or as opposed to other forms of writing where it did not resonate the same way to try and express myself.
Speaker 1:So I never was really interested. So I'm grateful to school and to my professor in that sense and I like stayed with him and like took all the classes, or as many as I could of that, which kicked that off, and so I wrote a bunch of shorts and it wasn't until much later that I even attempted a feature. Now we're cranking feature films out and you know, working on honing those and sharpening and polishing those and whatnot. So, yeah, and then that led to hey, this is my vision, I want to be the one to do it then trying and going and doing it, like trying to go and make the thing, trying to make it, trying to see if I can make what's in my head the same visually for everybody else.
Speaker 1:You know and there's a lot of failure and there's some success, and then you realize what works, and some of it is like hello.
Speaker 1:You have to like learn how to use a camera in order to like get the shot that you're thinking of in your head, and sometimes it's pulling a performance out of someone, Sometimes it's better preparation, Sometimes it's understanding what translates from your head to the story and what doesn't, and so I mean it's any number, it's any number of things.
Speaker 1:So you're constantly like testing and growing and whatnot, and you know I feel like I finally come to a place where now I can consistently put what's on a page into a film, with always a ton of room to grow. You know there's, you know there's always going to be ways to do it better. But now I feel like, okay, I've really put in years and time and effort and a lot, of, a lot of short, so a lot of filmmaking. You know, on my own, aside from all of the like, you know, the bigger production stuff that I used to work on in town, and just like you know, you learn and glean and whatnot just from, just from all of those experiences and knowing what to do and what not to do and what mistakes to not make, Like just from watching it happen on a giant scale.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, I feel like it's been quite a journey and there's still a long way to go, but I'm really excited because I think you know what's next is going to be. The next thing it's more exciting the next challenge, it's the next, the next step.
Speaker 3:So next level.
Speaker 1:I don't know if that made sense, but yeah, it totally did.
Speaker 3:It's two other questions. I've got more, unless you had something TJ.
Speaker 2:I was going to ask if she has a filmmaker that is the most inspirational to her.
Speaker 1:So hard.
Speaker 3:So hard you can do top five. If you need to, you can do top five.
Speaker 1:Okay, here we go. I'm going to have to just go with Kubrick, stanley Kubrick.
Speaker 2:Nice yeah.
Speaker 1:He is like the number one for me, I think, because it's and I would, I think I'd like to be able to not that I'm trying to be a Kubrick not at all but it's like I love that he could do any genre, have it be completely different, have it, have it be authentically Kubrick and have it blow your mind every single time. And he masters whatever he does. So I feel like those are goals that I want to do, but I want to do it my way, like I want to be able to tap into whatever genre and execute it so well that it blows your mind.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't know, that's what I want, that's what I would love to be able to do, so yeah, that's a good answer.
Speaker 2:So when?
Speaker 3:you were talking about how you've progressed in your skill as a director and getting it from the page to the screen. Maybe start thinking as you're writing it now are you seeing it as the director, or do you just let it brainstorm? Do you just let it come out? Or do you even see as a director everything you do? You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like when I'm writing.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So when I'm writing, I'm in story mode, I'm all the characters in my head, which sounds insane, but whatever, I'm very much so in the story. There will be a thought here and there of like what I'm going to do to direct it, but no, it's like I'm literally need to be seeing it, watching it, being the people in my head and writing the story and then after I worry about the directing and like how that would come through fruition and whatnot.
Speaker 1:Because, they're also, especially when you're the writer director of something, as opposed to just being the director, which is. It's a different experience, right, because I've done both. Now I don't think that the two are divorced in any way. When you're there, when you're the writer director Because when I'm writing it and I'm seeing it, I'm watching the movie in my head, so it's already it's like that's the visual piece that's going to happen, and I'm just going to put that part out the focus is the story and the characters.
Speaker 1:And then, when it comes to directing, then it's like all the things that you've watched in your head that are written down on the page, that haven't. It's not going to change, it just needs to be communicated a different way so that we can now roll into prep or what have you. You know, storyboarding or whatever it is that needs to be done in order to get that ball rolling or, like you know, finding the actors, communicating it to the actors, rehearsals, things like that. So I think it's much more of a. There's a smoother transition, but there's also a lot more like making sure, like because it's, you know, you feel like it's it's mine, I have to do it perfectly the pressure is a different pressure because it comes from yourself, and then when you're doing someone else's, it's like the pressure to do their thing perfectly, because I don't want to mess their thing up.
Speaker 1:I don't know what the way it works for me is. Whether it's my screenplay or someone else's, can I watch the movie in my head? Can I see the whole thing in my head? And then, if I can, then we can make it. You know what?
Speaker 1:I mean, and if I can't, then that means that there needs to be some honing or what. What have you or I'm not the right person for it. If it's not mine, you know what I mean. Like, so yeah, if I can watch the movie in my head, then we, then it's, we're good to go.
Speaker 3:Excellent, excellent.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You said bringing a performance out of an actor.
Speaker 1:I like you describe that.
Speaker 3:I did a 48 hour film with my friends. I actually had a fake gun, didn't shoot up to my head and to get the thoughts out of me they go. Okay, try this. When I ask you, think about which is your favorite Spider-Man books, comic book, movies and action, my brain just started thinking and cut. I was like so he brought out what he needed to me and because it was a confusion from the question the guy had asked me in the movie. So please tell us whatever you'd like to describe that process, how you get it from an actor, what you need from an actor. Tell the actors anything along those lines, please.
Speaker 1:My goal, I think from the very beginning, once my actors are set, is to always be able to sit down with them and say this is who I am as a director. What do you need from a director? To ask them what they need? What techniques work best for you as an actor? Nice, so that I know how to correspond, because it's very easy for me to tailor how I talk to you about something If I know what works best for you. If you need rough love to get a performance, tell me so I give it to you. If you need to be encouraged, if you need and by rough love I mean like I don't mean anything wrong or anything- bad by it.
Speaker 1:I just mean, like some people need to be like yo. Come on, I know you can do this, let's go Like this is where you need to be at, get in the space Like da, da, da da, and never being mean or harsh or an asshole like that is never necessary.
Speaker 3:But in the moment some actors might need that. You need to fucking do this and do it now and then afterwards. We're cool.
Speaker 1:As much as I love Kubrick, I don't believe in the like insanity, like method, method torture people to get a performance out of them. That's not necessary, but it's like do you need encouragement? Do you need to talk about the character? Do you need when, do you need clarification? So I asked them, like what do you need out of the relationship first, so that we establish that. Going in and depending on their answers, I will adapt what I need to do for them, because that helps me understand them as people and as actors and how I can get what they need from their character. I'm sorry, how I can get what I need for the story from their character, based off of what they need as an actor to get a performance out of them. So I think it varies. You know, person to person and there you know there's fairly standard things that you know that work for everybody, and then there's fairly standard you know methods that I think I've used for people and vice versa, like, or actors just letting me know, like what they need, like if they need a second, you know, or if they it's like OK, we need to go hard and hit this now because I'm ready, great, let's go.
Speaker 1:You know Sometimes say you know, when actors get to in their head about something and they can't, they're not, they're not, they're close, or they're like circling the thing that they need to hit, circling the emotion, or circling the moment, or circling the performance that's needed, then like it's kind of like what you said, of like somebody gave you something completely different and pulled you out of it. Because of that, they got the performance on the face. So another thing, that one thing that I do like to tell actors is like less is more. Have like go blank face, don't so much worry about trying to be this other person. In every single moment, the audience is putting themselves in your head. So they're gonna, they're gonna do that. Let the audience put themselves in your face. So in order to do that, there needs to be an openness. So it's not that you're not acting, you are, it's just way under.
Speaker 1:So that if you bring an openness to your acting and to your character and to whatever, to whatever's happening, a naturalness, because most people don't have like these big reactions unless you're doing like some sort of very stylized piece right In normal life, unless it's like a big, crazy situation, the interactions between human beings are natural, muted, calm. So I love conveying whether it's a fantasy piece or whether it's a, you know, a real nitty gritty film, whether it's horror, whether it's whatever.
Speaker 1:I love to bring a naturalness and a realism because that's what makes you, makes you believe the film Like makes you believe the film, no matter so that which allows you to do anything, which allows you to go to Mars, it allows you to be in middle earth, it allows you to be in Star Wars, it allows you to be on Halloween, like whatever I mean. Some of it is a little exaggerated right.
Speaker 1:But if you can, at the foundation, bring a naturalness and a humanness, you've got your people, because the audience will latch onto that and identify and then be able to move forward. Now, am I some master of this? Absolutely not, but I'm working on it. Yeah, so yeah, every project. The goal is to get a little bit better at it, we can totally relate Well.
Speaker 2:so I come from a military background and I was going to tell you that what you said at the very beginning about asking your actors what they need from you for you to be able to direct them, that's Leadership 101, asking your people what they need from you, that's good leadership. I wanted to ask so you've done acting and you've done directing do you think one compliments the other? Do you think having acted helps you be a better director and do you think directing helps you be a better actor?
Speaker 1:Definitely, and I would actually encourage especially directors to go be directed. Go let yourself be directed, because you gotta see things from the other side. It helps a lot, even if it's something shitty and you can't act like, go do it and then like, even if you're an actor, go direct something. Even if you can't direct and it's shitty and you don't even know what vision you're executing, wear the hat so that you can understand better what the other person has to deal with and where they're coming from, because they're complimentary, highly complimentary, but they're also very different at the same time. So, thank you, director. Yeah, I definitely think they're complimentary and that they need one another and that, if you can, you don't have to go become a director, right, or become an actor if that's not what you want to do, but go try it once or twice or set your own little thing up, especially directing wise.
Speaker 1:If you're an actor, to go just understand all the things that are being pulled together for you to have your performance, for what a director is dealing with, in order to pull that out of you. And then, as an actor, the understanding, like allowing yourself to be led by somebody and trusting them and trusting a vision and forming a relationship that allows that to flourish and to happen. I mean, obviously actors have a skill on their own that they can bring these things out by themselves, right. But then you put it in the hands of a director to just shape and hone a little bit. You know, and some people need it more than others, like I, you know. I mean, I can't imagine myself like ever giving Meryl Street notes for let's, you know, for example but whatever, it doesn't matter because it's not.
Speaker 1:It's not about that. And if I, you know, if I ever had that great honor, you know, maybe we would sit down and be able to like talk, talk about that, and I would. I would want to hear from her end, like her whole, like long experience of things. You know this is a bit of a tangent, but whatever, yeah, I definitely think that they're. They're complimentary and they bring. It's a necessary symbiosis.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's an, it's exactly, it's a necessary symbiotic relationship, if we're going to go a little Star Wars here. Um, symbionts, you know, living, what is the line? Life forms living together for mutual advantage.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I cannot believe I just did that. I don't care.
Speaker 3:The force is strong with this director.
Speaker 1:Yes, this is yes, anyway, yeah, I think stepping into the other shoes, like even if just for a minute, is not only going to enhance your experience of the other person and what they need, but it's going to enhance your own experience because you're you're going to become more malleable and understanding and, like, emotionally aware for yourself and for them, which is going to benefit the entire cast and crew and your performance and the story.
Speaker 3:Totally, and if the cast and crew sees you not being a dictator or just not being a dick as a director, that makes them feel better about the project. Because we've heard I don't think I've really experienced things, especially at our level you know of the directors. I've worked with them, friends, it's all been good. But then the craziness on set and they're they're directors who have I don't even want to talk about.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying without trying to say it yeah, there's a lot of assholes out there.
Speaker 3:Nobody wants to work with them, on whatever level they're at.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly. Well, that is a goal always to not be an asshole, like everybody's entitled to a bad moment or a bad day, but like there's a difference between that and being an asshole and it's like, yeah, I definitely don't want that.
Speaker 3:You're doing a good job so far so.
Speaker 1:I appreciate that.
Speaker 3:I'm going to hold back judgment until we work together. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think I'm pretty. I think I'm pretty solid, pretty solid. Okay, that's like maybe blowing too much smoke up my own butt.
Speaker 3:You're very level, just from my experience, yeah, so that you have to know yourself. It's hard to talk about yourself, which we found out.
Speaker 1:It's hard to give your feeling I'm not an asshole in this industry, like I mean, yeah, I, but I do. I do. It is a you know, I do strive to set a good set, a good tone. I mean, look, I think part of it too is, I mean, and this is one of my, a goal that I've recently, or a rule that I've set for myself on my sets over the last few years, and I'm like I don't care how big you know we go, this is, this rule has to stay the same and it might actually get even a little more intense.
Speaker 1:And my this rule is is that, barring maybe, like once or twice a production shoot and by by like on a feature, let's say, we're not going over nine hours Like period I could see once in a while needing a 10 hour day, like maybe once or twice in a in a two months shoot once or twice, and that's it. But other than that, there is no reason to have longer than nine hour day, because after the first week everybody's miserable, exhausted, cranky and in a bad mood and then, like, the rest of the shoot is really hard and miserable, and then you start having, like you start going off of adrenaline, which is unhealthy, and nobody has rest or like work-life balance. It's like yo, we need to shut it off after nine hours. I don't care. So I'm like really proud to say that the last I think five, because that's not, that's about when I set this rule about five films ago. Never, except for like two minutes, have not gone over nine hours.
Speaker 3:We went over like two minutes, so yeah. I'm very proud of that. Those two minutes count. I can't work with you. Oh, oh, oh oh. I was like wait, why no? Just playing I'm playing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so because I'd rather. I'd rather shoot for more days and have healthier, happy people and balanced people and enjoy this thing. Because this is we're not performing open heart surgery.
Speaker 3:We're not whatever.
Speaker 1:Whatever, yes, we're doing an important thing Hopefully we're making a piece of art or telling a good story or, you know, providing livelihood people's livelihoods, including my own, you know but it needs to be in the way we do. It needs to be in proportion to the thing that we're doing and I don't think that 18 hour days the industry is slowly getting better at it 18 hour days are not necessary for anybody, for anything, unless it's, like you know, we're in a war zone, which I hope to God we're not in one soon. But like you know what I mean Like they've become this like macho, like oh well, how many hours this week did you work? And it would become like a flex and it's just like well, all those people are like dead at 50. Congratulations.
Speaker 1:Like I'm not I don't have like no, like I'm not like proud of that or happy. I mean I I burned out in my early days because I would do back to back shows as a little PA or as a whatever in the AD department and I remember sitting in a trailer doing like end of day, like paperwork, like all the time cards and all that stuff on day six hour 18, and having this out of body experience where I was like watching myself do the paperwork and I was like I've got to go home. I don't know how I'm going to get home, because I'm. You felt so sick and tired that you couldn't even be in your own body, and I mean like not literally, like losing my mind in that way, but it was just like.
Speaker 1:I remember. Yeah, you, you become like crazy a little bit and it's just like that's not necessary or sustainable or anything like that. So like let's not do that. And so, yeah, I told, I told that to Michelle too. She's like girl, I'm with you.
Speaker 1:I'm like yes we let's, we can do the thing and we can do it, and we can do it in nine hours, and if we can't do nine hours, then we can't do it in nine hours, Then we need to add a day, but we've been able to do everything in nine hours, Like you know.
Speaker 3:So right, you talking about that.
Speaker 1:Sorry about that. No, no, no, no, that's, that's what we're here for.
Speaker 3:About the weird flex when I was working background I've had at least two 38 hour days because, yeah, I mean I'm really dedicated now work seven days a week cleaning bars on the graveyard shift. I like I worked on one movie starting at 4pm out in the boonies, worked till midnight and I wasn't driving because my wife and I had one car. So I went over to set and someone brought me to the bar. They slept in their car. I cleaned the bar, finished at 530 in the morning, woke them up, we got ready and went to a show and then worked till the afternoon. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:I don't, you can't do that much, because I was. I was down for a week, although I did have to go to my regular job every day.
Speaker 1:I don't want to do that. No, that's crazy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I like your day better, and then you can't even have time to recover from that. No.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Like it's like no, go to sleep right for six hours and then come back and then do it again Nine hours.
Speaker 3:I went back at 38 and then the next went home, slept for like 12 hours, got up actually might have been less than that and went back to cleaning the bar the next night, because I just have trouble finding help. Yeah, so that's why. I like speaking parts, and I would definitely love to work for you for nine hour days.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no kidding.
Speaker 1:No yeah.
Speaker 2:So what would you tell a young, a young actor, not young in age, but young in the process. That is just huh.
Speaker 3:Like I said, like us, we're all but young in the field. Yeah Right.
Speaker 2:Sorry to interrupt. What would you tell a young actor that is just stepping into a lead role for the first time on set? Do you have, do you have, advice?
Speaker 1:Yeah, Mm, hmm walls.
Speaker 2:Okay что.
Speaker 1:Trust yourself. You earned it. Stay humble, yeah, and ask for. Ask for help when you need it. Communicate.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's good advice, sweet yeah. So we talked to Hick early on when we first started the podcast. Yeah, he is. One of the things he said was about reputation and Brian said if you have a bad reputation it'll get around fast and if you have a good reputation it'll get around fast. And that's one of my goals. I want to have a good reputation. I don't want to be the guy that people thinks is a jerk and hard to work with, and I think that goes a long way in this industry.
Speaker 1:Oh, 100%, absolutely, You're so right, and it goes fast. It goes fast both ways. Yeah, I agree 100%.
Speaker 3:That is a little bit faster. That is a little bit faster, that is true, but good.
Speaker 1:It's instantaneous.
Speaker 3:But good is deeper, because if you're consistently good, then people never hear that bad word about you. And you know, I won't tell you which one.
Speaker 1:I've heard good things about both of you guys and I know you, for you know it was short, but I feel like I know you so well. Brian, it's kind of weird. I guess the circles exercise will do that to you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I get that. It's like Stephanie, our second guess. I felt like I've known you all my life.
Speaker 1:Oh the film family thing is. So is so weird and it is so true and it is so especially I feel like here in New Orleans, because it's so like big slash, so small.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know, everybody, knows everybody. But it really is like oh yeah, oh, film industry, automatic understanding, automatically you're in, automatically. There's a yeah, there's just like this baseline of yeah we got. We got each other, and I love that you know.
Speaker 3:New Orleans itself has got that artist feel about it, musicians are and people just live in life in a different style. Because I lived in San Antonio for a while and it's nice. I was actually in the seminary. I was going to be a priest way back in the day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was like 1990.
Speaker 3:I've talked about that a little bit but and then I decided it wasn't for me. No scandals, but the town is. This town is different. So many people like oh, I just came to visit New Orleans and then I stayed forever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know it gets into your soul.
Speaker 3:So you add that kind of people, personalities, and then bring in the entertainment part of it, and there are courses always going to be assholes, there are people who are. I don't even know how to fully describe it, except you can feel people's energy.
Speaker 1:Yes, you know what.
Speaker 3:I mean.
Speaker 3:I took a class, it wasn't the circle it was actually I think a joke writing class with rich teller eco and he wrote the a run sketch from key and peel. He also did an improv that weekend and a person was there and they were unhappy with themselves, they were angry, they were bitter and it was like a dark cloud in the room and trying to pick a fight with a lot of people and the teacher, rich, just wouldn't get it, wouldn't engage. He's like OK, all right, and then he turned his back and that person got up and just walked out and he turned back to where they go and nobody had no reason and the room changed.
Speaker 3:Yeah you know it's it's real thing.
Speaker 1:one person, yes. The whole vibe, for good or for worse, for worse, faster and.
Speaker 3:I don't know if I even blame that person. It sounded like they were in pain from some experiences they had. You know what?
Speaker 1:I mean yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 3:But then everybody else wanted to be there, wanted to be creative. There were some different styles, some different sides of different fences, but it was still coming together and everybody kind of working towards a goal.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:It was an amazing thing to watch and then totally agree with you about the New Orleans community, about that, even though that might be a bad apple or two, but you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've always felt the environment, the community welcoming. I don't have a ton of experience, but the little bit of experience I do have has all been positive. I can't think of a single negative experience, except for longer days on set, especially working background, not because it was hard work, but sometimes it's just sit around, hurry up and wait and yeah, it's a long, it's a lot of nothing for very long periods of time and that's exhausting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, different kind of exhaustive.
Speaker 2:It is. Yeah, I would prefer to be productive.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, same.
Speaker 3:I had one One thing it was a boxing movie and so I was in a chair, front row and from the stars, so seated for 14 hours, other than lunch and stuff where other people. When they want to fill a crowd folks, they'll take a certain section. If you got a, group A is in the front, group B is in the middle and group C is in the back when they'll film it here. Well, now they got to shift the camera to try to fill out. The crowd now sees in the front B's, in the back A's and they'll rotate people.
Speaker 1:And so I was like I'm going to do that.
Speaker 3:My face was in a lot of the big time shots so I got to sit there, but it was 14 hours and it was hot because you can't have air on while you're filming and you're doing it again and again. Not to mention I was still going to my other job at the same time, so it's not ditch digging like I say, it's not exhausting like that, but yes, it does have as exhausting.
Speaker 1:I'm sure you have to be like, excited or whatever to like.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was smart, though. A lot of people smoke the fake cigarettes, not even cloves it was. It's something not original.
Speaker 1:One of the new ones, yeah. Yeah, so they're basically smoking paper, but you've got to keep doing that every scene, and they're like oh, this is terrible, and I'm
Speaker 3:like. That's why I didn't take it.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Oh, I know what you mean.
Speaker 2:Your mama didn't make a dummy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you. Thank you, tj, got any more questions I could.
Speaker 2:I could keep us here all night. I was so excited when Brian told me that that he talked to you about coming on the show. It's it's an incredible honor to have you here.
Speaker 1:Are you kidding? It's an honor to be asked. Thank you so much. I'm glad he did yeah.
Speaker 3:I want to get everybody. All the New Orleans actors. I want you all. I'm coming for you. Tj want to take us out, yeah.
Speaker 2:Rachel Jacob, it was such an honor to have you on the show we were. We were so excited to sit down and talk to you. You've offered some incredible insights and would love to have you back one day. Rachel, thanks for joining us. Thanks.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for having me. I would love to come back. Please let me know, and I think this is fabulous. Please keep the work up, and I can't wait to see where this show goes for you guys. I think it's already taken off big time, so heck, yeah, thank you. Well, then it's down for Nola. Let's go. Thank you for having me on, guys.