by Holly Grigg-Spall
British writer-director-producer Simon Savory’s first feature, LGBTQI road movie Bruno & Earlene Go To Vegas, had its US premiere at OutFest in Los Angeles and has already garnered an array of gushing reviews. Former Troma team member and film theorist turned filmmaker, Savory discusses the ups and downs of playing as many roles as possible.
Simon Savory
HOLLY GRIGG-SPALL: What came first—a script you had written and wanted to get made or the desire to direct?
SIMON SAVORY: It was a mix of the two. The idea for the story came about over a conversation I was having with a friend about how fluid a thing like gender can be, and how these boxes that are assigned to us at birth, and by society, are generally taken as indisputable. This followed from a conversation we were having about genre cinema. It hit me how great it would be to write a script about characters who defy gender norms and place them into a genre that typically associates gender roles with stereotypes. The more I delved into the story, the research and the writing, the more inspired and excited I became. At the same time, I felt I needed to direct it. I had studied film theory and only brushed with production, so this seemed like an exciting way to marry the two.
Barrett Crake as Billy in Bruno & Earlene Go to Vegas
GRIGG-SPALL: What do you see yourself as first and foremost, a screenwriter, a director or a producer?
SAVORY: Before, I would have said screenwriter. Now, I’d say filmmaker. Being a producer is extremely tough going, yet at the same time invigorating. It has certainly helped me rein in aspects of the writing and directing process in order to accommodate the budget. The producer was the devil on my shoulder throughout the writing process (“You want to shoot that? Forget it, too expensive!”), yet when curveballs came our way during the shoot (and there were many), that producer became an angel, jumping in to solve problems. To know the script, the story, the locations, the sets inside out, meant that at no point did I lose my cool. I had all of the answers. However, the huge downside was I wish I could have spent more time with the actors, more time with the script when it had to be rewritten eleven days before shooting, and more time to draw up a new set of storyboards.
GRIGG-SPALL: What was your budget and how did you raise the money?
Indiegogo.com campaign for Bruno & Earlene Go to Vegas
SAVORY: The budget was $75,000, which was tiny for such an ambitious project. This was why I also produced, because costs had to be kept low. Everyone on set performed multiple roles. I raised a small amount via Indiegogo.com, $1000 from a private investor, with the main bulk coming from an inheritance I received when my father passed away.
GRIGG-SPALL: You used to be involved with Troma—what lessons did that experience teach you about DIY filmmaking?
SAVORY: It taught me, that despite all odds, “make a goddamn movie.” Lloyd Kaufman, who I’ve known for many years, knows his movies and every aspect of the business inside out. He’s there at the conception, and he’s there at the premiere putting up the posters and laying down the carpet. No task is too trivial or too small. I really admired that in him. I worked as a PA on his film Poultrygeist in Buffalo, NY back in 2005 and saw first hand just how a hugely ambitious film can be shot for peanuts, despite all the terrifying things that can, and invariably do, go wrong. It was shot in an abandoned McDonald’s in a sketchy part of town, and you’d hear gunshots at night, no joke! We had to sleep on the floor of a cockroach-infested basement underneath a church—it was brilliant. Everyone persevered because they shared a passion for the project and a belief in the director.
GRIGG-SPALL: What are the benefits of directing your own script? How about acting as a producer?
Bruno & Earlene Go to Vegas
SAVORY: When I was faced with the choice of either canceling the production when the leading actress had to pull out due to green card issues, or rewriting the script and recasting the leads in just 2 weeks, it was a no-brainer. The scriptwriter in me was saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve researched the essence of this story to the nth degree—I can accommodate change,” while the producer in me was saying, “If we pull out now, all the pre-production money that’s gone into flights for the British crew and for the locations, will go to waste.” That was the benefit—crisis management was a hell of a lot easier.
Bruno & Earlene Go to Vegas
GRIGG-SPALL: Why did you decide to make your movie in the US rather than the UK?
SAVORY: It came down to budget and genre. To make a road movie, it made sense to shoot it in the nation that gave birth to that genre with films like Easy Rider, Thelma & Louise and Transamerica. Gas is a fraction of the price of what it costs in the UK, and generally the conversion rate is more favorable. Also, there’s a real hunger to work in movies there. The American contingent of the crew comes from places like Florida and Wisconsin where there isn’t much of a movie business, so they were in Hollywood hungry to work on exciting projects. You don’t really see that hunger in the UK, probably because the industry here is dictated by a small group of people, whereas in the States there’s more of a culture of independent investment in film and clubbing together to “make a goddamn movie.”
GRIGG-SPALL: What is your distribution plan for the film and how much of this are you organizing yourself?
SAVORY: Well I sold the film to the UK and Ireland at the Cannes Film Festival. I’ve also had interest from distributors in Germany and the USA, however that will all come later. The focus now is to play to the film festivals, and also to take a bit of a break, as the project has been a huge undertaking for me. Although I’m already pitching new projects!
Bruno & Earlene Go to Vegas
GRIGG-SPALL: What advice do you have for someone who has a script and wants to direct and produce themselves?
SAVORY: I would say, do it if you have a solid network of friends, lovers, family and helpers who can support you along the way. Also, don’t even attempt to produce your own film if you can’t distance yourself from the artistic aspect of the film. When the proverbial shit hits the fan, this objectivity is a necessary requirement and essential to problem-solving.
