An exclusive interview with Director Andrew Reid on his film ASIA A

ASIA A is the story of a recent spinal cord injury patient struggling to reconcile his sense of self-worth with his new reality as a paraplegic.

FESTIVALS: Semi-Finalist 45th Student Academy Awards / 2018 HollyShorts Film Festival / Los Angeles Shorts International Film Festival 2018 / Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival 2018

indieactivity: Give a background of your personal experience with the story, writing, production and marketing
Andrew Reid: Hello, my name is Andrew Reid and I was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Recent graduate with a Masters of Arts in Film Production at the University of Southern California (USC). I earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Advertising from the University of Florida.

At the age of 21, I became paralyzed from the chest down. A malformation of my blood vessels resulted in a rupture which compressed my spine while I was sleeping, leaving me completely paralyzed. I was told by doctors I would never walk again but with dedication and perseverance I regained movement. Today, I walk again with a cane and continue to progress in strength and health. I became an advocate for the disabled community and expanded my film production skills by moving to Los Angeles.

indieactivity: Did you start writing with a cast (You or any) in mind?
Andrew Reid: No, but the cast chosen was my first choices when we reached the casting phase.

indieactivity: How long did you take to complete the script? (Do you have a writing process?)
Andrew Reid: 4 months.

indieactivity: How did you develop ‘your film’?
Andrew Reid: The idea for this film spawned when I became paralyzed from the chest down. Since then, I have continued to develop my skills as a filmmaker until I felt confident that I could do justice to the topic of recovery and disability.

indieactivity: How was it financed?
Andrew Reid: It was financed through Kickstarter and grants.

indieactivity: Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business you still struggle with?
Andrew Reid: It’s always a struggle to find financing for a project but once I am on set I am reminded that the struggle was worth it.

indieactivity: How long was your pre-production?
Andrew Reid: 4 months

indieactivity: What was your rehearsal process and period?
Andrew Reid: Rehearsed twice the week before shooting

indieactivity: You shot the film in days. How long were your days?
Andrew Reid: 5 days / 12 hrs each

indieactivity: Did the tight shooting schedule make it harder or easier? How did it affect performances?
Andrew Reid: You always want more time. However, given the time constraints I think it made everyone on set stay focused throughout the entirety of the shoot.

indieactivity: How much did you go over budget? How did you manage it?
Andrew Reid: Not by much. Luckily, we received grant funding for post-production.

indieactivity: How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make any dent without it these days?
Andrew Reid: It’s very important because you may have a good film but it gets lost in the shuffle. So much content is being created today so you have to really push your film in the market.

indieactivity: What was the experience like of working with such a small shooting crew (?)?
Andrew Reid: Amazing. Always good to see a team put their heart and souls into a project.

indieactivity: The film looks stunning. How did you get such a good look when shooting so fast?
Andrew Reid: The cinematographer and I worked weeks in advance to create the film aesthetic before we shot. We had a clear vision in mind for the film.

indieactivity: Did you look at rushes? On what format?
Andrew Reid: No, we did not.

indieactivity: What else have you got in the works?
Andrew Reid: Recently, I finished my new short film Road to Zion which is starting its run in the festival circuit. Also, we are in the process of developing the ASIA A feature film.

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