In Conversation with Michael Oblowitz Director of Confidential Informant
Confidential Informant stars Mel Gibson, Dominic Purcell, and Kate Bosworth
Film
Date: 24th June 2019
Director: Jason Mills
Lead Cast: Chris Walters, Jackson Berlin, Darren Andrichuck,
indieactivity : What is your film about?
Jason Mills : More than 2.8 million soldiers surrendered on the western front between D-Day and the end of April, 1945. Proudly presented by Vision Films and Mills Pictures Studios, Beyond the Line is a tense and moving story about a British and American soldier who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines with German troops who refused to surrender at the end of the war. With its exquisite cinematography and haunting musical score, Jason Mills’ latest film is a harrowing account of survival and bravery during the devastation of World War II.
indieactivity : Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
Jason Mills : We were in post production of the film, when I was given the opportunity to join the AFM (American Film Market) as a guest filmmaker. The opportunity presented itself at AFM with Lise and her team at Vision Films. I have been so fortunate to be able to team up with an amazing distribution company, and following that we have been having ongoing interviews, marketing campaigns and will be releasing the film June 28th across all major cable platforms, iTunes, GooglePlay, Vudu, Vimeo, Amazon, and FandangoNow for an SRP $4.99 – $9.99 Rent or Buy and to on DVD for $12.99 from all major retailers.
indieactivity : Dramatic Feature?
- Director : Jason Mills
- Producers : Jason Mills, Kiana Passmore, Garnet Campbell
- Budget : Ultra Low Budget!
- Financing : Investor/Self Financed
- Production : Summer of 2017 in Harrison Mills, British Columbia
- Shooting Format : 4K
- World Premiere : Vancouver, British Columbia
- Awards : Went straight to distribution
- Website
indieactivity : Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Jason Mills : A British soldier’s plane is shot down over Nazi territory towards the end of World War II. As the enemy closes in, he’s saved by an American soldier and together they must defeat the enemy to make it back to friendly territory alive. It’s the close of World War II.
Unwilling to surrender, rogue German forces shoot down a returning British squadron leaving Sydney Baker (Chris Walters) wounded and lost with the enemy closing in. He’s saved by American soldier William Summers (Jackson Berlin) and the duo must face their fears, both internal and external, to defeat the enemy and make it back to friendly territory alive.
indieactivity : Development & Financing?
Jason Mills : Beyond the Line was an idea in my mind from the beginning of my filmmaking career. When I was given the opportunity to make a feature film with an ultra low budget, I thought this was my time to bring the story to life. I have always been a fan of war films and was inspired by my storyline to tell a tale of heroism and brotherhood in the midst of a life or death situation.
I always had the two lead characters in mind when writing the film. I had worked with Chris Walters on my first feature film “They Came from the Attic” also known as “Above Us Lives Evil”. He is such a talent and a great actor to work with. His commitment to the role and to the job is inspiring. I always had him in my head as Sydney Baker, the British soldier. And then there was William Summers. I had the pleasure of working with Jackson Berlin on one of my previous movies, “Alone We Are Not” also known as “Alien Psychosis”.
Again, another talented actor I have had the honour to work with. This was the first time I wrote a war/action thriller film, and it has always been something I have been working towards. Having the opportunity to bring the story to life made me work hard to bring the realism and feeling of the war through the cinematography and direction. Our team pushed the limits and boundaries to fulfill the project and we are thrilled to be working with Vision Films to bring it to life!
indieactivity : Production?
Jason Mills : Having an ultra low budget for a World War II feature film is outrageously small to some, however, I always see opportunity in the hardest of challenges. My wife and I always used to drive past this little Army Surplus store in New Westminster, B.C. and thought we would pop in there to see what they have in terms of wardrobe. That was the first place we started, and we ended up getting all the outfits we needed to make the film work! With the tight budget, we could only get one British and American outfit, and three German soldier outfits which we had to keep rotating between actors.
Once the wardrobe was complete, we had a five day shooting schedule. The intensity of the timeline was tight, but we knew if we kept persistent and followed the schedule we could make it work. Our location for the film was Harrison Mills (which is a couple hours out of Vancouver, B.C.) The scenery and landscapes are just breathtaking. We worked in a small, wooded area in the middle of Sandpiper Golf course in Harrison Mills. Our whole team (which includes cast and crew was less than 20 people) camped in a small cabin/tent area about 10 min drive from the location.
Our team was so dedicated we stayed 5 days, 4 nights tenting and filming. It was one of my most memorable experiences. Having such an amazing group of passionate filmmakers, actors, crew made this project so riveting. We were able to wrap that location within our allotted timeline, and picked up one or two extra days for ADR, touch ups, that were doable back in our hometown. After that, I continued to edit and pressed on to meet our release deadline with Vision Films.
indieactivity : Festival Preparation & Strategy?
Jason Mills : We were on route to pursue the festivals, when the opportunity presented itself to distribute with Vision Films. The process happened so quickly and we are so fortunate to work with such an amazing company.
indieactivity : The Release?
Jason Mills : We had a premiere of “Beyond the Line” in Vancouver, British Columbia and then released the film with Vision Films. Beyond The Line will be available on June 28, 2019 across all major cable platforms, iTunes, GooglePlay, Vudu, Vimeo, Amazon, and FandangoNow for an SRP $4.99 – $9.99 Rent or Buy and to on DVD for $12.99 from all major retailers.
indieactivity : Advice from the Filmmaker?
Jason Mills : “Put your passions into reality. Don’t let a limited budget hinder your chances of success. Work with what you have and always thank and encourage your team on every project. Just shoot it!”
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