THE FENCE Directed By Allan Steele

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Allan: The Fence is a two-character dialogue-driven short film about manners, suburbia, relationships and beefsteak tomatoes.

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

A: The setting of the film, a vegetable garden where the tomato plants crawl up the fence of a neighbor, is one from the house I grew up in on Long Island. The idea of two suburban neighbors sniping over tree branches and SUV’s evolved into an exploration of coveting of a different type.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

A: What production team? I found two friends with mini-DV cameras, and rented two lav mikes and a mixer. After we shot the footage, my friend Sean Sforza, who is an AP on “Medium” found people to do the sound mix, the color, and the editing.

IE: How did you find your cast?

A: I’ve known Rick Pasqualone and Sonny Marinelli for eighteen years and sixteen years respectively, and we’ve worked together many times. On stage, I performed the piece with each of them, then when it was decided that we would do it as a short, I chose to step behind the camera and direct them.

IE: How long did the film take? (From conception to final edit)

A: Four years after the piece was performed as a one-act play, we decided to do the short. After a month of rehearsal, we shot in one day between torrential downpours. It took six months to edit, then an addition six months to fix the color and sound, and to add music and titles.

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

A: Originally, The Fence was written as a one-act play, which was performed at Bobby Moresco’s The Actor’s Gym and directed by the late Bruno Kirby. When we decided to do the short, I wanted to make the visuals interesting to compensate for the fact that it was just two men talking over a fence. But when I saw how good the performances were, I decided to keep the shots simple and just let the story play out – nothing to detract from what the characters were saying. The hope was that audiences would find the “events” in the dialogue compelling enough without a lot of visual bells and whistles.

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

A: Other than the rain, it went very well. Ricky and Sonny are consummate professionals, and they understand my writing so well, so my job as a director is simply to tailor everything to my sensibilities, right or wrong.

IE: (If not a premiere)Tell us about the films festival experience so far?

 A: The Beverly Hills Shorts Festival was a good experience. It was the first time the movie was shown to an audience, and it was interesting to hear people debate afterwards if the short was funny or depressing. We couldn’t attend the Big Island Film Festival in Hawaii, although I would’ve liked to. The USA Film Festival in Dallas didn’t have screenings, but we were thrilled to find out that we were finalists for Best Short Film. And the Newport International Film Festival, from which we just returned, was great. The whole city comes out to watch movies and discuss independent filmmaking.

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

A: I’ve heard so much about CineVegas (I had a small role in a film, Have Love, Will Travel, that appeared there last year) that I know it will be the highlight of our festival experience. I want to see a ton of movies, meet all the filmmakers, attend all the events with my crew, eat good food, and, if there’s time, win enough at roulette to make another short.

IE: (If not a premiere) What has been your most interesting Q&A so far? What was your favorite

question? How was the dialogue afterwards?

A: The Q&A after the 3rd Newport screening was very interesting. Because the film is about infidelity and was dedicated to my dad, I was asked if there was a connection (There isn’t). A lot of times, the dialogue is about how low-budget my short is (Final budget - $429). People think that I’m defiantly low-budget, stressing substance over style (I’m not – I’d love a lot of money).

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

A: Hmm… So many. I love Diner, and the whole Barry Levinson Baltimore trilogy. I love character-driven movies like Wrestling Ernest Hemingway and Nobody’s Fool. But I also love silly movies that are also incredibly clever, like Bottle Rocket, This is Spinal Tap and The Frisco Kid.

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

A: I’m a control freak, and I love surrounding myself with talented people who do what they do, then putting it all together the way I want. I love movies. I love telling stories. And, as much as I love it, you can’t act every day. So I write.

IE: What is next for you?

A: I don’t know. I’m writing a pilot exploring the same themes of suburban malaise as addressed in the short. My goal is to do a feature based on my first short film, The Syndicate. And I would very much like to find financing for a feature I wrote about the life of gangster Crazy Joe Gallo.

IE: What is next for the film?

A: After Cinevegas, we’re off to the Long Island International Film Expo on July 8th. Hopefully, we’ll be accepted to more festivals this year. Then, I would be thrilled to have it be shown on TV, like on Sundance or IFC. And would I like to expand it to a feature? You bet.

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

A: Just do it. There are a thousand reasons not to. And once you start, a thousand reasons not to see it to fruition. Commit to the idea of finishing and politely break everybody’s balls until it’s done.

IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film?

A: Is it a comedy or a drama?

IE: What is the Answer?

A: You tell me.