Mike Bruce, director of the Legend of God’s Gun (http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/AcidWesternTheLegendofGodsGun), returns with Treasure of the Black Jaguar. He took a few moments to talk to me about his second feature film.
Question: From that glimmer of an idea to starting the shoot, how did Treasure of the Black Jaguar come together?
[img]890|left|||no_popup[/img]“Oddly, the opportunity came before the creative spark when the actor/ producer Cameron Van Hoy contacted me after seeing the trailer for The Legend of God's Gun on youtube. He already had a budget in place to do a film but he was looking for a writer/director who would deliver the most bangs for his bucks. He called me up and asked if I would be interested in writing and directing a bad-ass action movie for given budget. I said ‘Hell, yes!’ Cameron explained to me that he had recently completed a film called David & Fatima in which he was an associate producer (he also starred in it with Martin Landau and Tony Curtis). Armed with this credential and his desire to make great films, he was able to woo some independent Japanese investors and procure a small budget. Once I agreed to sign onto the project we started discussing what the film should be about. We both agreed that a ‘treasure hunt’ movie hadn't been done in a long time — at least the kind of treasure hunt movie we would like to see. We basically decided we wanted to make a modern day ‘Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ with two young guys as the main characters. Once we decided what it would be, I quickly started writing. I should note that the investors had us on a ridiculously tight schedule. I had to deliver a 90-page script in one week. Three weeks after I finished the script, we were camping in the desert, shooting our movie. Making a film under these conditions is not the most ideal for an ‘artist.’ But it rarely is, if ever. When an opportunity comes, you have to be ready and run with it. Which we did. Big time.
”
How did your experience making Legend of God's Gun prepare you for your second feature film?
“Mostly, it didn't. That's not completely true. TLOGG helped me in three big ways. One, it gave me the opportunity to make this film. Two, I established a musical credo with all of my musician friends so that now, as a filmmaker, I can create the most bad-ass sound tracks of any film out there. That is my opinion. And three, it taught me the patience, the perseverance and the tenacity that is required to see a feature film through to completion.
“Having said that, making Treasure was a completely different experience than making Legend. For one, we had a budget, and were able to hire a professional crew. Treasure's production value is way above Legend’s, 3,280 square pixels to be exact. We shot Treasure at 4k on the RED camera. I shot Legend on SD mini-dv. Technically, there is no comparison. Our DP on Treasure is a genius, as you can see from the trailer. We also had amazing actors, most of which are from the Actor's Studio, in contrast to Legend where the ‘actors’ were all of my musician friends and myself. Again, there is no comparison. I really learned that a lot of what is called movie magic comes from the actor’s ability in creating an illusion of reality. A good performance can cover up so many cracks in the illusion. ”
The soundtrack from “Spindrift,” and guest songs from the likes of Gram Rabbit — music was a significant and memorable part of Legend of God's Gun. What can we expect to hear this time around?
“Even more. Although Spindrift is a key part of the soundtrack to Treasure, I am pulling from many other bands as well. Candy Apple, Federale, The Vandelles, The Dandy Warhols, Gram Rabbit and Tremolo Beer Gut to name a few.
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When and where will we see the film?
“We will be hitting festivals and shopping for distribution when we are finished with posting this summer. Hopefully you'll be seeing it in a theatre early 2011.”
To keep track of the latest news for Treasure of the Black Jaguar, visit this website.
Mr. Sisa, Assistant Editor of thefrontpageonline.com:
Email: fsisa@thefrontpageonline.com
Blog: www.inkandashes.net
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