Why run from your problems, when you can drive?
Although they are not yet as famous as the Coen brothers, Cash and Nick Cassidy are already making quite a splash in the world of independent (indie) filmmaking.
Their latest film – Childish Things – will kick off this year’s Vacationland Film Festival at City Theater in Biddeford on Thursday, August 21.
The movie’s tagline – ‘Why run from your problems, when you can drive?’ —encapsulates the 95-minute film’s premise, preparing the viewer for what could be described as a gritty docudrama.
In his publicly released director’s commentary, Nick Cassidy explains the film’s essence.
“I like to call Childish Things a “coming-of-more-age” story because, let’s face it, movie characters tend to come of age before graduating high school, but for many people, me included, it took a bit longer,” the elder Cassidy said.
The film is about a 30-year-old musician who is facing pressure from his girlfriend to get engaged. Thus, he embarks on a cross-country road trip to sell his beloved tour bus.
During that jaunt across America – from Portland, Maine to Los Angeles, Calif., –the main character is forced to question whether he really wants to marry his girlfriend, especially after he meets a free-spirited woman near Nashville.
We caught up with the Cassidy brothers this week to ask them about their film, the vitality of the indie-film world and how technology, including AI, has impacted movie making.
Cash Cassidy, 22, is the film’s producer. In addition to editing the film, he was also in charge of the lighting, sound and location management.
Nick Cassidy, 32, is the film’s director and also portrayed one of the lead characters in the movie.
“We basically figured most of it out as we moved through it,” Cash explains. “We had a friend with a small bus. He was already planning a road trip across country, so we jumped on that opportunity.”
Today, even independent films not produced by major studios can still cost millions of dollars to produce.
While Cash and Nick did not have access to that kind of money, they relied on resources they already had available to them, such as free software that is available on the internet.
To say their budget was bare bones is an understatement.
“I was able to tap in to some of my college funds because I described the project as an independent study endeavor,” Cash said. “I already had a camera, and was able to borrow some other equipment.”
In order to take advantage of their friend’s planned trip across the United States, the brothers found themselves on a tight timeline that only allowed three months for planning and pre-production.
The Cassidy brothers did a lot of improvising to make the film possible.
In fact, some of their primary casting was done via Instagram, where they met Guinevere Berthelot of Nashville.
In her video audition for the role, Berthelot placed her laptop on the floor and then roller-skated from across to the room to participate in an online Zoom audition.
“We felt the connection immediately,” Nick Cassidy said. “We knew she was perfect – exactly what we were hoping for.”
The brothers say they were both surprised that Berthelot agreed to join them on a road trip across the country simply after an online Instagram meeting.”
Nick said the film’s vibe required all the actors to be in character throughout the filming even when cameras were not rolling.
“We were looking for authenticity,” he explained. “Some of the scenes are pretty emotional and we wanted the viewers to be fully engaged, wondering whether what they are watching is a true story or a made-up adventure.”
Cash, who began making movies when he was eight years old, described Childish Things as “guerilla filmmaking.”
“We wanted the viewers to be
— Nick Cassidy
fully engaged, wondering whether
what they are watching is
a true story or a made-up adventure.”
“We wanted all the elements and the true sense of an indie film,” he said. “We weren’t looking for polish. We were looking for a raw connection that would fully engage our audience.”
Principle shooting of the film’s scenes took two weeks of filming: two days of footage in South Portland, 10 days of shooting across the country and then two more days of shooting in Los Angeles.
In all, the brothers accumulated roughly 25 hours-worth of footage, which Cash edited into a 95-minute movie.
“Today, thanks to technology, just about anyone can make a movie,” Nick explained. “You no longer need a big budget to make a feature film. Audiences are craving things that are not glossy.”
Asked about the impact of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the movie industry, both Nick and Cash said the only thing that really matters is “having the ability to tell a really good story.”
For more information about the upcoming Vacationland Film Festival, please visit vacationlandfilmfestival.com
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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