TRAIN TOWN Directed By Keith Bearden
Shane: Tell us about your film?
Keith: TRAIN TOWN is a male menopause fable about two men living out their nostalgic fantasies through a miniature train town,
and the culture war that erupts as a result. 15 minutes, lots of laughs, all shot in glorious 35mm.
S: How did you come up with the idea for the film?
K: I wanted to make a film about the pathetic things that men do when they hit a certain age and realize their life hasn’t turned out like
they always wanted to and feel inadequate. They become conservative talk radio listeners, blame women or family, buy a sports car and
run off with a college student, or retreat into elaborate fantasy or nostalgia. They’ve never grown up, and can’t deal with life’s curveballs
in an adult way. Hence the toy trains. That was my writing partner Joel’s idea. It’s a very strong visual metaphor, and fun to look at.
S: Was this a school project?
K: No. We had some students working on it, but I’m an oldster.
S: How did you find your cast?
K: TPR Casting in Chicago. One of the reasons we chose to shoot in Chicago was because the strong theatre scene there gives you a nice
pool of quality actors to pick from. Casting is about visceral reactions. When I met Will Clinger, who plays the sweeter, sadder lead, I just
spontaneously hugged him. He looked like a stray dog. That’s the feeling I want the audience to have about the character.
S: How long did the film take? (From conception to final edit)
K: About a year from first writing to finish. Not full time, obviously. That would mean I was very lazy.
S: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?
K: Time is always your enemy. We shot 15 mins in four days, and the little miniature town required a special lens and camera mount, which
took a lot of time. And after 7pm, you have to pay people an extra day’s wage, which we could not afford. We had to cut shots, and some
of the shots we only had time for one take. I want to be Coppola or Wes Anderson and just keep shooting until we’re done. Time and money
be damned!
S: Tell us about the films festival experience so far?
K: It’s been great. Good US fests like SxSW and Chicago, and now doing well all over the world. The humor is very American, but much of it
ranslates pretty well. “Our Lady of Packed Fudge” got turned into “The Notre Dame of Sodomy” in France, which may even be a better joke.
They shouted “encore” at the end, even if they have no idea who Johnny Winter or Rush Limbaugh is.
S: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far? What was your favorite question? How was the dialogue afterwards?
K: In America people just think the film is silly and ask pretty basic technical questions. The French however, took it very seriously. The press
conference was on Super Tuesday and they saw it as Obama vs. John McCain and wanted to talk to be about the desire for men to play God
and control the world, and whether that included filmmakers. I was like, “C’mon, I’m just a dumb American. Go easy on me.”
I then got interviewed by both French TV and Al Jazeera, which made me think I wouldn’t be let back into the country on the way home.
S: What films or filmmakers inspire you?
K: I love the independent iconoclasts who have things to say, yet do so in an entertaining way. George Romero makes great, original, deeply
socially critical films with local actors and friends that are also exciting horror/action movies that appeal to people all over the world. Werner
Herzog is so gutsy, original and unstoppable. I love how Norman Lear mixed comedy with serious issues so seamlessly on TV. I also love all
the great comedies of the 30s, WC Fields, Marx Bros, Mae West, Our Gang. I’m inspired by the visual daring of the new Asian cinema.
he Host, The Taste of Tea, Tony Takatani, Last Life in the Universe—these are films America just doesn’t have the chops to produce right now.
S: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?
K: I was hospitalized at age two and saw the original King Kong on the room TV. I had no frame of reference. It blew my mind and imprinted me
deeply. I’ve wanted to make movies in one way or another since I was 8.
S: What is next for you?
K: I have a feature script, Miss January, that Kim (Sex and the City) Cattrall and Brian Dennehy are attached to, that we are gathering funds for.
So hopefully that. I also won a Guggenheim Fellowship to make a weird, sweet, under a half million dollar little feature. I’m finishing writing that
and looking for a producer. I would love to shoot in Washington State again! Hint hint.
S: What is next for the film?
K: Lots of European fests. I’m being flown to Bosnia to show it. Then PiFan in Korea, Magic Lantern in Glasgow, and oh, I loose track.
S: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?
K: Have a story to tell that has not been told already, and keep your opening titles to a minimum. Nobody wants to sit through the names of your
unknown actors and crew for 2 minutes before seeing your 4 minute film. Okay, that’s two pieces of advice.