Interview
John-Francis Nero & Andrew Nieduzak
Director and Creative Producer of something to do with death
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to director/writer John-Francis Nero (J.F.N.) and to creative producer Andrew Nieduzak (A.N.) for taking the time to answer our questions.
Whole team of Liverpool Indie Awards is wishing to both of you the very best in all your future projects. We hope to see more of your exceptional work in the years to come. Thank you once again!
Can you tell us about your submitted project and what inspired you to create it?
A.N. “Inspired by One of the most powerful openings in a film. Sergio Leone’s ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ “
J.F.N. “The opening to Once Upon a Time in the West, inspired me heavily, as to me it was a short film in itself”
What was your creative vision for this project, and how did you work to bring that vision to life?
J.F.N. ”It was a homage to Once Upon a Time in the West, can we create a film in 2023 that visually tells a story with no dialogue, this was the goal”
A.N. “To make a film based entirely from the opening of the train station scene, that was focused heavily on the ambient sound design”
How did you collaborate with the rest of your team, such as producers, writers, and cinematographers, to ensure the project's success?
J.F.N “It was a project of passion, everybody was directed to a single purpose, so, it was easy to keep things on track, apart from my creative producer, who kept reminding me of the budget”
A.N. “Preparation, Pre-shoot pictures of new location [Chapel] rehearsals in a blocked space. During shooting, keeping the actors focused scene by scene. [Lots of coffee]"
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during the production, and how did you overcome them?
J.F.N. “The location used was a last minute decision [the original location was a restaurant] the problem was that lighting inside a church, so it was decided to overcome this by shooting in Black and white”
A.N. “Issues with lighting, which were overcome by a creative means. Time management, as over-run would cost more of the budget"
Can you discuss any specific moments or scenes in the project that you are particularly proud of, and why?
J.F.N. “For me it is the introduction of each character and their title cards at the beginning of the film, it was a creative exercise by our editor [Dylan] that works brilliantly to bring each character into the diegetic that we are attempting to create”
A.N. “The opening of the shutters as the light infuses the chapel, character entrances”
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently, and what lessons did you learn from this experience?
J.F.N. “Allow myself time in the planning process, while it was good to think on your feet… more time is always a luxury”
A.N. “More rehearsal time [cost effective] ---- and a nicer director [HAHAHA]
Can you describe a project that you are particularly proud of and why it stands out to you?
J.F.N. “My proudest project is ‘Vita, Morte e Tavolo da Cucina’ [On YouTube] I have had such a warm response from both Italian people and British people”
A.N. “For me it is ‘The Last Angry Man’ [On YouTube]"
What advice would you give to aspiring directors looking to break into the industry?
J.F.N. “Go and do...film something, anything!! Start small and work to make the projects bigger and better each time”
A.N. “Get out and film something, anything use your phone…put it on your laptop, and see what you can creative”
How did you approach working with actors to bring out the performances you wanted for the project?
J.F.N. “Be honest and frank with them, if the performance is not what you are looking for tell them, but in a supportive way. Try and give a description of what it is you like and don’t like, and how the scene can be improved”
A.N. “Honesty is key in my life, it leaves no false expectations, actors should embrace critic and not praise”
How did you approach sound design and music for the project, and what was your collaboration like with your composer or sound designer?
J.F.N. “Luckily for us are sound designer was also our editor, so it was quite simple he knew what kind mood music we wanted”
A.N. “We gave the editor Carte Blanche, if we didn’t like it he would come back with changes until we were happy”
How did you handle feedback or criticism from your team or audience, and what changes did you make as a result?
J.F.N. “Feedback and criticism are something I ignore…for me it is about finishing the project”
A.N. “Feedback and criticism can be a very useful tool in future film projects, but the current project if finished”
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