Fri., Jan. 16th at the Arena Cinema Theaters & runs thru Jan. 22nd
Special LatinHeat Screening Jan. 17th with Q&A following
1/2 off on Tickets Here for LH Readers CODE: ROSEDISC
“Knowing the difficulty of getting a film made, let alone distributed, would you do it again?
Pretty Rosebud is Chuti Tiu’s first screenplay and Oscar Torre’s (Hangover 3, Cane) directorial film debut. Deciding to write, direct and produce a personal film, based on Tiu’s life and have Torre direct was definitely stepping out of their comfort zone. But it’s when you step out of your comfort zone and embrace risk that leads to real personal growth.
Getting out of their comfort zone as actors, Tiu and Torre took on the journey of producing a film which led them to traveling to film festivals across the country winning accolades and awards along the way and something not all indie filmmakers get, a theatrical release. All this booked marked by a lot of hard work and good times in between.
Special LatinHeat Screening Jan. 17th with Q&A following immediately afterward
Tiu originally wrote Pretty Rosebud as a theatrical production. After many rewirtes she realize that the story was more suited as a film. Once the screenplay was finished, it was decided that Torre would direct. Being husband and wife was a plus for their filmmaking process as they had plenty of together time to prepare, rewrite, fundraise, crew up cast, and shoot. They hired and partnered with persons they had gotten to know through their work as actors on various projects. That is how they came to hire producer Rebecca Hu (40 is the New Dead), their cinematographer Tarina Reed and their editor Donna Mathewson where were invaluable to them throughout whole process.
Pretty Rosebud story about a desperate woman breaks sis a ocietal taboos in pursuit of her true self. Cissy is striving to be the perfect wife and daughter. Her childless marriage to a handsome architect (Kipp Shiotani) has gone stale, and the cultural/religious pressures of her traditional Asian parents propel her to defy societal taboos. It’s a personal story that Tui and Torre knew would only get done if they produced.
We sat down with Tiu and Torre to talk about their first time out as filmmakers on the ever of their theatrical releae. We were curious about the challenges or benefits that come with producing. Most of all, we wanted to know if after taking almost four years to produce their film, if they planned to continue or just step back into their comfort zone.
LatinHeat: How hard was it to raise funds to make the film?
Oscar Torre: Very early on, we knew we weren’t shooting a highly commercial film, so we decided to finance at least the initial money to get the ball rolling. We were able to get some private investors to put money, but this only happened after we made the initial commitment.
LT: How involved were you both with the casting?
OT: 100%. For many of the roles, we already had people in mind and both of us being actors resulted in having many actor friends who we could call and ask them to work for the SAG minimum. We’re blessed that they accepted! We did hold auditions for a few roles but not for many.
LH: Since this is your first time producing/directing a film, how did you navigate each step of the process?
OT: First, we were blessed to have put a very good production team together. We contacted Rebecca Hu, a producer/director whom Chuti had worked with for the documentary I Heart Hollywood, and from there, we started interviewing people for all the key positions. I wanted as many women as possible as part of the production team, because it was a story told through a woman’s POV and I wanted to have that kind of energy on set. We found Tarina Reed, who was our cinematographer, and Donna Mathewson our editor, as well as other (female) key members who brought so much to the film. We were also blessed to bring Thomas Corkran in to do the sound design and Dave Volpe to do the music; I had also worked with them in the past. We did a lot of planning during pre-production. That’s something I highly recommend, because there are so many things you’ll never be prepared for that arise while shooting a film regardless of the budget, but even more so with a low budget indie film.
LH: From start to theatrical release, how long has it been?
CT: Depends on what you call the “start.” I first started writing the story as a stage play back in 1999, but after writing various revisions I realized the story would be better served as a screenplay. Then came numerous rewrites. Then came procrastination. Then came the realization that no one was going to give me permission to make the film; I had to give myself permission. Oscar and I started brainstorming, reaching out to people, gathering resources – from that particular “start” to theatrical release, it’s been three years. Wow. Three years: pre-production, filming, pick-up shots, editing, color-correction, film festivals and Tugg screenings, traveling across the country, and everything in between.
LT: How important was getting a theatrical release for you?
Chuti Tiu: We’re so excited to get a theatrical release! It’s not an opportunity that every film gets. It was something that we definitely weren’t counting on (and always thought it was a long shot) but we knew it’d be a blessing if it happened. Most films nowadays don’t get one, so we weren’t holding our breaths. I’m very thankful to be working with our distributor, Indie Rights, for our theatrical and digital releases.
OT: While directing the film, I always had in the back of my mind that this film might be primarily seen on a TV or computer, which is how I still think the majority of people will watch the film, especially since that the film is available now on iTunes and will be released February 3 on cable VOD.
Tui and Torre at the LA Tugg Screening
LH: What has been the most rewarding part of the process?
OT: It’s been watching the film in all these different film festivals and Tugg screenings, from Canada to Hawaii, and seeing people of all backgrounds being moved by the story and coming to us afterwards and saying “I identify with one of the characters,” or “I totally went through that, thank you for making this film.” That has been the greatest reward, besides getting to direct my wife – which was a real pleasure because she is a fantastic actress and I’m very proud of both the script she wrote and the work she did in the film as the lead character – not an easy task.
CT: One time, I was pumping gas in Hawaii and I saw an elderly bearded Caucasian man in overalls standing by his pick-up truck, staring at me. I thought to myself, hmmm, he must think I’m someone else, someone he knows. He comes up and asks me, “Were you in a movie at the Big Island Film Festival?” Surprised, I said yes. He said, “You were very good; the story really touched me.” Now, THAT’S gratifying, not only knowing that you’ve moved someone, but someone you don’t expect.
LH: Knowing what you know now what would you do differently?
OT: We would reach out to our target audience a lot sooner. In our case, we started after the film was shot. I think I would start before and try to build momentum very early on.
LH: Knowing the difficulty of getting a film made, let alone distributed, would you do it again?
OT: In a heart beat. We have several projects that hopefully we’ll shoot in the very near future. It is a very exciting time for indie filmmakers because there are so many different ways to get distribution and get your film seen but it’s important to know who your target audience is, because that is who is going to be passionate about your film.
LH: Share an experience about making the film that is priceless.
CT: One time, we were shooting very late into the night, and we’d already been visited by the police because of the noise we made (unhappy neighbors complained.) So it’s 2:30 a.m., and we have one more shot to get. The entire crew gets into sign language mode – amazing. Like a covert stealth operation. My adrenaline was pumping – we couldn’t afford some crazy costly fines or to lose this shot! On “action!” I hit my mark, walk to my end point, and “cut!” With all the silent high-fives, you would have thought we’d discovered WMDs or something.
Cast: Chuti Tiu,Kipp Shiotani, Dana Lee, Bel Hernandez, James Kyson, Tamara Braun, Boise Thomas, Oscar Torre, Jennifer Aquino, and Gloria Laino
Pretty Rosebud is distributed by Indie Rights
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