TWIS Asks - Film Festival Edition: 'Belief' director, Shaun Greenspan

We recently sat down with Shaun Greenspan, of TriForce Pictures, to talk about his short film, "Belief," which will premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival Tuesday, April 8, alongside other films in the SRQ Shorts series.

The film focuses on a debate in an outdoor line to see Santa Claus in downtown Los Angeles. Two young men in line begin playfully teasing each other about believing (or not believing) in Santa Claus. They're quickly pitted in an argument of God vs. Santa, and the conversation takes a deep — sometimes emotional — turn. The film is genuine, thought provoking and sure to stick with viewers far longer than its short run time.

Tell me about how 'Belief' came about.

I was hanging out with these people in an acting troupe, called Imaginese Productions. They invited me to come watch them. They had 10 short plays, or scenes, that they were inviting directors to come watch and hopefully be interested in filming. I was blown away. One actor, in particular, Jason Greene, really caught my eye. He was already cast in the role, and he's an amazing actor and very flamboyant. I knew right away I wanted to work with him.

What about the short stood out to you?

Well, Jason was the first thing that caught my eye. But, also the subject matter. It's about religion and Christmas, which I loved. I thought, "I have to do this." The end goal is to have all 10 of the films put together for a feature, called "Inappropriate." Each film will focus on a topic that might be a little inappropriate. This one is about the existence of God, and its set around Christmas time. I think they've shot about three now.

What was the process like?

I produced it, and I edited about half of it. I rewrote some of the script. It was originally set in a mall, and I thought the setting could be more interesting, so I moved it to an outdoor setting in downtown Los Angeles with all this graffiti in the background. I also made the Santa kind of a gangster Santa Claus.

It's definitely the most provocative thing I've ever worked on, and it's the most artful thing I've ever done. Before that, I did "The Breakup." That was awesome, but it was just cute. The next step for me was to do something more adult.

How did the change in stye affect you as a director?

It was more important to me, in a way. It felt like it really had something to say. People can take whatever message they want from it, but it makes them think, or it at least asks them to. I like that it's kind of open ended that way. I think it's the most important film I've done.

Tell me about the filming itself — I understand there were a few unexpected surprises.

Yeah, there definitely were. It turned out to be really windy that day, and I was really worried about it interfering with the sound. It made me especially nervous, because I think we spent literally half our budget on the permit for that day. But, it turned out to be one of those happy accidents — I couldn't have planned the shoot to look that way if I wanted to. The way the wind blew around the actors' hair, and some of the things in the background really added a lot of dimension to the film and gave the audience a more three dimensional universe to watch.

What are you most proud of about 'Belief?'

I'm really proud of the performances from the actors. They weren't acting — they were being. There wasn't a single moment I didn't believe they were real characters having a real conversation. Their emotions travelled just like they would in a real conversation. They were in the moment the whole time.

Why are you most excited to premiere the film?

This is its first premiere at any festival. I want people to talk about what they think it's about. It's really interesting for me to see what it means to different people. I'm excited for people to tell me how it made them feel and learn what they took away from it. I hope it makes people think and expand their horizons.

What's the biggest thing you learned from this process?

Well, the script inspired me, and so did the actors, otherwise, I probably never would've done it. I've never worked with such heavy subject matter or such seasoned performers who were this unknown. So, the whole process got me to realize some bigger things. Filmmaking is hard work, and I did this without my partner, Edward Fagan. It's part of the reason I invited him down here — I realized I really enjoy making films much more with another person.

Tell me about your Film Festival party.

The movie will screen at 9:30 p.m.Tuesday, April 8 at Hollywood 20. TriForce have a party at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, at Social on First. We wanted to have a party for our friends and share a little bit of the festival with them. A lot of other festivals have tons of parties, each hosted by the companies that produce the films. That isn;t really happening here yet, and we think it should. We'll have Jason Greene from the film here, as well as the dames from Black Diamond Burlesque, with a live show by Gypsie Allure.