Directed by WILLIAM J. STRIBLING
Johnny Killfire must go back in time and team up with his former self to stop the TimeBorgs from getting their hands on an app that breaks the space-time continuum by delivering pizzas into the past... before they were even ordered.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH THE FILMMAKER
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR FILMMAKING BACKGROUND:
Hi, my name is William and I’m an Al-aholic. As in Weird Al. As in Yankovic. When I was a kid, I really gravitated towards comedy. Monty Python, Weird Al, the movie Airplane!, Homestar Runner, anything Robin Williams touched. The 90s was a fun decade to grow up in. A lot of comedies being released in theaters every week. If Martin Lawrence was in a movie, I was guaranteed to see it several times. But I was also a child of the Blockbuster generation, so when I wasn't seeing a movie in the theater, I was devouring anything and everything at home on VHS and eventually DVD. I saw so many films way too young, like Citizen Kane and Cuckoo's Nest. I saw Iñárritu's 21 Grams in theaters when I was 12. A few times. I’m originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, and I was always the kid with the video camera wherever I went, making little movies just for fun, just to make myself and my friends laugh. I went to a performing arts high school but realized quickly that I didn’t want to pursue performing in college and beyond. So I looked into film schools, applied to a bunch, and ended up at NYU for undergrad. And I’m glad I did, because it’s where I met one of my closest collaborators, Alex Gallitano, who has shot just about every movie I’ve made. After college I went to Chapman to get my masters in screenwriting, which is where I met my writing partner Russ Nickel. A few months after graduating we were on set making our feature film Bear with Us. That film and the relationships we made in the process have been responsible for a lot of the work we’ve done since. I’m still proud of that one.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE SPEED OF TIME?:
The challenge we posed to ourselves was pretty simple: can we cram an entire action flick into 10 minutes? The answer was resounding no. The film ended up being almost 13 minutes long. But oh well! Russ and I had been working with John Hennigan (who plays Johnny Killfire) for a few years on a handful of other projects. We were chomping at the bit, just anxious to get out there and shoot something that married John’s unique style of stunts/fighting with our comedic chops. And the rest is history! Back to the Future is obviously a clear inspiration, along with all the other big silly action films of the 80s and 90s. We tried to channel that without actually making too many specific references. I think the Predator handshake is the only thing we just straight-up stole. The rest is us tapping into that vibe.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BRING THIS FILM TO LIFE AND WHAT OBSTACLES DID YOU OVERCOME ALONG THE WAY?:
Though we all live in Los Angeles, we actually shot the film in my hometown in Florida, with a lot of help from the good people at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission. Most of the prep was done remotely, and when we arrived in Florida we found out that our primary shooting location had backed out at the last minute. Which sent us into panic mode, because the plan was to use that one location to play as about a dozen locations in the film. The thinking behind that was we’d be able to make better use of a shooting day and avoid company moves at all costs. But there wasn’t a replacement available, so we scrambled to scout as many places as we could and I’m honestly happier with what we ended up with. There’s a lot more variety to the locations that wouldn’t have been possible with the original plan. Sure, we shaved years off our lives in those two manic days leading up to the shoot, but I’d say it was worth it.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE FILMMAKING PROCESS?:
Easy! Being on set. In the entire process, we spend so little time on set, proportional to the writing, pre-production, and post-production processes. So I try to really enjoy myself when we’re shooting.
SO YOU'VE MADE BOTH SHORTS AND FEATURES. HOW IMPORTANT HAS SHORT FILM BEEN IN SPRINGBOARDING YOU INTO FEATURE FILMMAKING?:
I’ve never really used a short film as a springboard into a feature. Not intentionally anyway. It’s always just been a way to tell a different kind of story, or to make a film in a way that wouldn’t necessarily work as a feature. The Speed of Time, for example, works as a calling card, but the basic conceit of the short doesn’t work as a feature. So as we’ve been developing the feature version of The Speed of Time, we’ve been finding funny ways to maintain the spirit, knowing that the basic gag doesn’t work in a 90 minute film the way it does in a 10 12 minute film. Shorts are such a different medium, and the process of making one is so different from features. As easy as it is to put your short film online or take it around to festivals, shorts in America just don’t have a great distribution model the way features do. So I don’t find myself actively working on short films, but when an opportunity arises, I’m always game to use it as an excuse to try something I haven’t done before. The DUST release of The Speed of Time was a godsend. 2020 was going to be a fun year of taking the film all over the world to film festivals, but when they all went virtual, those plans evaporated. Being able to launch the movie to DUST’s giant, passionate audience has been an absolute blast.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SHORT FILMMAKERS TRYING TO MAKE THE JUMP TO FEATURES?
Just make a feature! Do it! I dare you! I see so many people spending so much money on shorts. And I get it. But also, I don’t really get it. You can make a feature film that can be shot for whatever you were going to spend on your short. I just made a feature film in 5 nights in Las Vegas for faaaaaaaaar less than we spent on The Speed of Time. It can be done! And in my experience, a feature is simply a more valuable investment with a better chance of getting distribution.
ANY FILM RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE CAN WATCH TO KEEP US BUSY WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING:
I’ve spent the entire pandemic binge-watching RuPaul’s Drag Race. If you haven’t gotten into it yet, what are you waiting for??? Two of my favorite films from last year were The Sound of Metal and Uncle Frank. Highly recommend.
Interested in getting your work selected as Short of the Week?