Skip to main content

5 stay-at-home questions with Kinsley Funari and Josh Miller

Josh Miller and Kinsley Funari of FunMill Films
Sure, those stay-at-home orders are lifted and everyone is out and about as if the pandemic never happened. But there are a few of us (many of us?) still doing the social distancing thing. And we still have a few interviews from our Filmmakers At Home series to share. And here’s one of them!

Today we’re talking to filmmaker Kinsley Funari and Josh Mille of FunMill Films. The team recently celebrated the launch of its inaugural FunMill Films Fest & Competition
.
Midwest Movie Maker: How would you describe being a filmmaker locked down at home without a crew?

Kinsley: Being the small operation that we are, all of our crew and collaborators are also our close friends. So it’s almost all the more difficult for us because we just miss the old days of having a few beers and discussing our next project.

Josh: I think I create more effectively the less crew there is. It’s nice to bounce ideas around in the writing process, and pre-production for sure. However I don’t think this lockdown should hinder creativity.

MMM: How are you stretching your filmmaking skills while at home?

Kinsley: I put aside at LEAST one hour  day to do something. Whether it be pre-production for our next film 1 Drink/2 Drinks or write something new or even just make a post on our page.

Josh: Mainly just writing more. Getting pre-production all sealed up so that when this passes we can hit the ground running.

MMM: What passion project are you working on now that you’ve got extra time? Give us the deets.

Kinsley: We aren’t using the time to get ourselves involved with anything that wasn’t already slated.  The next short we will be filming is called 1 Drink/2 Drinks and we’re collaborating with the winners of our first festival we hosted back in February - Shifty House.  This is a script Josh and I wrote together, and it’s a very unique project, near and dear to our hearts as partners.

Josh: Yea, what she said lol.

MMM: If you were asked to make a movie about this COVID time, what would it be? Pitch it to us!

Kinsley: I feel like this is going to be a topic of films everyone beats us over the head with for the next year or so.  If we were to ever touch this subject we would make a film that looks like it’s on a matter totally different and use Covid as the surprise twist or something.

Josh: I would think we would make a kind of anti-Covid film. A film that goes against everything that has been said or told about the virus. Maybe even make it in a human form like a hero or a villain.

MMM: What five films are a must for everyone stuck at home?

Kinsley: My go-to’s are always Goodfellas and Casino (plus they’re long as hell so it passes more time right?).

Josh:
1. The Graduate
2. Charlie Countryman
3. Maniac (1980)
4. Death Becomes Her
5. Always watch something you have never seen.

x

Comments

Popular Posts

Everything we know about ‘Superman’ filming in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio

The iconic Daily Planet globe on set in Cleveland, Ohio >>  Superman , under the guise of Genesis , was among the films awarded 2024 film tax incentives by the Ohio Department of Development. The Warner Bros. movie was one of 23 film, television, and theater projects awarded incentives through the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit Program. Superman, formally titled  Superman: Legacy , kicks off writer/director James Gunn’s DC Universe . Here’s everything we know about the production. Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, caricatured by Shuster Superman  will film on location in Cleveland and Cincinnati Superman  will film in Cleveland and Cincinnati, according to OhioData . On-location work in Cleveland is expected to start June 17 and last through July 16, according to an April 23 casting call from Angela Boehm Casting. Neither Warner Bros. , the Greater Cleveland Film Commission  (GCFC), nor Film Cincinnati have issued an official announcement regarding the movie. Howe

Home, Sweetest Day, Home: On location in Warren, Ohio, with 'Sweetest Day'

Nate Boyer as the Sheriff, preparing for a scene in 'Sweetest Day' On a cold night in November 2023, I find myself in Warren, Ohio, about an hour east of Cleveland. It’s quiet in the small town, save for a handful of filmmakers carrying equipment and thumbing through scripts as they hurry from their Best Western basecamp to the rustic diner around the corner, The Saratoga . There, fellow crew members are crowding around a booth near the cash register, adjusting lights, checking sound, and peering at monitors to make sure the scene they’re about to film is framed just right. Seated on one side is actor Nate Boyer , dressed as a sheriff. Across from him sits actress Morgana Shaw , easing into her character. When the camera rolls, Shaw’s character lays into the Sheriff, warning him of dire things to come this Sweetest Day , if he doesn’t take things seriously. It’s a pivotal scene that plays out before a handful of curious diners, likely unaware they’d be treated to a show this e

Two Disney films - 'Ella McCay,' 'Eenie Meanie' - and M. Night Shyamalan feature ‘Trap’ among Ohio Film Credit award recipients

Samara Weaving will star in 'Eenie Meanie,' shooting in Cleveland > > > Two Disney films, Ella McCa y and Eenie Meanie , and M. Night Shyamalan’s next feature film, Trap , were among eight recipients of Ohio’s Motion Picture Tax Credit program, announced at the end of July. Projects selected by Ohio’s Motion Picture Tax Credit program receive a refundable tax credit of 30% on production cast and crew wages, as well as other in-state expenditures. The eligibility criteria encompass a wide spectrum of creative endeavors, including feature-length films, documentaries, pre-Broadway productions, miniseries, video games, and music videos. Four other projects, encompassing an array of genres and narratives, were awarded production tax credits, as well. The program’s goal is to act as a powerful catalyst, encouraging both in-state and out-of-state filmmakers to choose Ohio as the canvas for their artistic endeavors. All eight awardees include: Samara Weaving in 'Ready or