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. 
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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

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