This past year has been a really cool run for Heckler Kane Creations and the Imperfect Podcast. We’ve been committed to bring you weekly interviews with indie film makers, actors and creative talent that helps support the indie film community. In this episode we have some really cool announcements we can’t wait to share about our new home for the podcast at Blog Talk Radio, crowdfunding our web series Seymour the Unfortunate Vampire and shout outs to our supporters and guests who made all of this possible!
We are Moving to Blog Talk Radio
First things first. The Imperfect Podcast is moving! We will have a new home at Blog Talk Radio very soon. This summer we will be re-releasing our best podcasts from the past year. In the meantime follow us on twitter @hecklerkaneinc or sign up for our mailing list to become an Imperfect Podcast Insider.
If you’d like to be considered as a guest for the next round of interviews coming in September 2017 fill out the form on our contact page.
Seymour the Unfortunate Vampire
This summer we are taking on our biggest film making challenge yet. We will be filming an 8 episode web series called Seymour the Unfortunate Vampire. A supernatural comedy that follows the story of Seymour, who is trying to put the pieces of his life back together after being turned into a vampire. Visit http://hecklerkane.com/seymour for updates about the crowdfunding campaign that will be launching this summer.
Lookout for More Summer Releases
We’ve been filming a ton of content over the past few years and now is the time to release it! We have a number of titles coming your way that we know you’ll enjoy. Please like, comment and share to #SupportIndieFilm. Here’s the releases with dates to follow soon.
Foley – A short film that pays homage to foley artists in our own twisted way.
Jump – A short film about a man transported after encountering the ancient traveler’s stone.
Fight Reel – Watch Joe show off his Taekwondo skills and the rest of our fight scenes from the films we’ve made.
Hollywood Know How – More film making tips, how to videos and film gear.
Shoutouts and Many Thanks!
We’ve made some amazing friends, colleagues, fans and more this past year. We’d like to take a moment and say thanks to as many as we can.
#PodernFamily – An amazing network of podcasters that’s been so supportive. Go to twitter and use hashtag #PodernFamily to find new podcasts to listen to, retweet other podcasts and join in the conversation
David & Juliette – Juliette is the host of the Unwritable Rant podcast with her producer David. They’ve both been supportive since the beginning and generous with their time. We can’t thank them enough.
Wendy Shepherd – Wendy is the founder of Studio Matrix and has been instrumental in helping us secure many interviews this year, such as Tony Germinario, the award winning film maker and writer of Bad Frank.
October Coast Publicity – A great PR firm who’s helped us secure some fabulous interviews with film makers and in particular actress Tami Stronach who played the Childlike Empress in the Neverending Story.
Carolyn Sames – An indie film supporter and effortlessly donates her time and resources to film makers and actors and was kind of enough to setup an interview with actor Rich Graff. Connect with Carolyn Sames on twitter at https://twitter.com/SamesCarolyn.
Ethan Marten – Ethan has become a good friend since his interview with us and the Eyes of the Roshi cast. We even had the chance to meet up at the Soho International Film Festival for a screening of the film here in New York.
Download, Listen or Watch Women in Film Telling Stories with a Purpose
This week’s guests on the Imperfect Podcast are the women from REAL Pictures and founder Jacqueline Real. The REAL Brand NYC is a brand built on humanitarian, forward-thinking ideals. Their first company launch will be REAL Pictures, a production house helmed by #TheREALSisters that produces provocative, female-driven films. Its premiere film will be ‘The Drive,’ written by Jacqueline Real & shot by Diana Matos.
Jacqueline Real is a native New Yorker as well as a working SAG-AFTRA/EQUITY actress. After a year of activism and volunteer work, she has finally focused her passions and launched the company The REAL Brand NYC. The REAL Brand NYC combines her love of activism, volunteering, and film making. The most recent film she produced, ‘How Far’ (2016), was featured at the New York Short Film Festival. For more info on Jacqueline’s multiple skills go to follow her on IG @JacquelineReal!</
Jacqueline’s sister, Nicole Real has worked in the film & television industry for almost 15 years, where she started as an intern on “The FBI Files” for the Discovery Channel and then later at Tribeca Productions; Robert De Niro’s production company. She graduated from The School of VISUAL ARTS in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in cinematography and later met a group of filmmakers who led her to work with Glass Eye Pix “one of the indie scene’s most productive and longest-running companies.” – Filmmaker Magazine.
Also feature in this weeks interview is Diana Matos, who is a New York based Director of Photography working regularly in LA and Miami. Once a Local 600 camera assistant, her credits include: The Amazing Spider Man, The Bourne Legacy, R.I.P.D., Winter’s Tale, The Other Woman, Annie and Ricki and the Flash. Prior to working on set, she was a technician at Panavision NY and is a graduate of the University of Miami. Talking to Diana about film gear was a real treat. Hell she even owns owns an Arri Alexa Classic with High Speed License!
Diana has shot with an Arri Alexa, Super 35mm film, S16mm, RED Weapon, Dragon, Epic, Scarlet, Canon C300/C500, HDCAM, and HDV on several webisodes and short films, including the award winning Latin-American film, A Dual Citizen. Of Nicaraguan and Puerto Rican decent, Diana is on the road to being a lead female cinematographer. Her most notable works include: A New York Love Affair, The Silence, Bait: or Trapped by the Truth, The Groundskeeper, and Ghost Ride.
Watch the Full Interview About Women in Film Telling Stories With A Purpose
Highlights: Women in Film Telling Stories with a Purpose
How did you all meet prior to Real Pictures?
We met on a small project. It was a TV pilot the second episode and we met Nicki through that and Nicki was directing. Jacqueline was acting in one of the scenes and fell in love with Diana. I’ve been on a mission to find all the fierce females right now and Diana was definitely one of them…. I sent the script to her to get some feedback and Diana was like we should shoot this. That’s literally how we met and that project was only 8 months ago.
When did you create the REAL Brand company?
So I was in LA feeling Jaded because of the business there and how women get treated especially actresses. The first film that Nicki and Jacqueline did together was “How Far” and it was really just Jacqueline’s own expression of getting a project completed. The people in my life were heavy hitters and I wanted to see a completion from A to Z. Now that I found a very particular voice in writing, now we would like to take Real Pictures to the actual level of a female driven production company. With Jacqueline’s year of activism work it’s going to be a production company that focuses on certain social injustices that we feel need to be highlighted.
Now that we want to take that to the next level is was not even a question when Diana said we should shoot this. Diana thinks it was a year or two ago Jacqueline came to her working on separate projects. Nicole went to film school and was working with Robert Deniro at Tribeca Productions and Tribeca Film Festival seeing people do all these things and being like I wont have the money for this and Jacqueline said listen lets just try it and see what happens. Producing with Jacqueline it just worked.
Tell us about REAL Pictures first film ‘The Drive’
I hate to say that it is a film on police violence because it’s not at least for Jacqueline. It’s exposing another side Jacqueline feels people are not talking about. Where are all the good cops, where are the ones sticking their necks out to make sure that they are doing what they’re supposed to do, which is protect and serve the people. The way that we’ve seen this topic is through very heavy images and peoples cell phone footage on Facebook and it’s all in our face. So that’s been all a part of the research and Diana trying to come away from it to say, “Alright, cinematically how are we going to do this justice?” Diana has brought lots of questions and suggestions to the table for Jacqueline. Diana thinks “our limitations turn into opportunity for creativity”. We always keep talking about how are we going to do this justice? How are we going to make this something that moves people because we’ve gotten detached from our humility and that’s the biggest thing that we are focused on, At the end of the day we are all just people and we could all get on that level and have heart felt discussions on these issues. In this script everybody has a voice and everyone has a reason why they function the way they function.
Diana, what medium do you enjoy working in?
I love working on films that have something to say. Diana has worked on big features and TV shows but it was all about experience because if she hadn’t she wouldn’t have worked with and learned from the greats. Diana says it’s not about the money it’s about what you’re going to say, it’s finding who you are and finding those film makers that support that. At this point in my career it’s about moving forward with the stories that reflect who I am and I can support, enhance and tell the world about these things because people need to know.
Why do you like shooting on the Alexa EV?
I come from the film days and felt that the Alexa was the first camera that really convinced me to come off of film into digital. I had some money saved and said to myself “okay, it’s either a house or a camera and that was the decision that I made. I still think it was worth it.”
What are your plans for distribution?
We are going to stay strictly festival. This is really going to put us out there as a female driven company. This is really going to be our launching point to show people who we really are. We want the film ‘The Drive’ to be our business card.
Today’s guest on the Imperfect Podcast is actor Robert Palmer Watkins who plays Dillon Quartermaine on NBC’s daytime series General Hospital. We talked to him about everything from his struggles as an actor to how landing the role on General Hospital changed his life. I think Robert is a really humble guy. His roots are on the east coast from the Carolinas and it just seems like he’s really dedicated to the work. He really understands what the fans want and what the commitment is to being a daytime actor on a soap opera like General Hospital.
He appreciates everything from the struggles he’s had and doesn’t take it for granted. It was interesting to talk to somebody about soap operas because honestly we weren’t fans but watching his work and watching how it’s done you can see how people are literally addicted to soap operas. They’ve been around for decades. There’s only 4 left, General Hospital being one of them.
The character that he’s playing and the shoes he has to fill is no joke. We also talk a lot about the pressures he faced in taking on this role. Hope you enjoy the podcast and learn more about what it takes to be a soap opera actor.
Special thanks to Wendy Shepherd at Studio Matrix for making this interview possible.
Actor Robert Palmer Watkins Interview Highlights:
I know you’re out in Hollywood but you’re originally an east coast guy. What’s your background like? Where did you grow up?
I was born in Salsbury, NC and we moved to Winston Salem when I was 8 years old. When I was 12 years old my dad got a job with AMF Bowling and their corporate office is in Richmond, VA. That was good for me because Richmond is more like a city and the arts are appreciated. There’s a lot going on in the city with theater and art. I kinda got involved and did my first play in high school and before that did sports and when I did my first play I loved it. That was when I transitioned into thinking maybe I’ll be an actor.
I’ve been out in LA for 9 years which is pretty crazy. Time flies.
What was the first gig you landed out in Hollywood?
I think the first, this is so funny. The first thing I booked out of college. When I moved here I went to AMDA which is the American Music and Dramatic Academy because my parents were like you can move to LA, we get it, but we’d feel a lot better about it if you went and started at a school or some type of conservatory just to get your bearings, meet some people. The first two years I was out here I didn’t audition at all but when I finally got out I started auditioning right away.
The first job that I booked was a show called 1000 Ways to Die. I don’t know if you’ve seen it but it’s basically ridiculous reenactments of ways that people have died. The way that my character died was I slipped on a chard of glass while I was taking a shit. I’m using the bathroom and stand up and flush and the toilet explodes, the lid on the back of the toilet explodes, shatters on the ground and I slip and I fall on a shard of glass and it goes into my asshole and I bleed out. That was my start to Hollywood and my mom was super proud obviously.
I’ve done so many random, random jobs as an actor. That one may take the cake though, I gotta say. I think I got like $100 for the day. It was non-union. I was definitely not SAG at the time. You start doing different things, you meet different people and each project gets a little bigger, a little bit more legit. A lot of little roles like that when I first started out.
You were also at a conservatory. You’re a musician. What do you play or do you sing or write?
Write and sing and do a little bit of guitar and producing type stuff. I live with four of my best friends and we all collaborate on different projects. Actually two of my buddies I live with are probably going to get signed very soon. They have a band and I’ll jump in and do a song with them and then I’ll mix it with some of the other friends I know. It’s nice having a platform on a show where we have an audience that will actually watch some of the stuff that I put out there. You know what I mean?
I don’t have any official band or anything for myself right now. I’m collaborating with people as I see fit and I’m starting to work on some original music as well.
I’m sure the day job at General Hospital takes up a ton of time.
I was going to say yeah it does, that’s obviously my main focus but it’s actually a really nice schedule as an actor. Like today, I went in and my call time was 12pm. I went in and everything moves so fast so that once you’re called in you do your blocking, wardrobe, makeup and have a couple hours before you shoot. Then you shoot the scene, you get one rehearsal and then you shoot it. It could be five scenes or ten scenes but usually you’re out of there within 5 hours.
Today my work day was 12 and I got home around 4:45 or something. I mean, that’s not how it always is. Some days you’re there super early until 6pm or 7pm but most days you’re only there for your scenes and you’re not necessarily working every day. It depends on your story line. Like this week I actually worked every day but this coming week I don’t work at all because my character in the show is away.
So it’s nice. Yes I’m busy with it but I actually have more time now than I did when I was a broke struggling actor working four part time jobs.
What was the casting process like to get the role on General Hospital?
Mark Teschner is the casting director for General Hospital, really well know casting director here in Hollywood. He’s really really good at what he does because he remembers people who he meets and keeps them in the back of his head and when a role comes up he just has that eye and mind set where he remembers there’s something about that person that may be right and it could be years later. I think that takes a special type of person to see that in people and remember them down the road.
I went in for Mark when I first got out of college and I was doing all those random acting jobs like I told you guys. I was super excited to go in. It was for a contract role. It went okay, I don’t think I was right for the role and I was a little young and I don’t think I was as trained as I needed to be yet. I was still green but it went well and I could tell he liked me.
Then he called me back in a couple years later for a different role and went decent again but nothing. And then a year or so went by and I saw he was doing a class at a studio here in Hollywood and I was like maybe I should just take that class and get back in front of him because I know he liked me and I think it’d be cool to develop a more personal relationship with this guy. So I actually took his class and remembered me right away.
We had a really good rapport and I got his email, we stayed in touch and I guess this role came up for Dillon. I play Dillon Quartermaine on General Hospital. This role came up and he remembered me. He called me in and then I didn’t hear anything for 3 months and then I got another call back and I had to go see the producers. After the producers we had to do a screen test. And the screen test, that’s the final thing you do when you’re getting cast for a role. There was myself and five other guys screen testing. Even at that point there’s still six of us. You’ve gone through the ringer for this many call backs and met the producers and there’s still six of us! Really?! It’s kind of disheartening when you get there. But I got it so it worked out.
Mark told me, I knew when this role came up I had to get you in for it. I guess he knew and kept me in mind. It was a process to answer your question. It is a long process most of the time. Then sometimes they change their mind or they rewrite the role or they decide not to bring that character on the show yet so they hold off for a year. I think that’s what happened with my character because I was called back and there was several months where I didn’t hear anything. There’s so many variables that go into it, into booking something. A lot of it doesn’t even have anything to do with your talent. You’re too tall next to the girl or you’re too short, or too white, or not white enough. There’s just so many things.
How much research did you do and how much did you know about General Hospital before going in to audition?
The funny thing is they are very secretive about who they’re casting, when they’re casting, what they’re casting. I play Dillon Quartermaine who is a legacy. The Quartermaines are one of the main legacies on the show and Dillon was on the show ten years ago, played by Scott Clifton who is now on The Bold and the Beautiful. Dillon’s return to General was a big deal and they definitely did not want it leaked. I didn’t even know until I booked it that it was for Dillon Quartermaine. They had a fake name I think it was Dustin or something. My manager called me when I booked and he said you got it and you’re playing Dillon Quartermaine which is cool to hear as actor because you know that name has some weight to it. It’s been amazing. It’s very secretive. I thought I was auditioning for a brand new character named Dustin.
Is it a lot of pressure playing a role with such history?
You know there definitely is because you want to honor what the character means to the show. I wanted to honor what Scott brought to the character because he’s a great actor and he originated the role. I definitely wanted to keep some of the stuff and quirks and sarcasm that he brought to the character but I also wanted to make it my own. It’s been 10 years since he’s been on the show so I think he would be a different person now. The character, the reason he left the show, storyline wise is he went away to LA to pursue a directing and acting career, which is cool. So when I come back 9 years later I think he would have grown up a lot.
There’s definitely pressure though because these Soap fans, they are very passionate and if they don’t like something they let you know. Nowadays with twitter and Instagram and facebook and everything, snapchat, periscope, they have access to letting us know when they like or don’t like something. You hear from them. I definitely was aware of that. I definitely researched the show. I definitely looked at his work on YouTube but I also tried to compartmentalize it and throw it out the window also because I wanted to make it my own and make personal for me.
What’s the most challenging part of working on General Hospital?
The speed. It shoots unlike anything, any other type of medium. Film, prime time tv, anything other than soap you have multiple takes. A wide shot of both actors, then they do a one shot of one actor then the other actor, the same scene over and over to get different angles. There’s more rehearsal time, more discussion with the director, there’s just more time in general. A soap, especially nowadays, because they’ve really cut down on budgeting, time is money to the extreme on a Soap. There’s only four of us left.
Every day we could shoot between 2 and 3 episodes. It’s the amount of material that we’re filming in a day and the rate at which we are shooting it is just insane. People come on the show that are guest starring or playing a recurring and their mind is blown. They’re like this is how much you guys do in a day? I mean, that’s how I felt when I came on. I was freaking out. The whole first week I was shooting I had a packet this thick for every day of the week. When I would finally get the first packet down I’m like okay good but then wait the next day I have another packet that looks like that? It’s crazy.
It’s just the best training as an actor because your brain just learns how to do it. Your brain learns how to memorize things quickly and that was always a huge struggle that I had was learning material. Memorizing stuff. That was probably my biggest issue as an actor. I gotta say this job has completely changed that for me.
I shot today and I did not have my script from last night. We just moved and my script got misplaced. I was just hoping I didn’t have a lot of material today so I could learn it when I got on set. I got on set I had a ton of material. It was terrifying. The director was like really dude you didn’t have this? Are you gonna be okay? They were worried for me because it was a lot. I had about an hour, I went down to my dressing room and I just learned it. It stuck.
It’s crazy your brain has that capability. It’s like a muscle and I didn’t believe that shit when I got on. I was like I think you either can memorize or you cant memorize. No. You can train your brain to get better at that which is pretty cool.
Is there any improv working on soap operas or do you strictly stick to the script?
They do allow you to improv a little bit especially as you get to know your character. When I first got to the show I tried to stick pretty much word for word with what the writers did because that’s just how I was trained. Respect the writing. They wrote it this way for a reason, every word is important. As I’ve gotten more comfortable playing Dillon and making him my own, I am allowing myself to be a little more free with the dialogue. As I’ve gotten to know my character I feel like I embody how he talks and things now. Sometimes we’ll get a scene and I’ll say is there any way we can change this to this to sound a little more natural or younger or hipper.
Sometimes if you’re in a scene and you forget your lines you have to improv. They would rather you improv a little if you mess up than start over because that’s money. To answer your question there’s a little embellishing and a little improv but most writers and producers want us to stick with what’s on the page.
What is the biggest change in your life since landing the role as Dillon Quartermaine?
Oh gosh, literally everything. Like I said I was working every job I could, barely paying my rent. A month before I got this my car blew up on the highway because I didn’t have money to change the oil. I had a melt down with my parents on the phone. I don’t know what I’m doing. When is this gonna happen? It’s crazy because it hadn’t even been that long. It felt like an eternity but really I had only been struggling and auditioning for five years. There’s actors that go 30 years and don’t book anything.
I don’t mean to sound like a diva by saying I was auditioning for five years and didn’t get anything. Really in the grand scheme of things that’s not that long but when you can’t afford to eat it feels a lot longer than five years. So there were some struggles but honestly I’m really grateful I went through the hardships of it because I appreciate it. I see some actors book something so fast out the gate and I don’t know if there’s the same respect for the job when you get lucky like that. I’m glad I had to work really hard to get something. It taught me a lot about being an adult and a responsible actor.
My life changed financially. I’m not a millionaire or anything like that but I’m way more comfortable than I was. I don’t have work other jobs that I don’t want to work. I have that freedom to just focus on my acting and my music. I’ve changed because I feel good about my time is being spent growing as an artist rather than working a 9 to 5 job that has nothing to do with what I want in life.
Like you said I get to be on camera several times a week and just play around, experiment and try stuff and get paid for that. That’s every actors dream. I still have to pinch myself. I’ll be walking off set and I cannot believe this is so awesome. I had no idea being on a soap would be this great. I wanted to be an actor but I wasn’t targeting being on a soap. Now that I’m on one I can see why people end up having a full career on soap. The schedule is amazing, the money is great, the flexibility and just getting to work. So many actors don’t get the chance to work. The fan base is amazing and its allowed me to do other projects like my music or other independent films and now there’s an audience automatically built in and they’ll help me promote it and get it out there and blast it out to the world.
Outside of General Hospital what other work do you have coming up?
Yes I did an independent movie that I had a small part in called Theater 9. It’s going to be coming out soon. I just did Season 2 of a web series called Last Life which is a supernatural kind of web series that actually just aired in the past few months. That did really well. They have a pretty big built in fan base with the sci-fi genre. Let’s see what else have I done recently.
Im actually in the process of reading a bunch of scripts because I would like to fund my own project and produce my own movie and play something that’s different from anything I’ve played before to grow as an actor and experiment and be in charge of something. I’ve been working on my music which is great. I got to sing in the opening of the Day Time Emmy’s which was exciting. I just the episode of the nurses ball which is once a year on General Hospital. They have this talent show where characters get to perform. I actually got to sing and I’m really excited for that to air because it was all choreographed. It reminded me of being back in theater.
I’ve been staying busy with these fan events. They’ve been flying me all over the country. I’m hosting he fan events now with Laura Wright who plays Carly on the show. Her and I are hosting these events where we go to different cities and the fans in the area of General Hospital can take pictures and we sign autographs and do a Q&A from the stage. I walk around with the mic and people ask questions. That’s been fun too because I’ve gotten better at talking in front of people. Hosting is something that’s always been interesting to me as well. I’d like to maybe dabble in that as well.
Where is the next General Hospital fan event taking place? Is there one scheduled?
Yeah, you can all of the events on my web page at www.robertpalmerwatkins.com under the events section. I’m doing one in Marco Island actually in two weeks. Raising awareness and raising money for autism, kids with autism and other special needs. You can buy tickets for that as well if you to the events page on my website.
The last thing I wanted to mention was something really cool that I’m really excited about that we are doing in July 5th – 9th. I’m doing a retreat in Costa Rica. We are allowing 30 people to sign up. Anybody over the age of 13. Families, singles, friends, whatever. It’s going to be really cool because I’m partnering with my fitness trainer who’s a celebrity trainer Jordan Rude. He’s also my brother in law and Jennifer Grace who’s my life coach and mentor. We came together to do this retreat in Costa Rica.
Everything’s included once you buy your ticket. We’re going to be doing different activities. I’m going to be doing acting and music. She’s going to be doing life coaching, yoga, meditation with everybody and then Jordan is going to be having workouts. It’s called a digital detox. Basically when you check in you have to put your phone and your laptop, you have to check it in, we lock it away and you are free from all of that shit for four days.
I know that I need that very badly right now. I feel like everyday I’m just looking at a screen all day long. It’s just to be able to reconnect with who you are and I think it’s going to be life changing. Everybody please, if you’re interested in that spread the word.
