LEGLESS CORPSE: Now let me get this right, you run a production company with your family. That shouldn’t work, but it obviously does?

TOBY POSTER: It’s great! This is a perfect way to be together and be creative at the same time. From the get-go we realized making films could enhance our family dynamic, as opposed to getting in the way of it. Fun is always a big element. If the girls aren’t acting in the film, they participate as much or as little as they’d like, whether it’s helping with the camera or sound mixing, or entertaining the others on set. They have great input and are very supportive. We feel very lucky.

LC: Your relationship would have to be in a great place to run any kind of business together – and I guess that’s true of filmmaking too?

TP: By now, after 3 films, my husband John and I have learned how this dance works. We know the kindest and most effective ways to talk to each other. And because we share this bond of seeing a film develop from a spark to a full fire, we also share that thrill of accomplishment. Even moreso when we are exhausted and stretched– t’s always fun to have someone else who feels as insane as you do! If we disagree on something, we shoot it both ways and move on.

LC: I was racking my brain trying to think of any other filmmaking families – the “Great Gatsby” director BazLuhrmann works with his wife, and I believe David Lynch also collaborates with his real-life partner. What do you think the advantages of working with your partner are?

TP:We live next to a big wild park, so we like to joke that we are going to “The Office” when we head out on hikes, because that’s where we have our best business meetings. So that’s a sweet perk. We are essentially working together, but often doing our own things, weaving in and out with each other, which is cool. While there’s a lot of tandem work, there’s also space… sort of like a figure 8.

LC: You’re an actress too. Did you form the production company in an effort to also further your acting career?

TP: Sure did. In my late 30s I’d found myself in a lull, as far as my acting was going. I’d been enjoying a voice-over career, which is still my bread and butter, but had lost some of my drive otherwise. It’s easy to blame
“Hollywood” on these things, but it’s much more proactive and interesting to do something about it. So we started making our own films.

LC: Who do you play in your latest production The Shoot?

TP: I play Maddy. She’s an assistant for a high-end fashion stylist, and her lover is one of the musicians (played by John) who robs her photo shoot in the desert in order to pay back a bad loan. The sex scene was really challenging; we rehearsed a lot for that one. (I’m kidding. See question 3!)

LC: You’ve some famous faces in the movie. Were actors like John DiMaggio old friends or did they simply respond to the script?

TP: John DiMaggio is a good friend. He’s marrying my best pal, Kate, in a few weeks. We knew he’d knock it outta the park playing the role of Steve, the lovable but extremely menacing messenger for our loan shark. He’s a real mensch and was a breeze to work with. Doug Spearman we didn’t know before The Shoot, and it was love at first meet. He’s such a talented film maker and a hoot to have acting on set with us. We still thank our lucky stars daily for the entire wonderful, generous cast we had the pleasure of working with in the desert and in L.A. They make us look good.

LC: Your previous films are available to buy online. What are the plans for “The Shoot” – it looks like it could go theatrical, based on those production values?

TP:We have had a lot of success running the independent film festival circuit, which paved the way for our current distribution of Knuckle Jack and Rumblesrips, our first two flicks. So we will follow that road first while looking forward to a targeted theatrical release in the springtime, followed by digital/VOD release.

LC: Can you give us a hint what you’re working on at the moment?

TP: A western!

 
CLIP 1 # Pick up the Phone

CLIP #2 ‘Crappish’

Trailer

Exclusive Interview With THE SHOOT’s Toby Poster