People have been asking all kinds of questions about the trailer for The Tension of Opposites, so I thought I’d go right to the source for the best answers: Rocky Smith, of ROCK IV Productions, LLC. First, I must say that Rocky is a former student of mine from way back when I was a high school teacher. I had Rocky his senior year for a Film & Literature course, and I’m sure no one will be surprised when I say that he was extremely talented even back then (2003). Rocky has since graduated Wright State University with a film degree, and kindly agreed to work with me on this project. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how it turned out. And I’m proud to introduce you to the one behind it all.
The Interview
KM: It’s so great to have you here today, Rocky. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
RS: Thanks for having me- and thanks again for the opportunity to produce and direct your book trailer. Well, as you mentioned, I graduated from Wright State University in November of 2008, Magna Cum Laude, with a B.F.A. in Motion Picture Production. I have since returned to Wright State, working on my master’s degree in Educational Technology. Currently, I serve as a board member with FilmDayton, which is a non-profit organization. At the moment, I am extremely busy assisting with the coordination of film screenings, events, and workshops for FilmDayton’s 2nd FilmDayFilm Festival- a very exciting event for the Dayton region. FilmDayton has also given me the opportunity to work as a coordinator and instructor for weekend instructional camps and after-school educational programs, teaching the art of filmmaking to high school students. Teaching film and instructing student filmmaking has been such a rewarding experience. I am also excited about the growing freelance opportunities with my production company, ROCK IV Productions.
KM: That sounds like a wonderful opportunity – you sound super busy! How and when did you first become interested in creating films?
RS: I actually made my first film when I was 9 yrs old. I took my dad’s home movie camera, cast my brother, my neighbor, and myself, along with my collection of dinosaur action figures, and made my own version of Jurassic Park. It was titled “Jurassic Park: The Next Generation.” We had rain special effects using a garden hose, ketchup-blood make-up, made a cardboard visitor’s center, which was set afire by using hairspray for a pyrotechnic effect, dinosaur sound effects and music. It was quite a humble and involved production. It’s probably been 12-15yrs since I’ve watched it on the ancient technology know as VHS. And trust me, the movie is ridiculous.
KM: It sounds hysterical, and I’d love to see it! What were some of the highlights of filming the trailer for The Tension of Opposites?
RS: Definitely the beautiful locations that we were able to discover, all within a 10-15min driving distance, right in our own hometown. The 500yrs old oak trees, particularly “The 3 Sisters” of Sugarcreek Park, are truly an inspiring sight. The opening shots of Cox Arboretum Metro Park were almost too perfect; the sunflower field in bloom was quite beautiful. Funny story about that, the sunflower field was quite the production challenge during the winter, the field was a super-saturated clay mud pit, which made walking “tracking” shots a sticky muddy experience. Our actress was a good sport about it all; we both concluded that trying to walk through ankle-deep mud is a great leg workout.
KM: I’m glad you two braved the muck! Those scenes are awesome! Can you tell us a little about the filming and or editorial process? Who are those girls (and that guy) anyway?
RS: Well the entire production from beginning to end took about 8 months. The filming was a really fun and enjoyable experience. We shot footage that spanned from the fall to the winter season, and there was about a solid 2 months spent trying to edit all of that footage into a 2min trailer. The editing process started very experimentally on my own, which then turned into a very exciting collaborative process, where you {Kristina} and I, sat down and analyzed just about every digital frame, literally dozens of times. Editing can be tedious, but it is exciting to watch your images and sound develop into a story. Finding the girls and guy comes from a unique connection. I happen to coach competitive cheerleading at a sports center near Dayton. (I was a cheerleader at WSU during my college years). So the 2 actresses and the narrator are girls that I coached, and this all transitioned pretty well from coach to director and athlete to actress for the book trailer. The girls were very professional and had a great time. The young guy is actually a very talented director/actor who I had the opportunity to work with in a weekend film “boot camp” challenge at Wright State University. He made a very impressive short film at the instructional camp, so I knew he would be a great guy to work with for this trailer.
KM: I feel very fortunate to have had all of you involved. What other ROCK IV Production projects might people be interested in checking out?
RS: My thesis film from WSU is a 30 min documentary called “Toughman”, which chronicles the controversy surrounding the death of a 26yr old contestant of a Toughman event in Dayton, OH. Toughman premiered at the 2009 FilmDayton Festival. It won “Best Ohio Short” at the 2009 Oxford International Film Festival and “Best Documentary Short” at the 2010 Geneva Film Festival. Toughman will air on PBS ThinkTV Dayton. At the moment, the co-director of Toughman and I are trying to settle a distribution deal by the end of this year. I am also working on another documentary film, about the devastated economic climate of the city of Wilmington, OH. The project is very embryonic at this point, so that’s about all I can say about it.
Check out the official trailer for Toughman.
KM: Are you interested in creating more book trailers for any authors out there? If so, how can people contact you?
RS: YES! My email is: rocksmithiv@embarqmail.com.
KM: Okay, just for fun, list your top 10 favorite movies of all time.
RS: This might be the hardest question you could ask me. But I’ll try to list a decent blend of entertaining Hollywood films and “film-school” films. And I can’t say that these are even in any particular order…
1. Ben-Hur
2. Vertigo
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
4. Braveheart
5. The Seven Samurai
6. Psycho
7. Pumping Iron
8. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
9. M
10. Citizen Kane
KM: Rocky, I’m feeling sentimental! I remember teaching several of these films when you were in your first film class. I am so honored to have been part of your journey to success! With your talent, this is only the beginning of a very productive career.
Now, for those of you who haven’t yet had the pleasure, here is the official trailer for The Tension of Opposites:
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