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October 6, 2008
Q&A with Gerard Elmore
(Director of the 2008 HIFF Trailer)
by Jason Soeda
Table of Contents
2008 HIFF Trailer
Screenings
  • See it before all of the films at HIFF this year!

Photo of Gerard Elmore

Gerard Elmore

Photo of Kelly Hu, Gerard Elmore, Jason Scott Lee

Kelly Hu, Gerard Elmore and Jason Scott Lee on the set of the 28th LVHIFF trailer

JASON SOEDA: Aloha, Gerard! Congratulations on directing the LVHIFF trailer this year. Please tell us about the origins of this project.

GERARD ELMORE: The project concept came from OrangeRoc, a marketing company handling the festival's marketing this year. Brett Wagner wrote the initial draft of the script. Brett's schedule didn't permit him to continue with the project so OrangeRoc asked me if I was interested in taking over the project and I was honored to do so. I made some tweaks to the script, we mixed in a little Depeche Mode and we were off.

JS: Your narrative feature ALL FOR MELISSA was a smash hit at last year's LVHIFF. How has your filmmaking career changed since then?

GE: I'm proud to say that ALL FOR MELISSA was discovered at LVHIFF. It led to our distribution deal with Echo Bridge Entertainment and as a result we'll be in stores nationwide! We were seen at LVHIFF and my business partner Mericia Palma followed through and got us the deal.

JS: What were your biggest challenges during the production of the trailer?

GE: We really were ambitious and drew up our dream list of what we hoped we could get for the trailer … and we got it! We had no money to make the trailer and Claire Tong at Hawaii Pacific Health helped us to get the essentials that we needed to make it all happen. I've been around LVHIFF for a long time and I didn't want to let people down. We had a lot of moving pieces and everything had to move smoothly to make sure it would all work. Luckily, the Shooters gang, Darrin Kaneshiro and David Rosen, stepped it up and it was one of the smoothest productions we've ever had.

JS: Did the cast and crew have a lot of fun during the production?

GE: Totally. Jay K. Evans made the comment that out of all the years he's been editing the trailer he has never seen so much love and aloha being thrown around. The crew was a cast of friends that I love to death and have worked with for years. Jason and Kelly were just phenomenal.

JS: Speaking of your stars, Jason Scott Lee and Kelly Hu, what was it like working with them?

GE: Awesome! I've admired both Jason and Kelly for some time. As actors they were just true professionals. So down to earth and really, a dream come true.

JS: Who is the one actor you dream of collaborating with and why?

GE: Quite honestly, I would love to work with Jason and Kelly again. They totally rock. If there were any other choice, I would have to say Christopher Walken. I've been such a fan for so long and I would just geek out being on set. The dude could transform a crappy line of dialogue and turn it into a well-written monologue.

JS: What's next for you, Gerard?

GE: I'm working full time as a commercial director, but expect more movies. I know this is the most cliché thing to say, but movies are my passion and I've only started to warm up.

 

Just For Fun: HIFF Survey

  1. Last film I saw:
    Barton Fink
  2. Weirdest foods I've sneaked into a theater:
    Pizza
  3. Total number of DVDs I own:
    So many I can't count
  4. Movies that mean a lot to me:
    BEING THERE, HAROLD AND MAUDE, GOONIES
  5. Recent bad film I paid good money to see:
    Anything directed by Michael Bay
  6. Odd stuff I do when the house lights go dim:
    Pretend to be a superhero with night vision
  7. Movie theater pet peeves:
    No talking and cell phones, people. I don't want your commentary on the movie. You're not a critic and I didn't pay good money to hear you criticize the movie. Don't take a call. You do, you suck … unless it's a movie directed by Michael Bay.
  8. Average number of bathroom breaks during a movie:
    Zero. I make sure to get it all out before the movie starts.
  9. Favorite movie companion:
    My girlfriend
  10. Late night hangout after a midnight screening:
    Anywhere where there's good food

    11. Back to Interviews List

Fall 2008
MORNING COMES SO SOON

Set in the beautiful central pacific country of the Marshall Islands, MORNING COMES SO SOON is the story of Leban, a Marshallese high school student who falls in love with Mei-Lin, a Chinese girl who is new to the island. What begins as a typical teenage love story quickly becomes a bizarre tragedy as the opposition they must face from family and friends becomes unbearable. This film deals with the issues of suicide and racism which are two of the biggest problems facing youth living in the Marshall Islands. In fact, the RMI has one of the leading suicide rates in the world. The issue of racism has become more serious recently as more and more foreigners have moved to the islands. » More
SAILFISH

Set against the social turmoil of China’s Cultural Revolution, SAILFISH is the story of 12-year-old champion swimmer Yue Haiyang. His father, a kindhearted intellectual, always encouraged the young boy's dream of becoming China's greatest swimmer. However, his dreams are abruptly shattered when his father is killed, his house is confiscated and he and his mother are forced into the countryside for reeducation. Six years later, with the help of his childhood friend, Gao Ming, and the love of his life, Bai Ling, he is able to rejoin the swimming team. Does he still have what it takes to win? In a quest to fulfill a lifelong dream, friendship and loyalty are tested as the three friends wade through the waters of personal struggle and political unrest. » More

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