John Ginty is a natural performer and has desired to entertain for most of his life. Despite being a busy husband and father, John wanted to make his dream project a reality. A Kickstarter campaign was launched and successfully funded Good Villain. Saturday AM talked to John Ginty about his passion project and a fanboy’s influence.
Saturday AM: What made you want to create a Kickstarter for your film?
John Ginty: I wrote the script for Good Villain in 2013, and I was very excited to have completed my first full length feature script. Shortly after, I read an article in a magazine about how crowdfunding was changing the landscape of creative entrepreneurs finding resources to make their projects a reality. After some additional research, I found that Kickstarter had the best track record. So when I decided to move forward with funding for the film, they were my first choice.
Saturday AM: What property are you the ultimate fanboy over?
John Ginty: This is a fun question to answer. My standard answer is Batman. I say standard because in reality there are so many different properties I love. Recently, I’ve really gotten into Attack on Titan, which is phenomenal, but for the longevity it has to be Batman. I have always been fascinated with a man so driven by a singular life event that it drove him nearly insane. It’s a line he delicately walks and that has, in one form or another, captivated millions for nearly a century.
Saturday AM: Are you more of an East or West comic fan?
John Ginty: I am slightly more West than East leaning when it comes to comics. That is not to say that I don’t have some fav comics that are more Western leaning. Ranma 1/2 was and still is one of the best series I’ve ever read.
Saturday AM: How would you describe Good Villain to our readers?
John Ginty: Good Villain is at its core a story about how far you would go to save the thing you love. I’ve had people call it “very meta”, for the sheer fact that it is laced with tons of pop culture references from the last 30 years. The movie itself is about a comic book store that is bought out, and in order to save it the owner and his friend do the only thing they know: become super villains to save the shop. It is a dark comedy that is very dialogue and character driven.
Saturday AM: Is this your first film? Do you have a film background or did it begin as a passion project?
John Ginty: Yes it is! My background is actually in theater and stand up comedy. One of my life goals is to host an episode of SNL. I’ve always dreamed of saying “Live from New York, It’s Saturday night!”
Saturday AM: Have you had any comparisons to Kevin Smith? I hope you take that as a compliment too!
John Ginty: LOL! Yes! Some of the first comparisons people made when hearing about the film was “is it kind of like Clerks? It sounds kinda like Clerks.” And it is a compliment! Kevin Smith is someone I really aspire to pattern my career after. He’s a genius who doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Saturday AM: You wrote the script. Do you plan on directing or starring in the film?
John Ginty: Originally, I wanted to only direct, but as casting went on I was unable to find a suitable co-lead. So I ended up casting myself for one of the primary roles. As of right now, I wrote, directed, am starring in, and will be editing Good Villain.
Saturday AM: Are you still in pre-production? Do you know when you will start shooting?
John Ginty: I have already begun production, and I’m about 85% completed with the principal shooting.
Saturday AM: Did you recruit friends and family to help you out with your production?
John Ginty: Family and friends were the backbone of this production. My wife did most of the administrative work. Also, I had a different friend acting as an audio grip everyday. The great thing is even those that were not initially “friends” have become great friends since. We are really a tight knit bunch now.
Saturday AM: What has been the most difficult element of production?
John Ginty: The most challenging part of production was scheduling the locations with the actors’ availability. Since all of my actors were unpaid, they all had full time jobs that I was constantly contending with. A close second was continuity: looking for the meticulous details of hand positions and other movements from shot to shot.
Saturday AM: Do you plan on releasing the film on the festival circuit or through digital means?
John Ginty: Yes. The plan is to start submitting it to film festivals by the end of July. Once we’ve gone through the initial film fest gauntlet, we will take a look at all VOD options.
Saturday AM: What would be your dream outcome for Good Villain?
John Ginty: Dream scenario is for the movie to get picked up by a major distribution company and for it to have a limited theatrical release.
Saturday AM: Would you recommend Kickstarter to other creators? Do you think you will use it again for future projects?
John Ginty: Kickstarter is not for everyone because of its “all or nothing” approach. What that means is once you set a goal you HAVE to meet that amount or you end up getting nothing at all. I actually did two separate Kickstarter projects: the first of which was unsuccessful, which only fueled my passion to succeed when I created the second (successful) one.
Saturday AM: What advice would you give aspiring creators?
John Ginty: I am 36 years old. The best advice I can give anyone is to never give up on your dreams. As long as you can take a breath your dreams should live. Do everything you can every day to move closer to your goals, whatever they are. To quote Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, “Never give up, never surrender.”
http://paragonfound.com/
By Kasey Michael-–a lover of all things entertainment. Born and bred in North Carolina, she has a degree in Film Studies and can usually be found in front of a screen.
