
Dean Mason, Actor/Writer/Producer, Dean does it all. I recently had a chance to chat with Dean regarding his film career, as well as his upcoming film, SURRENDER. This film is being shot in Bulgaria and stars talented actor “Niki Stanchev”, as well as many more talented people from cast to crew. Here what Dean had to say:
Me: How and when did you first become interested in the film industry?
Dean: Well, technically, I was interested in acting first. Believe it or not, I knew this at age Four!……(I remember always being so jealous that “Bobby Brady” & “Albert Ingalls” were on TV because I thought–I could do that!)
By age 11, I was already writing hundreds & hundreds & hundreds of handwritten and typed pages of fantasy-thrillers & other material like that. (I was a weird kid.) By the time I was in high school, I knew I wanted to do all of it. Act, Write, Direct, Produce Movies.
Me: What inspires you most these days in regards to acting/producing?
Dean: Considering the fact I’m already in my mid 40′s, I realize that time goes by very quickly. That in itself inspires me to keep doing what I do. In fact, I have an even stronger desire to succeed than I did before.
Me: What do you consider to have been your best role so far?
Dean: Wow, that is a great question. Any roles I would have loved playing, would have been on stage. Of course that was when I was younger. For sure I was too young to have done my best work. Right now, T.V., movies or stage, I feel I still have yet to see my “best” work.
Me: What advice would you give up and coming Actors these days?
Dean:
For people that are in my field (especially the “newbies”), I would let them know it’s a whole new world out there for film making. Anybody can pick up an iPhone , shoot something and then put it online, which would essentially make us ALL Filmmakers.
However! What’s important to remember is that just because Anybody can do it now, doesn’t mean that everybody should!…..You still have to have Talent, you still have to have Vision, you still have to have Skills, which all means this is still a craft that must be taken seriously.
Me: Tell me a little bit about your upcoming film, SURRENDER.
Dean: Ha! Where do I start? The film is called, SURRENDER. I am the Writer/Director and Lead Producer on this project. George Vrabchev & Niki Stanchev are my Bulgarian Producers. The location of the shoot will be primarily at one place at George Vrabchev’s LIVE PIXEL STUDIOS in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Me: Can you tell me something about the characters?
Dean:
A quarter of characters make up our primary Main Roles: ADAM, BRIAN, CONNIE, & DOMINIQUE.
Adam & Brian are roommates (and long-time friends) in a two-story town home. Dominique is a friend of theirs, who appears to be a party girl. Connie is the woman who winds up moving into the town home and becomes Brian’s new girlfriend.
Me: Will we be seeing some “Dean” acting in this film?
Dean: MY Role? Hahaaa! Well, I will not be acting in this movie. However, I will serve to be “SURRENDER’S” Captain of the Ship all throughout its process.
Me: How would you describe the main character, “Brian”?
Dean: Niki Stanchev will be playing one of the roommates, BRIAN. Brian has–a lot of Issues……..He is definitely the Darkest of all these characters, and will probably be the one the audiences wind up talking & debating about the Most when the viewing experience is over.
Me: Can you give me a little inside track?
Dean:
Well on the surface, this story is about a wannabe novelist named Adam who’s currently got Writer’s Block; and he lives with his friend Brian who, on the surface Himself, appears to be a fairly-successful businessman who’s got it all together. When Brian moves his new girlfriend Connie into the house–gradually All HELL starts breaking loose–as the story begins spiraling into an Truly-Twisted tale of Sexual Jealousy that spirals WILDLY out-of-control.
To be honest, there used to be a time when there were more films for Grown-Ups! ADULTS ONLY…..Now don’t get me wrong, I love the next Big-Budget Superhero Hollywood Flick in IMAX 3D just like the next guy, but these are films that are marketed primarily to Kids! I MISS the hard-hitting “Extreme” films that usually contain “heavier, more Provocative content” & are created specifically for “Mature Audiences Only”.
For the sheer fact that these are films not geared for the “suburban multiplex”–instead, one would find them in “Art House” movie theaters, and they are generally lower-budgeted “Independent Films”. I Know this particular type of audience is still out there, because I am One of them! And so this movie is for Them.
Me: Is it expensive to shoot a film like this? How does funding work?
Dean:
On the topic of production of “SURRENDER”, I find myself in a very unique situation because–for my very first film, I can shoot my ENTIRE film–for a mere fraction on the American dollar, and get the very best of the best of EVERYTHING right there in Eastern Europe.
Now before anyone starts crying-out “runaway production”, I must say that–for a Grand Total of *$50,000* for the budget, we would NOT be able to craft together a feature film of this level of professionalism & sheen.
Secondly, we are introducing to the World a team of Production People & Craftsmen who possess their own high level of talents–led by George Vrabchev (a formidable Filmmaker in his own right) who owns & operates LIVE PIXEL STUDIOS–a Cutting-Edge, Full-Service Production / Post-Production / C.G.I Facility.
We are currently in the process of seeking-out those Funds FROM EVERY AVAILABLE SOURCE POSSIBLE!……We don’t need the Entire $50,000 right away, but for sure we would need at Least $10,000 so we can prep the movie in Bulgaria & actually Begin shooting it.
If everything continues to go smoothly the way it has been lately, then we pray that I will be going to Eastern Europe very early in the new year (January)–we will be prepping & rehearsing the film for about 2 to 3 weeks–shoot for 20 days–and we edit & add post-production F/X between 4 to 8 weeks.
Me: Future goals with this film?
Dean: From there, it’s CANNES FILM FESTIVAL, here we come! This is Precisely the type of Dark, Decadent, Sexual flick that drives the French people CRAZY, and will hopefully generate a lot of Good Press for us globally–then get picked-up for Distribution & ultimately profit at Least *100 Times back* in revenue, than what was initially put into it.
Me: Any last comments on this film?
Dean:
For Audiences who crave this type of “Adult-oriented” movie experience (as well as Sharing In Its profits)–we highly encourage these people to help bring our vision to the screen by either co-financing the project themselves–or bringing us to people who would be interested in Investing. We are all STRONG BELIEVERS in “SURRENDER”, and we also believe the money IS out there to help us bring this vision to LIFE.”
Me: Thank you Dean for chatting with me on this topic. SURRENDER sounds like it’s going to be a winner! It’s been a pleasure visiting with you.
For more information on Dean Mason or to inbox him directly on Facebook, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/Dino.Masone
Written by: Sue McGaughey