Oddball Clark meets the girl of his dreams, but the relationship is threatened by his foot fetish. The short film is premiering at the 19th Annual FirstGlance Film Fest Los Angeles coming to North Hollywood Laemmle on March 14-17 2019. We had the wonderful opportunity to interview filmmaker Rick Perry co-director of Fetish.
Hi, Rick! Thank you for granting the interview. Congrats on your new short film Fetish. Tell us what inspired the script.
Howdy! The script is entirely the genius of David Lee Hess. On a hike, we first discussed the project and I was immediately a huge fan. I love subversive filmmaking and David is a super talented writer and I’m so happy I got to be a part of this completely insane and perverse thing he came up with.
What are your expectations for Fetish on the festival circuit?
Fetish is an audience pleaser and I think it sticks with people after a screen, so I hope we get it in front of as many great crowds we can.
Was it a challenge to direct the film?
Co-directing Fetish with David was a BLAST. Fetish is really David’s film, he wrote it, he’s the male lead, and it all came from his sick and demented mind. He thought, incorrectly, that I wouldn’t judge him too much and asked me to help! I’ve directed David in a few projects, and we have a pretty strong collaborative working relationship. And David had already created this lovely concept so it was the best kind of work to see how we could manifest it and where we could make it even better. I have tremendous respect for David as a creator and it was a fucking blast to pick up the tune he was playing and jam along.
What are you most proud of in making Fetish.
I mean, the pride comes in sharing this sweet and heartwarming film with a tender audience.
Tell us about a typical day on the set.
A typical day on set:
5:00 AM Darkness. David Lee Hess is muttering while shaving the crown of his head in a cheap Air BnB.
6:00 AM David Lee Hess is getting large amounts of pale makeup applied to the freshly shaved crown of his head with a palette knife.
6:45 AM David Lee Hess is getting a little single sprig of hair and rubbery flesh glued to his forehead.
7:30 AM David Lee Hess is standing outside in 28 degree weather in a park in Austin while an icey breeze blows his single hair doodle, making it dance on his forehead like a used car ballon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOLGctfjgRh/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1fb3jamn9j02u
What is going to surprise people about the film?
What’s going to charm people about Fetish is it’s light-hearted, feel-good comedy; it’s a sincere charm. Shhhh. No spoilers…. ?
When looking at back on the production, what resonated with you the most and why?
David Lee Hess’ aesthetic and sense of humor. It’s excellent, it’s always on key and it was a source of inspiration and kept us all on the same page.
Ashly Spillers— every time she was on set she there was this effortless, energetic good vibe. She’s an incredibly talented human being and I think we all worked harder when she was around.
Bill Wise is a powerful creative force. He’s a master. Shooting the therapist scenes with him is a career high. I wish I could direct him every day.
In your opinion, what scene in the film is going to blow people away and why?
The way the two characters come together after hardship. It’s really moving.
What did you enjoy most about the characters in the film?
I mean as far as Fetish characters go, I <3 Clark. He’s a weirdo, just like the rest of us. There are so many questions that go unanswered. I feel like there are more stories in Clark…
Do you have anything else you would like to share about the film?
I hope you go see Fetish and please reach out after. We ESPECIALLY love to hear what people’s experience of watching Fetish for the first time is!
Do you have anything else you would like to share about your career?
I designed & directed a miniatures based music video this year for Mitch Bradford you can check out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=162-qJgv7KA
And I’ve been designing and building these totally nuts miniatures for Dimension 20, a new show where seven comedians play Dungeons & Dragons. It’s something special. Check out the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-eY2tDgXsY
Instagram @richardhperry Twitter @richardhperry.
Thank you for chatting with us about your career. I hope we can catch up in the future for another interview.
Thanks so much for taking the time to ask about Fetish. It was a pleasure!
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