Photo by Lizzie Kjartanson of him setting up a shot on a teaser shoot with DP Jason Lange.
Los Angeles-based filmmaker Robert Hensley has entered post-production on his latest short film, HOMEWRECKER, a modern retelling of the Mexican fable known as “La Llorona.” Based on the story of the Woman in White (aka the Wailing Woman), Hensley’s screenplay updates the story while maintaining the traditional themes of the tale.
Starring Gracie Be, Lee Marshall, Logan Vamosi and Danielle Inks, HOMEWRECKER revolves around the failing marriage of Rona and Stan. She is a devoted wife, and he is a charming philanderer. When she learns of her husband’s latest affair, no one is safe. She will give new meaning to “til death do us part.”
“Many people only think of ‘La Llorona’ as the grieving mother,” says Hensley. “She was also grieving her marriage. Relationships today don’t always focus on children, so I wanted to play on the failing marriage and the vengeful, scorned woman aspect of the story.”
HOMEWRECKER is a micro-budget short film, 10 pages, shot on location in two days. Hensley was able to secure sponsors and product placement deals to raise capital for shooting the project. He has production support from Freedom Reigns, Xanthia Pink, Refinee Skincare, and Wash Time Palm Springs.
HOMEWRECKER was written, directed and produced by Hensley, and shot on location in Palm Springs, California. Hensley is joined by Danielle Inks and Versa Manos as Executive Producers. Jason Lange was the Cinematographer. James Brown provided Production Sound services. The film is being edited by Rachel McEntire. The score is being composed by Andrea Bellucci.
Hensley’s previous award-winning short film, THE TASTE OF SALT, is now available on Amazon. His goal for this project is an exclusive online streaming premiere in the month of October. HOMEWRECKER will be perfect for Halloween viewing!
We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Robert, again. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Robert! Thank you for granting the interview. We’re excited to speak with you. You recently wrapped principal photography on “HOMEWRECKER.” Tell us how do you estimate the value of any given film?
Personally, I think all art has value. I may not be a fan of everything I see, but someone felt it was important and presented it to the world.
I was just talking with some filmmakers the other day, and the topic of conversation turned to hearing others being congratulated for what we feel is subpar work. If you’re a writer, a filmmaker, a painter, it’s a job. No one realizes how much of your time and energy, your blood, sweat, and tears (sometimes literally) go into just getting across the finish line. Even the stuff that’s not so great came from someone. They managed to find a way to take an internal concept and present it in a way an audience could see it.
It’s when it’s unfinished that art fails to have value. Films and other modes of storytelling can’t just mean something to the person who created it. It’s unfulfilled if it never reaches an audience.
HOMEWRECKER, a modern retelling of the Mexican fable known as “La Llorona.” It’s based on the story of the Woman in White (aka the Wailing Woman). You update the story while maintaining the traditional themes of the tale. Did you come across any budget challenges during production?
When you’re self-financing a project, and you’re the writer/director/producer and wearing whatever other hats may come into play, the challenge is always to be prepared. When you aren’t prepared, you spend more money. You must buckle down in preproduction and think about the up-front expenses, what can wait, and contingencies for all of what you couldn’t think.
On HOMEWRECKER, I knew there would things to buy like contact lenses for the ghost, which are from a company in Germany, and took two weeks for delivery. I had to think about set dressing and props I’d written into the story, and work out ways of buying those in advance, spreading out the expenses, so I wasn’t just paying it all out at once.
I’ve never been afraid to go out looking for sponsors. There were wardrobe pieces I had in mind, and I got Freedom Reigns to donate product for the shoot. There was a specific style of a necklace I had written in for one character. I found a jewelry designer, Xanthia Pink, to design a custom piece for the project. I sold “real estate” to a skincare company to have their product featured on the bathroom counter in a scene.
When the producer hat is on, all you can think about is solving problems quickly, efficiently, and in support of the bottom line. Sometimes that means contracting collaborators to get paid during post rather than up-front; helps you have time to get more funds together, and if they know this going in, then there’s no drama.
Making the decision to shoot non-union also helped to save our budget. HOMEWRECKER couldn’t have happened if we’d been governed by the SAG-AFTRA short film contract. For indie, micro-budget filmmakers, they make it almost impossible to make a union project.
shot on a teaser shoot with DP Jason Lange.
How did you choose the material to use for the film?
The initial screenplay had two rewrites, which amounted in three more lines than I’d originally written. I worked closely with my DP (Jason Lange) to create a shot list, and that was our bible. We shot what we knew we needed, and if we had time, we would get inserts we thought might be useful.
I’m not a fan of overshooting. If you have an idea of how you see the film cutting together, you should be able to minimize setups and shoot efficiently. I think it helps the editor, too.
Rachel McEntire, who is editing HOMEWRECKER, had everything she needed without a bunch of extra footage we didn’t need. It streamlined the process. It also helps to make meticulous notes on set about which takes I really liked and thought would work best.
Basically, we shoot only what’s on the page, and what we decided was necessary in preproduction.
What do you hope to accomplish with the movie?
I’m a huge fan of horror films. I’d been watching films from the late-70’s and early-80’s, and I wanted to make something which was more in line with that style of filmmaking. It’s noir-ish with bold contrast and more about the anticipation of a scare than a gory reveal.
My goal is to entertain an audience. I want people to see HOMEWRECKER as a well-made horror short.
When choosing talent, what did you look for?
Casting HOMEWRECKER was not at all easy. Although I cast people with whom I’d already worked and had a solid working relationship, it was important for me to have actors who were interested in the characters and their motivations.
It might be a horror film, but it’s also a story about people. I didn’t want anyone to come off as flat or throw-away. They each have a reason for being in this story.
What is your favorite scene?
That’s like asking a father to choose his favorite child!
I suppose it’s the laundromat scene. We got permission to shoot in a laundromat in Palm Springs after it closed. One of the first horror films my mother ever let me see what “My Bloody Valentine,” which had this great scene in the laundromat, and getting to pay homage to that was amazing.
How can fans-to-be gain access to movie updates?
I always create a website for my shorts. It’s important to have a way for folks to learn more and sign up for updates. Fans-to-be can visit www.homewreckerfilm.weebly.com and join our mailing list. They can also read more about “La Llorona” and see photos of the cast and film stills.
What has been your favorite experience in making the movie?
It’s probably the same for every filmmaking adventure thus far; just making a movie. As a writer/director, there is something really satisfying about coming up with the story and the characters, and then casting the actors, scouting locations, getting behind the camera and bringing it to life. Then, when you’re finished, you’ve got a movie! You’re proud and excited, and depressed there isn’t another story to tell right away.
When looking back on the principal photography, what resonated with you the most and why?
The relationships. I knew all the actors and most of the crew coming in, and to see them come together and support each other was incredible. We were all on this journey together and their collaboration was invaluable. As the director, I may have steered the ship, but I was never rowing alone.
In your opinion, how could this movie make an impact on the world?
With anything I write, I hope it entertains. Beyond that, I have a secret hope the story or a character, or even just one line, resonates with someone in the audience, and it inspires them in some way. If someone sees HOMEWRECKER and thinks, “I can make a movie based on some old story,” then I’m happy!
If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to make this movie? Would you do anything differently?
Without a doubt. I’d do it all again, except next time, I wouldn’t shoot in Palm Springs in July. The heat was obnoxious! In fact, the laundromat had these loud swamp coolers that would have had to be turned off anyway, but they were on a timer and had turned off on their own. When we shot there, the interior temperature was the same as outside: 108 F.
Do you have anything else you would like to share about the movie and your career?
Note: Use this section to close the interview. Share upcoming projects.
I am excited to wrap up post-production on HOMEWRECKER. We are now onto post sound and the score. I get incredibly anxious at this point so close to being finished.
Until then, I am busy planning a trip back to my hometown in Pennsylvania to be inducted into my high school’s Hall of Fame. Additionally, Leonian Pictures optioned my romantic comedy, ROASTED, and I am attached to direct. We’re in development, which is a new kind of nerve-wracking for me. I just want to make a movie!
Connect with Robert:
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/robhensleycreative
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/iamrobhensley
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/robhensley
IMDb: www.imdb.com/name/nm0378172
WEBSITE: bit.ly/roberthensley
Links to previous film websites:
THE TASTE OF SALT www.thetasteofsalt.weebly.com
Award Winning Short Film – Now Available on Amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Salt-Jason-Chacon/dp/B079VD19MG
A MOTHER’S LOVE https://amotherslovefilm.weebly.com/
Can be seen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vPiA0EMG6G0
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Lizzie Kjartanson of Robert setting up a shot on a teaser shoot with DP Jason Lange.
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