Blue Boy won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short at the Gasparilla International Film Festival. The short is a proof-of-concept piece for a future feature.
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The film follows bodybuilder Joey Rossi (Matthew Leone) as he nears the end of his physical prime. The athlete reaches desperate measures trying to turn his career around and continue growing his online following.
Director Tyler Riggs agreed to an interview after the short’s initial screening.
I: Interviewer
TR: Tyler Riggs
I: During the film, you use footage where [Rossi]’s on his phone and then you pull back and allow the viewer to see him from a high-quality film camera. How did you use these changes in camera quality to show the character’s vulnerability?
TR: Well, right, you know. I want to go from the subjective to the objective, right? And I think for me personally, when it comes to the contemporary films I’m very interested in, you know, how people film themselves for social media, right? Because it’s such a part of… it’s such a character trait, right? We all know people who we go, “I love this person, but they’re really annoying online.” Or, “I like this person and they’re authentically themselves and that’s really cool how they can be like that.” So I think the way I used it was to show how he really lets his superego go wild as the character, his alter-ego, “ego” of Joey Muscles. And then when we come out of the subjective into the objective, you know, he’s a little bit more self-critical. And I think that brings you onto his side a little bit as the audience member.
I: You talked about how your set had circumstances that quickly changed from what you planned. How do you think having to go in and break things affected the tone of your film?
TR: I think I knew I really wanted a hectic pace and hectic editing, and I wanted it to be very raw and chaotic. I knew I wanted all those things ahead of time and so, when that happened, I just figured I’d try to rise to the occasion and not let it affect the day and what we were trying to accomplish for the day. And in my mind, I just tried to trust that like, if anything, this is only going to add, you know? We’re not doing these static, patient scenes that are soft-spoken. The energy levels need to be high and intense and the stress… the stress can only help that. So I thought that was a benefit.
I: You contrast the characters like his coach and his mother, who kind of give the main characters similar affirmations. How do you use that to develop your character’s psyche?
TR: Neither are real actors. So, I didn’t have a ton of control of how they were going to deliver their lines. Matt, my lead actor, he was the only one really on top of the lines and, the other people, instead of giving them exact dialogue which they would memorize and, since they’re not actors, they would deliver it in probably not a very natural way. So, instead, what I would do is I would tell them “Hey, you need to give him a pep talk. He’s freaking out. You got to give him a pep talk,” or “He’s complaining about Dad and you’re, like, worried about his mental health and he’s acting insane.” So I think it’s just that was who they were. It was more like, it was more directing the lead character, my actor Matt Leone, and he kind of drove the relationships more than the other actors did.
I: What was it like seeing the film again on the big screen?
TR: My first two films that I did before this are very serious films, like maybe even melodramatic. Who knows? I won’t really say that. I mean, I said it just now, but I’m saying it just to make a point. But this was in large part a reaction to my first two movies. And so I wanted to make something that made me laugh. And as I was editing the movie, you know, I’m sitting there in front of the computer by myself and every time he leans in at the kitchen, and he says his line about his dad to his mom, you know, I was chuckling and laughing by myself in a dark little room every time. And so seeing it on the big screen and watching other people laugh at the thing that I laughed at by myself is really satisfying. It never gets old. And I always laugh and chuckle and as an artist, as a filmmaker, it is always just a real treat. And you’re very lucky to get to see your movie play in a movie theater these days. So it’s a blessing, and I’m thankful for it and I’m thankful for Gasparilla for inviting us.
I: Awesome. Thank you so much.
Next, Blue Boy heads to the Sarasota Film Festival on April 6 and the Atlanta Film Festival on April 27 to keep making buzz.
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