BTL Radio Show with my exclusive interviews with STEVE BARNETT and MATTHEW NINABER

Behind The Lens

A fun BEHIND THE LENS show for you today as we take a look at two very different action films - one in present day and another in the medieval era - thanks to my exclusive interviews with writer/director STEVE BARNETT talking VALIANT ONE and writer/director/editor MATTHEW NINABER talking A KNIGHT’S WAR. Both are terrific and made with patience and a great deal of thought, research, and attention to authenticity.

First up is my exclusive interview with writer/director STEVE BARNETT discussing VALIANT ONE, an often nail-biting edge-of-your-seat action flick based on a true story and the premise of "What If?" - what if the leaders or special ops members of a military mission that lands in enemy territory die, and it’s left to the surviving lower ranking team members and civilian specialists to figure out how to get out of enemy territory and survive, and maybe even complete the mission? Here, the "what if" involves a US military team intending to land in South Korea but crashes on the North Korean side leaving survivors to work together to protect a civilian tech specialist and find their way out without the help of US military support.

A veteran producer, VALIANT ONE marks Steve's directorial debut. An interesting conversation in which we discuss casting, visual grammar, location, collaboration with cinematographer Dan Stilling, Andrew Leven's editing, Benjamin Backus' score, and above all, authenticity.

Then we keep the action going with writer/director/editor MATTHEW NINABER and his wonderful medieval tale A KNIGHT'S WAR. I love a good action piece as do many of you, especially an action piece that’s steeped in lore, armor, some horror, and lots of broad sword battles and that's just what Matt gives us here starting with the story and the love of medieval since childhood by Matt and his brother Jeremy, who is co-writer and star of the film as our knight in shining armor Bhodie.

Listen as we discuss the minutiae of the "making of" A KNIGHT'S WAR and the hand craftsmanship that went into not only the production design, but costumes, headpieces, and masks (truly stunning work). And how about building a castle of foam and shooting it in your backyard where the lensing and lighting and some minimal VFX is so precise that you'd never know the castle wasn't real. We also dive into casting of Bhodie and his leading lady Avalon and the work Jeremy and co-star Kristen Kaster put into the action and sword work, training for months, wearing armor, and using real swords. Matt encountered situations with his cinematic vision that not many indie filmmakers face, but he pulled it all off thanks to determination and attention to detail.