3rd up is Grant Stevens – Stunts
1: 
What got you into the stunt game and choreography?
I wouldn’t say I’m really in the stunt game as such, but I saw ‘Once Upon A Time In China’ with Jet Li when I was about 13 and it was my ‘I want to do that’ moment. Ever since then I trained myself extra hard with that vision in mind and began to really just do my research on the industry when I became of age. I found out a little here and there, asked some questions and then began to promote myself in the light I’d like to be considered in.
2: How happy are you to be working with Leroy and Mark?
I’m extremely happy to be working with these guys. They’re both very professional and hard working individuals. In terms of action, I can’t speak for Mark as we’re yet to work together in an in depth capacity, but I’ve worked with Leroy on a few occasions now and every time we do any work together, we have a instant chemistry. Without really trying, we are able to pick up on each others energy very easily which makes for some great looking action that feels effortless. We’re also very similar people so we find that coming up with project concepts to be quite a stress free project. We always think of doing the same things, which is great.
3: How long have you been doing martial arts and what got you interested?
I’ve been training martial arts for around 17 years now. I’d always been into action and superhero movies as far back as I can remember, but I got into martial arts, like many others through watching Bruce Lee movies and was just hooked after that. I’ve trained in a few styles including Wing Chun and Wushu, but my base style is Tae Kwon Do.
4: How much do you like the acting side of the industry and are there any other areas you wish to try?
I’m primarily an actor, so it’s of utmost importance me. Without the acting and characterisation, you may as well just have two automatons fighting together on screen. Nobody thinks that they’re a bad person in their own mind, even the most reviled figures in history. With good characterisation and a capable actor, the audience can get an insight into why that character believes their next actions, no matter how reprehensible they may seem, are a good idea.
I love learning about people and what makes them tick… why they do things. So many action movies have a bad reputation for their one dimensional characters, and rightly so. It’s always the squeaky clean white knight vs the 100% evil to the core villain, without even finding out their history, and I think people are tired of that. I want to bring depth and meaning to future characters that I play, which is why I take acting studying quite seriously. For me Brandon Lee was a fantastic example of this, Lee was one of the rare action-centric actors who really brought something else to his characters. Just look at his incredible performance in ‘The Crow’
5: How much are you looking forward to working with James Bushe on Cannibals and Carpet Fitters?
I’m really looking forward to working with James. Cannibals and Carpet Fitters is my second feature film so I’m very excited. I’m a big fan of James’ work and have closely followed his latest project, Predator: Dark Ages. What they’ve achieved with that film is nothing short of outstanding. The trailer alone has blown up on youtube in such a short time. It looks visually stunning and I can’t wait to see it. I worked with Predator’s DoP Simon Rowling on We Are Soldier and if my experience working with him is anything to go by then working with James and the crew on Cannibals And Carpet Fitters is going to be an amazing experience.
Next up is A.J. Singh, Photography/Stunts
1: As a person who immerses themselves fully into the industry, which are your favourite areas?
I 
love directing and camera, but as an Action Director I get to direct, work the camera, and edit; along with choreographing the action sequences. Being able to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together is pretty awesome.
2: With over 10 years experience what event/thing stands out in your memory?
I’ve had the fortune of meeting some talented people – old and new – as a Photographer, and I would say that getting to work with any of these people is always a blessing, as a lot of them share the same mindset, and positivity.
3: What do you consider the best fight sequence on film to be?
I feel that I have yet to choreograph my best fight scene, but the short feature I wrapped prior to working on ‘We Are Soldier’, had me working with the awesome Silvio Simac (Black Mask 2, Unleashed, Transporter 3, Man of Tai Chi), and it was he who brought me on board as Action Director.
4: What or who would you call your hero in films, either side of the camera?
I was told from a very young age to never make heroes of men, but that hasn’t stopped me from admiring the skill-sets and talents of others. I’m a huge fan of Hong Kong Action Cinema, but have grown up on so many genres – Bollywood, Hollywood, Hammer Horror, Korean Cinema, Japanese Cinema, French Cinema, World Cinema as a whole – the list goes on. I’ve had so many influences, that they’re only present, depending on the content of the movie I direct at the time.
5: What do you find different about being in front of the camera than behind it?
I have to look good, and that’s never been my forte ha-ha! If I’m honest, I don’t have to be conscious of very much, when I’m in front of the camera for another Director’s project – I just concentrate on the character, the logic behind him, and how to apply it to the world in which he lives. When I work on my own, I direct, edit, work the camera, write the script, I’m the Action Director, etc, etc – all of that, AND Actor sometimes, which can add more to the workload.
I work as a Photographer; specializing in Actor’s Headshots, Sports, Martial Arts, and Portraiture, would it be cheeky of me to ask for a plug?
https://www.facebook.com/ajsinghphoto
Also, I’m currently working on a short feature called ‘The Recovery’ – it’s an Action/Drama. Also wrapped on ‘Seize The Night’, starring Emma Dark
https://www.facebook.com/seizethenightfilm – Seize The Night Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/amindfulsamuraiproduction – A Mindful Samurai Production page (for ‘The Recovery’)
Next up we came across Paul Jones, Production Manager
1: How did you become involved with We Are Soldier and Lee?
I became involved with we Are Soldier by the DoP (Simon Rowling) contacting me, I have had worked with him in the past and he wanted to know if I would like to come on board for this. He put me in contact with Lee (Director) and after a quick discussion by phone, Lee asked me to officially come join the team. To which I was thrilled to be apart of.
2: What grabbed you about Lee’s story?
I had been following the We Are Soldier online campaign for a while as I knew various members that were associated with working on it and really liked the concept and atheistic style that Lee was going for.
3: What are the main drawbacks of being an indie film production manager?
The main drawbacks are that as work is on a freelance basis, it is hard to know when the next job is coming ( being the nature of freelance no matter your role) and so you have to be very careful with your funds.
4: What are the best bits of being an indie film production manager?
For me I love being part of a team, and when on indie films more often than not, people will be wearing multiple hats so you are never doing one job, you can be running, driving, problem solving or assisting any department all whilst making sure everything is running as smoothly as possible, sometimes all within a short space of time. So the work is never boring and always a new challenge, which I love.
5: How long have you been in the industry and did you have to work up to becoming a production manager and what are your functions?
I’ve been in the industry for 3 years on an ad-hoc basis, in that time I’ve worked at various levels, from runner/driver, production designer and Locations manager up to Production Manager and Co-Producer. My functions on set vary depending on the film itself, as for example some films have smaller crews than others and so with that more doubling up or wearing more hats is sometimes the only option due to the constraints of the project. For me the general rule of the job is organising logistics, communicating needed information and making sure everything is running smoothly. The great thing about the job is that no two days are the same, as there are always new challenges and tasks to face!
When we had time we got the questions to Leroy Kincaide, Actor, Writer, Director.
1: 
What first drew you into this project?
The thing that first drew me to We Are Soldier, was the fact that I felt the concept for an independent movie was really creative and had a very ambitious vision.
2: When did you start on the path of the film industry?
My path in the film industry was not really the most exciting one. I was introduced to a film extra agency back in 2007 and from there I was lucky enough to work on a variety of productions from “Price of Persia” to “Eastenders” as a background artist.
3: How is your time split between training and writing etc?
My time for the most part is split throughout the day into mostly four sections. So I start my day with a training session then I write or learn new material, train and then at night I write again also.
4: How does it feel to be working with Mark and Grant again and the difference when you aren’t the writer, director and producer?
It’s been awesome working with both Grant and Mark again. We all first met on “FREEMAN New World Order” which was my first short film I directed and starred in. They are both hard working and give it their all when they are on set.
When I am just involved on a project purely as an actor it allows me to solely focus on that task at hand. I love the whole process of what goes into making a film work, so if just an actor, director and or both I enjoy the process the same, but naturally when you direct and produce your own material you have much more to think about.
5: What does the future hold for Mr Kincaide?
For me, next on my list is to secure a good agent, one that understands my ability as an actor and can take me to the next level in my acting career. Alongside working on getting my package right for agents, I am planning my next short Fan Film MAX PAYNE: Retribution. I am aiming to go into production later this year with MPR and I’m looking to build an exciting cast and crew to really bring my vision to life. So overall it’s going to be an exciting journey that I pray will only get better and better.
LINKS:
www.facebook.com/leroykincaidefc
| Director | Lee Asquith-Coe |
| Genre | Sci-Fi |