Spotlight: Spork

  • Rachel Fox and the Cast of Spork

    Spork at the Tribeca Film Festival

    Q&A with J.B. Ghuman Jr.

    1. The film is so dependent on its very young cast, who had to be able to act and dance. What was the casting process like?
    My film was casted by Jeremy Gordon, CSA who was a total rock star! He brought in a totally kick ass group of kids and together we kinda just went through all of them until we found the right person for each role. The majority were the “part” right when they entered the room. Although, regarding the dancers, we held an open call “dance-off” herald by dance troupe extraordinary, Tommy The Clown, himself. Him and his giant group of dancers pretty much turned it out and on that day I ended up with my full Tootsie Roll Crew of kids that you now see in the film. Very fun… very rad!

    2. Did your actors know how to dance already or did there need to be a lot of training and rehearsals?
    As stated above, the dancers you see in the film who kinda “break it down” are straight up from the streets real-deal dancers. The style is called “Clownin” and “Krumping.” Out of the leads who danced, “Tootsie Roll,” played by Syd Park, was trained and choreographed by my stellar choreographer, Denise Piane. She did all of the lead choreography. The final dance number when Spork kinda goes “balls out…” (literally!) is in fact a double. Although seeing that it’s a surreal world, it was supposed to be a bit over the top.

    3. What inspired you to write this story?
    To keep it basic and to the point, I’ll simply say that like most writers I pulled from my own life. I’m a break dancer who grew up in the 90′s via Miami Beach, FL. I had platinum blonde hair, bass lines down my sides and huge baggy jeans with a full on gold grill (teeth). But then I’d go home and pretty much stare at K-Mart underwear ad’s, jam out to Enigma and Enya and droll over He-Man. I had NO idea who the hell I was or more importantly… where I belonged. It took a bit for me to “get it,” but when I did… I knew I belonged exactly where I was. Inside myself. Cheesy and a bit “Oprah” style, I know. But nonetheless, true. So… hence the journey of Spork!

    4. Why did you choose to add this component of music and dance to the film?
    Well, growing up in the 90′s in Miami, Beach, FL. is kinda of a no brainer. I mean… I’m a break dancer wanna-be from the old school and was one of the only white kids on my block. That and my sister, who’s a bit older, was all about booty bass and that whole world. So basically it was a big part of my experience and still is today. I will most likely always try and combine music and visuals in my storytelling experience. Also, the style of dance used, “Clowning and Krumping,” is based on a system that allows only kids with a B+ or higher grade point average, coupled with being drug free, to be allowed to be take part in “Tommy The Clowns” troupe. So… this idea of using dance to escape a kind of… off beat lifestyle kinda inspired me to incorporate it with my kids in “SPORK.” As for all the 8-Bit score… I hired “Casey James and the State-Puft Kid” to incorporate the Sega Genesis, Nintendo and GameBoy to represent each character. It’s a bit awesome, if I may say so myself. Seeing as I simply suggested it vs. actually “doing it,” I feel like I can say that.

    5. There is a very distinct 80s style with a lot of very saturated colors and big hair. Why did you choose to go with this look for the film?
    Um… for starters… I’m gay, honey! (insert a snap and hair fluff) Nah, for real though… I grew up in the 90′s like I stated above. So that world of sideways pony tails, jelly arm bands and just… over all “radness” of the late 80′s / early 90′s was all over my brain. As for the colors, I wanted to create a world that was a bit more on the surreal side, so all of my dark humor and borderline offensive dialogue could exist without the boundaries of the ordinary world. Kind of like a storybook, I drew the crayon clouds over my master wides and had the colors pushed hard, mixed with super high grain. I was aiming for… like… a “colored sand” look in the end.

    6. What other films were influences on you for Spork?
    Ya know, I always get told my film is like Napoleon Dynamite. Although truth be told, I had never intended nor do I reference it ever. My real hardcore influences where the following: Welcome To The Dollhouse, Wizard, Never Ending Story and Electric Boogoloo.

    7. It seems that throughout the film, the adults have a sort of ineffectual role, and the children become more and more self sufficient and autonomous. Was this a theme you thought about while making the film?
    I never truly “thought of it” to be honest. On my end, I grew up almost on my own with my older sister as a kind of “mentor.” With a single mom, who worked days and most nights, and no dad till I was about eleven years old, I seemed to remember my beginning years a bit solo… and, so… my stories of youth reflect that. That and… well… grown ups suck!

    8. Why did you choose to make your protagonist intersexed?
    My goal was to create a lead that almost everyone could empathize with… and not attach to a “gay,” or “poor kid” or “nerdy kid” world. Though inner-sexed children are all over the globe, my intent was not to represent them… at least fully. My goal was to create a character that would be so far from the center that EVERYONE could relate, and thus… go on the ride with her. We’re all born to feel a bit… alone it seems. Good news is that finding where we belong… seems to be part of the experience.

    9. The dialogue is such a memorable part of the film for these characters who are able to express themselves so distinctly. How did you come up with these separate voices for your characters?
    Again, as a writer, I pull from from what I know. Most, if not all, of the characters are based on those within or close to my own experiences, though they come off a bit more “amplified” for a more rich and brilliant world. I LOVE satire and mean-spirited humor… I know I’m the artist who’s all about “love and glitter,” but… being a big homo, I just adore sharp wit along the way.

    10. Do you have any other projects in the works?
    I do. My next film is called RHiNO! and it’s part of a three-part series of films I MUST share with the world before my time is up and lady universe calls my full name. It’s a bit more grown up and less humor driven, but it is again within my whole “JB-style surreal world environment.” Excited isn’t even the word to describe me at the moment.


    December 14th, 2011 | jwilka |

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