Patrick Abernethy
He is the man behind Rest Stop Dollar Baby Film.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Patrick Abernethy: I’m Patrick Abernethy and I currently work as a video editor for a well known YouTube channel called FGTeeV
SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?
Patrick Abernethy: I started editing videos for my younger brothers 19 years ago, and instantly fell in love with the process. They were filming stunts and such, similar to the show Jackass and CKY videos, and needed my help to turn it into something watchable.
Later I realized that what I was really passionate about was original content that I could direct myself, and I knew I wanted to shoot and direct and write.
SKSM: When did you make Rest Stop? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?
Patrick Abernethy: We shot it over 3 days in 2014 and the edit was finished in 2015. We raised around $2200 for production costs.
SKSM: How come you picked Rest Stop to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?
Patrick Abernethy: Our writer/adapter Mike Hill initially chose the story and chose me to direct. He is a HUGE King fan and picked the story somewhat on a whim. He loves all of King’s work so he basically had to just roll the dice to pick which short story to produce, knowing that he’d love it no matter what.
SKSM: How did you find out that King sold the movie rights to some of his stories for just $1? Was it just a wild guess or did you know it before you sent him the check?
Patrick Abernethy: Mike knew about the dollar baby program through being such a huge fan of Stephen King, so once he knew about the program, he knew he had to pick a story and run with it!
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when you made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
Patrick Abernethy: We finished up day 3 (which were night scenes) literally minutes before the sun came up. Had the sun came up before we wrapped, I don’t know if the movie could have been completed because we traveled to that location and everyone had places to be that next day. So it was awesome to complete it so close like that!
SKSM: How does it feel that all the King fans out there can’t see your movie? Do you think that will change in the future? Maybe a internet/dvd release would be possible?
Patrick Abernethy: This is all up to our good pal Mr. King. Festivals are great to get it out there, but a devoted website or something similar to Netflix strictly for Dollar Baby films would be amazing.
SKSM: What “good or bad” reviews have you received on your film?
Patrick Abernethy: The worst reviews have come from myself and from our writer Mike Hill. Not from a story standpoint or even a production standpoint, but more from a “we could have done this or that better” standpoint, because we are both perfectionists.
SKSM: Do you plan to screen the movie at a particular festival?
Patrick Abernethy: We have entered it in some, but at this point we currently have no plans to enter it into more. We are currently focusing on original works.
SKSM: Are you a Stephen King fan? If so, which are your favorite works and adaptations?
Patrick Abernethy: Before this I had not read much of Mr. King’s works, but I was a huge Shawshank Redemption and Green Mile movie fan. Since then I have come to absolutely love The Stand and Mr. Mercedes, and plan to read much more of his work!
SKSM: Did you have any personal contact with King during the making of the movie? Has he seen it (and if so, what did he think about it)?
Patrick Abernethy: Haha, I wish. And I hope one day I find out the answers to these questions as well.
SKSM: Do you have any plans for making more movies based on Stephen King’s stories? If you could pick -at least- one story to shoot, which one would it be and why?
Patrick Abernethy: I’d love to work on the new adaptation of The Stand. I think it’s in production now and can’t wait to see it.
SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?
Patrick Abernethy: YouTube, YouTube, and more YouTube. We are kept very busy with work (our writer Mike Hill is a coworker and also great editor) but we have lots of script ideas nearing production.
SKSM: What one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Patrick Abernethy: It wasn’t me. They said they caught me on camera, but, it wasn’t me. Shaggy.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
Patrick Abernethy: Keep on keepin on. Life’s a garden. Dig it.
SKSM: Would you like to add anything else?
Patrick Abernethy: Get out there and film! Anything and everything, the world wants and needs to see whatever you make!
