Chad Bolling
He is the filmmaker of Beachworld Dollar Baby film.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Chad Bolling: I’m from Dallas but I also lived in Anchorage, Alaska for a while. When I lived there the Beach Boys and surf culture were popular so I knew I wanted to live in California when I was older. Now, that I think about it, the harsh climate in Anchorage must have had something to do with my needing to move to California and the popularity of California culture amongst my Anchorage peers. Needless to say, I ended up moving to Southern California after high school and it’s been a blur since. Once here, I went to college and worked in a couple of other industries besides film. I didn’t like any of them much, except maybe chef work.
SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?
Chad Bolling: I think it was always in my “DNA”. I have a theory that many of these big movie characters I grew up admiring were based on filmmakers. For example, when I morphed into Luke Skywalker as a child with a homemade lightsaber, I was unknowingly pretending to be; George Lucas. Strange as that may sound but I could make the same reference for Spielberg and Indian Jones, Robert Zemeckis and Marty McFly, and even Ivan Reitman and the Ghostbusters, to some extent.
SKSM: When did you make Beachworld? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?
Chad Bolling: I think back in 2013 or 2014 but I had been interested in it for a few years before that.
It took 3 grueling days to film. Actually, the first day was a ton of fun which is probably why the last 2 were so tough.
SKSM: How come you picked Beachworld to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?
Chad Bolling: I think it was the only science fiction story King was offering at the time and I knew I wanted to do sci-fi.
Again, the fact that it was sci-fi was my primary reason. Also, I thought it was a pretty strong story when compared to the others albeit ambitious.
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?
Chad Bolling: I think I was reading a bio about Frank Darabont as he was the first “dollar baby” and found out about it there.
I knew. And I think I just sent him a one-dollar bill rather than a check. I know you’re not supposed to do that (mail cash) but it was just a dollar. I made sure the contract covered the dollar enough so it couldn’t be seen through the envelope.
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when you made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
Chad Bolling: We shot most of the scenes in my parent’s garage at night with a green screen after capturing some shots and plates in the California desert. We had to do it at night so we could get good sound. So, there we were, making something new, in a garage, in California… it seemed like some Silicon Valley start-up. You know, starting in a garage just like Steve Jobs and Wozniak did Apple. I thought that was something special, right?
Although, since we were in Southern California and not Silicon Valley, perhaps a toymaker comparison would be more appropriate. I heard that Disney, Mattel, and Christopher Nolan’s Bat-bike were all started in home garages in Southern California.
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?
Chad Bolling: I might get some slack for this but, I don’t mind. It’s just because the film, according to me, was never finished.To be honest, I’m not comfortable sharing it right now but I would put it on a Dollar Baby DVD or something like that if they wanted it.
SKSM: What “good or bad” reviews have you received on your film?
Chad Bolling: Submitting to festivals was tough. I knew it wasn’t what they were looking for but I sent out a dozen or so submissions anyway. Got mostly rejections but surprisingly, it got into a couple of small ones.
SKSM: Do you plan to screen the movie at a particular festival?
Chad Bolling: It was screened at a Dollar Baby festival they had one year during Crypticon. I wish I could have gone but it was too far away and the timing was bad.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
Chad Bolling: While I love the story of Beachworld and the cast and crew did a really good job, I think this film adaptation was more of a practice piece for me.
SKSM: Do you like to add anything else?
Chad Bolling: Visit my Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/cbcinema
