A.J. Gribble
He is the man behind Cain Rose Up Dollar Baby Film.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
A.J. Gribble: Hello! Thank you for having me. I’m A.J. Gribble, I am a filmmaker from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?
A.J. Gribble: It would probably have to be when I started going to my Audio Visual/Cinematography class 2 years ago. I’ve always loved movies and I wanted to start learning on how they were made.
SKSM: When did you make Cain rose up? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?
A.J. Gribble: I got the rights for it back in February 2018. We started filming Cain Rose Up in the beginning of June and production lasted 3 days. The production went really smoothly. I had to ask my local college to film. I thought they would not let me film because of the story and luckily enough. They actually liked it and let us film.
SKSM: How come you picked Cain rose up to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?
A.J. Gribble: Cain Rose Up was a story that I loved reading in Skeleton Crew and to see it available to adapt, I had to! And also, when I got the rights to it. That is when all the school shootings were going on and I thought by changing the story into a modern setting and changing the gender of the main character. It would give the movie a better meaning instead of just the shooting parts of it. The character of Curt is why I like the story so much. Because it’s a short story, Curt really has no meaning and that is what I think is scary about it.
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?
A.J. Gribble: No, not wild guess! I heard about dollar babies on an article about Stephen King and it mentioned that he let’s filmmakers adapt his short stories for $1 and I really thought that was awesome so I had to start right away!
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when you made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
A.J. Gribble: The special moment for me when making the movie was the ending. The shooting scene was somewhat emotional to me and knowing how it would turn out in post. It was definitely scary and emotional for me.
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?
A.J. Gribble: I wish that part would change! I wish I can show the whole world my movie. And yes, I hope it changes in the future, that would be really nice. Hopefully an internet/dvd release soon.
SKSM: What “good or bad” reviews have you received on your film?
A.J. Gribble: I haven’t had any reviews yet. It should be released very soon, it’s in the last phases of post-production now.
SKSM: Do you plan to screen the movie at a particular festival?
A.J. Gribble: Not any festivals specifically. Probably going to start with local festivals and then hopefully send it off to bigger ones soon.
SKSM: Are you a Stephen King fan? If so, which are your favorite works and adaptations?
A.J. Gribble: Yes I am a huge fan! I read and watch his stuff all the time. My favorite from him would have to be The Dark Tower series!
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)?
A.J. Gribble: No, I haven’t had personal contact with him. And no, I haven’t sent it in to him yet. I hope to really soon.
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?
A.J. Gribble: As of right now, no. I do not plan on making more Stephen King movies. Maybe in the future, that would be nice. One short story I would do would probably be Beachworld. I have always loved that story and I would only do it once I start getting better in digital fx.
SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?
A.J. Gribble: I have been working on a bunch of other short films with my audio visual class and right now i’m working on a huge halloween project that i’m really excited about!
SKSM: What one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
A.J. Gribble: People would be surprised to know that I’m only 17 and I’m accomplishing so much with film already! I actually filmed Cain Rose Up when I was 16.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
A.J. Gribble: To the fans, I really hope you guys can see this one day! Hopefully really soon. Make sure to watch the trailer, check out my production page Gribble Productions, and check out the IMDB page for Cain Rose Up.
