Bryan Steenerson

He is the filmmaker of Stationary Bike Dollar Baby film.

SKSM: Could you start by telling me a little about yourself? Who is Bryan Steenerson and what do you do?

Bryan Steenerson: I am a film Director and musician, father to two kiddos, a dog, a cat, and of course a husband to my beautiful wife. I currently reside south of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. 

SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker? 

Bryan Steenerson: My passion for film started when I was young. My friends and I would make movies together using a cheap video camera we had. It was not until my adulthood during my final years as the lead singer and writer for a music group called “Murzik” that I dove into film making, primarily for making music videos for our band. This really started my renewed love affair with film. I see it now as a higher art form, combining my love of music with my love of photography.  

SKSM: When did you make Stationary Bike? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?

Bryan Steenerson: Stationary Bike was made during the early post covid era. We didn’t really have a budget, and if one person got sick or exposed to covid we had to shut down production, so it took quite a while to actually make. I’d say from start to finish probably a good 6-8 months. 

SKSM: How come you picked Stationary Bike to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much? 

Bryan Steenerson: It was the isolation that really spoke to me. How isolated the main character was and how he used his art to escape his isolation. I also really appreciated the irony that Stephen King wrote into the story. I think he probably went to the doctor one day and the doctor told him he needed to get healthy and he wrote this story just to spite the doctor.  

SKSM: You are both the filmmaker and the producer, what were your greatest satisfactions and challenges in these roles?

Bryan Steenerson: I love the excitement of being on set and when things work out just right, or even unexpected. Being both filmmaker and producer I had to juggle finding all the locations and working on making sure everything was ready to make our film days go as smoothly as possible. I am a bit OCD so that aspect came kind of naturally to me. 

SKSM: Can you tell us about your experience on this Dollar Baby film? Was everything planned ahead or did some things change during filming?

Bryan Steenerson: I really don’t like many unknowns when it comes to filming, but they always happen. I always compare film making to prepping a car for a crazy ride down a mountain, but there is no engine and the steering is all wonky. You prep all you can for it, but when it comes time you jump in and shove off and hold on for dear life tackling any unexpected curves the best you can. I prepare like crazy when it comes to a film set.  I visualize what I want to see and draw out little stick figures of each shot I want, they are kind of funny as I’m not the greatest artist, but I can at least understand them. Then on film day, in the midst of whatever new chaos happens, I often can refer back to those sketches to make sure I am on track. For the most part there were no major changes on Stationary Bike.

SKSM: Were there unexpected moments or difficulties during the making of the film that have become a new point of view?

Bryan Steenerson: There were a few special moments during the film. I think the one that sticks out in my mind is towards the end of the film when Sifkitz, played by the talented Adri Mehra, is in his painting/imaginary world for the last time. We shot that outside and a storm was moving in fast. There were a few blasts of lighting that we caught on film with perfect timing. We joked that someone must’ve put God on VFX. It was beautiful though, it was one of those moments you can’t plan for and yet seemed perfect for that world and that time in the film.  

SKSM: Where was filmed? Was it difficult to find the locations?

Bryan Steenerson: Sifkitz home was a combination of my basement and an AirBNB we rented and received permission to film at. The two hardest locations to get were the Doctors office and the outdoor “painting world.” The doctor’s office came together when a friend of a friend had a small holistic medical office that they graciously allowed us to use. The medical doctor who owned the place was a big film fan and happy to have a film being made in his office. He was a really interesting guy as well who spent time down in the Florida Everglades hunting invasive reptiles such as the burmese python. He has some crazy stories that would make a great film as well. The hardest location to find was the outdoor location. We needed someplace ethereal that had an abandoned feel to it, but yet some natural beauty. We also needed it as early as possible because we had to make paintings based on that location. I did a ton of driving around to various odd places with my camera to see what I could find, and as luck would have it I found it close to the metro area, just about 15 minutes outside of the city. We ended up filming those scenes at what used to be an abandoned area that was built during WWII for the manufacturing of munitions. Nobody ever goes there, and there is a long long road which is basically abandoned, giving us the freedom to film the biking scenes without having to worry about other cars and traffic. It was perfect. The third hardest place to find was the graveyard. Graveyards are usually not allowed to be filmed at. Luckily I had shot a music video a year prior at an abandoned graveyard outside an insane asylum in southern Minnesota. There are no roads to it and you have to walk a few miles to get there through the woods, but it’s worth it as it perfectly fits our story.  It’s also really creepy as most of the graves are children and some are unmarked.   Fitting for a King movie though.  

SKSM: From the opening scene I knew I was going to see an adaptation with changes from Mr. King’s original text and so it was. Personally, I loved it but, how do you think (or would you like) the audience to react?

Bryan Steenerson: I think they would appreciate the changes. We wanted to give Sifkitz a bit more of an active fantasy world to enhance the audience’s perspective on his isolation. We also wanted to add a bit of the covid story into it as that was a huge impact on everyone and relatable. I hear so many stories of isolation and depression from the covid era. It impacted everything. 

SKSM: The scenes filmed in black and white correspond to Sifkitz’s real life and those filmed in colour are the unreal parts. Normally in films it is exactly the opposite, why did you decide to do it this way?

Bryan Steenerson: To Sifkitz the real world is bland, we wanted to enhance that feeling and establish a solid separation between his boring, bland real life and his active fantasy world where he is at his happiest. The color is a reflection of his mood and emotions.  

SKSM: I also noticed that some of the dialogue in your Dollar Baby film coincides with lines from other Stephen King short stories like Mute or L.T.’s Theory of Pets. Was this intentional or a pure coincidence?

Bryan Steenerson: Any reference to those other King stories are a pure coincidence, but both myself and the writer are huge Stephen King fans, so it is very possible our subconscious put those in there without us being aware we were doing it. 

SKSM: Are there more Easter Eggs you can tell?

Bryan Steenerson: The actor that played the Doctor (the talented Tyler Noble) was practicing for a role on the history channel with this role. He played the Chicago serial killer H.H. Holmes on the history channel. He also was doing the accent from a youtube show he is in called “The tall Tales of Jim Bridger.” He incorporated both of these into his character, which is kinda fun when you think about how abrupt and cold his character is. 

The scene where Sifkitz is dreaming about Brenda (played by the talented Chelsey Grant) was heavily influenced from David Lynch’s Twin peaks films (RIP). I wanted to give it that creepy ethereal feel to it. I think we got close.

SKSM: Were any movie fragments cut out that you now miss?

Bryan Steenerson: Not really. First cut is always the hardest as there is so much that you want to keep, but then you see the story get more mature and you keep cutting until you reach that special point where it feels good. I don’t really miss any of those scenes looking back on it now. 

SKSM: Was there any funny moment during filming that you’d like to tell us about?

Bryan Steenerson: Yes, at the beginning when we see Sifkits driving around in his car, we had to drive around in circles in this neighborhood. Unbeknown to us there were some robberies recently in that neighborhood. On our 10th circle around the block, one of the neighbors had their phone out and was recording us. Within 5 minutes later 2 cop cars showed up and pulled us over as we were suspected of casing out homes to rob. When we told the cops what we were doing they got a good laugh out of it and let us continue. They even hung around awhile to watch.  

SKSM: What has this experience left you from a professional and human point of view?

Bryan Steenerson: Every filming experience is a learning experience for me. From this one I learned to slow down and take some more time with things. Often times I tend to rush towards a goal, but in that rush I miss the path. I learned that I need to slow down, focus and enjoy where I’m at, then great art will happen.    

SKSM: The pandemic is mentioned in your film. Did the shooting coincide with that horrible time? If so, how did it affect the schedule?

Bryan Steenerson: Yes we shot just as the pandemic was getting over. It greatly impacted the schedule as every time someone was exposed or sick we had to postpone.  It took what should’ve been a 2 week shoot and turned it into months. Unfortunately this ate into our time that we had for submitting it to festivals. By the time it was done all we could do with it contractually were private showings, so it never really got its chance to hit the film festival. I wrote Stephen King about this hoping they would allow more time, but I think my letter got lost in the shuffle because I never got a reply. 

SKSM: Where was premiered?

Bryan Steenerson: We premiered the show at a local recording studio. We threw a little party for the crew and cast and any friends and family that wanted to attend. 

SKSM: Do you plan to screen the movie at a particular festival?

Bryan Steenerson: Unfortunately due to covid eating up all our contractual time to publicly show the film this never got to happen. 

SKSM: Tell us about your other films. What project are you most proud of with the final result?

Bryan Steenerson: I have 2 feature films out. 

“The Adventures of Ben Keller and Christoph Schultz” a film about two german soldiers sent to a POW camp in Minnesota who attempt an escape down the Mississippi river.  

“Valanore” is a fantasy film about a princess and two adventurers who help her to regain the throne and defeat an evil sorceress. 

Both films are available on Amazon Prime and Tubi and a few other streaming platforms. 

The Adventure of Ben Keller and Christoph Schultz holds a special place in my heart. It was the first feature film I made and I learned a ton from it. I also think it’s a beautiful film and showcases some of  Minnesota’s natural beauty. It was an experience I will never forget and hold dear and it also made me some lifelong friends. 

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?

Bryan Steenerson: A friend of mine found it online and sent it over to me. I had no idea even though I was a big Stephen King fan. As soon as I got that I made up my mind to make one of them. The next step was reading as many I could to select one that spoke to me. Stationary Bike was it. 

SKSM: Are you a Stephen King fan? If so, which are your favorite works and adaptations?

Bryan Steenerson: Absolutely I am a fan. His opus is for sure the Dark Tower series, the way the series is done is beautiful and almost perfect. I am a bit jealous that I am not the one directing the series, but I think Mike Flanagan will do an excellent job of it. All he has to do is stick to the books as they are already great. If Mike reads this I would love to be involved in any way on the making of those!!! haha!

I think my second favorite of his is 11-22-63. I just read that recently and it’s an absolutely beautiful story, the ending had me in tears.      

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)?

Bryan Steenerson: I only had contact with his secretary and I do have a contract that he signed.   As part of the deal I had to send him a copy of the film on DVD. I also sent him a few set pieces from our set, including a painting of the road. I hope he watched it, but I imagine that he is a pretty busy guy, so if not that’s alright too. 

SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?

Bryan Steenerson: I have 3 projects in the works. One is a story called “Tennessee” about a woman traveling with a rock band on the road and a sort of excerpt from her life. That is set to shoot this spring and summer. The second I am producer on, to be directed by the talented Michael Greenberg” is called “Come Down” which is about a drug addict who gets caught up in a seedy underworld of crime and human trafficking.   The third is a short film tentatively called “The Harbinger”, it’s a surrealist portrayal of insanity and spirituality and isolation. Most of the primary shooting is completed and its due to be wrapped up soon. 

SKSM: What one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

Bryan Steenerson: I have written and released over 50 songs that can be found on spotify and anywhere music is streamed. The primary band was called “Murzik” but others are under “Junction 51” and “Bryan Casey”. I was a philosophy major in college and I am currently studying Norwegian to regain some of my heritage. I’m also a big hockey fan, but mostly for my son’s team!  

SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?

Bryan Steenerson: I didn’t actually take mental health very seriously until later in my life.  In fact I used to think it was a joke or a sign of a weak person, then a few events hit me and left me grasping at straws wondering where the hell this came from and why this was happening to me. I felt helpless, but I got help, and you should too.  Don’t wait until it grows into something that controls you. I definitely have a different perspective now.      

SKSM: Would you like to add anything else?

Bryan Steenerson: Thank you so much for the website and for giving a voice to new filmmakers. Please keep doing what you are doing and thank you again!