INTERVIEW WITH FILM DIRECTOR GLENN GEBHARD

Today I have the immense pleasure of welcoming a very special guest, director Glenn Gebhard, to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS for an interview. Glenn has directed three motion pictures in his career, being BLOOD SCREAMS, ONE LAST RUN [my review of the film can be found here] and DESERT STEEL. He has also directed film, television and video documentaries, additionally in producing, writing, and editing capacities. In this interview Glenn will be discussing his role as director of ONE LAST RUN, his documentary works, and position as Chair and Professor, Film and Television Production at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. 

Welcome to CINEMATIC REVELATIONS Glenn! 

Athan: When did you first realize that you wanted to be a film director? 

Glenn: As I started doing very low budget films in college, I had to do everything. This led me to the understanding that the director was the one who had the vision of the whole film, and I felt that I wanted to have that control. This led me to being the "director".

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Athan: Have you studied acting, or had aspirations to be an actor before becoming a director? 

Glenn: I took a philosophy class when I was an undergraduate student and we made a film in that class.  I guess I was hooked then as I loved the ability to communicate with film imagery. 

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Athan: Your direction of ONE LAST RUN was seamless, making it an entertaining, watchable motion picture. While the movie was about skiing, it was at heart about the people in the story, friends who meet up once a year to not only ski, but also, talk about their lives, and making sense of these. What is it that drew you to directing the movie? 

Glenn: We were looking for another project after my first feature. I had done work with Warren Miller Productions as an editor, writer and director. Warren Miller Productions essentially did ski movies as well as other sport films. We were working with very little money, and had an idea to use Warren Miller footage and construct a story around this pre-existing footage. The only thing that we actually shot was in the “ski lodge” with the three friends stuck in a snow storm. Of course the ski lodge was in Los Angeles where they don’t have snow storms, We shot for a week or so and matched the pre-existing footage to the story in the ski lodge… 

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Athan: What did you find most exciting about the experience of making ONE LAST RUN? 

Glenn: Just the fact that we could figure out how to make a very low budget film that had production value coming from the pre-existing footage. It was like a giant puzzle putting the film together, but also lots of work and lots of fun. 

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Athan: For you, what was the most demanding, but emotionally satisfying segment of filming ONE LAST RUN? 

Glenn: Just working with our actors. 

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Athan: Have you kept in contact with any cast members and crew from ONE LAST RUN? 

Glenn: No, I have not seen any of them for many years. 

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Athan: You directed ONE LAST RUN in collaboration with fellow director Peter Winograd. What was the experience of helming the movie with Mr Winograd as your co-director? 

Glenn: Peter was a very talented filmmaker, so it was a pleasure working with him. We sometimes had different ideas about things, but we both worked it out together.  

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Athan: You have directed not only film documentaries but also in other mediums such as television, and video. Many of these feature Cuban history as a central topic, which is one of your areas of academic expertise. What is it that you find so interesting about filming documentaries? 

Glenn: I find documentaries very interesting as one lives in other’s shoes for a period of time. You are dealing with real people and real situations, trying to reflect the truth of their lives. I have been really lucky to have gotten into non-fiction, and I think it suits me much.  

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Athan: You are Chair and Professor, Film and Television Production at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. What do you find most satisfying in this position? 

Glenn:  Our main aim is the help students succeed. I am very, very satisfied when I find students get jobs in the film industry, and progress into lifetime careers. 

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Athan: Do you have any upcoming projects of which you would like to tell readers? 

Glenn: I am almost finished a documentary about the American Communist Party during the 1920s until late 1940s. I’m also in the middle of a Public Television film about the turning point in stroke therapy in the last 40 years, and how that turned this malady around for many people. Look for both of these films in American Public Television in the next year. 

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Thank you so much today for your time Glenn, and for the insight you have provided into ONE LAST RUN, film directing, documentaries, and academia. It has been wonderful having you on CINEMATIC REVELATIONS. You are welcome to return whenever you wish. 

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Glenn Gebhard links 

+Glenn Gebhard IMDb Director Page 

+ONE LAST RUN movie IMDb page