FISSURE hits DVD on August 11th, press with Gary M

Russ Pond is a former University of Texas graduate, an engineering major but also a man with a dream. He had been working in corporate America for 16 years and one day he had a thought. That idea was if he were in a car wreck he wouldn't have to go to work. “That was a messed up thought,” he laughed. So he called his wife and said that something had to change. Thus began the making of his first feature film, his so called passion job, Fissure.

The story that this first-time director decided to tell is a tale of a heavy-hearted cop Paul Grunning (James Macdonald) who is sent to investigate a simple call. This cop soon gets involved in a mystery with a dead body and an array or suspects. But, nothing is what it seems to be in this house as the body di sappears and people he has interviewed do not remember either him or the interview. It twists and turns like an episode of The Twilight Zone delivering a startling final punch. Both Russ Pond and James Macdonald were recently in Dallas to promote their project.

James Macdonald has been an actor for two decades, going from stage to screen in a variety of roles. Since this was a first time film by a first-time director and first-time writer, it was asked if he had any trepidations about leaving LA for Texas. After a friend had passed along the script , he knew that it was a fantastic story and a shot at a lead in a film, two things he couldn't pass on.

On meeting Russ Pond, James was convinced that this project would work. In regards to being in a Dallas production with a first-time director and first-time writer, James did have a degree of concern. He thought that “Russ seemed like a real grown-up.” and not a guy who was playing around. James saw it as a risk but he said of the role, “As a actor it was such a challenge.”

As fo r the character of Grunning, he said, “It is exactly what you look for in as an actor--to do something that rich. I found out relative late that I had two weeks to prepare. It was challenging but in a great way.” But the short shooting schedule did take a toll. “After eighteen days in that world, I was really drained,” he said. “I did have to emotionally work it out, but that's what we love to do.”

Dabbling in media for years with short projects and homemade videos, Russ started doing corporate projects. Soon he was shocked to find out that he could be paid for doing something he loved so well. His professional photographer father dissuaded his children into the arts and become engineers. But the artistic drive could not be swayed. Russ refers to Fissure as his 2 ½ year film school and “managing the process was a thrill for me”.

Russ Pond mentioned that the script was structured for low-budget with little special effects. “At the same time,” he said, “it pushed us creatively.” They tried a bunch of different endings at different screenings “But I knew from my engineering background that we had what we needed. We could make it happen. If I know it could be done, I'll move forward.”

One of the first things one notices about Fissure is the physical look of the film. Even though it was shot on a limited budget it has the finished product of a Hollywood drama, something that Russ Pond strives for with each frame. Explaining he said, “We shot it flat and in post-production we'd crush the shadow, making a noir effect, a flatter product.” And even though he saw the film as being darker, “more like a horror film than the final product. It plays more like a thriller than a horror film,” Russ said. But the final product was about 85% of what he envisioned.

“I'm very structured by how I do things. Trying to balance that structure with some creativity has always been a fun tension between the two. I was going for that photographic structure In my head, I knew how it was going to be cut,” said the director about the basic composition of Fissure.

Working with a crew was a first for Russ Pond. In all of his other films, he was in charge of every aspect of the production from directing to pulling focus. Here he had hands who could do the grunt work. “All the busy stuff was a part of the past” and he was not expected to be running lights and cables but to be concerned with the actual directing of the actors, trusting the crew with the details. “I had to release all these people to do what they would do,” he said and his concern was to assemble the pieces together.

James Macdonald admitted the night before the first day of shooting was a nerve-wracking experience. But he said, “Once I enter the stage and say my lines, nothing enters my view. Once we started shooting I felt comfortable.” And after Day One of shooting, he knew that Russ Pond's vision was going to work. He admitted that the hardest thing was playing the same thing over and over again but in a different way. He needed, “To let the story really unfold in a unique way”.

Working with Russ Pond has sparked a different ember with James Macdonald. James now wants to start working behind the camera and creating his own project s. He calls the experience with Russ Pond as “going to my film school”. He admits that the entertainment industry profit models have changed in the twenty plus years he has been in front of the camera, “In the last few years with the shift of the industry, work has become tougher,” he said. “There is a definite shift but you just never know. I could be in Romania shooting a film tomorrow.” James says that he will always act but he has written plays and there is a short film that he wants to make. “If you love doing it, you gotta keep doing it” James said about his profession.

On the video release and Fissure not getting a theatrical push, Russ Pond said, “You go into this with big expectations and dreams. We hit everything at the level that we wanted. I was a little discouraged that we didn't get some big buyout but at the same time it has offered me the opportunity to do something that I wanted to do, which is a little more hands on distribution with the web. I'm actually excited about that.”

Fissure has been made available in short web episodes with just enough of the film to get an audience hooked on the concept and story. The video release is August 11, 2009. According to Pond, “The budget is that we only need to sell tens of thousands of DVD's to recoup our costs. So that is an easy target to hit and its gravy after that.”

For his next project, Russ Pond is considering doing something faith-based. It is a market that he feels strongly about. He has been fielding calls from people who want to do purpose driven films. Tired of knowing that kids are seeing 'all that horror and gore' he wants to be involved in projects that are more family based. He is working out ideas for two kids projects, “films that people can take to their family to.” He knows other local artists and backers who are interested in doing something along this idea.

James has some acting jobs coming down the pipe, with some heavy hitters in the industry. He hopes that this film will help him build a career as a solid character actor.

Russ considers Fissure as a calling card, showing both his work as a director and what can be done with a limited budget in a non-Hollywood setting. About his first born film, Russ summed it up by saying, “I love storytelling, I love to take people's hearts on a journey. I wanna make you laugh, I wanna make you cry, I wanna make you think about things.”

FISSURE is available on DVD now. Add FISSURE to your online queue or reserve your copy today. Available from Netflix, Blockbuster, and Amazon

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