Brandon and I first met at the 2002 Cinequest San Jose Film Festival where I was representing a showing of Major Damage. Brandon's film, 13 Moons, was chosen for the Closing Night Gala and he was there to speak and answer questions from the audience.

Our first encounter was earlier that day at a luncheon for independent filmmakers. I wound up sharing the table with him and Jon Scheide in the crowded room. I had no idea who these two fellows were, but I do recall a sensation of intensity radiating from the chair cattycorner to mine, from the corner where Brandon sat. The din in the room made it difficult for me to hear the guest speakers so I moved closer to the stage, but that brief encounter with Brandon made a lasting impression.

Brandon has an aura that can perhaps be described as voltage controlled, a powerhouse of brilliance with a switch that is manned only by him. He somehow has the ability to part the crowd in front of him before they ever see him coming. He commands attention whether he is standing quietly alone or with a group of admirers, and you know every word he says, he means. He does not back down from a challenge, does not flinch in the face of adversity. Instead, he takes the opportunity to pose a string of pointed questions or drive home a different conclusion that causes the opponent to think outside of their self-imposed box. It's a delight to watch, though a bit intimidating to receive. Yet, through all there is a kindness about him. He takes the time to make a total stranger feel comfortable, and in that moment you can sense the gentleness he carries along side his intellect. It was when I watched him kneel to speak with his young 13 Moons star Austin Wolff that I realized the depth of his gentle side as well. I've benefited from his compassion and generosity in that we have remained in touch ever since. I'm very grateful for it. Wisdom and insight shared is a powerful gift, and Brandon lavishes both in generous doses.

  Give a brief overview of what you do:

I am a writer which means different things to different people but I have also directed a feature film titled OK GARAGE but released on video as ALL REVVED UP, and I have also produced a feature film which I co-wrote with the director Alexandre Rockwell titled 13 MOONS. But I am a writer which means I spend most of my time at my desk trying to figure out the most precise way to express what I consider worth expressing. I have spent many days with people I have collaborated with (I have co-written two produced films with Alex Rockwell and two with John Turturro and other still unproduced screenplays) working to insure that the writing was as strong as it could be. I have also recently completed a novel.

  Where does your job fit into the production pipeline?

As a writer, I have come in at he very beginning when nothing exists except an approach, and I have come in on rewrites when there is already a draft that someone considers unsatisfactory. As a producer of 13 MOONS, I was involved with that film project when there was nothing except a few confusing sentences in Alex Rockwell's mouth.

  How long have you worked in the field?

I've been writing either by myself or with others for over twenty-five years. I've been making enough money at my writing to live on for the past ten years.

  What have been your projects to date?

SONS, written with Alex Rockwell was my first produced feature film. It was released in Europe but not in the USA. My second feature was MAC, written with John Turturro and based on a play of mine titled STEEL ON STEEL, which won the Camera D'Or at Cannes in 1992. I wrote and directed the feature film OK GARAGE in 1996, which starred Lili Taylor, John Turturro and Will Patton and which was released on video in the USA as ALL REVVED UP. In 1997, John Turturro directed ILLUMINATA, which we co-wrote and was based on my play, IMPERFECT LOVE. ILLUMINATA has a strong cast of Christopher Walken, Ben Gazzara, Susan Sarandon, John Turturro, Bill Irwin and the late Donal McCann who did such extraordinary work in John Huston's THE DEAD. I co-wrote and produced the as yet unreleased 13 MOONS with Alex Rockwell that stars Steve Buscemi, David Proval, Peter Stormare.

  What was your favorite project so far?

OK GARAGE because of the work of Will Patton an exceptionally underrated actor in my opinion. For this performance he won best actor at the Newport International Film Festival.

  What are your perfect working conditions?

Any conditions whatsoever when there is financing in place.

  What size team do you prefer, and what sort of location?

The smallest team possible and one composed of like-minded trained professionals who share high standards and strive consistently to do the best and most original work they are capable of doing.

  Is there a list of people you would like to work with again?

A long list. There's an actor named Richard Bright who was in OK GARAGE but who was in a lot of Sam Peckinpaugh movies and Godfather 2&3. Richard is enormous, there's a scene in Pat Garret and Billy the Kid which is as honest and spontaneous as any work I've ever seen on or off screen. Lili Taylor of course who is hard-working and truthful always, Will Patton, John Turturro, John Spencer who's finally receiving the acclaim on West Wing he's long deserved, Steve Buscemi, again a hard-working, modest, and truthful actor, David Proval, who people may know as Richie in The Sopranos but who was in Scorsese's Mean Streets. David is enormously underappreciated. Olek Krupa, whom many people will think they've never heard of but who's been in a number of films and stage plays, and there are others such as Aida Turturro, Bruce MacVittie, Pruitt Taylor Vince….

What are some of your favorite movies?

Renoir's Grand Illusion by far. Fellini's La Strada. Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev.

What scene would you have loved to work on, and what would you have done with the scene?  (This doesn't necessarily mean on a project you were involved with, it could be anything.)

I don't have these kinds of imaginary desires so I can't answer this question. To me, work is work.

What project or scene would you love to work on- your dream project? The one you've always seen run through your head that plays so perfectly every time?

The scene I would like to work on is the opening scene of my still unproduced screenplay title GO WILD OR DIE about a casino on an Indian reservation destroying the social fabric of the adjacent town.

If you could step into another crew members shoes for one day, whose shoes would you be wearing?

Really? I'd like to be a lighting designer but I don't know anything about how to light a set.

Do you have a list of people you would like to thank or give credit to?

Yes, a long list, all of the people above.

For Brandon's bio, go to http://www.flp.com/films/Illuminata/bios/brandon_cole_bio.htm

For information on 13 MOONS at Cinequest, see: http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/01.24.02/cinequest-0204.html

Purchase products featuring Brandon Cole's work here:

DVD's

Illuminata  (Widescreen Edition) List Price: $14.98 Our Price: $13.48 You Save: $1.50 (10%) DVD- Buy now- $13.48	All Revved Up  (Widescreen Edition) Our Price: $9.98 DVD- Buy now- $9.98

Copyright © 2002 Firewalk Digital, Renee Dunlop. All rights reserved worldwide

(Back to The MatchBox)

(Back to Front Page)