LESSING SWANEPOEL

What inspires your work?

Things that make you feel alive.

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What films did you watch as a child?

Who's afraid of Virginia wolf

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What directors have influenced your work?

Ingmar Bergman

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What is one film that you think everyone should watch? And why?

A few good men. Aaron Sorkin

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If you could adapt any book/play/piece of literature, which would it be?

Rashomon, again

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Who are your favourite writers? (this could be from any format - script, books, poetry etc.)

Aaron Sorkin, Brett Easton Ellis

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Name a film score that makes you feel something.

Mishima, a life in four chapters

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Who is an actor that you would love to work with?

Preferably one that doesn't think they are the director.

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What was the last film you watched? (and would you recommend it?)

I stand alone. Gaspar Noé. Yes if you are interested in actually seeing a film that will trigger you beyond your wildest dreams.

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What is next for you?

Nothing really, films I make or am interested in don't have an audience or any moderate interest from people interested in making films. Maybe in a different life I could be reincarnated back to the 80's and make a film that people would watch without people being on their phones or switch off after 10mins because they didn't like the main character.

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​Tell us about your film The Actor The Liar The Murderer?  What`s it all about?

The cost of everything and the value of nothing in a relationship. The first title card explains it well.

 

Can you tell us about the creative process in making your film? What drew you to this project?

Writing the film and redrafting it 7 times because certain words sounded too offensive or didn't make some of the cast happy to say or act. Pretty painful process. Mostly my own relationship failures and traumatizing experiences about the men being estranged by women after the child is born, which is something I've never seen a film about.

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How long does a film like The Actor The Liar The Murderer take to make? 

4 days shooting. 2 months editing.

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What challenges did you encounter?

Paying everything myself, taking on too much responsibility, making the film as an ode to other films that nobody has ever seen or knows so relating is hard.

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Do you have a favourite moment when filming/creating The Actor The Liar The Murderer?

Returning the equipment and going to sleep

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How was working with your cast and crew? Do you have any stand out moments?

The scene in the room at the end took 15 takes and it was a one shot, so the efforts of all the crew together to make that one were very hard. Thanks again to everyone.​​

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Where there any films that inspired you when creating The Actor The Liar The Murderer?

Carnal knowledge by Mike Nichols

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What have you learnt from making The Actor The Liar The Murderer? Would you do anything differently next time?

That nobody will watch your film if you work in the film industry and they tell you to "email them the link"

 

Next time I'd make the whole film in one take, so I don't have to deal with the extreme levels of disagreement and unprofessionalism after 18 hours of shooting/packing gear before I need to do that the next day again.