Nick Neon’s ZERO ONE, which recently screened at aGLIFF (the All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival) in Austin, is a familiar story treated with so much style, eye-catching visual flair and clever ear-catching lines that it seems almost unfairly fresh and exuberant. The film has a base level structure of a promising young artist and graphic novelist returning home in the midst of a quarter-mid-life crisis of disappointment in himself and uncertainty about his future – dreading facing his friends and father. And while we’ve seen this before, he infuses quite a bit of unique character details and overall style to make it “pop” off the screen in a lot of ways. The fact that is doing so, he also introduces himself as a presence and a voice for both LGBTQ+ and the Asian community simply adds to the potential wins for movie-going audiences looking for someone to cut through the usual, routine, and mediocre.

1 I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that his story and this character arc is a familiar one (with variations, of course) to a lot of people. However, your approach to it, the distinctive, colorful characters within it, and the style touches throughout make it something special. When you were developing it, then shooting, and then editing, did you have concerns about the story at the heart of the film? Or were you completely secure in the vision you had for what would wind up on the screen and how people would take it in and react to it?

Early in the writing process, I had to make peace with the fact that in order to be honest about my experiences, I would be telling a pretty familiar coming-of-age story. So instead of reinventing the wheel, I chose to trust that the lens in which I could tell this story would be mine and mine alone. My Asian-American and queer identities, ultimately, played important roles in telling this story through a new lens. I was also very demanding when it came to the aesthetic of ZERO ONE. Everything from the color palette and soundtrack to the science fiction element were all chosen to deliver more than just a typical drama. I was interested in delivering a ‘feeling’ to the audience.

Did I think it would succeed? No. In fact, leading up to the first cast/crew screening, I was facing a lot of lukewarm reactions and feedback behind the scenes. But at some point, it comes down to blind faith that someone, somewhere will relate to what you’ve created and you just have to let it go. The wild reactions from our Austin screenings have been really vindicating.

 

2 ZERO ONE is 24 minutes long. 24 MINUTES!!! That’s like making a 3 1/2-hour feature film. Seriously, it is incredibly difficult for a film festival programmer to find a spot for a short film that runs that long, so it better be…brilliant…and worth it. Did you think about that as you were developing the project? What pressure, if any did you place on yourself to drastically bring that running time down?

There were lots of back and forth on the different cuts of the film. We almost removed the character of Sally entirely from one cut in an attempt to craft a leaner, more focused film at one point. I wish I could say I was more secure in my vision at first but it took adversity and criticism for me to push back on the story I truly wanted to tell. The audience reactions have been so rewarding for me because of how difficult it was to get this film to the finish line. There were extensive conversations with my team about a possible 15-minute cut. And while I was open to the compromise, I also knew that it was going to rip the soul out of the film. Ultimately, I had to trust my gut and stick to my guns. The pressure was always about delivering a good film more than a runtime.

 

3 What was the biggest pain-in-the-ass and what was the biggest benefit about acting in the film while you were directing it?

The biggest pain in my ass was not having the opportunity to rehearse as much as the other actors without having to ask my team to give me a moment alone. As a director, you are constantly answering everyone’s questions. But it’s also what I’ve come to appreciate about the process of directing and starring in my own work. I don’t really have time to get in my head and overthink the performance. Things just have to happen once the camera is rolling. I don’t necessarily recommend it, but I do love the challenge.

 

4 The porn mustache. Seriously, the porn mustache. Can you explain the decision to have a character sport one of those – since it is such a distinctive visual that nearly everyone has specific reactions to, upon laying eyes on one of them?

HA! I wish I could take credit for the pornstache but Chris (Christopher Schaap) had been growing it for a while when I asked him to play Tom. But I knew it was gonna come up as we were approaching the shoot. When I asked him if he was okay with shaving it off, I quickly realized it might be nice to keep it because it went against my impulses of what the character should look like. There was something honest about his desire to grow a pornstache in the first place that won me over and became a part of the character. Long live the stache!

 

5 The wonderful and beyond talented filmmaker Lisa Donato is an Executive Producer on ZERO ONE. So, did she write you a big check or pay your rent for a couple weeks while you filmed? What exactly did she do to help make this thing a reality – both in a concrete manner, as well in a supportive hard to quantify manner?

Sparkle Motion Films did provide us with a very generous production budget. But Lisa played an instrumental role at every turn of production. She offered very sharp script notes/suggestions, many of which have made it into the final film. One of her best suggestions was to put the power of choice in Jim’s hands as opposed to having his father give him the answers. It’s a subtle thing but it counts. It’s the difference between a character who is passive versus proactive.

I also had multiple panic attacks prior to shooting and then again during our very lengthy post-production period but she has always managed to talk me off the ledge. Even when the film’s cut and runtime were under heated debate, she still remained most interested in what was right for the story. I think that lack of bias is rare in our industry. As a creative, you need gentle giants in your corner and Lisa was that perfect mix of protection and cultivation.

 

6 Popcorn or Candy?

Candy. All day, everyday. Sour Patch Kids + Peach Rings baby!