One of the most interesting projects presented at ComiCon Film Festival, was the intriguing science fiction short ‘At The End’, from director Jason Whitmore, based on the short story In the End, by writer Nicole M. Taylor. Jason was so captivated by the moral dilemmas posed by the story that he decided to make it his thesis film. I spoke to Jason to find out more about his movie, which you can view at the end of the article.
FB: Where did your journey start?
JW: The idea for this movie came about after I read a wonderful short story by my dear friend Nicole M. Taylor. We went to high school together in Michigan and she is an amazingly talented writer. I asked her if she had any short stories that might make compelling short films and she sent me a collection of her work. One story that really resonated with me was “In The End” (you can read it here). I was attending Florida State University at the time working towards my MFA in film production. I really felt that the idea of this story would make a great concept for my thesis film. After much development of turning the short story into a screenplay, the script kind of took on a life of its own, while remaining, I believe, true to the spirit of the story.
FB: Your current project has a moral dilemma at its core. What’s the story behind the movie, ‘At The End’?
JW: I’ve always loved stories that really stick with you afterwards and make you think about what you might have done in the same situation. Those are the stories that have always stayed with me. So while I wanted to tell a compelling story, I really wanted to ask the audience what they would have done if they found themselves in the same situation as the characters. During the Q&A’s for the film, I would always ask the audience what they would choose and the answers people give are always very insightful about their beliefs and thought processes – no answer is right or wrong.
FB: The movie was an official selection at ComiCon. How did you react when you heard the news, and how did the crowd react when they saw your movie?
JW: I was thrilled to be part of the selection of films shown at Comic-Con. It had always been a dream of mine to attend the convention, but I had yet to have the opportunity to go. So when we were accepted, I was ecstatic. They gave us a bunch of badges, my actors and fellow crew members were all able to go and be part of the convention – it was a blast! The crowd was great; we did a little Q&A and the reception from the audience was very warm.
FB: Now that the movie has received such a great response, what’s next for you?
JW: I’m currently living in Los Angeles and I’m working on some feature film ideas – hopefully you’ll be hearing about developments soon!
