Alan Ronald (on the right) on the set of his latest movie, STITCHGIRL F.A. You wrote and directed Jesus Vs. The Messiah, which is now a big independent hit and one of the best-selling films on Film Annex. Can you tell us a little bit about how this project began and developed? A.R. The movie began its life as a joke. Some would say it has remained that way. I came up with the title ‘Jesus versus The Messiah’ on the way home from the pub and announced to my friends that it would be my next feature film. Then I tried to forget about it, but people kept asking me when I was going to make it. Eventually I succumbed to peer pressure and wrote a first draft of the screenplay. It was a very over the top affair with fistfights in the vacuum of space and a lightning battle over the Thames. I figured if I pushed it into the realms of the impossible, then the idea would run its course. However after writing the first draft it struck me that although it would be an impossible film to make without a huge budget, the characters and ideas were actually quite interesting. That was when I started to develop it into the film it is now, and one that would be possible to make with the resources we had access to... I still miss the space fight mind you. F.A. What went into the financing of this film? What was the approximate budget and how did you seek the necessary funding? A.R. ‘Jesus vs. The Messiah’ is the very definition of an exploitation film, in that we exploited everything we had access to. The script was tailored to make the best of everything we could find for free. Actors came aboard because they wanted to make the story. We used second hand equipment and borrowed everything we could. Filming in Scotland meant we had access to some great outdoor locations and so they would go in to the script. If you have a good idea of your story and your characters then it is easy and very satisfying to constantly adapt to what is possible. It was this mentality that allowed us to keep the budget very small indeed. Nobody ever believes me when I tell them the real budget for this movie, and in my mind that means we must have done something right. Put it this way, the TV set you are watching it on probably cost more than the film itself. F.A. Did you submit the film to any film festivals? A.R. We didn’t really submit it to any festivals, at least none that are noteworthy. F.A. Why so? A.R. Well we spent our entire budget on making the movie. So instead of submitting the film to festivals, we preferred to do private screens and avoided festival submission fees. Actually, the film was shown in a couple of festivals, one of which had a bunch of eight to ten year-old children in the audience. And apparently, they really enjoyed it. F.A. As a writer, director, and cinematographer, do you find it difficult to be responsible for so many aspects of a production? A.R. I actually don't find it difficult to do all of these jobs, quite the opposite. I feel as though the more jobs you can do yourself, the more control you can have over your finished product. Obviously this isn't the case with all movies but I think in terms of low budget films like these there really is no reason for too many cooks. While you are involved in a project there is so much energy and enthusiasm running through you that it is almost a relief to always have something to do. Being so involved and busy on a film is what keeps me going. F.A. How did you pick the actors? A.R. The character of Sally, Gemma Deerfield was the first person I met. She introduced me to Simon (Phillips) and Danny (Idollor Junior) who played Jay (Jesus) and the Messiah. After this film, we collaborated on other projects as well. F.A. How long was the process of making this film from shooting through post-production? A.R. We spent about two weeks on shooting. The editing was done on my spare time mostly due to our limited budget. It took about three or four months. F.A. I was reading that you have many years of experience in working in different departments on a film set. What was the first project you worked on, which completely belonged to you? A.R. I had done a few shorts especially in college, and since then I’ve been working mostly as a cinematographer. I worked as a cinematographer on Pat Higgins’ first feature, which was a British horror film, and I kept working with him on all his other films. F.A. Are there any new projects that you’re currently working on? A.R. I have a few I’m working on right now actually. I’m one of the three directors working on a British horror anthology called ‘Bordello Death Tales.’ The segment that I wrote and directed is called ‘Stitchgirl,’ a sort of homage to British horror movies like ‘Bride of Frankenstein.’ The other segments are directed by Pat Higgins and Jim Eaves. Being part of an old-fashioned anthology film was too good to miss. For more information on Alan Ronald, visit his Film Annex profile at www.filmannex.com/ozzyburton To watch Jesus vs. The Messiah, visit www.filmannex.com/movie/film/615/jesus_versus_the_messiah Interview by Eren Gulfidan. Contact at www.filmannex.com/erengulfidan