With the Method Fest running in Pasadena, I interviewed three talented local boys at the New Delhi Indian restaurant on Colorado and Hutch's BBQ across from the Library.

Btw, 18 features and 15 shorts will be presented at the Method Fest Indi Film Festival hosted by Laemmle's Playhouse 7 among other Pasadena venues. The festival includes workshops, symposiums, a companion music festival and runs June 16 - 23, 2000. For more information check out www.methodfest.com or call 310-535-9230.

Ian Whitcomb wrote and performed much of the music for "Stanley's Gig." You can sing a long with him immediately following Monday night's showing of the film at the Playhouse 7 Method Fest screen. He's also authored the book "Lotus Land" about glorious Pasadena.

RA: You mentioned that you were a music consultant on the film "Titanic."

IW: Yes, but Cameron didn't take any advice and consequently got it all wrong. So I went over to Rhino records and suggested we do a record with the real music that was really played on the ship which we won a Grammy for.

RA: What was it like working on "Stanley's Gig?"

IW: I had never done so many songs for a film before. We had a wonderful lead actor, but he'd be the first to admit he couldn't sing. What we did was pre-record my voice and my yuke playing. When we shot, I actually sat beneath the camera and pointed to him as to when to strum and when to say the words. So he's doing an impression of me, it's odd because he does such a good job I forget it's me doing the voice. I studied his voice and I think I didn't too bad a job doing his American accent. So much so that people don't know it's me, which is annoying actually. (Chuckles.) I wrote songs for Eleanor to sing, also, Smiling Jack was my invention and my voice. I think it's a real little gem of a film. I admire those young guys who made it, they're young people who could be doing violent stuff, all the current cliché's and they chose to make a film about old people. Quite extraordinary.

RA: What other projects are you involved in?

IW: I had a show for years on KPCC. Now, a company is developing the story of my life, I was actually part of the British Invasion and I had top ten hits in the sixties, "You Turn Me On" in particular. A screenwriter has been working now for a year based on my book "Rock Odyssey." But because it's so hard to make films, I have decided to go back to my desk at the Huntington library where I've worked for years and I'm gonna write a book on spec' "The adventures of Smiling Jack" which is directly inspired by "Stanley's Gig."

Vernon Mortensen, director / producer / editor of short "Brothers."

RA: I understand you've traveled to over 83 countries and were born in Thailand...

VM: Yeah, you know the film "Salvadors" the scene when the Nuns are raped? I was in Honduras when that actually happened. I remember how it effected my father - he was a missionary. My girlfriend tells me to write a book of short stories based on my experiences.

RA: Then after eight years in the Navy, bam, you're making films. Isn't that kind of abrupt?

VM: Yes it is, but I found the stuff I learned in the Navy really helps getting me going and focusing. The planning ability. In movies, it's easier to get there and be creative if everything else is taken care of and planned for.

RA: Writer, director, producer, which is more you?

VM: I like to write, but mostly I want to be a director. But nowadays the two are the same thing. If you want to become a director in this town ... no one's going to hand you ... you have to write your own stuff. Later on maybe you can have people hand you great scripts.

RA: Is the converse true?

VM: No, someone will accept the fact that you've written a great script, before they'll let you handle a budget of millions of dollars.

RA: So why Pasadena?

VM: I came here for the Art Center College of Design, by the Rose Bowl. It's a great school. I've decided I'm going to stay here. I live right off of old town. I'm very poor because the school costs a lot of money so I just walk everywhere. I have everything I need within walking distance, a great library, movie theaters, restaurants.

RA: And your current projects?

VM: I wrote a feature film script that I'm trying to get the money up for. I have so many short films that are stacked up one behind the other. "Brothers" was the first one that I let anyone see. It got me a couple of jobs directing other people's short films. Making this for a hundred dollars, people started seeing it around town and then they come to me and say, "You know I have this project and I have however much money would you be interested in directing it?"

RA: And your dream project?

VM: I would shoot that feature film. It's fun. Everyone that's read it says it's one of the funnest scripts they've ever read. That's what I got into this for ... I had so much fun watching movies I thought, "Hey, why not do it?"

John Harrington, actor/writer/producer of short "Brothers."

RA: How do you feel about your film running in the Method Fest?

JH: It's the first short that I had written and the first festival I'd sent it to. In fact, I wrote it for Jason Liggett to get him an agent. We performed it for Innovative artists, to show him off.

RA: Did it get him the gig?

JH: Yeah, Innovative is a prestigious agency around LA and the world. Originally, I had the scene set on a couch and Vernon set it on the ranch. The agents first saw it on the couch, so they've seen the video and have been pleasantly surprised by its growth.

RA: You met Vernon at Pasadena's Art Center?

JH: I spent a lot time at the Art Center. Done five or six scenes up there. A lot of my growing up in the acting in the LA area has been spent in Pasadena.

RA: Some folks might find your "older brother" a bit vile, is he?

JH: He's mean, but in a loving type mean way, it's a frustrated mean. He's told the younger brother that story about the ice a thousand times; he wants him to remember that it was actually the baseball that made him mentally retarded. But he still loves him. One of those love/hate relationships.

RA: Which is your first love, acting or writing?

JH: Writing is my key, my door to acting. I wrote the lead for myself in a piece called "Ten Years in October" that's been optioned. That'll get made eventually. Also, I'd love to act in a piece I have called "Red Hill." That's the part I'd love to play. Ian, Vernon, and John will be attending the Fest. Stop and say "Hello" if you see them there.