Behind the scenes - Page 1
Director Benjamin Morgan tells the long and twisted story behind Quality of Life.
A Long Time Coming
Quality of Life was actually part of a bigger plan, one that was initiated several years prior to the birth of QoL.
I worked with at-risk kids in a variety of settings for over ten years. Steve Capasso, one of the therapists at Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall, started a theater group for kids. Through the facilities of Santa Cruz Community Television, Steve helped juvie hall kids to write and produce narrative shorts about their lives. It was brilliant! And it stoked my filmmaking fire.
Around that same time, Robert Rodriguez came out with El Mariachi. I read his book Rebel Without a Crew, and decided right then and there that I was going to adopt his game plan: produce three no-budget films, spend no money, learn as much you can, then set out to produce a film intended for theatrical release. (Of course Rodriguez's plan got interrupted by success, but I'm sure he wasn't complaining.)
So, after producing these three no-budget movies, I set out to make Quality of Life.
Director Benjamin Morgan tells the long and twisted story behind Quality of Life.
A Long Time Coming
Quality of Life was actually part of a bigger plan, one that was initiated several years prior to the birth of QoL.
I worked with at-risk kids in a variety of settings for over ten years. Steve Capasso, one of the therapists at Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall, started a theater group for kids. Through the facilities of Santa Cruz Community Television, Steve helped juvie hall kids to write and produce narrative shorts about their lives. It was brilliant! And it stoked my filmmaking fire.
Around that same time, Robert Rodriguez came out with El Mariachi. I read his book Rebel Without a Crew, and decided right then and there that I was going to adopt his game plan: produce three no-budget films, spend no money, learn as much you can, then set out to produce a film intended for theatrical release. (Of course Rodriguez's plan got interrupted by success, but I'm sure he wasn't complaining.)
So, after producing these three no-budget movies, I set out to make Quality of Life.