- 11 months ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00All right, one on five, one on a bounce, Detroit.
00:01Still back to your Poppin' R&B, your boy Showtime, the czar.
00:04I have three special guests in studio with me today.
00:08Julia Allison, Marquise White, and Josh Gidley.
00:12Welcome to the show.
00:13Thank you for having me.
00:14Thank you for having me.
00:14It's a pleasure.
00:15I appreciate it.
00:16So, before we get into why you guys are here,
00:20Sugar Boys is the movie that you guys are promoting, correct?
00:23That's right, yep.
00:24I just want everybody who is not familiar with your work,
00:27I want you guys to give them a little two-minute intro real quick
00:30about stuff that you've done and projects that you've done
00:32that they might be familiar with and didn't know that you guys were a part of.
00:36Actually, Julia, we'll start with you.
00:37Sure, sure.
00:38So, my name is Julia Allison.
00:40I am a local actress.
00:41I'm a local model, local producer, and voice actress.
00:45So, I've been on a plethora of independent film sets around the area
00:49and some shows and things like that.
00:52I've been really enjoying it.
00:53It's been wonderful.
00:54But mostly my bread and butter and my heartbeat is in Sugar Boys,
01:00this action film.
01:01And so, that's what we've been really diving into lately
01:04and just kind of taking this film community by storm.
01:08Dope, dope.
01:09Okay, Marquise, what about you?
01:10Yeah, so, I've been at films, I've been saying 22 years,
01:14but I think it's like 24 now.
01:16It's a lifetime.
01:17Yeah.
01:19I'm older than you think.
01:20No, I've been working in films for about 24 years.
01:25I think I started with 8 Mile when the incentive program was here in Michigan.
01:29Okay.
01:30But, yeah, just worked a ton when the incentives were here
01:34and almost every film that came out.
01:36Not every film, but as much as possible.
01:38And then I did an exploration around the world,
01:42consulted for a few agencies,
01:44and, yeah, I came back,
01:46decided to start my own company, Enigma Studios,
01:49and the purpose of that was to, you know,
01:52bring more control into our hands
01:55in terms of the destination for what we were trying to make.
01:58Okay, nice.
01:59So, I don't like waiting for other people to make,
02:01you know, the kind of stuff that I want to make.
02:03Dope, dope.
02:04Josh?
02:05Well, how am I supposed to follow that?
02:06Well, yeah, I'm an actor local to Michigan.
02:10I started in 2021.
02:11My recent projects,
02:12I just had a premiere of a movie called The Bird Flies.
02:16I play Tommy.
02:17That will be on demand by the end of this month.
02:19Also, I just finished a project called Power Rangers Beast Hunters.
02:24The first episode out of four will be available this fall,
02:27so keep an eye out for that.
02:29Yeah, and then I also have a project you might have heard of.
02:32It's called Sugar Boys,
02:33where I play Damien Chad,
02:35and keep an eye out for that
02:36because you're in for a real treat for that.
02:38Okay, so talk to us about Sugar Boys.
02:40What exactly is that movie about,
02:43and how did you guys get involved in the project?
02:45Go, Marquise.
02:46Well, all right, so yeah,
02:47Sugar Boys started,
02:49so, you know, the past,
02:51I would say,
02:51ever since the strike started in Hollywood,
02:54you know, it was my endeavor.
02:57It was beforehand, obviously,
02:58but, like, you know,
02:59I wanted to make something
03:00where it was, like I said,
03:03100% in my hands.
03:05So we started working on,
03:06I was working on a sci-fi project,
03:08and the people I was involved with,
03:10I'll just say it didn't work out,
03:11and so we wanted to kind of scale back.
03:13I wanted to get more of a grasp
03:14in terms of, like, the capabilities
03:16and, you know, the production,
03:18putting it together.
03:19So I was like,
03:20well, let me try an action film.
03:22So came up with a story about,
03:25you know, two detectives
03:27that were on a,
03:29they thought they were on a drug bust.
03:31Turns out it's powdered sugar.
03:33Oh, wow.
03:35So they're humiliated,
03:36and, yeah, when they, you know,
03:39go back to the precinct,
03:40they're getting made fun of,
03:40and they're called the Sugar Boys,
03:42which is where the title comes from.
03:43Nice.
03:44Yeah, so,
03:44but in order to reclaim their reputation,
03:49they go on a wild goose chase
03:51of a kidnapping case.
03:54And so with that,
03:55they stumbled onto this crazy conspiracy.
03:58And what motivated me to create the story was,
04:01I think one of the biggest is that,
04:04you know, Detroit,
04:05in particular Detroit film,
04:07you often see the same sort of films.
04:10I would say there's, like,
04:11three categories of movies.
04:12You get, like, urban drama, crime drama.
04:14Right.
04:15You know,
04:15young man gets caught up in whatever,
04:17whatever,
04:17and the gangs are out to get him
04:18or something nonsense.
04:19And that's fine.
04:20There's a good place for it,
04:21but my favorite was, like,
04:22Boys in the Hood,
04:23so none of that really inspired me.
04:25You know what I mean?
04:26Okay.
04:26Did you get a lot of Christmas movies?
04:28And that's good.
04:29I think if you can make a solid Christmas,
04:30I loved Home Alone.
04:31You know what I'm saying?
04:32It's fantastic.
04:33Classic, yeah, yeah, that's a good one.
04:35Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:36But I think there's a plague in the industry,
04:40in particular in places like Michigan.
04:42And I don't blame the people that make these films,
04:44but I think it's too easy to go after, like,
04:47low-hanging fruit.
04:48And my endeavor is to really, like,
04:51we're going to spend,
04:52we spend a lot of time in this movie.
04:54You know what I'm saying?
04:54You spend a lot of time putting a movie together.
04:56And if you're going to put your time into anything,
04:59do the best you can.
05:01Can I swear on this?
05:01Or is that all right?
05:03Yeah, don't go crazy, crazy.
05:05But yeah, you're good.
05:06Well, you know, I just,
05:07I get passionate about what I'm doing.
05:08So, but I want to do the best job I can.
05:12Plain and simple.
05:13You know what I mean?
05:14And if that,
05:14but that also means pushing myself to do better
05:16from where I started from.
05:18And so that was just the core motivator
05:20to showcase Detroit as something more than,
05:24you know what I'm saying?
05:24The run-of-the-mill, easier to find.
05:26Stuff that we've already seen.
05:27Yeah, stuff you've already seen.
05:28Or if I'm going to do something you've already seen,
05:29because it's not like Sugar Boys isn't groundbreaking.
05:32It's not like it's this massive Oscar winner
05:34with this, you know what I'm saying?
05:35French, you know, avant-garde storytelling.
05:38But it's a film that,
05:40it is a dive into the human character.
05:43Nice.
05:43You know, two police officers
05:44that come from very different backgrounds
05:46that clash for very specific reasons.
05:49You know, one is a family man.
05:50And that was another thing.
05:51So, Swifty McVeigh,
05:52who is a lead actor in our film,
05:54you know,
05:55often he gets typecast.
05:56Now, he's a, you know, rap artist.
05:57He's a legend in Detroit.
05:59But for him, you know,
06:01it's about like,
06:03he often gets cast as,
06:04you know what I'm saying?
06:05Like this gangbanger or,
06:06you know what I mean?
06:07And I'm like,
06:07that's not Swifty.
06:09No, not even a little bit.
06:10No, he is one of the nicest,
06:11one of the nicest guys I've ever met.
06:13Ever.
06:13Oh, yeah.
06:14He's my nature.
06:15He's a hero.
06:16Yeah.
06:16No, really.
06:17Well, and he's a family man to me.
06:18Yeah.
06:19I talked to that guy.
06:19You ever see him around his kids?
06:21That guy inspires you.
06:23Yeah.
06:23So I'm like,
06:23that's the character I wanted him to embody.
06:26And so he plays a cop,
06:27a good cop,
06:28who's, you know,
06:29trying to do almost too much of the right thing.
06:32And so I wanted to,
06:32I wanted to highlight that.
06:33And I also thought as well,
06:35that's key for the black community.
06:37You get a lot of that in,
06:38you know,
06:39in everywhere.
06:39That's not just Michigan,
06:40but everywhere.
06:41You know,
06:42the stereotype persists in so many ways
06:45that black folks are only committed to,
06:47you know,
06:49either reform gangbanging in films,
06:50because typically that's what it is.
06:51You're reformed.
06:52I'm a reformed gangbanger.
06:54You know what I'm saying?
06:54Or something else.
06:55And I wanted Swifty to,
06:57you know,
06:57that's not even a thing in his role.
06:59He's a dude who does a good job.
07:02You know what I'm saying?
07:03He's a good family man,
07:05has no issues there.
07:06And in fact,
07:06the other guy,
07:07Chris Reynolds,
07:08he's the owner of Detroit Life.
07:10You know what I'm saying?
07:10And Detroit Life is one of our
07:12highest sponsors on the film.
07:14They,
07:15you know,
07:15he's the guy that's got issues.
07:16And not that that's anything particular
07:18to a skin color,
07:19but what it's about is,
07:21you know,
07:21it's a deep dive into the character
07:23of someone,
07:24what happens when you're lonely,
07:25you know,
07:26you don't have a family to go to,
07:27and all you have is your reputation.
07:29And you're trying to rebuild that
07:31in order to,
07:31and sometimes you can take it too far.
07:33And so that's what the movie's about.
07:34It's about,
07:35it's a character study
07:36that people can relate to.
07:37You know what I'm saying?
07:38People,
07:38situations that everybody can go through,
07:41no matter your skin color,
07:42no matter your,
07:43you know,
07:44socioeconomic position in life,
07:46this is something that everyone
07:47can identify with
07:48at any level.
07:50I like that.
07:51And that was important for us.
07:52And to showcase Detroit
07:53as more than a city of crackheads.
07:56No,
07:56no offense.
07:57You know what I'm saying?
07:58Like,
07:58it's like,
07:59we see too much.
07:59You see the blight in Detroit.
08:02Detroit's a beautiful city.
08:03And I think it deserves to be highlighted
08:05for the beauty that it has.
08:07Like,
08:07it's a lot of fun to go down.
08:09You know,
08:09we've got a lot going on
08:09in this city right now.
08:10And I really wanted to,
08:12I want people to see that.
08:13Dope,
08:14dope.
08:14Julia and Josh,
08:15I want you guys to talk a little bit
08:16about your characters real quick.
08:17What can people,
08:18without giving too much of the film away,
08:20talk about the character that you play.
08:21Go ahead, Josh.
08:22Well,
08:22you see,
08:23Detective Damien Chad,
08:24he's a butt kicker.
08:27He's a force to be reckoned with.
08:29He's the most dominant one in the room.
08:31You can say ass, bro.
08:32Regardless.
08:34But he also has another side.
08:35You see,
08:36he's a poet,
08:36he's a musician,
08:37he's a deep thinker.
08:38In other words,
08:39he's bipolar.
08:40Ah,
08:41I got you.
08:41So,
08:41yeah,
08:42and it was a lot of fun
08:43bringing that character to life.
08:44Currently bringing that character to life
08:46because I'm still working.
08:47And yeah,
08:48it's been a good time
08:49and I can't wait for everybody to see it.
08:51Was this a difficult character
08:52for you to play?
08:54Well,
08:55you know,
08:55each character,
08:56and I'm sure Julia knows this as well,
08:58each character comes to you
08:59in a different way.
09:00There have been characters
09:01where I found them
09:03just staring at myself
09:04in the mirror
09:05for over an hour,
09:06just looking outward.
09:07There's other characters
09:08where I have looked inward
09:10and I've brought myself
09:11to that character.
09:12That's definitely
09:13one of these characters.
09:14A lot of experiences,
09:15a lot of his past events
09:17which led him
09:18to be the person he is today,
09:20I brought that to myself
09:21and that's why
09:22I think it was so fun
09:23and effective
09:24portraying that on camera.
09:26Nice.
09:26Yeah.
09:26Julia,
09:27you are the lead female
09:30in this film.
09:31Yes,
09:31I play the leading female role
09:33in it.
09:33Yes,
09:33that's correct.
09:34And my character's name is Wen.
09:36Okay.
09:36She is a force.
09:39She's bound.
09:40She's determined.
09:42She's kind of an activist
09:45really is what she is
09:46and she sort of stumbles
09:47upon things
09:48that she learns
09:50and knows are not correct.
09:52She gets hints and clues
09:53without giving too much away
09:55that deeper issues are at play,
09:57that corruption's at play,
09:59that things need to be figured out,
10:00things need to be investigated.
10:02And so she,
10:03being the force that she is,
10:05does her own deep dive,
10:07which sure enough
10:08leads her into deep trouble.
10:11Yeah.
10:11And so with her,
10:13I find that
10:14her curiosity and persistence,
10:17because I'm a very ambitious woman
10:19and I'm a very persistent person
10:21if I am after something,
10:23like I can draw those connections with her.
10:25And so I can bring those parts of me
10:27into the character
10:28and blend the two.
10:30But I will say like,
10:31what's really beautiful
10:32is like the more,
10:34the more you walk
10:35in the shoes of your character
10:37and the more scenes you get to play,
10:39the more script analysis you do,
10:41the more consultation
10:42with the director and the writer
10:44and your cast too,
10:46it's like the deeper
10:47you can dive into the story,
10:49the deeper you can dive
10:51into the character's skin
10:52and their heart
10:53and their feelings.
10:54And then like,
10:55I'll tell you what's really beautiful.
10:57And then I'll tell you
10:59what's challenging.
11:00What's great
11:01is when you're in a scene
11:02and you're feeling it so deeply
11:04and you're just,
11:05you're entrenched in the character,
11:07you're entrenched in the moment,
11:08you're listening to your,
11:09your fellow co-actors.
11:11And when the scene's done
11:12and the director yells,
11:13cut,
11:14you,
11:14you don't even know.
11:15You're like,
11:15wait,
11:16what just happened?
11:17Like you can't recall
11:19what you did
11:20because the moment
11:21was so true
11:21and so pure.
11:22So you can't necessarily
11:23like do it again
11:24exactly that way.
11:26So I love that
11:27and I love that smoothness,
11:28that,
11:29that butter
11:29when you hit a scene
11:30and you hit a moment
11:31just right.
11:33I'll tell you
11:33the obstacles
11:34that sometimes get in the way
11:35when it makes playing
11:36a character difficult
11:37is like,
11:39for example,
11:39we were shooting last night
11:40and it was super,
11:42super cold.
11:43And so like,
11:43you're trying to stay
11:44in the moment
11:44and your body's shivering,
11:46right?
11:47But you gotta,
11:48you gotta take yourself
11:48out of that
11:49and force yourself
11:50into this,
11:51you know,
11:52false reality
11:53but your character's reality
11:54to get to that,
11:56that truth
11:56and that moment
11:57and capture that scene,
11:58right?
11:58So that's what's challenging
11:59and that's what's beautiful
12:01and then just like
12:02what Josh said,
12:03you sort of,
12:04you can bring parts
12:05of yourself
12:06and who you are
12:07and even if your character
12:08is opposite
12:09or different from you,
12:10there are always
12:11points of connection
12:12and you just gotta
12:13draw those strings together.
12:15When Marquis
12:16brought you guys
12:16the script
12:17for the movie,
12:18what were your
12:18initial thoughts?
12:20Well,
12:20my initial thoughts
12:21is you know
12:21you have a good script
12:22in front of you
12:23when you can't put it down.
12:25It was one of the very few scripts.
12:26Most of the time,
12:27most projects
12:28I've been involved,
12:28I'm gonna go ahead
12:29and have a moment
12:29of honesty here.
12:31Most of them,
12:31I don't finish
12:32reading them the first day
12:34but Marquis,
12:34when he sent me Sugar Boys,
12:35I read it in one day
12:36because it's almost like,
12:38and I think we agreed with this,
12:39it's almost like,
12:40it's almost like Rush Hour
12:41and Bad Boys
12:43got together
12:44and had a baby.
12:45It's almost like
12:50an M. Night Shyamalan film
12:51where you're not gonna
12:52just wanna watch this once,
12:53you're gonna wanna watch it
12:54a second time
12:55because there's gonna be things
12:56that you didn't see
12:57the first time.
12:58So, I mean,
12:59that's why,
13:00you know,
13:00a lot of these films
13:01in Michigan that get made,
13:02they're very rushed,
13:03very rushed.
13:04They just wanna release a film
13:05for the sake of releasing a film.
13:07But Marquis has taken his time
13:09with this
13:09because it's all of our baby
13:10and it's gonna be
13:13absolutely amazing.
13:14It's gonna stand out
13:15from the rest
13:16because there's been
13:17so much love and care
13:18that's been put into this thing.
13:19So much, so much.
13:20It's quality,
13:21it's action,
13:22it's Michigan made,
13:24it's all local talent.
13:26And it's like,
13:27and I think Josh and I
13:29can both attest to this
13:30because we've been
13:30on many different sets,
13:32but like,
13:33I have not seen
13:34on any other set
13:36that I've been in
13:37in Michigan
13:38or elsewhere
13:39the level of dedication
13:41to quality control
13:43and care
13:44coming out of a studio
13:45here in our home.
13:47And so I'm so excited
13:49for the story
13:51that is going to be told
13:52out of our...
13:53And the chemistry is there too.
13:54That's important.
13:55Chemistry is so important
13:57because if you don't have
13:57the chemistry,
13:58then the performance
13:59is going to suffer
14:00and not only you notice it,
14:01but the audience,
14:02they'll notice it
14:03and they'll call you out on it.
14:05So when you have chemistry,
14:06the whole process,
14:08it's just a smooth one.
14:10And I'll say this too.
14:11I think a key for that,
14:12like what you guys
14:13are talking about,
14:15you know,
14:15and it's,
14:16I'm passionate as hell, man.
14:17I dive deep inside.
14:19I will spend sleepless nights
14:21to, you know,
14:22if not perfect,
14:23but to do the best that I can.
14:24But a key that I find is,
14:27and sometimes I find that
14:28some people are shocked
14:29when they come on the set
14:30and they'll be like,
14:31am I saying too much?
14:31Am I going too far?
14:32By suggesting something
14:34or, you know,
14:35they're getting passionate about it.
14:37I'm like, oh, I'm sorry.
14:37I'm like, no, no, no, no, no.
14:39You do that, please.
14:40Because I think that,
14:41you know, like this guy here,
14:42you know what I mean?
14:43And Julia as well,
14:43like, you know,
14:44they come on set
14:45and they bring,
14:47I remember we were,
14:48what was it?
14:48The factory scene or whatever.
14:50And he's just,
14:50he's diving into it.
14:51And I didn't expect,
14:52it wasn't something
14:53that I wrote in there
14:53and he's like,
14:54you know,
14:55and effing damn it
14:56on the phone.
14:57You know what I mean?
14:58And everyone's like,
14:59oh,
15:00but he's like,
15:01oh,
15:01I kind of came up with that.
15:02I'm like,
15:02no, no, no, no.
15:02That's great.
15:03Because what that is,
15:04is that's the artistry
15:05and the craft.
15:07If I,
15:07as the director
15:08and, you know,
15:09the writer have to like
15:10sit and,
15:11you know,
15:12coach every minute
15:13of what everybody is doing,
15:15that's me doing every job.
15:17I don't want that.
15:18I want people
15:18who are confident
15:19to come on set.
15:21You know what I mean?
15:21I can't tell you
15:22how many times Julia
15:23will point something out.
15:24I'll be like,
15:24no, no, no, no, no.
15:25This doesn't make sense here
15:26and there and there.
15:27We have to do,
15:28I'm like,
15:28oh, wait,
15:28that's genius.
15:29You know what I mean?
15:29It's genius.
15:30And it's also because like,
15:31and she's,
15:32you know,
15:32co-writer on the project
15:33and a beautiful friend of mine,
15:36Victor Gojicevic.
15:37It's,
15:38we have,
15:39I call it a brain trust
15:40in the writing process.
15:42I like to,
15:42you know,
15:42one person leads
15:43and the other people
15:44help to construct
15:45and that's something
15:45that we're doing
15:46with our other scripts as well.
15:48Someone else may lead
15:49and the others will help out
15:50to make the best possible.
15:52But the key to that
15:53in almost any position,
15:54whether it's writing,
15:56you know,
15:56our stunt choreographer yesterday
15:57was doing the same thing.
15:59It's that you want people
16:01who can take on,
16:03not just take the role
16:05and take lead on it,
16:06but add their variation
16:07of creativity into that role.
16:09Because especially as an actor
16:11and that's something,
16:12that's a hard trait to find.
16:14That's what's such a blessing
16:15about working with these guys.
16:16You don't get many actors
16:18and it's not just Michigan.
16:20You get this in California
16:21way more than you think.
16:23You're dealing with people
16:24who frequently,
16:26they don't take on a role.
16:27They're just kind of happy
16:28to be there
16:28and they spew lines,
16:29but that's not acting.
16:31Acting is you're embodying
16:32a character
16:33and you're letting you
16:35soak up into that
16:36and you're turning
16:37what I wrote
16:38into your version of it.
16:41And that's what it is.
16:42And that, like I said,
16:43that goes for every position
16:44on the set.
16:45I spoke to a couple
16:47other actors
16:47and I want to ask you guys
16:48the same thing.
16:49And Marquis,
16:49you can chime in on this as well.
16:51Sure.
16:51Detroit leads
16:54in like Tubi films.
16:55Yes.
16:56But when you say Tubi movie,
16:58people are like,
16:59uh-uh.
16:59Yes.
17:00You ain't trying to watch that.
17:00It's Tubi.
17:01And then they get labeled
17:02as Tubi actors.
17:03Yes.
17:04Does that term
17:05bother you guys?
17:06Yes.
17:07It does?
17:07It does me.
17:08Maybe not Josh.
17:10Well, it doesn't bother me
17:12because I think they're
17:13kind of disregarding
17:15the craft in itself.
17:16Like these are people
17:16who love what they do.
17:18They do this because
17:19they love it.
17:20It's not necessarily
17:21that they're doing this
17:22for the money.
17:23Gee, I hope this gets
17:24put on Netflix.
17:25Gee, I hope this gets
17:25put on Hulu.
17:28Regardless if people
17:29see it or not,
17:30at least they got
17:30to make a film.
17:31Right.
17:32And that's the reason
17:33why I got started
17:33is because I love this.
17:34This is,
17:35excuse me,
17:36this is one of the
17:36first communities
17:38where I started
17:38actually getting compliments
17:40which was something
17:41I wasn't,
17:43that I had never
17:43heard in my life
17:44up until,
17:45you know,
17:45my first acting class.
17:47So you find a community
17:48and you do what you love
17:50and regardless
17:51of if you make a dime
17:53or if you make
17:53a million dollars,
17:54that's irrelevant.
17:55Right.
17:55So if it's on a Tubi film,
17:56who cares?
17:58I don't care.
17:59I'm fine with it.
18:01I would say
18:02that depends.
18:05If you're saying,
18:07oh, well,
18:07those are just
18:07some Tubi actors.
18:09Like if it's
18:09in a derogatory manner
18:11because a lot
18:11of times people,
18:12you know,
18:13there are amazing
18:14films on Tubi
18:15and there are also
18:16films on Tubi
18:17that are incredibly
18:19difficult to watch
18:20to the end.
18:21Like they are,
18:22and I'm saying this
18:23with respect
18:24to my creativity.
18:25A lot.
18:25It was a little rushed.
18:26We'll say that.
18:27They're unwatchable.
18:28They're unwatchable.
18:30So if you refer
18:32to somebody
18:32as a Tubi actor
18:33with those movies
18:34in mind,
18:35then yeah,
18:36none of our actors
18:38are quote-unquote
18:39Tubi actors.
18:41Our film is not
18:42a quote-unquote
18:42Tubi movie
18:43in that capacity.
18:44It is a good quality film
18:46coming out of Michigan,
18:48setting itself apart
18:50from everything
18:50that's been seen
18:51here before.
18:52That's why it's
18:52taking so,
18:53so much longer
18:54than your average
18:55Michigan film.
18:56Like I said,
18:56it's because there's
18:57actual care and passion
18:59and love going into it.
19:00We're not just trying
19:01to release this.
19:02If we wanted to do that,
19:03we could have released
19:04it two years ago.
19:05It would say 30 days.
19:07Exactly.
19:08But it's quite the contrary
19:09and people will see that
19:10when they see the movie.
19:11And I've been on sets
19:12where they rush
19:13a film,
19:14it's done in one week.
19:15They don't care about lighting.
19:17They don't care about tonality.
19:19They don't care
19:19if they got the script
19:20or even the plot points right.
19:22But that's the beautiful thing
19:24about the culture of our set
19:26is when you walk on our set,
19:27there is not,
19:28one,
19:28there's not a weird hierarchy
19:29between background
19:31and principle
19:32because it can get strange
19:33the different places you go.
19:35But then,
19:36two,
19:38what we do
19:39with quality,
19:41that's the most important
19:42thing to us.
19:43We don't just want a story
19:45you want to watch
19:46or see
19:46because you're proud
19:47that it came out of Michigan,
19:48which you should be proud
19:49that it came out of Michigan.
19:50Right, 100%.
19:51But we are creating a story
19:52that you want to watch again
19:53and then you want to go
19:54tell your friend about it.
19:55Be like,
19:55yo,
19:55this came out of Michigan,
19:56this came out of Detroit.
19:57Yeah, 100%.
19:58What?
19:58He has a prior with that,
20:00100%.
20:00Oh,
20:00absolutely.
20:01And the thing,
20:02so my aversion
20:03to the term Tubi movie
20:04or even Tubi actor,
20:06it's certainly not the actors
20:07because like Josh is talking about,
20:09you know,
20:09all these guys are aspiring
20:11to do something.
20:12I don't think anyone sets,
20:13some people may set out
20:14to,
20:15you know,
20:15be part of the whatever.
20:17And even Tubi as a platform,
20:19I don't want to down them
20:19because like I was watching
20:20the usual suspects on Tubi.
20:22Yeah, yeah.
20:22That's good.
20:23Like I said,
20:23it's tough on me.
20:24Yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:25That is great, man.
20:26My problem,
20:28it's the ethic
20:29of why that term
20:31is in place
20:31to begin with
20:32because what happens
20:34is,
20:35you know,
20:35it's the low-hanging fruit mentality.
20:37Right.
20:37And I think that's a cultural issue
20:40across the nation
20:41at the moment.
20:42I think that people,
20:43and look,
20:43I think it's just something
20:44that everyone,
20:45everyone's looking for an easy paycheck.
20:46Everyone's looking for a way
20:47to just kind of get it out.
20:48And in the creative world,
20:50in film in particular,
20:52finding a way to make money
20:53in film
20:53is a pain in the ass.
20:56It is a very difficult thing.
20:58But it does not mean,
21:00number one,
21:01the key
21:02to making
21:03like the success
21:04that you see
21:05and that you want,
21:06in particular in this age
21:08where Hollywood
21:08is sort of eroding
21:09what the standards,
21:10you know,
21:11it's gone.
21:11Like the old Hollywood system
21:13is down.
21:13There's something new coming.
21:14Entertainment's not going anywhere.
21:16But what that means
21:17is this is our opportunity
21:18to create a new standard.
21:20This is also,
21:21the field has been democratized.
21:23Anyone can pick up a camera
21:25and that's a good,
21:27a camera that can look good.
21:28Right.
21:29You know,
21:29that's a good thing
21:30and it's a problem
21:31because what can happen
21:32is you're dealing
21:33with people
21:34who they don't educate
21:35themselves on the process.
21:36Like there's an actual skill
21:37to acting.
21:38There's an actual skill
21:39to producing,
21:41directing,
21:42writing people.
21:43Writing is a skill.
21:45People think it's not
21:45a skill to acting?
21:46That's the thing?
21:47I think that...
21:48You'd be surprised
21:49how rampant that movie is.
21:50It's, oh yeah, it's...
21:51Okay.
21:52I thought that was kind of...
21:53A lot of people come on set
21:55and they just assume
21:56like,
21:57oh, I just thought
21:57I could just read this
21:58with a little bit of emotion.
21:59Oh, gotcha.
22:00They don't understand.
22:01One, people are not prepared
22:02for the amount of tediousness
22:04that's required in film.
22:05You have to do takes
22:06from every angle.
22:07Coverage is keen.
22:09You know what I'm saying?
22:10Especially if you want it
22:11to look good.
22:12Like, you know,
22:12there's a solid rule
22:14when you're editing.
22:15You know what I'm saying?
22:16Like, you don't want shots
22:17to linger too long
22:17unless it's specific.
22:19And that's one
22:20of the key issues.
22:21But you see a lot of those
22:22in those, in quotations,
22:23to be films
22:24is that you get a lot
22:25of films that,
22:27you know,
22:27and some guys
22:28are just trying to
22:29hustle it out
22:29to make a paycheck.
22:30And I can respect that.
22:31Look,
22:31because some people
22:32have built, you know,
22:33solid foundations
22:34off of that.
22:34I don't doubt, you know,
22:35I don't diss that at all.
22:37I think that that's fine
22:38in terms of you personally.
22:39I think as a whole
22:40in the film community,
22:41it's not good
22:41because there's a reason
22:44why it's hard
22:44to raise funds
22:45in Michigan
22:46is because the first
22:47thing people ask about
22:48is, oh,
22:49this is just a Tubi movie.
22:50We've had that happen.
22:51Like, oh,
22:51I thought you guys
22:51were just making
22:52a Tubi movie
22:52and they see what we do
22:53and like, oh, wait,
22:54that's actually pretty good.
22:55Yeah, they're shocked.
22:56Yeah.
22:57Whoa.
22:57You don't really get that
22:58in L.A.
22:58You know what I mean?
22:59People, there's a,
23:00they take the craft
23:01far more serious
23:02and that's something
23:04we are struggling
23:04to do in Michigan.
23:06And it's because,
23:08you know,
23:08there's not enough,
23:10not enough care
23:11and attention
23:11paid to the craft itself,
23:13which has led
23:14to that moniker.
23:15And yes,
23:16I am absolutely determined
23:17to shatter that.
23:18Nice.
23:18So, and I do not like that.
23:19Yeah, and just to,
23:20just to kind of
23:21back up that point,
23:22and that's why
23:22I love seeing
23:23people's reactions
23:24to the content
23:24that we do have out
23:25for kind of teasing
23:26the film and stuff
23:27is like, even,
23:28I have a lot of,
23:29like, SAG actor friends
23:31in L.A.
23:31and things like that
23:32and I'll show them
23:33the stuff
23:33and they message me
23:34and they're like,
23:36so, are you guys
23:37coming to L.A.
23:38any time soon?
23:39I was like,
23:39the way the trailer looked,
23:41it looked like
23:41it was shot in L.A.
23:42but then I'm like,
23:43I know that building,
23:44like, so.
23:44Right.
23:45But that says something,
23:47if like the L.A.
23:48talent
23:49is wanting to come here
23:50to be a part
23:51of Enigma Studios,
23:53that speaks.
23:55That speaks.
23:56We're bringing a core
23:57and a magnet
23:58to Michigan
23:58when it comes to
23:59setting apart
24:00a studio in Michigan.
24:02All right,
24:03two more things
24:04and I'm gonna let you guys
24:04get up out of here.
24:05Being an independent
24:07film company,
24:08give me some pros
24:09and cons with that
24:10because I know
24:10there's a lot of things,
24:11especially since,
24:11you know.
24:13Scheduling.
24:13You have to juggle
24:16everybody's schedule.
24:17The more people
24:18in the production,
24:19the more possibilities
24:20of something going wrong
24:21and things will go wrong.
24:22Yes,
24:23and we have over 200 people
24:24on our cast crew, so.
24:27Yeah, yeah.
24:27No, no,
24:27it's huge.
24:28I mean,
24:29scheduling is definitely key.
24:31You know,
24:31funding is a massive issue.
24:33You know what I mean?
24:33My company funded
24:34the majority of this movie
24:36and we've got other investors
24:37that have come in,
24:38but it's like convincing people
24:40to take just even
24:41a small chance
24:42in your movie.
24:43You know what I'm saying?
24:44Like that's not
24:45an easy thing to do
24:46and I think that overcoming
24:47those preconceived notions
24:50of what it means
24:51to make a movie
24:51by a studio in Michigan,
24:54that's a massive hurdle.
24:55It's a trickle down effect
24:57because it goes
24:58from everything
24:59from the acting
24:59because you have to
25:00find actors.
25:01You can't always
25:02choose the best of the best.
25:03You know what I mean?
25:03You might not always have access
25:04to the best of the best,
25:05even if the best of the best
25:06are willing to jump
25:07onto your project.
25:08So just finding the resources
25:10needed to accomplish.
25:11They're here.
25:12Detroit is one of the most
25:14creative pools of talent,
25:17but typically they leave.
25:19They bounce.
25:24But yeah,
25:25I think that's a huge...
25:27I would say that
25:27one of the pros of it though
25:29is whereas we have to fight
25:32for everything
25:33that we accomplish
25:34come hell or high water,
25:36whereas like the larger studios
25:38that have access
25:39to millions of dollars
25:40for their stuff.
25:43And I'm not dogging
25:44on any of them,
25:45but like I think
25:46when you have ease
25:47of access to things,
25:48sometimes your care
25:49and quality goes down.
25:51The storytelling
25:51is not as passionate.
25:53You get lazy.
25:53You get lazy.
25:54And so that's the beautiful thing
25:56about when you're
25:57an independent studio
25:58and you're fighting
25:59and you're going to make a mark
26:00and you're going to set a precedent
26:01and you're going to let
26:01the waters flow,
26:03you earn it all
26:04and you don't take it for granted.
26:06It's a blue ocean
26:08is what it is.
26:09So a red ocean
26:10would be filled with blood
26:11and waters over the competition
26:12fighting to accomplish.
26:14The blue ocean
26:14is clean waters.
26:15You know what I'm saying?
26:16And that's kind of what this is.
26:17So she makes a very good point.
26:19When you're not dealing,
26:22we're not dealing with universal.
26:24You know what I'm saying?
26:25We have so much more control over here
26:27and people are far more eager
26:30to get something.
26:31Like you said,
26:32when people see a solid film
26:33that they actually would watch,
26:35they're very eager
26:36to jump on board and to help.
26:37And that's been a huge help for us.
26:40Fire.
26:40All right, last thing.
26:42If people aren't so quite just yet,
26:44why should they go see Sugar Boys?
26:47Josh, we'll start with you.
26:47I mean, if you're looking to
26:49see something that separates us
26:52from all the, well,
26:53crap that's been made lately,
26:55I would say check this movie out
26:57because like I said
26:57in the beginning of the interview,
26:58this is going to be
26:59one of those movies
26:59that you want to watch
27:00more than once.
27:02This movie goes deep.
27:03There's a lot of Easter eggs in there.
27:05There's a lot of,
27:06hmm, I wonder what was going on
27:07in that moment.
27:09You're going to find a lot of that.
27:10And yeah,
27:12there's going to be a lot of action
27:13if you're a fan of that.
27:14That kind of thing.
27:14You're going to want to check it out.
27:16And yeah,
27:17everybody's in for a treat.
27:18Fire.
27:19Oh, Julie.
27:20Oh, I mean,
27:21I just think,
27:23you know,
27:23Detroit, Michigan,
27:25they're about to see
27:26kind of a bomb drop
27:28when it comes to talent
27:29and creativity
27:30and quality
27:31in filmmaking.
27:33And so if you don't want
27:34to miss that moment in history,
27:35like go watch the movie.
27:37Dope.
27:38No, this is your city.
27:40You know what I mean?
27:40If you're listening
27:41or watching to this,
27:42I mean,
27:43this is your city
27:44and this is something
27:45that raises the bar.
27:48This is,
27:48if you've been waiting
27:49for something to take serious
27:50in terms of this arena,
27:52this is the film.
27:53It's a badass movie.
27:55You know,
27:55it's got the kind of stuff
27:56that you want to watch
27:57that you want to watch
27:57multiple times.
27:58Where can people go see
27:59the movie at
28:00and when is it releasing?
28:02So we hope to be finished
28:03for our first screener
28:05around Christmas time.
28:06Okay.
28:06Editing,
28:07you know what I'm saying?
28:07There's a lot of visual effects
28:08in this film.
28:09There's a lot of
28:10just compositing
28:11and things that have to be done
28:12in the editing process
28:14in addition to just editing
28:15the damn movie,
28:16period.
28:17But yeah,
28:18so it's not a guarantee
28:19that it'll be done by then.
28:21And we do want to release it
28:22at a time
28:23that's advantageous, right?
28:24So if it's not around
28:26Christmas time,
28:26we might push it back
28:27a few months
28:28to a good spring release
28:29or something like that.
28:30But after that,
28:31we will then be taking it
28:32to festivals and markets
28:33and whatnot
28:34for a global sale.
28:37So the exact release,
28:38I don't know,
28:39but for our community
28:40in Detroit
28:41and, you know,
28:41Michigan in particular,
28:43we hope within the next,
28:45by the end of the year
28:46is our target.
28:47Yeah,
28:47and we will let the community know
28:49because we have spoke
28:50with Imagine
28:51and they are supporting us as well.
28:53And so we will be releasing it
28:54to the local community first.
28:56Fire.
28:56Okay,
28:57I can't wait.
28:57I'm sold.
28:58I hope everybody watching this
28:59is going to be sold
29:00because I definitely want to see it.
29:01I love the trailer
29:02that you sent me,
29:02so I can't wait to see it.
29:04Thank you guys for coming.
29:05I appreciate y'all.
29:06Don't be scared to come back
29:07because I definitely want
29:08to talk to y'all again,
29:09especially when the movie drops,
29:10okay?
29:10Absolutely.
29:11We appreciate you having us.
29:12That's what I want to bounce.
29:13Peace.
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