Movies & TV / Columns

Anthony Ferraro On Directing the Fan Film Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master

August 12, 2021 | Posted by Bryan Kristopowitz

The 411 Interview: Anthony Ferraro

Anthony Ferraro is a writer, director, actor, and editor who, according to imdb, has been working in the entertainment business since at least 2002. He has directed such short films as Derelict Heart and Areanger and such feature films as The Writer and Zenith Run. Ferraro’s latest directorial effort (he also write the script and acts in the short) is the Star Wars short fan film Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master, which is now available to watch on the Create Sci Fi YouTube channel. In this interview, Ferraro talks with this writer about what it was like to direct and act in the short, working in the Star Wars universe, and more.

Bryan Kristopowitz: How did you cast Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master? Did you always intend to play the Jedi character?

Anthony Ferraro: This was a COVID lockdown project, so it had to be close friends. From the start I had in mind people I’ve worked with before. The Mandalorian is played by Jonathan Castile, who was the lead in my web series Galactic Galaxy. Clint Carney, who plays the Twi’lek, also handled much of the VFX work and co-produced it. I did intend to play the Jedi from the start but before I actually wrote the script in my mind he was a one-line type character. But in the writing process, that character really came to life. When I first started, I trained as an actor, not as a filmmaker so certainly there was some part of me that thought, “You know, it’s time to do this again.”

BK: How did you come up with the look of Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master? Was it difficult to find/create the various Star Wars props seen in the short?

AF: The look of the film is inspired by Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns and the original 70’s A New Hope before changes and remasters. That seems to be how season one of The Mandalorian TV show was presented. It’s interesting to realize that I based the look on Sergio Leone but was inspired to go back and look at those films because of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. As for the props, because of the popularity of Star Wars finding the props in all sorts of forms, from 3D files to toys is pretty easy, and there is a lot out there. Creating the props and making them look real or camera-ready is time-consuming. And if you notice a recurring theme here, I am going to say it was because of COVID lockdown. I made all the props and costumes and it took a very long time but I was able to work all day for many days because I, like everyone else, was locked in my house.

BK: How long did it take to make Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master, from finishing the script to completing post-production?

AF: I just checked my Google drive and the first rough outline I wrote was on August 9, 2020. I finished the final locked version on July 20, 2020.

BK: What was the hardest part of making Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master for you, as both a director and as an actor?

AF: As a director, the hardest part is in this style of no-budget filmmaking I am also the producer, location scout, and manager, craft services, driver, prop master, paperwork handler, and some other things I am forgetting. But the upside is that I don’t have time to overthink or worry about the directing. I know what I have to do and do it. As an actor, I knew my performance needed to be dialed in before we shot. I have a good friend, who is a very talented actor, Felix Solis. He coached me on my performance so that when I showed up on set, despite the curveballs the day threw my way, I knew what I had to do. Probably the hardest part about acting was the same as directing. Even though I was acting in a scene, in the back of my head I’m hoping the drinks are cold and I remembered to pack the sandwiches.

BK: Is this short meant to be the first part of some larger story you want to tell, or is it a sort of “one and done” for you?

AF: I made the film so it could live on its own but left the door cracked open if we wanted to continue the story. The idea is if people enjoy it and want more, for sure I will make more. If not, that’s fine, too.

BK: Is Star Wars science fiction or is it science fantasy or is it something else?

AF: I think it’s become more influential in our culture, like allegory, mythology, or maybe even modern fairy tales.

BK: Any moviemaking heroes?

AF: I have three specific films that combined are my touchstone or core of everything I do. The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers 1973 Directed by Richard Lester, The Outlaw Josey Wales 1976 Directed by Clint Eastwood, and Excalibur 1981 directed by John Boorman

BK: Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?

AF: I am working on a dramatic Sci-Fi horror film called Moon Terminal.

BK: What do you hope audiences will get out of Forsaken Mandalorian and the Drunken Jedi Master?
AF: A satisfying dose of more Star Wars.

BK: What is that blue liquid in the bottles?

AF: Why Spotchka of course. 🙂

BK: Do you think it would be cool to have a lightsaber in real life or would it be a gigantic hassle?

AF: Lightsabers are cool.