The cast and crew of the indie film, Past Tense, are taking us back to the heyday of frosted tips, grunge music, and huge cell phones. Yes folks, we’re headed to the 90s. Toronto filmmaker, Billy Conrad has teamed up with A Slice of Fried Gold to create a time-travel epic with a nostalgic edge.
I had the chance to talk to actor/Co-producer Steven Kasan about Past Tense, Toronto’s independent film scene, and the film’s brand new online campaign.
Fresh Print: Thanks for talking to us, Steve. So, in your own words, what can people expect from Past Tense?
Steve Kasan: Past Tense is an adventurous comedy with fun characters and a great premise set in a very cool time, the 90s. A crazy professor has built a time-machine with funds from a loan shark. That loan shark has arrived to get his money, but, the professor does not have it. And, it is Sunday. Banks are closed on Sunday. If you enjoyed Back to the Future, The Goonies, films like that, you’ll enjoy the Past Tense. It’s a film that puts a smile on your face and leaves you with a good feeling when done.
Fresh Print: Why the 90s? How did you/Billy Conrad come up with the concept?
Steve Kasan: Billy is a fan of time-travel films. So much so, he understands the intricacies of time mechanics. He proposed to me a short story where a Professor builds a Dr. Frankenstein-like Time Machine and travels back. That grew into Past Tense.
There is a lot of fun we can have with the comedic adventure aspect. In the film, Professor Moore borrows money from a loan shark and has to pay up, but, it’s Sunday and the banks are closed. That is a problem right there. Also, not everything is at your fingertips. We actually have to remember phone numbers, I used to be so good at that.
The 90s was just a fun time. You have the influence of the 80s, but things were changing. Socially, musically, electronically. It was sort of a weird mix that worked. A lot of films go back to the 80s, but the 90s is iconic as well. Zack Morris is my hero!
Will (Steve Kasan) sporting his high tech phone in Past Tense
Fresh Print: How did you gather your team? (actors/producers/crew/etc).
Steve Kasan: We have all worked together before in previous projects: short films, features and web series. When Billy proposed the project to us specifically, he knew we would deliver the performance. Most of the characters resembled us. This group is dedicated to the project. We are giving up our weekends and summers on this project with no pay. We believe in the project and honestly think Past Tense is a great film. The core group worked previously on Billy’s first feature, Lurking Under Life, a horror adventure which was filmed on an actual Nazi POW site.
Fresh Print: Can you tell us a little bit about the cast?
Steve Kasan: The film stars Phi Huynh, Dan Bertolini, Cassie Podor, Darrin Drugan, Tazito Garcia, Claudio Paola, Will Smith (not the Fresh Prince but might be from West Philly), Billy Conrad and myself. Our team has worked on major productions (Total Recall, Pacific Rim, Rookie Blue) web series projects (Out of Time) and indie projects (The Briefcase, which was selected for the Action on Film Festival in 2013).
Taz & Phi are not only actors, but, action choreographers. Phi has his own entertainment group, X-Limit Entertainment who perform live on stage. Cassie is a trained dancer. Darrin is Rap Artist and Producer. Taz has a gala premiere for his newest film, Dead End, on June 8th. Our DOP, Pavan Sharma, is also a director and operates the production house, A Slice of Fried Gold. There are a lot of hats we wear.
The Past Tense Cast
Fresh Print (Also not the Fresh Prince): How far are you into production?
Steve Kasan: We started filming last year during the summer, but with schedules, and other work, we couldn’t complete it and had to hold it off until the weather gets better. The main problem is that since this is basically a passion project and we’re working for no pay, we do have to make ends meet. Some shoot dates have conflicted with work dates, family dates, etc. What really surprised me is the ever rising potential of Past Tense. At first, we thought of it as a fun comedic adventure, like the stuff we grew up watching. The more and more we film (how well the scenes turn out, the tone of it) we started to realize that this film could stand aside the films we took influence from. Like, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future, Wayne’s World, etc.
Fresh Print: You’ve started a campaign to raise funds. Can you tell me a little about that?
Steve Kasan: Even though the resources are there, it still cost money to get those resources. We’ve put so much heart and hard work into this project we don’t want to half-ass it. That would be a disgrace to those who have supported us already, future supporters and viewers. We want our product to be really polished—a polished product for everyone to see. It would be insulting to give anything less than that. This project lives on community support. [Visit the Past Tense Campaign for details, incentives and videos]
Alison (Cassie Podor) in a still from Past Tense
Fresh Print: What is your opinion on indie filmmaking?
Steve Kasan: My main opinion about indie filmmaking is essentially that with the tools being there, we can create something on par with major studio films. Indie films can no longer be viewed as an “indie project.” One might be surprised to learn that a project was actually an indie film.
Fresh Print: Do you have any advice for young filmmakers?
Steve Kasan: I would say just make sure everyone, from cast to crew, believes in the project whole-heartedly. It’s a simple premise, but with any project of any form, the team truly has to believe in the whole package. Not just something you go on and then jump to the next.
Fresh Print: Do you have an ETA for the project’s completion?
Steve Kasan: End of the summer/mid fall is our projected completion. We do have scenes to shoot, but our team is experienced from last summer. We know we have to deliver.
Fresh Print: And finally, what is your favourite piece of 90s Nostalgia?
Steve Kasan: I miss going to the video store to rent movies & games. I know some small mom & pop stores are making a comeback but there was a sub-culture and an experience going to the video store & talking about films with strangers.
Thanks to Steve for sharing his insight. I, for one, can’t wait to see the finished product. For more information visit the Past Tense Campaign, Facebook or visit Billy Conrad’s review site Indy Red.
Check out the following links for more information on the cast and crew of Past Tense:
https://twitter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/
www.indyred.com
https://www.facebook.com/
http://www.droogyd.ca
http://www.
https://www.facebook.com/
http://www.canvastunes.com/
http://youtu.be/adCFu2WWaJY
Are you an independent filmmaker, entrepreneur, or artist? Have you created something you think that we need to know about? Contact Fresh Print reporter, Jill Nagel by email (j.nagel.writing@gmail.com) or on Twitter!
