A Quick Five Question Interview With 'One Eyed Monster' Writer/Director Adam Fields

Last year, composer Adam Fields (Dawson's Creek, Beautiful People) set out to make his debut feature film, the underrated 'One Eyed Monster,' starring porn legend Ron Jeremy. I've been trying to think of clever ways to summarize what the film is, but I think it's best if you watch the trailer.

This is the first in an occasional series, where I'll be asking Director's five questions about their work.
A Writer/Director's first film is often something deeply personal, could that be said for 'One Eyed Monster'?
God, I hope not. :-) The truth is, I consciously chose a subject that was the opposite of deeply personal. Something so simple and clear in how it should be put together that it would be easy for me to make. I think if it had been something personal, there would have been too much pressure to make it perfect.

What was the most difficult thing about directing this film?
The time constraint. A very low budget forced me to direct this in 18 days, and that forced me to move faster than I would have liked.

Are there any mistakes you made during production, that you wouldn't make the next time around?
I think I would have shot more cutaways. Again, I think time didn't really allow that, but had I planned more, I could have shot a series of random cutaways each day and I think that would have opened the film up a bit more. On a first film, I think directors tend to think about only exactly what is needed to tell the story. That's definitely a good, economical way to think, but if you watch a lot of great movies, there are always cutaways to other characters' reactions, or just actions, even if they're not integral to the scene, and it just helps the world of the film feel more natural and less "play-like".

What was it like writing with your brother?

I actually wrote this with two brothers, and it was extremely fun. We started with a long day of spitballing ideas, including every joke we could think that made us laugh. Then we focused on the plot structure, and figured out how each person would eventually meet their fate. After that, Jordan went off by himself to concentrate on the dialogue, eventually bringing us back a solid first draft that Scott and I could help polish.

What can you tell us about your directing style?
With one film under my belt, I'm not sure I have a style yet. I can say unequivocally that my favorite part of directing was working with the actors, and helping them to deliver the right tone for this film.


One Eyed Monster is available now on DVD.