Left to Right: Derek Mio as "Zip", Marcus
Toji as "Hog" and Jonathan Okui as "Satch".
Chris Tashima as "Umpire" with extras
at backstop.
Alan Muraoka as
"Father"
Derek Mio as "Zip".
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1) Where did you get the story idea for Day of
Independence?
Having grown up knowing about the camps, it was always something I
wanted to address in my work. I began developing a “baseball in camp”
feature screenplay, since baseball was so symbolic, ironic, cinematic, and
factual – it was a part of camp life. But credit for the DAY OF INDEPENDENCE
must go to Tim Toyaama, who wrote the one-act play which we adapted to the
screen. It is actually based on his father’s story.
2) You had quite an impressive crew & cast (Greg Watanabe, Tamlyn
Tomita, Sab Shimono ). How did you get everyone together?
This became a great meeting of the
minds/talent/community. An unforeseen delay in preproduction gave us 9
months of extra prep-time. This allowed us to pull together our “dream
team.” I would never ordinarily ask any of these actors to be extras, but
once the notion of it being an “all-staf choir” came about, Emily Kuroda
(GILMORE GIRLS) was one of the first to say yes. Then Sab Shimono agreed.
Once Sab was onboard, everyone else that was available stepped in. John Cho
even wanted to be a part of it, but had to work that night.
4) What's the biggest challenge with acting & directing in a film?
There’s the initial decision that you can/should/will
do both—it bugs me when a director casts himself in a role he is not right
for. Otherwise, it’s just scheduling problems. Basically: as a director,
needing to worry about memorizing lines, and arriving don-set early to get
into wardrobe, makeup and hair. And as an actor, it’s not having any time
to prepare. I usually study like crazy (as an actor) not just memorizing
lines, but contemplating blocking, script, words, beats, relationships,
etc. If I’m directing, I’m have about a tenth the amount of prep time, if
at all.
5) What's your next project?
Cedar Grove Productions has a sequel to DAY OF
INDEPENDENCE, where we following three of our ballplayers, one year later
when they’ve enlisted in the 442 and fighting in Europe. We also have a
feature screenplay about baseball camp, but with a different story and set
of characters than DAY OF INDEPENDENCE.
6) How's that Oscar of yours?
He’s okay… I recently had to send him to the Oscar
Doctor. We had taken him to a screening in Sacramento, and he fell out of
the back of the car, resulting in a bend at the ankles and a lean giving him
a sad, drunken posture. But he’s fine now.
7) Finally, what is your favorite Food & drink?
Johnny Rockets #12 and a chocolate coke.
You can reach
Chris Tashima at
www.cedargroveproductions.com or
cedarmail@aol.com
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Chris
Tashima is an academy award winner for his live action short film, VISAS AND
VIRTUES, which screened at the first San Diego Asian Film Festival in 2000.
This year, he is showing his newest dramatic short, DAY OF INDEPENDENCE, at the
fifth annual SDAFF on October 21st to 24th.