An artical about Kevin Oestenstad; an SHS Graduate!!! Kevin ran track while at SHS, ran at Drake relays...very good runner. Also, a good artist. He designed the logo for the Childrens Museum at Iowa City mall, etc. . Kevin Oestenstad is a Los Angeles-based actor and emerging filmmaker. His acting credits include Fox Searchlight’s My Name is Khan, NBC’s Are You There, Chelsea, ABC’s The Forgotten, Splinter Cell: Extraction, and The Prop is The Girl. I had the pleasure of meeting him during the 2013 NAPA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL where he created a small crowd on the dance floor at the Festival Gala with his exceptional dancing skills. Mr. Oestenstad wrote, directed and started in MADE BED – a short film that he made along with his father and best friends. The film is one of a handful that we have selected to highlight from the week-long festival. Victor Vargas: What inspired you to write Made Bed? Kevin Oestenstad: Initially, the reason why I wrote MADE BED was as a declaration of sorts, simply to myself. Half personal mission statement, half poem. A “letter” to and from myself, if you will. One type of writing that I have always had a special relationship with and have always been inspired by, are the letters from Civil War soldiers. My dad has been involved the preservation of U.S. Civil War history for as long as I can remember and he always focused on sharing the beauty of the humanity struggling to exist in the middle of that hellish war. The letters, the music, the art. For Dad, the attraction to that struggle seemed to hold a romance in many ways … which, makes sense why I’ve gravitated that way with my storytelling. That balance between reality and romance, struggle and stride, violence and peace, fear and love. So, speaking of dualities, each time I read my words out loud, I envisioned a bare-knuckle boxing match in the middle of a meadow during the late 1800′s. In the beginning, I don’t remember giving much thought to sharing this idea with an audience. Then after chewing on it for a couple of years though, I finally realized that it was no longer a question of should I make this film but that I needed to make this film. And I’m so grateful that I have. Victor Vargas: How did your father become involved in the movie? Kevin Oestenstad: A few months before I shot ‘BED I was honored to meet Gary Oldman at a production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and thought he’d be a perfect fit for the role. Loved friend, Joe Burke, who I cast as the apple-eating brother and who I also shared the editing bay with, is the one who threw my dad’s name in the mix. We were in Hollywood sitting on my apartment patio, aka, The Think Tank, which is where we held a barrage of brainstorming sessions, and as soon as JB said, “What if you asked your dad”, it became so clear; ‘BED was as much a “father and son experience” as it was a “me and my best friends experience”. So, I called Dad the next morning, asked if he’d fly to LA, hop in a recording booth to lay down some poetry, and he said yes. Victor Vargas: Made Bed could have been made to look like modern times yet you chose to present it with a nostalgic point of view. Why? Kevin Oestenstad: The teachings of Bruce Lee have been coming into my life recently and the majority of what he shares is really echoing in my experiences in life … as a man and an artist. He notes in his book, The Toa of Jeet Kune Do that, “Art is an expression of life and transcends both time and space.” I hadn’t read those words until recently but perhaps at some cellular level, when I was making this film, that point of view existed within me and was a guide for my creative choices. What I can say for certain is that during this process, I simply focused on my love for the influential films that transported me to far off places and times … Star Wars being the major one … and I also feel that the bulk of the tales I will tell in my career are those from eras and people passed. So this was a way for me to kick that off. Victor Vargas: What was the casting process like? Kevin Oestenstad: We know how Dad got involved. As for the rest of the casting process, it was very exciting for me because the gentlemen I share this story with on screen, Joe, Tony Swansey, and Joshua Staman, are three of my best friends. For the last seven years, from Chicago to LA, we, along with the rest of our film family have been involved, in some form or fashion, in each other’s storytelling. Most importantly, not unlike what James Franco and his friends have done, we’ve been tirelessly building an infrastructure that will generate authentic films, of all shapes and sizes, for many years to come. Victor Vargas: What was the biggest challenge you faced when making this film? Kevin Oestenstad: On a personal level, my biggest challenge was admitting that it was finished. Having gone through letting go of their “babies” before, Tony, Joe, and other fellow filmmakers, shepherded me through the unexpectedly somber chore of releasing it into the world. On a production level, the biggest challenge revolved around weather. Right as we got our last shot before lunch, the sky above that Santa Clarita Valley started to pour … or as Dad would say, “it rained harder than a cow pissin’ on a flat rock.” During that two hour or so downpour, it seemed as though we’d have to quit … I actually said at one point that we were done. Shortly after that though, the clouds finished their tantrum, and it was time again to make a decision … quit or finish. My incredibly brave director of photography, Daniel Kenji Levin, and I took a walk back out into the field to assess and discuss if it would be possible to shoot the remainder of the film, which included fight choreography, before we lost daylight. We weighed factors dealing with production, schedule, budget but ultimately it was my resolve and Kenji’s trust in that resolve that led to us getting our day. For that trust, I owe Kenji everything … happily. Victor Vargas: What did you enjoy most about working on this project? Kevin Oestenstad: It’s been extremely fun to witness how ‘BED is finding it’s audience members and the variety of perspectives within those audience members. The friends and family who’ve supported this story have been incredible, I’ll say that right off. It’s been so humbling. Then, there have been so many surprise fans. Because of the unbendable pro-art community that is Vimeo, ‘BED has been watched by film lovers all over the world. A perfect example is after last fall’s Napa Valley Film Festival, I was invited to be a part of this beautiful opportunity. I was also asked if ‘BED could be included in presentations given by a doctor who focuses her research on perception. Most recently, I was just asked by a director who works here in town, if he could use ‘BED as an example for a class that he teaches to film students across the U.S. In addition to all of that enjoyment, I will say what has been irreplaceable is what I’ve learned in regards to trusting my heart. Opinions come at all stages of the artistic process, and it is paramount we remain open to all of the energy, positive and negative, that flows our way. Ultimately though, our hearts must be the tool that helps us navigate the flow of it all. Trust yourself and magic will happen … in ways you can’t even imagine. Victor Vargas: Do you have a preference for acting or directing? Kevin Oestenstad: I have the utmost respect for directing and directors, but at this phase of my life, I’m so in love with acting. It’s a way for me to be of service for something greater than myself. When I remember that I’m, above all, a conduit for a story to pass through, that’s when I lose myself the most in storytelling … and have the most fun. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have found amazing acting teachers along the way that have helped me remember that … Kurt Naebig in Chicago, John Boylan in Toronto, Canada, and Joshua Bitton, Lindsay Frame, and Tony Meindl here in LA. To all of them, and all those who’ve offered their wisdom and guidance, thank you for your love and patience. Victor Vargas: Tell us about the cinematography. Kevin Oestenstad: As far as equipment, together Kenji and I decided on the RED camera to help us tell this story. The way that machine captures color was a biggie. That technical characteristic, I believe, is another factor that helps transport the audience to this other time and place. As for executing our shots, Kenji and I sat down with my storyboards, listened to each other’s ideas, and realized that we were both big fans of “orbiting”. We agreed we didn’t want to lock into any moment too long, but rather, we worked to create a fluid, organic motion to the majority of the film. The music of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis was a huge influence on the tone of ‘BED, specifically The Assassination Of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, as well as music from The Road. We aspired to incorporate an easy rhythm to the movements to gently juxtapose the abrasive action. Victor Vargas: What’s you favorite scene in the film? Kevin Oestenstad: My favorite scene with Tony is when he let’s the tear fall before the fight. Joe’s is when he looks to his older brother, Josh during the fight. And my favorite moment of Josh’s is when he removes his glasses. Overall, my favorite moment is at the beginning when the coyote/fox, whatever he was, runs across the hill in the distance during the wide shot of me walking. We didn’t even know he was there until a few days later when we were logging all of the shots. I didn’t even know about the famous Tony Tear until then too. It’s those moments, the unplanned presents we sometimes get in life, that make me so grateful to be able to have these opportunities. Victor Vargas: What is your next project? Kevin Oestenstad: As a director, it’s time for me to tell a story at feature length. In all honesty, that realization didn’t happen until only about a week ago. For the last 10 months, I’ve been focusing my attention on shooting a follow-up short to ‘BED but as 2014 took off out of the blocks, stuff just started shifting. So, now I’m surrendering once again to the writing process, my first solo feature script adventure, and I couldn’t be more excited. Tony and I, along with another brother in arms and ‘BED producer Jono Matt, continue to rally aid for our feature FIGHT FOR THE HORIZON. ‘FIGHT is based on the true story of the eight Confederate soldiers who, in 1864, crewed the worlds’s first lethal submarine, The Hunley. With the help of literary agent Sheryl Petersen at APA, Joe Burke and I sold our first feature screenplay in 2013 to Adi Shankar and his company 1984 Films (The Grey, Killing Them Softly). We’re patiently waiting to hear if 2014 will be the year it’s green-lit. Fellow filmmaker and faithful friend Stephen Coombs just completed his first indie feature THE PROP IS THE GIRL which I star in alongside Zarah Mahler and Dustin Ingram. ‘PROP will be making a festival run early 2014. I think this is also the year I pick up a trumpet again after a 25 year sabbatical. It just feels like time again to play.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 18:52:08 +0000
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