Voiceover 0:00

You're listening to the Staffa Corner Podcast, a Staffatarian look at entertainment and life with your host, Greg Staffa.

Greg Staffa 0:28

My guest this episode is Rich Ronett and Laura Vale. Rich is directing a new film called Culprit, and Laura Vale is starring in that. Both of you, thanks for coming on.

Rich Ronett 0:38

Thank you for having us. Yeah, thanks for having us.

Greg Staffa 0:40

So let's just get a little bit of background on both of you. Tell me where, you know, what got you started in acting and directing and stuff like that. Rich, if you want to go first.

Rich Ronett 0:48

Sure. Well, I started as an actor in when uh when I was 18. I went to Stella Adler in New York, studied there for a couple years, and then I probably spent about from 18 till about 32 uh acting. And I was like, I don't know, 20, 30 plays. And I came back to LA when I was 20 and uh did like uh about 10 movies or so as an actor and indie films and and uh studying really hard. And then I kind of started writing, you know, I I never really loved acting, I loved I loved the process of character and story, so I kind of got into writing. I just found that I I I create better when I'm alone, you know, at least at that time I did for sure. So I loved writing. And I uh when I think it was when I was about 32, I kind of started writing uh as much as I could, and then um had a had a first movie made when I was 40 and uh haven't I've been haven't looked back since then. Been writing a lot, had five movies made as a writer and then started directing. Uh this is my first uh Dart's Royal debut. Um now I'm uh spent 13 years as an actor, 13 years as a writer. Now I plan to keep on uh doing that as a now writer-director.

Greg Staffa 1:52

Laura?

Laura Vale 1:53

Yeah, I started acting when I was a child. So uh in New York, where I grew up, and I mostly stage. And then when I was a teenager, I did some horror films when I was going to college in New York City. Uh, realized that in order to make a living at it, I had to uh move to Los Angeles. So uh did more television and film and uh I actually did a lot more comedies on television, uh, strangely enough, because this this film, Culprit, is actually a very uh more of a serious uh drama-filled uh thriller. So uh yeah, and that's what that that's what's led me here today. And now I want to produce more of my own content so I get more opportunity to really kind of I guess you'd say what flex your flex your muscle and your own telephone capacity, yeah, through your capacity, get challenged, tell tell your own story. So um, but this is a lifelong uh thing for me. Good.

Greg Staffa 2:53

We'll get to incorporate it in a little bit here. But you start, I mean, you guess started in like two and a half men, desperate housewives, ugly betty, charmed and and much more. What were those experiences like?

Laura Vale 3:04

I've I think I've been very lucky to be on some really wonderful sets. Two and a half men was a lot of fun. I I sat and looked at rehearsals and I looked at every script that came to my house every day because I wanted to see what changes they had made from the previous script. So I've always really peed into the writing and how things uh evolve to get to the final product, especially with comedy. I find that really fascinating. And uh, you know, my first movie experience in Hollywood was with Clint Eastwood, uh, which I think was very fortunate because he just won such a smooth set. Everybody has respect for one another, seemingly, at least that's what I observed. Um, and I felt very uh very worthwhile on that set and respected, even though I was a newcomer, you know, when I first come into Hollywood. So um, but I I just I love inhabiting different characters and also meeting new people on each set that you you work on. So from you know, charmed to the two and a half men to desperate housewives, they're they're all kind of fun. Yeah, it's a new adventure.

Greg Staffa 4:16

Is there, I mean, most of these you just did one guest star appearance. Is there one in particular that was like your favorite? Like this is if this was a character I could get hired on for more, this is the one that I would have loved exploring more.

Laura Vale 4:33

Ah, because I like dark comedy, I think two and a half men would have been the one that I would have wanted to get hired on more. Uh it it because it was just I with comedy, you just get to play. And and really, uh, you know, the the genius of the uh to John Cryer is really a comic genius, and then there's Chuck Laurie, you know, the executive producer. And so they're they're very open to improv and you know, not not for me necessarily, the guest star, but uh, you know, the stars. And so it's it's just really a fun uh playpen, I would say.

Greg Staffa 5:13

No, Rich, this is your directorial debut for Culprit. What made you decide to go from actor to director?

Rich Ronett 5:21

Uh well, I really went from writer to director. You know, I'd I'd written um I had like five films made as a writer, and then I, you know, I actually didn't really want to direct until I kind of felt like I really wanted to see one of my scripts kind of meet its fuller potential, you know, because it's really tough when you're just a writer and you you kind of sell the script off and a director is just going to interpret however they're gonna interpret it, and then you're kind of left out of that equation when it comes to actually turning your your script into reality, you know. So that was a really um a great experience to that make that transition into kind of fully, fully realizing what I'd intended. And and it really is pretty intensely uh like subtextual because there was so much stuff, even when we were shooting, that of moments that I had seen from a writing standpoint that I was like, no, this is this is what that moment is about. And everybody, even if even the first AD who had read the script a million times, was like, Oh, I never interpreted it that way. That's cool, you know. So I think that keeping that vision really clear and specific to the tone and kind of realizing that was a great experience.

Greg Staffa 6:24

Now, this also marks the debut of Good Rebel Pictures that you guys are put your production group that both of you co-founded. Which came first, the the film or the production company to do the film?

Rich Ronett 6:37

The idea for the film came first, and then we loved it doing it so much we want to just keep doing it. So we're like, let's start a company. So then we started the company right, I think right after we were done filming while we were in post. And we went, we'd like to do one movie a year, you know, a thriller in the tone of kind of like an a Fincher-esque type tone, high quality, high level, put performances first and and story hook first, and uh, and then kind of just really make really just good stuff without any agendas attached to it, you know, any other political or social or whatever it is, any any uh and with really good people, you know. That's been our our main goal is to really put the story first before anybody's individual ego, and just make a really great, great film.

Greg Staffa 7:20

And I mean, right now we saw recently the the fall guy uh came out in theaters, had a great cast, had uh a male actor that the women loved, a female actor that the men loved, actions, stunts, everything that you would think of a Hollywood picture, uh, and it wasn't very successful. In fact, it was it was out on streaming services like two weeks after it it debuted. Where where is there a place for something like Culprit and Good Rebel Pictures? Is there I mean is the market changing so fast? How do you see yourselves kind of if something like that fails, I mean, independent. I mean, it used to be that someone would would act in their film, a big major blockbuster, and then they would rely on DVD sales to kind of help boost you know the the smaller indie films that they did. And now we're not seeing DVD sales. What I mean it has to be a scary, not to scare you guys, but it has to be a scary endeavor to be swarming good rebel pictures and doing culprit as an indie film when how are you putting yourself out there? And is that something you're facing?

Rich Ronett 8:33

You know, for us, I think it's not it's actually really exciting because we really, especially from having our premiere this past Friday and seeing the response. So when you really focus on a story in the right way without, you know, because it's studios have marketing teams that are making the choices for them as far as what they think is good, they don't have a specific, like good director or good writer that's really focused on the story, you know, as much as it should be, I think. And then they're making decisions for so many other reasons, thinking they want to cater to so many different audiences, and you can't.

Laura Vale 9:08

And and the uh, you know, you have to look at what is a failure. Well, if you've got a budget that's multi-million dollars and a marketing budget that's you know what a third, double that, yeah, and then you're paying actors millions of dollars, it's bound to be a failure if you're not meeting those expectations in the opening weekend. So yeah, it's that's a very hard uh you know uh kind of level to to meet.

Rich Ronett 9:38

Right. And I think they're making movies for the wrong reasons. I mean, honestly, like they're they they I feel like they're doing it to they want to entertain the masses, but at the same time, it's like we've all seen so many TV shows and movies now that the audiences are smart and they're only getting smarter. And if you're not really keen on on putting the story first, not any other agenda, you're probably gonna fail. You know what I mean? You're not gonna because it's not it's all about the story and not about one individual actor, you know. So that's kind of how we're pushing it, and I think it's it's leveling the playing field because we're actually trying to create a really good product.

Greg Staffa 10:13

So now we're seeing, I mean, it used to be you had to go to theaters to see a film, now everything's on streaming. I mean, even things like Beverly Hills Cop 4, or if I guess you could call it Axel F, is coming straight to streaming, it's not even going to the theaters, I don't think. Is the streaming a benefit to the smaller kind of Indie film people, or is there so much out there that it's hard to get even noticed because there's so much. I mean, now everyone has a streaming service, and so to watch a Mill movie, you almost have to Google which streaming service is it and do I have it? Is that a help or a hindrance because there's so many options out there for you?

Rich Ronett 10:51

I kind of feel like it's maybe a bit of both, you know. I think there's there's pros and cons to it. There's pros in the fact that there's a big market out there and a lot of distributors that will want to, you know, take on a lot of different content. And there's a lot of levels, right? There's not just the studios and then nobody else. There's studios and there's the step below those studios at the mini majors, and then below those, there's a mid-level companies that are doing, you know, that are looking for certain content. So I think it's it's great in the fact that there's a lot of avenues for distribution and to get eyes on your movie, but it's also not great from a from a filmmaker standpoint. And I can tell you this just from experiencing it on Friday, was watching your film on the big screen, there's you you make a different movie when you're making a movie for the big screen as opposed to a television set. There's so many moments that you see that come out more on the big screen that you've intended from a writing standpoint that really are driven home and are so and really make make the audience feel a certain way on a big screen compared to a small screen. So it's just the way it goes, is where we're at. I mean, I would love theatrical releases for all of our stuff, but but you know, and that's probably why we'll we'll do the festival route probably on all of our stuff for some for at least initially on certain festivals. But yeah, it's it's it's a bummer that way.

Laura Vale 12:05

Yeah, nothing like a big theater experience to see a movie on.

Greg Staffa 12:10

Do you think that is is eventually gonna go away, or do you think there'll always be a need for theater audiences?

Rich Ronett 12:17

I mean, I'm hoping I'm hoping that the indie world can actually find some sort of theatrical deal that maybe gets us more into theaters, maybe down the road, but right now it's just it's just cost too much money. Um to you know, when you don't have when you when you have a lower budget, you have to pay for those theaters, you know, and it's just hard, it's expensive. So for films that don't have like studios have where they have their entire budget just to go into marketing and promotion, you it's it's limited what you can do just financially from that. But you know, good films rise. I I really do believe that. You know, I think they can fire, you know.

Greg Staffa 12:55

Do you think there are still room for like things like a Napoleon dynamite or or something that surprises the audiences and just kind of blows up to be bigger than that?

Rich Ronett 13:05

They may not they may not be as as big at the time that are like a Blair Witch project did or Napoleon Dynamite, maybe not as big, but they can definitely be pretty big.

Laura Vale 13:15

It's more connection to uh with audiences now. So, you know, just as if you get a buzz, you know, your your audience space and uh they connect and spread the word, you know, now with like social media and yeah, uh all different platforms that could say, Hey, go check this out, you know, and there's different, I think, respected reviewers, I think still.

Rich Ronett 13:37

Yeah, I don't know. But I also think I also think there is more of a chance for the films to catch fire now than there was, only because the the number of distribution platforms have really quadrupled, you know. So if something's good, it it really does. It doesn't have to be a cult classic 10 years later. It actually can, I think, get more eyes on it now.

Greg Staffa 13:58

How does the casting process go? Because I'm I'm sure you're the the acting pool is huge, but are there actors and actresses that are willing to to kind of go down to that tier as as you know, as exciting as it is, and everyone says, you know, I want to do stuff with good writing and content, dollars often kind of help pave that way. And is that something you feel a hindrance for, or is there enough great talent like Laura out there where you can draw and not feel like I'm putting out a second-tier thing because I don't have the money or the writing people?

Rich Ronett 14:34

Right. Well, I would say this on Culprit, we paid the actors very little money, right? Because we're we're an ultra-low budget film. And I had four, at least four of the actors after the premiere tell me that was the best thing they've ever done, and they were just truly thrilled that they got to do it. So I think a lot of I think there's a somewhat of a mistake in how people see the business because uh there's a lot of most really good real artists don't just do this for the money. You know what I mean? Yes, we need it, we need the money, it's an important part of it, it's the business side. We all got to be very wary of it and know how to how it plays in. But if you just want to make if I just want to make money, I'd be in real estate or I'd be on Wall Street, like I wouldn't be making films. Like we love the stuff for for really genuinely just to tell stories and for the love of making films. And actors are the same way. Actors want, and I think even named actors will definitely all the time take less money on different projects because they get to do something, you get to live the character really wanted to. And I usually don't want the actors that just want to do it for the money. I don't I would don't really want to work for those actors anyway.

Greg Staffa 15:44

True. Well, we I mean we have seen a fundamental shift in you know, Harrison Ford is doing TV, but that's because we're doing eight episodes versus you know 24 episodes these days, and so we are seeing a shift of actors doing things that they wouldn't have done you know 10-15 years ago, but I do think there needs to be another shift in how we approach indie and find ways to support indie films that kind of seem to get drowned out that people won't hear unless you're attending like a South by Southwest or something like that. Uh Laura, what got you involved in not only being an actress in the film, but also you know being a part of Good Rebel Pictures to go to kind of producing?

Laura Vale 16:27

Well, I spent a lot of my life auditioning, and the majority of those auditions didn't amount to much. So, and that's probably unless someone's very lucky, that is the typical experience, I think, of a lot of journeyman actors. Uh you know, and I didn't like the life of auditioning, and when I did get a role, um not really being able to show my full potential. Uh, you know, you you train many years as an actor, and there's very few roles unless you're doing a stage production, you know, on the road, where you really get to sink your teeth into it for any length of time. So in order to do that, really have a fulfilling life as an actress, you have to create your own product. You really do. And luckily enough, I you know, I have a wonderful writer here who created a role, not specifically for me, but said, Hey, you can play this role. I want you to. And um, and then, you know, our next film, he's writing other good roles. So it's, you know, if you can if you can write or have a writer uh with you and you're an actor, you go for it.

Rich Ronett 17:46

She only uses me for my writing, and she keeps me locked in a closet, and I must write for her 24-7.

Greg Staffa 17:54

The truth comes out. So I mean, it it sounds great, the the fundamental ideas that you want with this production company, but reality is also uh a tricky thing. How how receptive is you know, Hollywood every time? I mean, it seems like we're always having product new production companies come about. Great intention, great. How does good rebel pictures stand out and and continue to do what they're trying to do and not just fall wayside of another attempt to get in the playing field?

Laura Vale 18:27

I think the proof will be in the pudding. You know, if people are happy with the product and really enjoying what they see, uh, and we can get that audience uh to look at that, they'll be wanting more. So, you know, if we were putting out a bad product, yeah, we wouldn't last.

Rich Ronett 18:46

But also, we're also we're starting small and we're starting to we're building a foundation. We're doing one why don't you start start with one movie a year, you know, realistically, just realistically and making sure each that we're not trying to buy into other movies just to make a quick buck. Like we're actually really taking our time and building it kind of grassroots, you know, from the ground up.

Laura Vale 19:06

We also have one of our head producers gets the most uh most from the least money. So I think that's we don't have bloated budgets. Uh, and I think that's very important to really have that realistic expectation and keeping it low.

Rich Ronett 19:21

We're keeping budgets low because you don't in today's world, there's so much you can do creatively on for the cheap for a cheap price, you know, that you don't like like even on Culper, we had 20, you know, everyone tells you, or you or people think that if you have a low budget, you only need one or two locations and you only get 12 days to shoot it to shoot it. It's just not true. Like we had we had 22 locations and we shot over 22 days on a you know what I mean. Like, like it's not, it's just there's a lot of ways you can each movie becomes its own journey and its own kind of little adventure that if you're smart about it, you can there's so much more you can do for cheap, you know.

Greg Staffa 19:54

So that you both come from theater backgrounds. Uh it seems like there are theaters, you know, big and small, all over the country. I mean, New York has Broadway, but there's all these other smaller, tiny theaters all throughout, you know, that area. Every state has their own little small theater production. Why don't we do that for film? Yeah, we have the big AMC, but why doesn't someone open a little warehouse, put up a production and and show you know independent films and just have it be a small thing like our local theaters do? Local stage theater.

Rich Ronett 20:30

There are right. There are indie film theaters in pretty much every city, but they're just smaller, you know, and I think they just usually show like you know older films or but but I mean that would and that's kind of what the festivals I think are about. All of the festivals, every city's got a festival, right? So they kind of um that's kind of what they try to promote as well.

Laura Vale 20:49

Yeah, I grew up in a town where they had an independent film uh theater, and yours did too. And I think that you know, hopefully, I don't know if they survived COVID.

Rich Ronett 21:00

Some, yeah, I mean most don't survive because I think, like you're saying, I mean, I think it is a fringe audience for it, you know. I think I don't think it's obviously not in the masses, you know, but I mean same with bookstores. Yeah, that's it.

Greg Staffa 21:14

No, I've I've attended South by Southwest the last six or seven years, minus COVID, but and it's always the I mean the people are there, the people will come to see independent the independent sh movies, but I just there's always kind of a stigma attached to them too.

Laura Vale 21:31

Uh what uh a lot a lot are not good. Yeah, there's a lot that are, you know, and a lot of big movies are not good. So it's really yeah, you know, just finding finding the good product.

Rich Ronett 21:43

I also think well, I also think that even a lot of theater's not good, right? I think I think it's just I think making a film is not easy. Like making a good film is is is a difficult task. You know, you need so many things to kind of fire on on on the same cylinder that it's just like I think too, we were really

Laura Vale 22:00

Lucky, you know, one thing I know when I could when I if I've gone to is some independent film, we'll use that as an example. If I hear that the sound levels are off, I'm they've lost me, right? It's that one element of the film that could be off. And I go, Yeah, they didn't pay attention to it, or they didn't get this quality. And I think that one thing we pay attention to, and we're very fortunate, was to have an excellent editor, uh, two excellent editors, yeah, uh, excellent sound person, composer, right? Everything like a fully formed team, not hiring the right people. Because oftentimes you just see that something is lacking in in a film, and you go, Oh, that's yeah, or oh, that actor, why are why are they in there? They're not they're not supporting the story, what's going on here? So it doesn't look professional, right?

Greg Staffa 22:54

So what brought up the name Good Rebel Pictures? Or is it what's the source of that?

Rich Ronett 22:58

I really like the name because that really embodies me and Laura. Like we're we're good people, want to do good stuff and work with only really good people, and we're we're both rebels, but we're not like angry or pissed off from mean rebels. So that's kind of what where it came from. Like we are we are, we want to do our own thing, and we are we do rebel in our own way, but we're not like you know, we're not like yeah, anarchy, you know. We're more like, hey, how's it going? Yeah, how's it going? We want to go over here if that's cool. All right, see ya.

Greg Staffa 23:27

You know, and let's say we're both independent spirits. Yeah, that's good. Let's say Spielberg came to you and says, I want to finance an independent film, but I want to do it from afar. Here's the checkbook. I want to see what you guys are capable of doing. Uh, what would be like a dream genre or story that you guys would would love to tell, but might not recurrently have the budget to to do something like it?

Rich Ronett 23:52

Ah um well, on an indie level, I'd still love to do thrillers because I love a really great mystery and suspense.

Laura Vale 23:59

So this is a lot of money from Spielberg. Come on.

Rich Ronett 24:02

Well, I mean, I'm just saying, like, I may not want it. I might be like, you know, well, I would do like a war epic. I'd do like a thin red line. War epic would be cool, yeah. Um, in a different kind of way, find some different angle on it for probably, but still, like I still think it's excessive to be like 150 million. Like, like you look at look, I mean, it's crazy. Like, we just watched oh yeah, don't mind it, don't mention it.

Laura Vale 24:24

It's just a big blockbuster.

Rich Ronett 24:25

A big blockbuster movie, and it was like 200 million, but so much of it went to just paying actors, right? Which is kind of like defeats the purpose of actually trying to make a good again, trying to make a good movie for the right price. So give me if Steven Stuber gave me 30 million to do instead of 100 million, it'd be great. Like, honestly, like I really, I really believe that. You know, I think yeah, you don't you don't need it's gotten so excessive, you know, and it's it's it's crazy, I think.

Greg Staffa 24:51

Yeah, so five years from now, do you still see good rebel pictures doing one film a year? Is I mean, is that what's where's the growth that you want to see with it?

Laura Vale 25:01

Yeah, we would love to do more. We want to set, you know, like reasonable expectations, one a year to start off with, and then probably after you know a few years of that, yeah, probably after like three or four years, probably do two, two to three, like just build it slowly, just see how well they do.

Rich Ronett 25:18

It just really again it comes down to how the how how well they're doing, right? Like how much money we're making on whatever film, and then build it, really build it slowly and organically and and let it happen how it's supposed to.

Greg Staffa 25:29

And is there types of films you want to focus on, or is there others that you're trying to shy away from? Is there like a I don't know if there's an ethic or just moral messages that you're trying to send?

Rich Ronett 25:40

Uh it's mainly we want to do thrillers kind of in the David Fincher tone in that in that kind of world. Um, that's mainly what we're doing for the first several. We probably will eventually branch out. We we don't I don't like to write from a message heavy place. I just don't, I don't like, I don't enjoy that myself. I like to just tell a great story that number one is excellent performances, and number two has a really good hook of a story that keeps you that keeps it on, you know. So I think um that we don't so we're not we're just really good thrillers as escapes, you know.

Laura Vale 26:15

Not to say that I don't in the future want to write an inspiring film, uh, you know, that might be in a different tone, uh, you know, be a drama. Um yeah. So my I really have uh my heart's in supporting mental health, so that might be a topic I dabble in and I've written myself. So uh, but not right now. Uh that'll be for the future. But I'm not gonna shove a message down the audience's throat because they they're they're bit too smart and they'll you know, they're like, hey, I make up my own mind on that. Thank you.

Greg Staffa 26:49

Sure. Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about Culprit Now. Uh it was released made its debut this week, correct?

Rich Ronett 26:57

Uh it premiered at the Dances with Films uh Film Festival. Oh shout out to Dancers. Yeah, they're um they're one of the they're the truly supportive. Uh they've been around 27 years, they're they truly support indie film. They actually don't take any movies with any names at all that help get you funding or distribution. So they they really they're really all about supporting indie film. Um and the uh we premiered on their their second night this past Friday, and it's uh it's a movie, it's about a guy who gets out of prison after 27 years. He originally went in for the murder of a nine-year-old girl, and when and uh her uh her older sister never really believed he did it. She always thought maybe somebody in her own family did it. So she helps get him released, and then they partner up to find out who really did it. But then three days after he gets out, another nine-year-old girl gets murdered the same exact way. So you're like, Oh, did he do it? Did he not? You know, and you and you won't really know until the last frame of the movie.

Laura Vale 27:52

Yeah, it keeps you guessing, keeps you on the everybody said I was on the edge of my seat and I didn't know, and they were still talking afterwards. Yeah.

Greg Staffa 27:59

Rich, you wrote and directed it, correct?

Rich Ronett 28:01

I did.

Greg Staffa 28:02

And did the story come out of anything real life, or where did you draw from it?

Rich Ronett 28:06

It was, yeah, it was originally inspired by the Innocence Project uh found you know, foundation that they go around uh releasing uh innocent prisoners. It starts started there and then I kind of turned it into a more fictionalized thriller, you know, kind of a more unpredictable, not so much a character study or drama, but more of a an unpredictable because I'm a big believer in having a really good balance of plot and character in your films, you know, like that for me. I really enjoy the most.

Greg Staffa 28:32

So that's where it starts. And Laura, you've done a lot of horror. I mean, you started off doing a lot of horror, correct?

Laura Vale 28:39

Yes.

Greg Staffa 28:40

Is that do you enjoy it? I mean, obviously you must enjoy it or you wouldn't do it, but is that I mean, I just I just can't imagine doing horror for a long time and just kind of it has to be emotionally draining. I mean, do you feel ah I had a fun day, you know, on set today? How does that does it ever to just kind of weigh on you?

Laura Vale 28:59

Uh the horror films?

Greg Staffa 29:01

Yeah.

Laura Vale 29:03

Uh well, uh one thing that I don't like is uh waiting in fake blood. Uh that can get real sticky. Uh screaming too much. I think uh well, some of the horror films that I did actually got a little bit campy. So there was always a tongue-in-cheek element to it. So we really didn't, it wasn't like this getting terrorized all day. Uh, I don't I don't know how I would do in a saw film, you know, that might be a bit different. There was always a bit of humor in mind. Um, and uh so it wasn't as draining. It was actually more draining to do this one uh that I just did over uh because it was a very heavy character and it was filmed over a long period of time. So holding on to that very disturbing character uh can can feel uh heavy. And so you have to release it, you know, every so often and get back to your normal life.

Greg Staffa 30:06

And no, no, where was Culpit filmed?

Rich Ronett 30:09

Um we shot in LA most of it, and then we also shot exteriors in Huntsville, Texas, because it takes place in Huntsville, Texas.

Greg Staffa 30:16

Yeah, so I was gonna say I'm surprised that it shot in LA, but I'm guessing it's cheaper to shoot in LA.

Rich Ronett 30:21

We turned our house in uh into a uh Texas ranch house. Oh we live in Woodland Hills, so yeah, yeah.

Greg Staffa 30:29

What's the mess? I mean, what's the message that you want people to coming away from culprit for?

Rich Ronett 30:34

Um, just you know, honestly, just watching a really good movie for for the ride, you know, for the escape and and the the thrill of just keep keeping them on the edge and and really just enjoying every moment of the movie with really deep performances that are authentic and and interesting and nuanced and uh really being hooked on the story. That's it.

Greg Staffa 30:53

And moved. Where will we be appearing next?

Rich Ronett 30:57

Well, we're gonna we basically have several offers right now for distribution, which we've just kind of figured out. Um, yeah, we've gotten a handful of offers already, which is great. Uh, we got a really great sales agent at Blacktop International. So we're kind of just kind of seeing what what each offer looks like right now, and just kind of actually had a call about it yesterday. So we're just in that process right now of finding the right, the best home for it that it can kind of get out there and be seen by the most amount of people.

Greg Staffa 31:23

Without showing your hand too much, it what would be good rebel pictures ideal place, or what would you ideally like to see, you know, on streaming, or what would you like to see happen to it?

Rich Ronett 31:35

I mean, ideally, I'd love a the access for just for like a month, you know, would be amazing. Down the we won't get it on this one, but on the next one, I think we we hope to. Then after that, you know, HBO Max would be great, Netflix, Amazon, all that, any streaming. Paramount, yeah, Paramount Plus.

Greg Staffa 31:54

So is there is there a film festival that is scheduled to be now in it, or is it still now the negotiations of we don't really need we don't have to be?

Laura Vale 32:03

Yeah, it's not it's not a yeah, festival darling.

Rich Ronett 32:06

Oh, so it's not making around it's a thriller, so I'm not really I never even really we never even tended to do any uh festival at all, to be honest with you, because it's a thriller. Like I feel like they usually take you know heavier kind of character dramas. So but I was so happy to hear about dances with films and then hear that they took all kinds of movies just for the sake of being a good movie, didn't matter the genre. And I thought that that was really great. So we we don't really plan on it because it doesn't really at this point doesn't really help us, you know. I don't think because we already have uh distribution for it.

Greg Staffa 32:36

Is there will is there a website for goodwill rebel pictures that people can go to and kind of keep an eye out and see where they can possibly find it down the road?

Rich Ronett 32:46

Yeah, goodrebel pictures.com, all one word, good rebel pictures perfect.

Greg Staffa 32:50

And you'll have more announcements of what else is coming up, yeah.

Laura Vale 32:54

Our social media too.

Rich Ronett 32:56

We have good Rebel Pictures is also on Instagram, same, same, same name. Yeah, so the next one we're gearing up to do right now is called Seven Suspects, and it's a uh thriller, similar tone to uh culprit. And um, we're geared, hopefully hopefully start shooting in set in Hudson, New York, in um uh September, October, maybe, depending on depending on cast, because we're gonna get some we will get some side, you know, some names for this one.

Greg Staffa 33:22

Now, Laura, how hard is it going from kind of producing to going, oh I could be that person, or how are you gonna juggle the hats involved in this going forward?

Laura Vale 33:34

Yeah, very good question. Um, our head producer, Cosmos Candarius, uh really helped me out with that in the shooting of culprit. He said, When you're an actor, that's all you're doing. I'm gonna handle all the producing, so you don't need to worry about it when you are an actor on set. And so he really helped me delineate those two roles, and he's gonna be on our second production as well. So that that was an immense help because I tend to worry. I, you know, I'm looking at this and that on the set, I'm going, oh, did I pick this person? Did that person, you know, is he they are they taking care of that? And he's like, don't even think about it, just focus on acting. So uh that that was real help. It's necessary if you're an actor uh who is producing or an actor who's directing, even I would imagine.

Rich Ronett 34:27

Yeah, you that's also on me. It's I'm I make sure that her time isn't split. You know, when we're working on a producing thing, that's what we're doing if we're in pre-production. But if we're rehearsing or we're at we're shooting, she's only acting. That's it.

Greg Staffa 34:38

Now you had mentioned earlier that you tie rich up and Rony's writing. Do you have any eyes on his director's chair?

Laura Vale 34:46

Do I have any? Yeah. Uh not right now. Uh not right now. Probably eventually. Uh, I wrote a script that I may direct someday because it's more, I mean, it's in my tone. I know what tone I wrote it for. And um, but right now I'm just happy uh acting and producing.

Greg Staffa 35:07

So right now, Rich is safe.

Laura Vale 35:09

He's safe. I'm not going to use Supas Chair. It scares me. Bought him a director's chair, and I'm happy that he's using it.

Greg Staffa 35:16

Well, I wanted to thank both of you for coming on. I'll link to your Good Rebel pictures so people can keep an eye out for where they can see the culprit next and wish you the best of luck. Maybe I'll see you at South by Southwest one of these years. Um, but I look forward to see uh what else you guys do.

Rich Ronett 35:32

Thanks so much, man. Great uh thanks so much for having us. This is really fun.

Greg Staffa 35:36

Oh, thank you. That does it for this episode. Thank you for listening to the Staff of Corner.