Interview with Robert L. Butler Jr
Welcome Mr Butler Jr, we are very excited to have you today and discuss about your work. Who is Robert L. Butler Jr and how did the passion for filmmaking start ?
Robert L Butler Jr is an award-winning actor, writer, editor, producer and director. He is originally from Washington D.C. An avid Bruce Lee fan, has been fascinated with film as a young kid, growing up watching horror movies and episodes of The Twilight Zone, really intrigued his interest in storytelling. Also watching Bruce Lee on screen gave him the inspiration to be an actor, seeing a minority on the screen at a young age in the lead role, was inspiring to him. but his dreams would have to wait, a year after he graduated high school, he would enlist in the United States Marines.
Serving 20 years from July 1984-Aug 2004, retiring after reaching the rank of SSgt, He also severed in The Gulf War. After retiring, he relocated to Seattle Washington to embark on his second career. While doing security, for a few years, he felt as though he was just existing and not really living, that is when something inside him said "Hey, didn't you always want to be an actor? So, with that in mind, he began auditioning for role in the Seattle area, but there were little to no roles for African American men. Frustrated he began to create short films of his own, 5 comedies, each he wrote, acted, edited and directed. He had fun doing them and gained some followers on social media outlets like You tube and Facebook when he posted his videos. Then in 2013 wanting to get better behind the camera and learn more about screenwriting, He enrolled at Seattle Film Institute. He took the filmmaking program, then the acting program, and then the producing program.
While in school, he joined a talent agency, got a few gigs in local casino commercials, and was an extra Greys Anatomy and Station 19. But still frustrated because there were still no films being written for African Americans, he decided to write, act, edit, produce and direct his first feature film. That film would be called The Alliance, which took him 8 months to complete, he financed it himself and has won 161 awards and 94 nominations.
He has now completed a sequel called The Alliance 2 The Hunt for Breeze which has won 141 awards and 20 nominations and is still currently competing in festivals. What is most important to Robert is diversity in his films. But he does not take all the credit for his success, he always thanks his cast and crew #teamworkmakesthedreamwork.
Talk to us about your action-packed cinematic universe. What inspired it ?
I am inspired by believable stories, originality. and diversity. i get tired of seeing films with barley any minorities in lead or supporting roles. Mostly inspired by, The Wire, The Godfather Saga. Scarface, I like the genre and wanted to tell a story that was compelling, exciting and also believable.
CONVERSATION ABOUT: RLB JR Productions Filmography & The Alliance 2 The Hunt for Breeze
What would you describe as your directing identity style ?
I would say my directing style is creative artist. Beng that I am also an actor I can understand and empathize with the actors on set. I am not a restricted to what is written in the script as most directors are. As long as the premise of what I wrote has been delivered I am open to changing dialogue in a scene. Especially for some actors i have worked with that have never acted or had lines in a film. The more comfortable and confident they are in their lines the better the performance will be, I also while I am on set filming, adjust a scene add, something extra to it, for example a character or some lines to make the scene better, in this film I actually added scenes that were not even in the script.
Talk to us about your film? How was it created and what inspired it?
The Alliance 2 The Hunt for Breeze- Family ties are revealed when an unknown enemy emerges seeking revenge as the hunt for Breeze is on. After the surprising success of The Alliance, I was thinking of doing a prequel at first. I felt there was so many characters in the first film that there was more to be told. So. as I began working on it,I came up with a story that could tell a prequel and sequela at the same time and introduce some new characters as well as bringing back some from the first film. I also wanted to show how some characters are connected and how one character became the way he was. Most important to me was to have a better camera crew, the story was too good to have the same production problems we had on the first film.
What distincts ''The Alliance'' from other action films in this genre ?
I feel my writing style and not being predictable, having the audience guessing what is going to happen next. most importantly having a diverse cast, sets my film apart from a lot of other films.
Are the characters based on actual people and is there any hidden symbolism in your work ?
The story and the characters are fictional. When I am writing I do not watch any show ot movie that deals with the same genre I am writing. I do this so that I my story and characters can be original. it's one thing to be inspired and another to borrow or steal.
FUTURE WORK AND CLOSING LETTER
What is the target audience of your project ?
Target audience would be anyone that likes a good story, a film with a diverse cast, with great writing, acting, camerawork and a great soundtrack !
What is the message the audience should convey leaving the screening of your film ?
It's not easy being an indie filmmaker these days. It takes hard work, dedication to make a feature film, especially during covid, and with no financial backing whatsoever. Noone believing in you except for your cast and crew, and now all the ones that doubted you, get to see the finished award-winning project.
Should we prepare for the next installment in your franchise ?
For now there is no plans for a trilogy, will ride the success of this film. I have a few other projects in development, but I didn't know I had a sequel in me, so a 3rd installment. Maybe?
That was the interview with our beloved creator Robert L Butler Jr. Our community is rising everyday, new talented filmakers and screenwriters get onboard. Be sure to check the rest of our interviews and why not schedule one for yourself to promote your work. To publish an interview simply submit on the INTERVIEW OF YOUR FILM category on our Filmfreeway page.
