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Filmmaker Adam Saunders went full-bore with his new movie Dotty & Soul. He wrote, directed, produced, and stars in the feature. With so many jobs under his belt, Saunders elaborated on how he manages to do so much within a day. For him, starting his morning with a six to nine a.m. writing shift is paramount.
Dotty & Soul centers on Ethan Cox (Adam Saunders), the creator of a self-driving car company who is soon to be a very rich man thanks to his invention. Due to a problematic Halloween costume worn by Cox, his company takes a massive public relations hit. Ethan hires 71-year-old snack car vendor Dotty (Leslie Uggams) to be the company’s figurehead.
This plan will ensure he and business partner Brannigan (David Koechner) rake in the millions. Dotty, however, has plans of her own, and her own business acumen and humanistic world view gives Ethan something to think about.
“With Dotty & Soul, I was really feeling like I was living an inauthentic life,” said Saunders. “Which is to say it all about trying to put a bigger deal as a producer. And trying to raise financing and I felt like . . . I am an artist. I want to be expressing myself, my truth as an artist. I felt I was so trapped by expectations of my investors. And the expectations of all the financial stuff. I felt like that was what Ethan was dealing with.”
After completing Dotty & Soul, Saunders felt reenergized as a producer. One part of filmmaking feeds the other. In Saunders’ case, his day starts with a three hour writing session.
“The way that it’s worked for me is when I’m doing one of the jobs, I try to specifically be doing that job,” said Saunders. “So for example, every morning, rain or shine, seven days a week, 365 days a year, I get up at six in the morning and I write from six to nine. I’m in writer mode during that time. I’m not on the phone. I’m not thinking about any movies that I’m working on. I’m just in that screenwriter world.”
Along with this very insightful and logical writing advice, Saunders also reflects on working with Leslie Uggams and gives details on the next movie he is directing.
Check out our Deepest Dream interview Dotty & Soul filmmaker Adam Saunders:
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Dotty & Soul is now available on Digital and On Demand (including Amazon **). I dug the film and would love to hear your thoughts on the movie!
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