Tom DeNucci Talks “Blue Collar” Approach To Directing ‘The Collective’

Filmmaker Tom DeNucci has an all-star cast (Lucas Till, Don Johnson, Tyrese Gibson) to anchor The Collective. The action thriller centers on a group of Good Samaritan assassins tasked with taking down a human trafficking ring. DeNucci talked about why his “blue collar” approach to director has put him in good stead. The Collective is now out in theaters, Digital, and On Demand.

Lucas Till plays Sam Alexander, the latest recruit in The Collective. Eager to prove his worth on the field, Sam gets mentorship from his superiors Hugo (Tyrese Gibson) and Liam (Don Johnson). Paul Ben-Victor (aka Spiros from The Wire) is Miro, the leader of the human trafficking ring with Ruby Rose and Mercedes Varnado serving as his enforcers.

“I’m a blue collar guy,” said Tom DeNucci, whose previous credits include Vault and Almost Mercy. “My dad instilled some old school work ethic in me. I just kind of think of this as a job, so what job are we working today? Okay well we have to shoot this TV movie. We have to shoot this action movie. I got a horror movie I have to do. I just treat it like a job. Too many filmmakers treat filmmaking as some fantasy because they read a couple of articles about something that happened to a famous director.”

“Really, if you treat it like a job and go about it like you’re just bringing your lunch pail into work, opportunity will end up just coming. So that’s how I’ve always approached it.”

Full interview has DeNucci delivering key insights on the filmmaking process, and he elaborates why prep time is an integral aspect of directing. He also elaborates on why it is important to have several plates spinning at once when working in the entertainment industry. DeNucci also talks about his YouTube Channel @TomDeNucciFilm and working on The Collective with Lucas Till and Paul Ben-Victor.

Check out this week’s episode of CinemAddicts which has reviews of The Passenger, Talk To Me, and What Comes Around:

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The Collective is now in theaters and is available On Digital and On Demand. You can purchase/rent The Collective on Amazon to support our CinemAddicts podcast (I’m an Associates member).