WALK-IN – Up Close with the Director Scott Blum

How did you prepare to be a first time film director? What challenges did you face along the way?

Because of my years of experience in multimedia production, especially in the music industry, I was very familiar with the production process in general and many of the specific tasks needed during the production of a film. However, one of my biggest learning opportunities came from how to work with actors and how to support them in getting great performances. Fortunately, I was living in Ashland, Oregon at the time, which has one of the most prestigious Shakespeare theaters in the country, and is home to several world class actors. And although some actors in the film made their big screen debut with Walk-In, they all were so incredibly talented and seasoned that it made my job as a first time director much easier than it could have been.

Producing, writing and directing is such a daunting task, why not bring in professionals to support the process?

I have been involved in the creative aspect of media creation in many different forms throughout my entire career, so I was confident that I could lead the creative contribution of the film’s writing and directing. But for everything else, I was very much reliant on professionals to make everything look and sound as good as possible. One of the first hires I made was the extremely experienced line producer, Gary Kout, who made sure the talented and experienced film crew was in place and then set up the management structure to insure we had a professional and productive set. In addition to Gary Kout, I hired the casting director (Bruce Hostetler), editor (Gary Lundgren), cinematographer (Ryan E. Walters), and composer (Jeff Pevar) who were all seasoned professionals. Everyone else, Gary Kout helped me hire.