Mick Shane
Credits: Water Over Wine director, screenwriter, producer
Former Florida Residency: Miami Beach
Current Residency: Austin, Texas

Film South Florida: Describe Water Over Wine in 20 words or less.
          
Shane: Two different men sexually abuse a girl: did she commit suicide afterward or was she murdered by one of them?
             
Film South Florida: What was the film’s source of inspiration?
            
Shane: Water Over Wine began as a one-act play. I was a member of a small theater group during the impeachment of Bill Clinton and I was looking for a topic to base a short play upon. I never really liked or disliked Clinton but I did not think he should lose his job over the incident. Mostly because I did not think Monica Lewinsky was an innocent being prayed upon. But the whole incident was ripe for either farce or drama and I wanted to mine it in some unique way. Then I saw a picture in a magazine of Chelsea Clinton taken shortly her father came clean about the affair. The girl looked haunted, frightened, embarrassed and devastated. I decided after I saw that picture that the issue—for me—was the effect Clinton ’s behavior had on his daughter. Clinton was wrong and he deserved every piece of bad press he got.  From there I decided to write something about a young girl who has been taken advantage of by an older man. Not necessarily an evil man, but a callous, selfish man. At about the same time I was developing the story, a friend of mine told me about how she had been raped by her father when she was 12 years old and that her father still acts as if it never happened. The story took off from there and morphed into a gothic blue collar Florida tale. It never was performed as a play but when I decided to jump into filmmaking this was the story I chose to turn into a little movie.
           
Film South Florida: What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome while making your film?
          
Shane: There were not any really big obstacles in the production process. I actually had an experienced cast—Jamie Marrs, Michaela Cronan—and crew—Marcello Duarte, Mike Keller—working with me and they helped me get through the process of directing my first film unscathed. Plus, we gave ourselves a generous amount of time to finish shooting the film and there was no stress at any of the locations we used so we were able to move along methodically. The only problem I had with the film was cutting it down to a reasonable run time. The first cut was 30 minutes and the final cut is 14 minutes. It was too long and boring, quite frankly. So a lot of stuff had to go. As I said earlier, the script began as a play, and I discovered that a ‘wordy’ script is hard to cut. But my editor Doug Commette and I finally figured out a little split-screen gimmick to make the movie play faster. I hated the movie at 30 minutes and I love it at 14 minutes. Lesson learned.  
              
Film South Florida: What was the most memorable moment of making Water Over Wine?
              
Shane: The Mayor of Jensen Beach stopped traffic for us on the main thoroughfare so we could steal a shot. That was pretty cool. The owners of Crawdaddy’s, a restaurant in Jensen Beach , let us shoot in their bar during a crowded lunch hour. Then they fed us! We rented the house next door to my grandparent’s house in Port St. Lucie as our main location and sleeping quarters so they got to watch us work. They fed us, too. Several times. My girlfriend at the time—Heather Liebl—was the producer, so that was great. There were so many great moments. I remember every morning during the shoot, having breakfast with everyone, and feeling like a pretty lucky cat just to be where I was. I knew when we were making this little film I would be involved in making movies in some way for the rest of my life. I had worked with each of the cast and crew either in a play or another movie before we made this one so I had the luxury of working with friends who are also talented and dedicated. Even though it was a short film, they all worked like we were making a feature and I can’t thank them enough for that. Working with my cousin as my editor was pretty cool. We get along great and share the passion for the process. He taught me enough to be able to edit on my own at a fairly high level so I thank him for that.
             
Film South Florida: How important is it that Water Over Wine is screening during the PBIFF?
              
Shane: It’s huge. I can’t wait to meet some of the other Voices of Local Film and compare notes. I know a lot of actors and filmmakers in the Miami area but I don’t know any from the Palm Beach area so I am looking forward to meeting a few folks and seeing their films. It will be a great networking opportunity as well.
              
Film South Florida: How has living in Florida shaped your vision as a filmmaker?
              
Shane: The most important thing to me about making films in Florida is that whenever I am in the state I am filled with hope for my future. Maybe it is the weather and the water. I don’t know. But it is hard to be a pessimist when the sun is shining, the air is warm and clean and the ocean is a few steps away. I lived in Miami Beach for 12 years and I saw a lot of films being shot there. They always had the obligatory “Ocean Drive Shot” and focused on the glitz of the area, which is cool. Miami is a provocative place. But Miami seemed to just be window dressing. The stories were never about Florida or Floridians. To me, there were many other interesting places and people to make a film about in the area. So I decided that when my turn came I would make a rural film and I will stick to that in the future. It was a good decision. We got a lot of assistance because the people in Jensen Beach were happy to have us there and gave us a ton of help. The whole process seemed authentic. If we shot in Miami we would just be a nuisance to the local business and tourists. I like that there are a lot of people making small independent films here. Good films. The festivals are top notch and the communities support local filmmakers. That inspires me. I want to make films in Florida , with Florida themes and stories with a cast and crew of Floridians.

WATER OVER WINE:
Time: 7:15 p.m. Monday, April 18 (screened during Voices of Local Film)
Location: Muvico Parisian 20, CityPlace, 545 Hibiscus St., West Palm Beach
Tickets: Regular theater matinee and evening prices
Information: (561) 362-0003
Web site: http://www.pbifilmfest.org/films.asp?catID=14

Back to top