Click here to watch Joshua Cross' short film, Blood on Your Hands.Imagine being a young filmmaker without professional equipment, funding, or the time to dedicate yourself to your art. One weekend, on a budget of spare change, you make a film with your friends. Now imagine that you can make a copy of your indie oeuvre and send it to one of the most famous directors and producers in history for your shot at a million-dollar production deal.
That’s what the Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg reality television contest On The Lot is all about. Joshua Cross, 21, of Dartmouth heard about the contest only two weeks before its deadline, and threw himself into the process of making his first film.
“I think On the Lot is a fantastic idea. It will be very interesting how it plays out,” said Cross. “I think it could actually change the face of Hollywood. The show is giving nobody filmmakers the chance at a million-dollar development contract based on their talent and what the audiences want, not by who they know and what stuffy, greedy producers want.”
Cross is foremost a horror movie fan, although he also follows Asian cinema and independent film closely. For his chance at a million-dollar production deal, he chose to stay true to his interests and create a nightmarish “B” horror flick.
“I have had this idea for a horror movie since I was 17 or 18, and I've been playing with it in my head since then. When I heard about On The Lot I thought it was the perfect chance to test some of my ideas out on film.”
Although this was the Auburn Drive High School alum’s first time as a director and editor, Cross is not a stranger to acting. He has appeared in feature-length films (most recently John Stamos’ Wedding Wars) and is a graduate of Neptune Theatre’s Pre-Professional Training Program. Cross emphasized that it is important for him to lend his experience as an actor to his directing style.
“Acting is a lot about emotion, and I try to direct the same way. How a scene is written and how it’s shot is heavily influenced by how it makes me feel. Does it make me anxious, does it make me happy, does it make me remember deep, dark secrets of my past? I put that all into perspective when making a film.”
Cross’ On the Lot submission, Blood on Your Hands, was shot in February at his home. He recruited his friends, movie buffs themselves, to appear in the film. After braving the cold weather and struggling with poor lighting (the film was shot entirely at night), Cross had enough raw material to start editing. A first-time editor, he used Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 to piece together his film in between his shifts as a host at Smitty’s in Dartmouth.
Now that Cross has submitted the final cut of his first film, he has begun to plan out future projects that may cause some controversy.
“I would like to act in some worthwhile projects, including some of my own projects. I'm currently writing a racial drama surrounding a small community of natives and whites that I would love to see done in the future. I want to push boundaries, I want to try new things, but most of all I want to make films that provoke and force people to question their morals, religious beliefs, and [the way they live their lives].”
On the Lot premieres in May on CTV.
I find it kind of funny that the public relations department don't have a blog yet. MSVU's library is even more tech-savvy; its blog is routinely updated by different library staff members. 
Posts
