“Girl With Gun” is a film about Gwen Hunter, whose best friend Mitzi and on-and-off love Dan thinks she is an ordinary 20-something working woman. In reality, she is the Nightingale, an assassin who helps the innocent when they cannot help themselves.  However, her double life leads her to contemplate whether it is worth it, having come so close to death only earlier that morning while on assignment, wondering whether she should just settle down with Dan to lead a normal life like Mitzi’s.

 
2) The badass female assassin is a popular sub-genre of film. What prompted you to make a film in this millieu? 

I’ve always found the female superhero genre fascinating.  I took elements from “Batman” (the double life, the fact that Batman is human with no real superpowers other than his gadgets and technology) and from such films as “Kill Bill” and “The Matrix” for the look and feel of a female superhero (The Bride and Trinity) as well as for the cinematography. 
 
3) Short film has struggled to gain a foothold in the movie-watcher's stream of consciousness. Why do you think this is true?  

Because it is a short film.  Shorts films most likely won’t get distribution and can only deal with a limited narrative (due to time constraints).  So in the case of “Girl With Gun”, I could only do aggressive self-marketing on such sites as MySpace and Withoutabox in hopes that people like what they see.  And if they do, then hopefully someone will be kind enough to invest in a feature version! 
 
4) Do you peruse any popular short fiction magazines, perhaps searching for the inspiration to your next short feature? 

I peruse various magazines such as Hollywood Reporter, Variety to see what films are in production, as well as see what’s on MySpace to get me in contact with like minded people, to see if we can collaborate.  I also go to various film festivals to get a feel for other independent short film and feature productions going on. 
 
5) How did you get into filmmaking? 

I’ve always wanted to get into filmmaking ever since I was young.  I remember building medieval lego sets and doing stop motion camera work with the lego figures.  By the time I was in High School, I became fond of composer John Williams’ music and that got me hooked into doing filmmaking as a career.  I began professional filmmaking after graduating from USC with my first short film “Her Knight” in 2003.  Presently I am in pre-production on my first feature film called “P.J.” which we are shooting this Christmas, a film that wouldn’t have been possible without “Girl With Gun”. 
 
6) Any plans to make a feature length film? Perhaps an expansion on Girl With Gun?  

The aforementioned “P.J.” is my first attempt at feature filmmaking and I hope people will like it when it’s released next year! 
 
7) I thought your lead actress did an exceptional job. She's a nice mix of Natasha Henstridge and Uma Thurman. How did you find Tracy O'Conner? 

I cast through Back Stage West and found her that way.  She was definitely a pleasure to work with, a trooper, and I wouldn’t have cast anyone else in the role.

 
8) What is the best way for your fans to keep in the loop in regards to the latest Russ Emanuel work? 

The “Girl With Gun” MySpace site is a great way to keep up-to-date with any of my latest works or festival schedules, at http://www.myspace.com/gwg_girlwithgun.  Otherwise, go to the official Russem Productions website at http://www.russem.com to see what’s happening! 

Thanks Jason for the interview and thanks to everyone for tuning in!