Final Run
DIRECTOR’S COMMENT
The concept for FINAL RUN was hatched while I was finishing up post production on DOMESTIC BLISS, my junior thesis film at Loyola Marymount University. Even though my senior thesis was still a year away, I knew I wanted my next project to be in a totally different genre : science fiction.
My brainstorming sessions always ended with the same image: a disgruntled figure engaging in dubious transactions on a backwater planet. Who was this character? What kind of world did they live in? How did they justify their actions? I'd always been fascinated by humanity's ambiguity of what makes someone "good" or "evil".
When I pitched the premise and that scene to my friend and producer Darin Kuhlmann, he was ecstatic. Before I could even finish he said, “Sounds cool. Now go write it!”
So I did.
Why Science Fiction?
My main reason for choosing science fiction is because it was the genre that initially inspired me to become a filmmaker. Like most young boys, I thought anything with spaceships, lasers and explosions were frickin’ cool.
But as I got older, something happened. I noticed the science fiction films that stayed with me were those where you could strip away all the stereotypical genre trappings (ships, laser guns, aliens, time travel, etc.) and the story would still be relevant and interesting.
“While I had absolutely no interest in making a movie about spaceships, I did have an interest about making a movie about the people on those ships and the lives they led.” - writer/director Nicholas Meyer on what attracted him to STAR TREK II: WRATH OF KHAN.
I made FINAL RUN because I have an interest in both. Science fiction is one of the few genres where one can explore relevant issues in an endlessly unique myriad of ways while simultaneously entertaining your audience. This is immensely appealing to me.
The other personal allure of this genre was the fact I could literally create my own world. This means I got to dream up everything from the future history of humanity, to what type of ships and weapons my characters used. Yes, that’s more demanding creatively and financially for a filmmaker and crew than a simple (if such a term exists in moviemaking) drama. But the unique opportunity to apply the genre filmmaking techniques I'd read about over the years to my own story was simply too great to pass up.
On the technical side, I never would have been able to even consider making a film as ambitious as FINAL RUN if it weren’t for two people. From the film’s initial inception, Darin Kuhlmann and Bill Hawk were essential in getting this project completed. I simply could not have done it without them. From my instructors at Loyola, to my production and post production crew; I've been fortunate to work with talented people. To all my friends, family, mentors, and people who selflessly volunteered their time and talents to FINAL RUN: you have my sincerest gratitude.
Making FINAL RUN has been the most daunting challenge I’ve ever undertaken. But it was also a great learning experience. So when people ask me if it was worth all the delays, stress, physical, mental, and financial fatigue, my answer is always the same: "Yes."
Because the little boy inside me who loves movies still thinks lasers and spaceships are frickin’ cool...
Ken Foley
Los Angeles, CA
2009
