A wonderful and fun exclusive interview with director JOHNNY MARTIN discussing the action-packed thriller OFF THE GRID and how Johnny’s own “Macgyvering” brought it to life.
SYNOPSIS: After a morally-bankrupt company tries to weaponize a brilliant scientist’s revolutionary technology, he goes off the grid to safeguard humanity. When the company sends a strike force to find him, they make their biggest mistake of all – they weaponize the man they are trying to catch. Armed with unrivaled brains and brawn, the wild genius turns Guerrilla warfare into a deadly science.
Directed by JOHNNY MARTIN with script by Jim Agnew, OFF THE GRID stars Josh Duhamel, Academy Award Nominee Greg Kinnear, Peter Stormare, Maria Elsa Camargo, and a breakout performance by Michael Zapesotsky.
In this exclusive conversation, director JOHNNY MARTIN breaks down OFF THE GRID piece by piece, starting with Johnny’s desire to create an action movie without guns, focusing instead on the lead character of Guy (Josh Duhamel) and his use of unconventional “MacGyvered” weapons, all of which were handmade by Johnny and Josh to ensure they would work within the film construct. Approaching this with an observational nature and the importance of location as a character, Johnny details the casting process, particularly with Greg Kinnear and Michael Zapesotsky, and the challenges of filming in Mississippi’s dense forest from a character standpoint. Logistically, Johnny discusses his collaboration with cinematographer David Stragmeister in developing the film’s visual grammar and celebrating the small-town intimacy that Clinton, Mississippi, provided. He also highlights the editing process and working with editor Vincent Tabaillon, who is perhaps best known for action and building tension in films like Taken 2, Transporter 2, Escape Plan 2: Hades, and Clash of the Titans. Also important to OFF THE GRID is the work of composer Frederik Wiedmann.
By maintaining a commitment to authenticity and practical storytelling, Johnny and his team behind the lens and in front of it created a deeply immersive experience that makes the OFF THE GRID world feel tangible and real.
As you’ll hear Johnny discuss, key elements that were at the forefront of this production included:
- Carefully selecting and utilizing location details
- Choosing a forest that becomes a character itself
- Ensuring the environment feels authentic and supports the narrative
- Using natural lighting and terrain to create depth and texture
- Emphasizing practical effects and real-world testing
- Building and testing actual gadgets and contraptions on-site
- Ensuring all props and tools feel realistic and functional
- Involving the actors in the design and testing process
- Focusing on sensory details
- Incorporating environmental challenges like heat, insects, and terrain
- Using sound design to capture the nuances of the forest setting
- Creating a score that subtly enhances the eerie, mysterious atmosphere
- Designing sets that feel lived-in and personal
- Creating spaces like the cabin that reflect the character’s history
- Using production design to tell a story beyond dialogue
- Ensuring every location feels authentic and purposeful
When it comes to casting, Johnny believes the core lesson is to see casting and character development as a collaborative, organic process that goes beyond simply matching physical traits or acting skills. As a result, with OFF THE GRID he emphasized several key insights in order to achieve this authentic character development:
He found a specific location less than an eighth of a mile square that had the right structure with a creek and varied levels, all of which were incorporated into the story structure. It was very important that the location and the forest didn’t overtake the actors’ dialogue. Key for Johnny and David was that with natural light and lens, they could create perfect shadows that made Josh’s character of Guy just “pop out” from the forestry. To achieve this, shots had to be continually adjusted as the sun moved to maintain the film’s visual consistency.
Logistically, the cast and crew had to deal with temperatures reaching 110 degrees. There was also a real concern about snakes as they were constantly moving throughout the shooting area, resulting in crew members jumping and screaming during takes when the snakes passed by them. Four snake wranglers were required on set at all times. Even Johnny himself was not immune to the elements of Mother Nature as he suffered multiple severe chigger bites that required treatment with steroid shots.
As Johnny discusses, production designer Adam Pruitt was crucial in transforming existing locations into believable sets. Specifically, the store was not originally a store but an open room that Adam built from scratch. The bar was actually a pizza place that Adam converted into a bar. According to Johnny, Adam Pruitt was his “hero” and described his work as “genius,” emphasizing how Adam carefully designed sets to reflect the characters’ backgrounds and create a sense of home and authenticity in the small town of Clinton.
When it came to editing, Johnny called upon editor Vincent Tabaillon for what became quite a challenging process. Initially, they were not satisfied with the rough cut and spent significant time rearranging scenes to better follow the actors’ emotions and create a more compelling narrative while building tension and audience engagement. Johnny moved several scenes around, changing their positions from the beginning to the middle and end of the film. They also added a brief action moment at the beginning to create a “ticking clock” effect and change the overall feeling of the movie’s opening. The process took several weeks of careful refinement to achieve the desired storytelling and emotional flow.
Johnny also had a very close collaboration with composer Frederik Wiedmann, emphasizing the importance of creating a subtle, eerie score that enhances the storytelling without overpowering the dialogue. With a minimalist musical approach that creates tension and emotional depth, Johnny wanted the music to be something the brain hears more than the ears, something that was intentionally buried underneath the dialogue and character movements. Specifically, Johnny told Frederik he wanted the music to be less prominent, not equal to the dialogue or character movements, but more of an underlying, almost imperceptible layer that creates tension and mood. He had Frederik recreate the score multiple times, ultimately aiming for a sound that would create an unsettling atmosphere without drawing attention to itself. The goal was to have a score that subtly enhances the mysterious and Gothic Southern undertones of the film, supporting the narrative without overwhelming the visual storytelling. The end result is a musical approach that adds depth to the film’s emotional landscape while remaining almost imperceptible.
Of course, what’s more important in staying OFF THE GRID than having the tools to do so, especially when you have folks hot on your tail for your intellectual property that can either better the world or destroy it. You hear the glee in Johnny’s voice as he talks about all of the “MacGyvering” that he and Josh Duhamel did for OFF THE GRID as they spent two years collaboratively designing and testing the gadgets for the film. This was a very hands-on approach where Johnny would go to Home Depot, buy various items, and then experiment with them. An example of this creativity was in taking a fire extinguisher, modifying it by cutting a hole and adding a hose bib, and then testing to see if it would produce a flame. Johnny emphasized that everything seen in the movie was physically tested by him and Josh. They would send each other video ideas, design the contraptions together, and ensure each gadget was practical and would work in the film’s context. Particularly proud of all of the gadgets they designed, Johnny is disappointed that the trailer didn’t showcase the full extent of their ingenuity. Of course, you get to see all of the gadgetry on display and in full use when you watch the movie. His main goal was to create devices that the protagonist could use cleverly, without relying on traditional weapons or combat skills. And be warned, the gadget reveal scene at the monastery is one of Johnny Martin’s favorite moments, as it allowed them to pay off all the creative work they had done in designing these unique tools.
An insightful and enlightening interview into the making of OFF THE GRID. Bring on OFF THE GRID 2!
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 06/17/2025
OFF THE GRID is in theatres, On Demand, and on digital.
