It’s long been said to write what you know; tell stories that you know. From life’s adventures come some of the best ideas and that’s exactly what happened for first-time feature writer/director MANUEL CROSBY and co-writer/co-director Darren Knapp with FIRST DATE. Inspired by Crosby’s own real-life car problems, with that germ of an idea for a film, the creativity of Crosby and Knapp exploded into wild fun as they wondered “How crazy can these situations get? How wild can these people get? How can they mess up each other’s lives in funny, interesting ways and in those type of ensemble crazy adventures?” And with that mantra driving them, FIRST DATE was born.
FIRST DATE is the story of high-schooler Mike who has a serious crush on the not-so-typical girl-next-door Kelsey. A girl who can hold her own against the most obnoxious (and ignorant) jocks on campus, she kinda-sorta likes Mike, too. But neither knows they like one another. Encouraged by his best friend, Mike finally makes a move and asks Kelsey out for their first date. But if you’re going on a date and tell your date you’ll pick her up, one assumes that means in a car, something that Mike doesn’t have. Undeterred, Mike turns to the one-stop solution for every problem – the Internet. Finding a sweet deal on a not-so-sweet ’65 Chrysler that has definitely seen better days but “runs like a scalded dog”, Mike makes the leap and buys the car from a somewhat shady character, leading to non-stop hilarity for the rest of the night. Filled with a cast of kooky and fun-filled characters, among them drug dealers, criminals, good cops, bad cops, a crazy cat lady, and so many more, Mike and his ’65 Chrysler go on a non-stop wild ride of wacky adventures that not only gets him to Kelsey (albeit very late), but blends teen romance, action, dark comedy and laugh-out-loud hilarity in this charming and fun coming-of-age story. Trust me when I say you’ve never had a first date like this one.
Written and Directed by Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp, with Crosby also serving as cinematographer, editor, and co-composer, FIRST DATE stars Tyson Brown and Shelby Duclos, along with Jesse Janzen, Nicole Berry, Samuel Ademola, Ryan Quinn Adams, Angela Barber, Dave Reimer, Jake Howard, Samantha Laurenti, Scott Noble, Leah Finity, Josh Fesler, and Brandon Kraus.
I spoke at length with MANUEL CROSBY diving head first into all things FIRST DATE, including:
- developing the idea and madcap adventures for FIRST DATE
- finding the balance of exaggerating characters without crossing the line into cartoonish
- crossing multiple genre lines
- the collaboration and dedication of the cast and how each actor helped inform their respective character
- location challenges
- creating “effects” and illusions practically
- wearing multiple hats of director, writer, cinematographer, editor, and composer
- challenges of lighting and lensing “date night” on a minimal budget
- composing the score and thinking outside the box
- action sequences
- working with the Blackmagic Ursa Mini
- collaborating with co-director Darren Knapp in terms of on “shooting duties”
- first feature learning curve
- and more. . .
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview June 23, 2021
