Jacob Karl Anderson

He is the filmmaker of That Feeling, The One You Can Only Say What It Is In French Dollar Baby film.

SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?

Jacob Karl Anderson: My name is Jacob Karl Anderson, I’m an award winning video editor and filmmaker based out of upstate New York.

SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I’ve always had a passion for storytelling and a deep fascination with movies. I’d act out little skits as a child and as soon as I was old enough I started putting those on video. My parents would constantly listen to SiriusXM when I was a young, specifically the classic radio network. I would sit for hours on long car rides deeply fascinated by audio broadcasts of “The Twilight Zone”, “Suspense”, and “Inner Sanctum” among others. I was so engrossed not only with the drama on the radio, but by the visuals that were playing out in my head. I could see every beat of the story. I suppose one day I realized that I wanted to show others what I kept seeing in my head.

SKSM: When did you make That Feeling the One You Can Only Say What It Is in French? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How   long did it take to film it?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I shot this film over the course of two days in December of 2023. Not to disparage myself, or my crew or any of our efforts, but our production was laughably small compared to some of those that have come before us. To be fair our end results are small as well but that’s all intentional. You don’t need $1 million and a 20 man crew for a car scene with two actors that takes up three minutes of screen time. For the majority of the production, it was just myself driving the car with a camera that was mounted on the middle console. This was pointed at a singular actor sitting in the back seat. Everything else was filmed sporadically over the course of the previous, and following six months or so. To be completely honest I did a lot of gorilla filmmaking at a Catholic school that I was working in at the time. There are three shots of a young girl that are licensed for the production. I did not film with this child. I just used her likeness as a younger version of my main actor for the flashback scenes. The total production cost was probably around $500, mainly consisting of car rental and licensing fees

SKSM: How come you picked That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I knew going in that I had very limited resources at my disposal. I knew that I couldn’t hire a bunch of extras and get access to elaborate locations with my budget. Therefore I was looking to adapt an intimate and contained story that I felt comfortable pulling off. I had been toying with the concept of a film about a couple sitting in silence on a long car ride and had even started filming pieces of it when I came across this story. It felt meant to be. The footage of “Bill” driving was filmed for that previous project.

SKSM: Can you tell us about your experience on this Dollar Baby film? Was everything planned ahead or did some things change during filming?

Jacob Karl Anderson: The experience overall has been incredible start to finish. Definitely the highlight of any of my creative endeavors. I’m such a massive, lifelong Stephen King fan that the concept alone of being able to have sat this past year and a half, and have considered myself even slightly a part of this never ending canon of the Stephen King literary world is, well, it’s just been a mind blowing experience. You pass box sets of Stephen King adaptations in the store and see lists and rankings online and you know that those are the real ones but in the full official listing it’s just crazy to know that this adaptation, my adaptation, exists even as a technicality.

The only major change that occurred over the shooting and editing process was the amount of dialogue included in the film. Originally, there was quite a bit more. The original script is wall-to-wall dialogue. I just think there’s more tension in silence.

SKSM: You wear a lot of hats in the film. What were your greatest satisfactions and challenges in these roles?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I wrote, shot, edited, scored, and directed this film. I would say that my greatest satisfaction is in the way this film looks. Every single frame could be the poster for the film. It just looks really nice to me. I’m so pleased with the color grading. I can’t get over it. The overall edit is…what it is.  I’m proud of this piece but it was a one-man production, and I feel like it shows. I didn’t get enough coverage on the day and had too many ideas too late in the edit to fully execute. I’ve worked better in the past with a composer. I would like to work with a composer again on my next film. I enjoy making music immensely, but I don’t believe I have the full sonic abilities and knowledge of music theory to pull the soundscape together to a compelling end. The mix is what I’m least proud of in this piece. I think it’s pretty good but I think the input of others could have made it better.

SKSM: Were there unexpected moments or difficulties during the making of the film that have become a new point of view?

Jacob Karl Anderson: Not to sound overly dramatic, but most of the process was an unexpected difficulty. I don’t think I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to take this on all by myself. I am really extraordinarily proud of the end result, but I wasn’t quite prepared to tackle what I initially set out to. This has left me with the knowledge that you can’t do everything on your own, even if you think you know what you’re doing.

SKSM: What has this experience left you from a professional and human point of view?

Jacob Karl Anderson: From a professional standpoint, I spent far too long on this project. Months too long- a year too long. I am a perfectionist to an extreme fault. There’s this story about a painter who broke into a museum to continue working on a painting that he had hanging there….I’d work on the edit to this project forever if I could.

From a human standpoint, this project, specifically working on this project, and being able to tell my Father, uncle and the rest of my family and friends that I am working on this project, has meant more to me than possibly anything in my entire life.  The catalog of Stephen King is so unimaginably and indescribably important to the dynamic and relationship between myself and my father, and furthermore, my father and his older brother. I don’t need to get into the complexities of how our family has bonded over his stories, and the sharing of his books over the literal decades. I just need to highlight how important it was for me to tell my father what I was working on. The ability to explain to my ailing uncle, as he put down his latest Stephen King book, that I was joining the ranks of filmmakers that have been trusted with his work. To show him my name next to Stephen’s on the poster. To show my father his producer credit inches away from the name of his lifelong idol. It’s been a surreal experience for my entire family. I’ll value this opportunity for the rest of my life.

SKSM: You made some changes from the original story. I personally loved it, but how do you think (or would you like) the audience to react?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I hope audiences take the changes in stride. I don’t know how familiar people are with this story. It’s kind of overshadowed by some of the larger works in that collection. I don’t think there’s a strong attachment to it. I really only changed things for budgetary reasons, or to simplify the story. The original piece has a framing device that uses a car to depict a plane crash. I worked that down to just a car crash because I could not afford to utilize any assets of a plane. I also thought it made things a bit simpler to have them die in a car crash. The story already took place in a car. It just made sense.

A lot of the religious subtext in the original story seems to imply that she’s in purgatory because she had an abortion. I really wasn’t comfortable touching on that aspect of the religious commentary. I was focused more on displaying a character realizing that they are in purgatory. Not necessarily on showcasing the reasons why. Stephen has his character reflect on her past teachings about damnation, and then pairs that with her recollections of having had an abortion. I simplified that to just having her reminisce on her schooling as a form of reflection and understanding about her current state.

I also changed the main location from a Florida causeway to the Upstate New York highway ‘I-87’. This was an attempt to give more of a desolate aesthetic to the piece. I’ve also noticed that Stephen likes this stretch of road, having most likely driven it countless times on his journeys to and from Maine. He has also set multiple stories on this road, using this very stretch for opening to Firestarter.

I also took the main site of one of the visions Carol has in the story (Carson’s grocery store) and turned the visual of that into a repetitive radio jingle heard throughout the film.

SKSM: Were any movie fragments cut out that you now miss?

Jacob Karl Anderson: Absolutely! The flashback montage has gone through so many changes. There were many really great aesthetic shots that were cut entirely. Heartbreakingly so. Thinking about one now brings a sadness to my soul but it never worked with the pacing of the film. Also shots of the aftermath of the crash were cut for pacing.

SKSM: Can you share with us any significant moment or memories that happened on set?

Jacob Karl Anderson: This is slightly frivolous, and may expose the amateur quality of our production, but the most significant moment that happened onset was the realization of just how the trigger worked on the remote control that operated the camera. The camera was going to be mounted on the main console of the car, between myself and the actor in the backseat. I was going to operate the camera while driving by pulling over on the shoulder of the highway between takes to start / stop the recording. As we set up for production however, we realized that the tripod we had gotten to attach to the car console had come with a remote control clicker. This was revolutionary to the concept of driving and simultaneously operating the camera. I could now focus completely on driving and listening to the line delivery. This gave us a countless number of takes that we would not have been able to manage if we had to pull over constantly.

SKSM: Your film is one of the shortest ever made in the Dollar Baby genre. Would this have changed if you had had a bigger budget?

Jacob Karl Anderson: Oh absolutely. I am proud of the adaptations I made, but given an actual budget I would have included the larger airplane concept that I neglected in this version. There are scenes where they stop and rent the car, dialogue exchanges that explore their relationship problems, and a subplot about how her parents disapproved of the marriage. I would have loved to include any and all of these aspects in my film. I would have especially enjoyed the use of more dialogue heavy scenes.

SKSM: I saw that your film has won a Best Edition award. Has it been nominated for, or won, any other awards?

Jacob Karl Anderson: While I was editing this film, I also worked on two shorter projects to keep my mind and hands busy when I got too stressed about my progress. This film has yet to win any awards but quite surprisingly those films have done very well on the festival circuit. I have won multiple awards overseas in places, such as Germany and Italy, as well as closer to home, winning Best Editing and Best Movie Poster at the New Jersey Film Awards.

SKSM: Do you plan to screen the movie at a particular festival?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I would absolutely love to screen my film wherever I possibly could for whoever I possibly can but the problem is I have no idea the legal ramifications of doing so. I would love any recommendations on Steven King lawyer approved film festivals.

SKSM: You also have a Best Micro Short award for another of your films. Can you tell us about it?

Jacob Karl Anderson: As I was humbly saying, I have won quite a few awards over the years for my various short films. I often only work on very short projects as you can see with this runtime. The lack of narrative focus leaves plenty of room for fun and fancy editing techniques and creative, flashy visuals that festivals seem to love. I have mostly won editing awards like ‘best editing in a short film’, but my other main category, as you’ve said, has been ‘best micro short film’. I have won this many times. These films are under five minutes each. I just find that that’s my sweet spot creatively. I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I have a cool idea and I play it out and then I get out of there.

SKSM: Tell us about your other films. What project are you most proud of with the final result?

Jacob Karl Anderson: Somehow, I’ve lucked myself into the position where every single time I finish a project I go, “wow this is the best thing I’ve ever done”. I think it’s because I’m always learning and teaching myself new things while I’m editing. By the time I’ve finished a film I’ve learned five different techniques that I can better execute on my next project because next time I plan them going in instead of making them up halfway through the editing process.

That being said, my other two films that I made this year are titled ‘Kenny’ and “Spinner”. They are both very successful award-winning projects and I am immensely proud of them. They are both up on YouTube (Pointy Crown Productions) and you can check them out right now. Also on the page are examples of my previous works, many of which have won awards across the globe. I am truly grateful for the recognition and acknowledgment I have received from my peers.

SKSM: How did you find out that King sold the movie rights to some of his stories for just $1? Was it just a wild guess or did you know it before you sent him the check?

Jacob Karl Anderson: One day I saw an article on Facebook. I sat there thinking “I’m so jealous, I’m a young aspiring filmmaker. I’m an insanely large Stephen King fan. Why not me?”  And I thought about it some more and I thought “why NOT me? Maybe I should actually apply for this.” I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be accepted.

SKSM: What “good or bad” reviews have you received on your film?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I have received very little feedback about this film, mainly because I’ve been so secretive and selective about the screening process. There have been countless edits of this film and very few people have seen any of them. I have released a lot of still frames from this project, and people have raved about the quality of the visuals. It is my highest quality work from a visual standpoint by leaps and bounds. Every frame is a painting that I am truly proud of. I am so thankful for the love that I’ve gotten about that aspect of the film. 

That being said, people have said it’s weirdly short for an official adaptation and that I should have included more from the original story. I suppose I agree.

SKSM: Do you plan to screen the movie at a particular festival?

Jacob Karl Anderson: Like I’ve said, I’m not sure what I can do with the film at this point from a legal standpoint. I’d love to get it out there and seen by people.

SKSM: Are you a Stephen King fan? If so, which are your favorite works and adaptations?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I am a lifelong, die hard Stephen King fan. I have a personal Stephen King Library consisting of nearly every published work under his name, and others under the name Richard Bachman. My living room has become a temple to Stephen King. Perhaps “museum” sounds less creepy. I am Kathy Bates in Misery.

My favorite literary works are ‘Needful Things’, ‘Salem’s Lot’, and ‘Firestarter’. My favorite film adaptations are Children of the Corn, Carrie, and The Shining.

SKSM: Did you have any personal contact with King during the making of the movie? Has he seen it (and if so, what did he think about it)?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I have had no personal contact with the man himself. Unfortunately I believe that he would dislike my adaptation, as it is fairly unfaithful to his original concept. This small scale production is very low on his radar so I don’t assume he will ever check it out, but maybe he’ll spare a few minutes someday.

SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I am very thankful to always be working on something creative in the background of my life. I cycled through various projects while working on this one, two of which have been released to some acclaim. I’ve been working on a specific short film for a couple years on the back burner. It’s a black and white surreal urban fairytale. I know that’s vague, but the whole thing is vague right now. I have a couple minutes of compelling and fully edited footage, but that footage doesn’t really connect to much until I finish fleshing out the narrative. But it’s really good stuff. More concretely it seems like my next real project is going to be a music video that I’m directing for a local artist in my city.

SKSM: What one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I think Needful Things is a lot cooler than IT or The Shining.

SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything you want to say to the fans that read this interview?

Jacob Karl Anderson: If you’re reading this, holy crap thank you for your interest in my silly little hobby. Maybe check out my work on the Pointy Crown Productions YouTube channel if you feel like it.

SKSM: Would you like to add anything else?

Jacob Karl Anderson: I just want to thank you for the opportunity to talk about my film. It’s been such a long and stressful process that I didn’t think would have any sort of satisfactory conclusion. This interview has provided such an overwhelming sense of closure and validation. Thank you.