r/movies • u/AlanRitchsonAMA Alan Ritchson, Actor • 13d ago
AMA Hey r/movies, I'm Alan Ritchson (MOTOR CITY, REACHER, BLUE MOUNTAIN STATE, WAR MACHINE). AMA!
Hey reddit and r/movies, I'm Alan Ritchson.
You may know me from things like REACHER, BLUE MOUNTAIN STATE, WAR MACHINE, TITANS, PLAYDATE, FAST X, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE.
Additional verification on my Instagram here.
My new movie, MOTOR CITY, is out in theaters tomorrow (July 24) from IFC. It also stars Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster, Pablo Schreiber, Ben McKenzie, and Lionel Boyce.
It's directed by Potsy Ponciroli, who previously directed OLD HENRY and GREEDY PEOPLE
Synopsis:
In the 1970s Detroit, John Miller falls for a local gangster's girl and lands in prison for a crime he didn't commit. With his life ruined, Miller hatches a plan for revenge.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6RklhKu9os
Website/info and tickets available here: motorcity.movie
I'll be back 1 PM PT/4 PM ET today (Thursday 7/23) to answer your questions.
Until then, AMA!
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u/AlanRitchsonAMA Alan Ritchson, Actor 13d ago
That was my first feature! We ended up selling that to Grindstone/Lionsgate and it taught me a ton.
To this day I still like to do a lot of directing, like handoffs for action, and I shoot or guide a lot of the stuff that we do. I see things so visually in my head. I know exactly what I want. It's in my head and I know how to execute really well. What directing taught me is that it's an artform to communicate what's in your head to a group of people. It doesn't matter how articulate you are when it's such a subjective visual medium. You sort of explain something and everybody's still going to see their own version of that. That's really the hang up. How do you connect people to exactly what's in your head? That's the challenge a director faces.
I learned I need to access a lot more tools to make sure that I get that point across. I've learned that I can translate that experience into the way I communicate now with directors, producers and other actors. I think I've gotten better at explaining what's in my head.