Permanent Vacation
Q & A With Filmmaker W. Scott Peake
1. How and why did you decide to make this film?
I had always been a huge fan of Geoff Nicholson. I read one of his books years ago while I was in film school and fell in love with his twisted sense of humor. I searched out all of his books to read. I found his book ìWhat We Did On Our Holidaysî and read it in two nights. I couldnít put it down. As I was reading it the whole thing played out in my mind just like a movie. As the story went on it just kept getting crazier and crazier. As soon as I finished it I knew that I wanted to make this book into a movie.
2. What made this project come together and be a success?
My love for the source material and my unwillingness to give up on the project is what held the project together over the several years of development. I had several producersí come and go. Many of them telling me I should move on to another project. I knew that this was a funny movie and that people would really enjoy it. Everyone that worked on the film, from the actors to the crew to all of the postproduction people, truly made this film a success! They fell in love with the script and all did, what I feel, was some of their best work. It wasnít about money or anything else, it was about all of us banding together under adversity, limited financial resources and a very short shooting schedule to make the best film we possibly could. There isnít anyone who worked on this film that isnít proud of the work they did and even prouder to have their name attached.
3. Please explain your history in filmmaking. How did you become a filmmaker?
When I was a little kid in the 70ís I used to love theî Carol Burnett Showî. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I always said that I was going to go to UCLA like Carol Burnett and be an actor. When I got my chance to act in a school play I froze and realized that acting was not for me. Again, in the 70ís when I lived outside Detroit, I would rush home from school everyday for the 4 oíclock movie on channel 50. They would show Elvis movies, monster movies and my personal favorite Abbot and Costello movies. I couldnít get enough. When I graduated from high school I applied to the U.S. Navel academy, thankfully I did not get in. After a futile attempt at an engineering degree I quit school for a while and work some menial jobs including sell used carpet. My mother finally sat me down asked what I was going to do with my life. Thinking back to my child passions and dreams I told her I wanted to make movies. So I went to film school and received my MFA from Florida State University. Since graduating from FSU I started producing commercials at W.B. Doner advertising in Detroit. While I was there
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