A fun show this week on BEHIND THE LENS as I get to take a look at two new films that just opened in theatres on Friday and speak with three filmmakers whom I’ve spoken with in the past, all of whose work I admire, respect, and in the case of one director, can’t get enough of. I’m talking about the wonderful filmmaking team of MICHAEL ANGELO COVINO and KYLE MARVIN and their hilarious new non-rom com rom com, SPLITSVILLE, along with one of my fave filmmakers and the man who I believe helped put Taylor Sheridan on the map as a writer with the fabulous “Hell or High Water”, director DAVID MACKENZIE and his new thriller RELAY.

So let’s kick things off with the comedy stylings of Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin and SPLITSVILLE. One of the beautiful things about their collaboration is that they co-write their films, co-produce their films, and they both act in them, with Michael taking the laboring directorial oar. You should remember Michael and Kyle from their last outing, THE CLIMB, a laugh-out-loud black comedy exploring the “friendship” of two guys over two decades. THE CLIMB marked Michael’s directorial feature debut and he knocked it out of the park on every level.

Now the boys are back with one of the most hilarious films you will see all year, SPLITSVILLE. It’s a story of two couples. Ashley and Carey. And Julie and Paul. All best friends. And all with personalities as different as night and day. But while Ashley and Carey are on a road trip, driving down a multi-lane highway, out of the blue and left field Ashley asks Carey for a divorce. Let the hilarity and hijinks begin! Good-natured and kind of wimpy, Carey runs to besties Julie and Paul for support and a place to crash while he figures out what to do. It’s then that he finds out their secret to their happy marriage. It’s an open marriage. Shocked and curious, things take a left turn with Carey crossing the line, resulting in chaotic madness and mayhem for all concerned.

Directed by Michael Angelo Covino and written by Michael Angelo Covino & Kyle Marvin, SPLITSVILLE stars Kyle and Michael, along with Dakota Johnson, Adria Arjona, Nicholas Braun, David Castañeda, and O-T Fagbenle.

As Michael and Kyle discuss the making of SPLITSVILLE, we take a good look at physical comedy, something that is key to this film, in fact, bookending the film with strong, choreographed comedic fight scenes and a few in-between for good measure. And the boys do all of their own stunts!

From beginning to end, SPLITSVILLE is a collaborative process for the boys. From the inspiration for and crafting of the story and script to their performances to the film’s production elements, everyone is involved. Notable is the part of our conversation about working with cinematographer Adam Newport Berra, whose work you might know from “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”, and not only developing the film’s visual grammar, but also the decision to shoot on 35mm film. Yes. SPLITSVILLE is shot on 35mm, something very important to Michael as it brings a sense of humanity through its texture, grain, and the "aliveness" it imparts to the images. The imperfections and spontaneity inherent in film add to this human quality, making the movie feel more organic and less sterile than digital. We also dive into editing. This is a film that requires rapier editing in order to not only set the energetic pace, but his the comedic beats and emotional beats. This led to editor Sarah Shaw, who also cut “The Climb”, and assistant editor Emmett Ashton. According to Michael and Kyle, working with Sarah and Emmet was fast and collaborative, emphasizing visual storytelling, which capitalized on some laugh-out-loud hilarity with things like goldfish and CVS receipts. From beginning to end, SPLITSVILLE is filled with humor and heart. Something that stands out for me, however, is the growth in Michael as a director since “The Climb” and the growth in Michael and Kyle as storytellers.

Then we switch gears and ratchet up the thrills and tension with RELAY and director DAVID MACKENZIE. RELAY is a tense, New York thriller which has a timelessness to it while echoing the great paranoid thrillers of the 70s.

In RELAY, Riz Ahmed plays Ash, a world-class “fixer” who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client named Sarah (Lily James) needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.

Directed by David Mackenzie with script by Justin Piasecki, RELAY boasts a star-studded cast with Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson, Victor
Garber, Eisa Davis, and Matthew Maher.

As we dig into the making of RELAY, a big part of our focus highlights its blend of analog and high-tech elements, which are essential to keeping the audience on edge while building the paranoia and suspense. The integration of analog, old-school technology (like TTY keyboards, switchboards, newspapers, and vinyl LPs) with high-tech elements grounds the story in a tactile, visceral world and heightens the sense of surveillance and unease. Add to that the brilliant work of David’s longtime cinematographer Giles Nuttgens and visual grammar that employs wide-angle shots and surveillance-style imagery to establish a sense of distance and observation, contrasted with closer, more intimate framing as characters connect, which visually mirrors the growing tension and relationships. Known for his long, sustained opening oners, David doesn’t disappoint here and delivers in spades, creating innate tension and immersing the audience without breaking the spell, making viewers feel the paranoia and anticipation from the very first frame.

And key to much of the visual grammar and the visuals that Giles captures is thanks to Jane Musky’s production design and the use of live locations for filming.

As you’ll hear David talk about, scenes where characters build relationships without meeting in person were carefully constructed using editing and visual cues to draw them together and increase the sense of connection and tension. Working with editor Matt Mayer, the editing choices made keep the film feeling rough, jumpy, and edgy, maintaining a constant sense of unease and suspense.

And speaking of building character relationships, David has a lot to say about the casting process, which he describes as “meticulous” and a “slow burn process,” as he needed to find the right actors for each role, some of which may surprise you when you see the film. Bottom line, though, was the importance of having a cast that can execute their roles truthfully and excitingly.

RELAY is like a puzzle, with each production element integrating or interlocking with another. It’s always fascinating to get inside David’s mind and understand his vision, and what a vision this is with RELAY.

Both interviews are fascinating and cover a myriad of production elements! Enjoy!