Alberto Nunes – Porter Rockwell: Gunman and Saint

We had the opportunity to interview Alberto Nunes, the filmmaker of Porter Rockwell: Gunman and Saint. Porter Rockwell is an official selection in the 12th annual Utah Film Festival. 

Orrin Porter Rockwell was a complicated man. He was violent as well as kind, beloved as well as feared. This short film highlights these contrasting aspects of his character as he wrestles with his own larger-than-life legacy.

What was the inspiration to make Porter Rockwell?

Over a year ago, some friends and I were chatting on twitter about movies we’d like to see. We realized that there hadn’t really been a solid western film about Porter Rockwell, and that would be the perfect opportunity for us to make some magic. We put a group together, decided our direction, and Robert started writing almost immediately. People came and went, but in the end, anyone that was really passionate and committed to the story stayed and we got it done.

From idea to completion, how did Porter Rockwell change?  

Our original script was a bit shorter, we only had the parts where the shootout happens. We discussed how we needed to show more of the range of the character we wanted to show, so we added the events in the Smith home.

Another thing that changed was the order of the scenes. It was originally very linear, but I figured going back and forth would be much more dynamic and keep tension rising continually. Other than that, not much else! Our pre-production was very thorough.

What was the biggest challenge in getting Porter Rockwell made? 

Gosh, locations and wardrobe! Everything else came together quickly, but getting good costumes and finding good locations that we could do some good art design was tough. Many lost nights!

Patrick and Anna Hayes were instrumental to getting period-accurate pieces (and some not-so-accurate that we modified), I couldn’t have done it without them. I also need to shout out Madison McKay for helping design the sets and make the vision I had come to life.

What do you think is the most important takeaway from your film?

Don’t wait for the phone to ring. If you have a vision, you can do it, don’t wait for anyone else. If you feel like you need to tell a story, tell it!

Additionally, our story kind of teaches that people are complex. If anything, the main takeaway should be to try and understand people and their motivations.

If you could have a do over with Porter Rockwell is there anything that you would do differently? If so, what would that be?

I would have added an extra day. There are just a few extra shots I wanted, a few more details I wish I had added, and I think an extra day would have allowed us to work through all of that.

What do you have next in the works?

A pile of half-written scripts I need to tend to! At the moment, just working on set and planning the next shorts I want to shoot. I would love to get a feature film off the ground in the next year or two, so let’s see what happens.

How can we learn more about you and your projects?

@albertonunes96 on instagram. I’m pretty active there and on Facebook. On Twitter too, but you might not get much news, just my ramblings!