Premiering this Saturday in Columbus at the Screens on the Continent theater is a locally produced film called Best Supporting Daddy.  This romantic comedy stars Mark A. Cummings as the debonair romance novelist, Cameron Rush.  Cameron Rush has all the fame, wealth, and women that he can handle.  But when his book sales take a nose dive and his lucrative writing contract is in danger of being terminated, Rush concocts the ultimate scheme to get back on top.  He hears about an A-list Hollywood socialite Callie Deveaux, played by co-star Quiana Wiley, wanting to have a baby and conspires to impregnate the Starlet and use the ordeal to fuel his next novel. 

Sounds like a juicy story, don’t you think?  As well as starring in this movie, Mark A. Cummings is also the writer and producer for this film.  I got a chance to catch up with him and his co-star Quiana Wiley as they are preparing for their exclusive movie premiere.

JTT:  I really like the storyline for the movie.  How did you come up with the concept for Best Supporting Daddy?

Mark:  I saw Halle Berry on TV talking about how she wanted to have a baby but didn’t really want to get married.  And me and a friend were talking about it one day.  It got me to thinking if she would ever have a baby with an ordinary guy like me. (Laughs)  So that’s how I got the idea.  It originally was going to be a novel but I decided to turn it into a movie.

JTT:  I know your premiere is this Saturday (January 30, 2010).  Will the movie be showing at other times in or around Columbus?

Mark:  We’re in the process of scheduling another showing for next week at the same location.

JTT:  Are you going to submit the film to any film festivals?

Mark:  That’s our plan.  That’s really the next step.  We’re going to submit it to some festivals to try to get distribution.  We’ll be doing that for the next year.  But hey, we can always do it ourselves too.

JTT:  In your opinion, what makes this a great movie?

Quiana:  All the talent is local [Columbus] talent.  Ninety-nine percent was shot in the city.  The cast and crew were all local. It’s the fact that it’s home-grown.  Also just for the fact that it’s Mark’s first film and he went after his vision.  It was a great crew and cast.  Everyone made sacrifices.

JTT:   So almost the entire movie shot in Columbus?  It appears you got a lot of support from local businesses.

Mark:  Some of it was shot in Fredericktown at the Heartland Country Resort.  It's about 40 minutes away.  Quiana had contacts at Crowne Plaza North.  They even allowed us to use Grant Medical Hospital.  A lot of the crew helped out on getting locations as well. 

JTT:  Do you think Columbus can be a resource for independent filmmakers?

Mark:   Oh yes, it is possible. 

Quiana:  Yes, definitely.  We have all the pieces here in Columbus.  We just need a buy-in.  

Mark:  Like offering tax incentives for shooting films in Columbus.  You know, something like that.

JTT:  Quiana, how did you get into the movie business?  What films have you done in the past? 

Quiana:  This is my first film.  I took theater classes in high school.  Then in college someone suggested that I do modeling.  So I started with a modeling agency.  I began doing industrial [training] videos and it went from there.  Mark and I actually have the same [talent] agent.  So that's how we met.

JTT:  How about you Mark?

Mark:  (leans back in his chair and smiles) I was destined for it.  As a kid I used to listen to old school records and imagine singing to a crowd.  You know, like the Isley Brothers.  And years later there was a contest where I was working.  It was like an agency talent show between different departments.  And we got up on stage and did our lip syncing performance.  And that's when I realized I really liked performing.

JTT:  Sooooo....anything else you want to tell me about this movie?

Mark:  The sex scenes were harder than what it looks.  With both of us being married, it was hard.  They were a lot more technical than you would think. 

Quiana:  Yes, it was.  As you're going through the scene they're telling you "move your hand this way" or "do it that way".

JTT:  Then what's the rating on this movie?

Quiana:  It could be rated 'Light R'.  There's not a lot of cussing.  No one is dropping 'f' bombs or anything.

Mark:  The movie doesn't have a rating yet.  But there is a scene with a vibrator.  In one scene it's being waved around.  So that could move us towards an R rating.

JTT:  Mark, tell me about the Film-Works Academy and your motivation behind starting that project?

Mark:  The Film-Works Academy will be a non-profit sector of our parent company Awalkonwater Entertainment.  We'll be working with middle and high school kids to provide them with hands-on film production experience.  We're still looking for grants and money right now.  We plan on offering classes and let the kids participate in our upcoming film projects.  We want to get it started before the next school year.

JTT:  Do you have any upcoming projects?

Quiana:  I am looking forward to my next project.  I'm not sure of which one I will doing yet.  I have the opportunity to do a couple of projects that are a little different.  One might be a web sitcom.  I am looking for projects that may have some mystery or suspense. I like to be challenged.

Mark:  One is called The Buyout.  We are currently looking for investors.  Kenya Moore was actually interested in buying the script from me.  It will be starring my wife.  Another one is the Young Eagle Show.  It's written by Michael Artist who has a company called Innertainment.