Movies are a very special kind of storytelling, and that's what excites me most about it. The various disciplines and crafts that come together to make a film are all very important to the process and worth learning about.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
My father was in the US Navy and I grew up in San Diego and on the Navy Base on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor Hawaii. Back then, I had to take a ferry boat to school every day.
Hawaii is a beautiful place and culture, and I hope to return to visit someday. That was where I first began my acting, writing and filmmaking career by making movies on VHS with my family and other neighborhood kids.
Hawaii was also where I began my lifelong journey in the martial arts. After my dad retired from the Navy, we moved back to California and I then made the journey to Los Angeles, where I live and work now.
I met my lovely and talented wife Pamela in Hollywood, and we've started our own production company Four Scorpio Productions, where we produce our web series "That Darn Girlfriend" which is in its third season on our YouTube channel.
We are also developing my sci-fi/martial arts movie "CYBER FIGHTER" which is based on my novel that I've published on Amazon. We're going to be doing a short film version to show in festivals to build an audience for the feature-length movie.
We hope to go into production with the short sometime next year, when the pandemic eases up enough to safely go back to being on set. In the meantime, there is a lot of pre-production work that I am keeping myself busy with on a daily basis in order to prepare for that.
2. Did you ever think or dream of being an actor?
Oh yes! I had dreams of performing from an early age. In school, we always did plays. My first experience with catching "the acting bug" was in third grade. We performed a play of the classic "Three Billy Goats Gruff", and I was cast as the Troll who lived under the bridge and terrorized the goats. I really enjoyed playing the villain and so did the younger grades who we performed the show for.
I was so memorable as the Troll that my teacher called me "Troll" for the rest of the school year! I also performed in our 6th grade production of "H.M.S. Pinafore". I was cast as the narrator who came out to describe and set up the scene, primarily because I could do a good British accent.
I was also in the chorus ensemble. That was my first musical experience with extensive rehearsals and I really enjoyed the process. I always loved movies and wanted to one day perform in front of the camera too. That's one of the things that drew me to filmmaking as well.
3. How can one approach their career and have the confidence and belief to become an actor?
The best thing you can do to become an actor is to first audition for plays in school or community theatre. You will learn the process of rehearsal and production. The earlier you can start , the better.
Not because you have to be young to start, but because you will have more time for you to develop your craft. It is harder to begin a brand new career path as an adult, but not impossible if you have persistence.
You also want to get as much training as possible and continue to learn new things, whether it's Improv, comedy, stage combat, screen acting technique, etc.
I studied with a few different acting teachers both in school and in Hollywood. I've also read Stanislavski's "An Actor Prepares", Meisner's and Checkov's writings too, as well as other acting coaches.
As far as belief, you have to believe that you are an actor, and just be persistent. Most of your career progress will be due to tenacity. Yes, luck has a lot to do with how far you will go, but the more persistent you are, the more opportunities you will cultivate.
4. What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
When the original Star Wars movies came out, I was fascinated with the behind the scenes documentaries. Watching those made me realise that people actually make movies (in front of and behind the camera) as their career.
Movies are a very special kind of storytelling, and that's what excites me most about it. The various disciplines and crafts that come together to make a film are all very important to the process and worth learning about.
I am fascinated with the entire process from screenwriting, production design, art direction, all the way through to the different departments on set (camera, sound, lighting, etc.), and Post Production, where editing, sound design and music composing come in.
Of course, acting in front of the camera is a given, but to me, every job on a production is essential to creating a unique vision.
5. In your opinion, what is the most important quality of a filmmaker?
In my opinion, the willingness to collaborate with others is the best quality you can have as a filmmaker. You can learn the craft and teach yourself all of the necessary techniques to make a movie, but if you can't communicate or collaborate with others, you will have a very tough time getting your films made.
The best movies are those that had several great artists behind them. George Lucas' "Star Wars", and "Indiana Jones" movies, and Spielberg's "E.T." and "Jaws" wouldn't be the classic films they are without the brilliant contribution of John Williams' wonderful musical scores.
Of course, you also have to include the VFX artists at ILM and Ben Burtt's sound design, as well as so many others who helped make those movies come to life.
If you want to be a director, surround yourself with talented people. It's important to have a vision for your project, but know that it is just a roadmap and starting point. When you are in production, be open to ideas from your team.
And having a crew with diverse backgrounds gives you access to many different ideas that you may not have even thought of! Cinema is a worldwide art form -- watch movies from all around the world to inspire your own vision!
6. Who is your role model and why?
I have a few different role models, based on the different facets of my career. For overall filmmaking, George Lucas is probably my biggest role model. His ability to build a universe that has inspired audiences for almost 50 years, despite all of the roadblocks and setbacks that he had to face throughout the years, is very inspiring to me.
In the realm of acting, I always appreciated Harrison Ford's work ethic and approach to his craft, but really felt Mark Hamill was more of a role model. He too had a father in the Navy and moved around a lot.
He also has had a very successful career as a voice actor too, which is another field that I've been fortunate to work in, especially with narrating my own audiobook for "CYBER FIGHTER".
As a martial artist, I've always been inspired by Bruce Lee. Not just in his abilities, but his philosophy and insight into martial arts even more so. Plus, he himself was a filmmaker, having written and directed "Way of the Dragon" (released in the U.S. as "Return of the Dragon") as well as starring in it.
His tenacity and willingness to chase his dreams with no limitation, despite his setbacks and adversity along the way, helps to motivate me to keep plugging away!
7. Which is your favourite book and why?
I read a lot of non-fiction, as I really like to learn a lot about different subjects. But, I'd have to say that one of my most favorite fiction books is "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", by Douglas Adams. The wry humor and absurdist plot is very entertaining.
And since I also love the humor of Monty Python, it's a good fit for anyone who enjoys that kind of comedy. The book's tone was a big influence on how I wrote "CYBER FIGHTER" too.
8. What is your mantra of success?
Bruce Lee's saying "Be Like Water", is a good philosophy as it allows you to remain fluid and able to adapt to any situation. I really like that one.
As far as my own personal mantra, I would probably have to say "Keep Going", and maybe to a lesser extent (with a nod to Douglas Adams as well), "Don't Panic!"
William Joseph Hill Jr. was raised in San Diego, and Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, where his family was stationed on historic Ford Island. He began his lifelong career in the martial arts while growing up in Hawaii. He is a black belt in Okinawan Kenpo Karate. While in high school and college, William finally realized his dream of making films in his backyard, which just happened to be a tropical paradise.
After moving to Hollywood, William began landing roles in independent and short films, television shows and theater. There he met his beautiful actress wife, Pamela Hill. The two of them both appeared on television in Penn & Teller's acclaimed Showtime series as the "Bottled Water Couple". William also received acclaim for his three appearances on ABC's "Wipeout".
William published his first novel, "Cyber Fighter", based on a feature film screenplay that he is developing into a movie. It's a martial arts/sci-fi action adventure with a comedic kick. The book is available on Amazon. He is also the narrator for the audiobook on Audible.
William and Pamela head their own production company "Four Scorpio Productions", where they write and produce multimedia and web-based entertainment content on their YouTube Channel such as the web series "That Darn Girlfriend", where he stars as boyfriend Vic in three seasons so far.
CYBER FIGHTER Audiobook is now available on Audible!
My debut novel Cyber Fighter is available in print and Kindle on Amazon!
CYBER FIGHTER The Comic Adaptation is also available in print and Kindle on Amazon too!
Our Latest Episode of That Darn Girlfriend.
- Interviewed By Anamika Ajith
.jpeg)
){kind=link}
0 Comments