Flaunt Premiere | Sammy McEntire "RORY"
by Morgan Vickery
Sammy McEntire is an LA-based up-and-coming director in a category he would classify as ‘surrealism.’ Creating fictitious worlds for viewers to wander has become his forte— especially with the newly released short film, “RORY.” The 70s soaked visual is a conglomerate mix of horror-comedy meets experimental. Its junction of eerie sonics and compelling visuals complete a foolproof storyline, prompting viewers to question their vices. Flaunt spoke with McEntire on all things RORY:
What was the inspiration behind RORY?
I’d have to say that the inspiration for RORY is the group of people that I surround myself with. I have an eclectic group of friends and mentors, and when looking back over RORY, I can definitely pinpoint each one of them in the finished project.
How did your 70s retro vision come to life?
To get the 70s retro look, I relied on the knowledge and resources of my friend group. A huge inspiration for this stylistically was my mentor, Director Drew Kirsch. Drew’s color schemes and his emphasis on art direction really inspired me to have as many details as possible to align with the overall appearance of the video. Since I do a lot of campaign work or help execute the visions/projects of others, I was complaining to Edin Carpenter (frequent set collaborator and key makeup artist on RORY), that I was dying to create my own project where I had control over the vision without any clients and exterior input.
Soon after, I was on set for work at The Valley Capri - a former residence that now serves as a quintessential California location and backdrop, expertly curated by Brandon Clark and Honor Hamilton. I knew Edin, who is obsessed with mid-century modern art and film, would love the location, and told Honor (who’d become our Costume Designer on RORY) how well their aesthetics would mesh. I decided to write a treatment. Edin loved it, and we decided to pour every extra penny we had to bring RORY to life. That was the easy part. We then had to find the right cast and crew to bring the script to fruition – and to do it for almost no money at all.
Another pivotal point was when I decided to strip the cast of gender. I had been appreciating the work of my roommate and SFX makeup artist Sarah Bennett, who was working with bald caps for other projects. We had wanted to collaborate for a while, but the right project hadn’t materialized. In the beginning stages of writing, I was married to the idea of everyone being bald except RORY, so Sarah was a must-have. She started at 5 am and had four cast members bald by noon the day of the shoot, it was amazing.
The lead talent, Sierra Barter and Chris Florentino, who are both upcoming actors (and more importantly, my homies), put on an amazing performance along with Chelsea Debo, Sam Rivera, and Max Stark. One of the hardest things for a director is finding a DP that you trust to execute your vision. JD Butler has inspired me for a while, and he was absolutely integral to the visual impact of RORY. His experience and his eye for detail and composition was not only a relief but provided for a seamless work environment. I’d be remiss without mentioning my other roommate, Alex Aranda, who assisted the makeup process, and my little brother, Nate McEntire, who PA’d for free.
What’s the meaning behind the RORY tank?
In the film, RORY is the “cool person” that shows up to the party with the huge bag of blow. The tank embodies the amplification of a fragile ego. When RORY is introduced, his face is immediately shown with a bag of cocaine – a character hiding behind vices. RORY is obviously trying too hard, and the tank exposes that, yet almost the entire cast is still drawn to this character.
What do you hope viewers take away from the film?
I hope viewers take away that cocaine is not only amazing in reality, but also in a twisted suburbia! All jokes aside, I want viewers to question what is real and authentic. The lead character in our film (who doesn’t have a name), questions RORY’s intentions and sees through the ulterior motives that RORY brings to the party. I hope viewers are inspired to kill their vices and throw fake people from their lives. There is a great deal of gratification in taking out the trash.
What’s next for RORY?
RORY will hit some festivals, starting with the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival 2020, but its future is open. I’d love to screen it wherever the opportunity arises, but I am already getting excited for my next short, which I co-wrote with Edin Carpenter. It is currently in pre-production and will be shot entirely in Mexico City :)