Episode 038 - Writer/Director Jon Massey - FRANK JAMES

Owing its gritty style and character-focused plotlines to modern suspense standbys like TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. and director Michael Mann's 1995 thriller HEAT, the new crime drama FRANK JAMES is a gritty journey into an emotionally fragile Los Angeles police detective's efforts to capture the reviled crime boss responsible for a teenager's killing.

Created by Jon Massey and starring Chris Muto in the title role, FRANK JAMES also features Fred Mata as Detective Byron Ozawa and Toni Robison-May as Detective Amy Washington, the two cops who assist Frank in his investigation of the young man's death. It's a search that also comes as Frank's soon-to-be ex-wife Maria (Angie Patterson) prepares to leave him after years of being frustrated with the way his career has overshadowed their once-joyful marriage.

Two of FRANK JAMES' first six episodes will be shown online during this year's virtual Minnesota Web Fest event (which runs from September 24th through the 27th), and funds for production of the remaining four shows are being sought through its currently ongoing IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign. You can find the links to the campaign's page in the show notes.

Coming at a time when the nationwide scourge of police brutality against Black Americans has been brought into its sharpest public focus through the Black Lives Matter movement, FRANK JAMES' serialized narrative gives the classic detective-based suspense genre a socially relevant edge, dramatizing both the decades-long conflict between Los Angeles' predominantly Black population and inherently corrupt elements in the city's law enforcement, and the darker side of a metropolis that most people associate with the glamorous world of show business.

Massey joins us today on The Viewfinder Podcast to talk about how his life in Los Angeles and his fascination with gritty suspense thrillers (such as HEAT and other films) influenced the concept for FRANK JAMES, as well as how he is attempting to stay creative while staying safe from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as it accelerates once again in California and across the United States.

Watch FRANK JAMES' first 2 episodes on its official web site:

www.frankjamesseries.com

Help FRANK JAMES' IndieGoGo campaign raise money to produce the show's next four episodes:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/frank-james-a-web-series#/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frankjamesseries/

Twitter: @FrankJamesWeb

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Music by Audionautix.com