The Little Tin Man – Big Picture for a Little Indie

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Interview by Briege McGarrity

The Little Tin Man is a funny yet touching indie feature directed by Matthew Perkins and co-written by Perkins and Dugan Bridges. Set in New York City, it tells the story of Herman (Aaron Beelner), a struggling actor/waiter who is totally done with being typecast as a munchkin because of his small stature. Frustrated and unfulfilled, Herman wants to elevate. A chance audition for a Scorsese remake of The Wizard of Oz, propels him to get a larger part than Mayor of Munchkinland. With a little help from his brother played by Jeff Hiller (30 Rock, Ghost Town), their mutual friend Juan (Emmanuel Maldonado) and his close friend Miller, a perfectly cast Kay Cannon in her debut role as leading lady, the team accompany Herman on his hilarious journey of self-discovery.

Overall the film blends very nicely with the small cast of genuine players. Hiller is hilarious as Herman’s camp brother while Miller is very believable as his loyal friend. Herman’s deadpan humor has instant appeal and one liners are delivered with ease throughout the film. Yet at the same time, we are touched when we see Herman struggling for acceptance and being disrespected by hateful customers as well as his co-worker, played by established actor Chris Henry Coffey (The Good Wife).

Hailed by Comedian-Filmmaker David Wain as a “A funny and touching look into a side of show business that most of us never think about,” IFQ enjoyed chatting to Perkins about his feature film debut that deserves a large audience.

Independent Film Quarterly (IFQ): How did you become involved in indie filmmaking?

Matthew Perkins (MP): As a kid, I always loved watching movies and knew that I wanted to be a storyteller.  While attending The University of Georgia, I created my own major in production and apprenticed under a filmmaker for two years.  After graduation, I moved to New York City and got a job on a big movie set (AMERICAN GANGSTER).  Then took an internship at a small production company (GREENESTREET FILMS).  Both of those experiences showed me that no one was going to walk up and say, “Hey, why don’t you direct the next one?”  So I started doing my own thing and making shorts.  Little by little, my work got recognized and I continually got more resources for the next project.

IFQ: Congrats – What gave you the idea for this original and funny film?

MP: My co-writer and I met our lead actor, Aaron Beelner, back in 2004 at The University of Georgia. He was getting his MFA in Acting while we were studying film as undergrads.  We were really intrigued by his plight as a little person and wanted to write a script based on his experiences. As an actor, he was always being typecast in exploitative roles. While most thespians have experienced some form of rejection in their career, Aaron can’t turn that off when he walks out of an audition room. We felt his story was the perfect metaphor for anyone who has ever felt overlooked; or told that they couldn’t achieve something because of who they are. Feeling like an underdog is universal.  The Little Tin Man allows audiences to walk in someone else’s shoes and be inspired by the journey.

IFQ: How was the experience of directing your first indie film?

MP: Super stressful!  Lots of chest pains. Every microbudget film has a laundry list of mishaps and mine was no different. I’ll never forget setting up for the first shot and then having someone burst in threatening to call the police on us because the location wasn’t secure.  That put us 8 hours behind on DAY ONE with zero margin in our schedule.  We were behind the 8-ball the entire shoot.  It truly is a miracle that the movie got made.

IFQ: Did you mean for Herman’s journey to be so funny? It is described as a heartfelt look at an unfulfilled waiter/actor’s bid to ditch munchkin roles and be the leading man.

MP: I wanted to create sort of a “Twilight Zone” effect, where Herman was the “normal” one and everyone else was just a little bit off.  Little people are usually the center of attention, so Herman’s character needed to be pretty self-aware.  Inherently, the challenges that dwarfs face are laced with physical comedy, but the goal was to get you laughing with Herman instead of at him.

IFQ: Yes definitely laughing with him. I loved Herman’s one-liners and the scenes of him walking around NYC. Was actor Aaron Beelner a help during the writing of the script? Did he elaborate on any of his personal experiences?

MP: Aaron had a one-man-show in college based on his life. That material gave us some great scenarios to build off of.  He’s kind of a weirdo magnet (no offense Aaron!), so some of the characters he encountered in real life easily carried over.  There are a few scenes in the film that are completely true.  Certainly, a lot of the rejection that Herman feels, Aaron has also experienced.

IFQ: How was your experience of funding your indie through the Kickstarter program – The film looked professional.

MP: Kickstarter is now a pop culture phenomenon, but we launched our campaign well before anyone even knew what the site was.  I think we were the 8th film to raise over $100K.  It’s a stressful 30 days.  We were sitting about half the money until the final hour.  I guess I am a sucker for photo finishes.

IFQ: Kay Cannon was a great and interesting choice for the female lead. How did that come about and how did you assemble the talented players in general?

MP: I couldn’t get a casting director to sign on, so I had to think outside of the box.  I knew I wanted people with great improv skills, who could enhance the script.  I started looking at performers at the Upright Citizens Brigade.  Kay was known for being a writer on “30 Rock” but her instincts as an actor really stood out to me.  Pairing her with Jeff Hiller, another UCB alum, was comedy gold.  I just tried to cast people who were super funny in their own right and fit the part to a tee.

IFQ: Working hard to achieve the things you love, optimism and addressing the disrespect people experience when they look “different” are themes in your film. Any other message you would like audiences to go away with?

MP: I just thought it was absolutely crazy that in the 21st century it is still socially acceptable to openly make fun of little people.  Insert any other minority in there and people would be up in arms. Regardless of our differences, everyone deserves respect.  I also think people need to be reminded to not give up.  There’s a lot of rejection out there, but you can’t let it define you.  If you are called to do something, by God, go do it!

IFQ: Have you enjoyed the festival circuit?

MP: I love showing it to people.  Watching them crack a smile.  It’s been a really warm reception.  And because the film is a comedy, it’s pretty easy to gauge whether or not audiences like it.  We’ve gotten consistent laughs throughout the entire movie every time it has screened (knock on wood).

IFQ: I do hope there is a plan to have a larger audience view your film?

MP: Bare minimum, the film will get a digital release and be on VOD in early 2014.  But we’re still praying for something bigger. [Smiles.]