Christopher Gaunt and Joe Gietl – an Interview by Liam Sweeny

Vampires. Did you know the first local vampire came out of his grave at Albany Rural Cemetery in June of 1887? No? Prove me wrong, go ahead. But in seriousness, vampires have clung not only to our necks, but our hearts as well. Christopher Gaunt and Joe Gietl are in the process of raising the undead in our area, for a vampire-inspired new miniseries called “The Fledgling.”

I connect with them, and we talk makeup and empty mirrors.

RRX: It’s always cool to find out that filming is happening in the area, but sometimes we, and I mean everyday residents, are the last to know. So while we have you in the hot seat, tell us a little bit about your project, The Fledgling. What is it, and what is it about?

JG: First off, thank you so much Liam for giving us the opportunity to speak about our project happening right here in Albany!  The Fledgling is an eight-part episodic miniseries that I began writing back in 2020. It’s about an orphan girl named Charlie, who after discovering her long lost father is alive, sets out on a cross-country road trip to find him. Her guides: two three-hundred-year-old vampires, one of which has recently turned her into a fledgling. Together they travel the roads of a dying America all the while being pursued by a private investigator, hired by a shadowy organization growing closer in the rearview mirror.  The Fledgling is a coming-of-age story with a vampire twist. A neo-noir thriller with a conspiracy lurking in the background. It’s epic in scale but rooted in character. And at its core it’s about the importance of keeping a tender heart in an often times cruel world, and the struggle to not become set in our ways. It’s a journey that I believe has a little bit of something for everyone.

CG:  I couldn’t agree more with Joe, that The Fledgling has a little bit of something  for everyone. That is one of the major reasons I wanted to work with Joe on this episodic.  I really didn’t have an interest in doing a vampire story that had been told before. What Joe has crafted here really is so unique, and well thought out in every possible way.

RRX: We’ve, most of us, grown up with vampire stories. Some have mostly known them as supernatural villains; others, as sympathetic anti-heroes. But every film or show portrays vampires differently, with a new take on vampirism. What is new about this vampire story? What sets it apart?

JG: What intrigues me about vampires is that even though they are supernatural creatures, their problems can be transposed easily onto human issues. For instance, their need for blood could be akin to something like addiction. Specifically with The Fledgling, I knew I wanted vampires to act as a vehicle to tell a very human story. I have to be careful to not talk my way into spoilers, but what I will disclose is that the reason Charlie is being pursued is grounded in science, that gives the story a unique real world component amidst the more fantastical elements. Additionally, the way mirrors interact with our characters is different than anything I’ve seen portrayed. I was intrigued by the idea of a teenage girl that already feels unseen by the world, now literally finding herself invisible. What effect would that have on a person with an already tenuous grasp of self? And how may it interact with feelings of dissociation and disconnection?

RRX: This miniseries has a pretty impressive cast. And lest I forget somebody, I’ll pass the spotlight for you to shine on the stars. Who are we going to see when this goes to the theater, or Netflix, or it’s played on the sides of mausoleums like drive-throughs?

JG: Funny you should say that. We’ve actually spoke with Albany Rural Cemetery about doing a screening so you might not be far off with mausoleums… The film stars the legendary Juliet Landau aka Drusilla of Buffy The Vampire fame, and a superbly talented young actress named Anastasia Veronica Lee in the lead role of Charlie. The terrific Lynda Suarez plays the role of Nurse Hadley, and our Executive Producer Mr. Chris Gaunt himself takes up the role of Father Donovan. Speaking of, I’d be remiss to not mention the rest of our hard working crew of talented producers. This includes Cameron Mitchell of CSM Productions, as well as Jim Powers, and John Stegemann of Westfield Films. These four gentlemen went above and beyond for this project, wearing multiple hats to help bring it to life.

RRX: The miniseries is being filmed entirely in the 518 area code. Local. Much of it was shot in the Albany Academy. How much help did you get from the area? Are you from the area? And not to compound questions (or maybe to do so) had you considered any other place to film because it would’ve been easier, cheaper, etc?

JG: I am from the Albany area and went to school in Guilderland. We always knew we wanted to shoot the proof of concept film here. For convenience and cost sake it made perfect sense to do it locally. Albany Academy was extremely accommodating to us and truly a stunning location to have access to. I’d also like to mention the incredible contributions of Steven O’Conner, as well as my friend Beth Hinde, who acted as a producer on my previous film A Void. Steven and Beth both came on board as associate producers during postproduction, and have been nothing short of fantastic to work with. Heidi Eklund has done an incredible job as our casting director, encouraging us to dream big. And Cody Cichowski and Mark Baechle worked absolute magic in the sound department. Finally, Film Albany and the folks at 518 Film Network have just been incredibly supportive of this endeavor since day one. It was truly a team effort on this project. As we expand into making the full episodic series, I’m sure it’ll be a more complex discussion if we’re to film everything locally, as some of the locations in the later episodes would be tricky to pull off. With that said, this will always be home and we would love the opportunity to bring it here in all it’s glory.

CG:  Yep! It truly has been all hands deck to get this ambitious project off the ground. It is so exciting though, to watch it all come together after dreaming about in a coffeeshop with Joe last winter. I can tell you nothing in this business is easy, but our team has worked hard to put ourselves in the position to succeed, and we look forward to the challenge of bringing the full episodic series to fruition!  To answer your question about where we grew up, I myself moved around a lot as a kid.  My family finally landed in Central, NY and then I went to college in Buffalo.  In my business career, it was a similar dynamic, before settling into the (518) with my wife and two kids in 2001.  We have been here ever since and I have done a number of films in the (518).  I truly love making films here.  We have an amazing network of actors, crew and locations to choose from, so it really is an amazing filmmaking community to be part of. There are so many wonderful projects emerging from the area, and The Fledgling is a prime example of that.

RRX: This is where you answer what I didn’t ask. Comments? Remarks? Educate, enlighten, emote – the floor is yours.

JG: Thank you so much Liam for the opportunity to articulate our passion for this project! It’s been three years of work for me to get to this point, but I couldn’t be more excited for the future of The Fledgling. Regarding the published book, illustrated beautifully by my friend Victoria Jochnowitz, be on the lookout for that to hit bookstore shelves in the coming months as we get further down the line with the TV series! Lastly, I just want to say I feel incredibly grateful to be part of a team and a community that uplifts and supports filmmakers the way the Albany film scene does. I don’t think it’s necessarily commonplace to have that dynamic everywhere, but I think that the mentality that’s being fostered here is beautiful. The local film scene is as strong as it’s ever been, and Chris and I are excited by the prospect of bringing something truly special to the area.

If you have interest in supporting this project you can connect with us @fledgling_series on Instagram and Facebook. Or send us an email at thefledglingseries@gmail.com