HNN Exclusive Interview: Michael Rock (The Ruck March)

What made you want to get involved in the film industry?
For my real job, I do forensics in child sexual exploitation cases. Basically, I have to look at horrible things that involve children every day in order to get real life monsters locked up. It wears on you and destroys your mind if you don’t take care of yourself.

I started running ruck march events for a company called GORUCK as a side hustle to balance myself out mentally. I’d take civilians and teach them things based off of military Special Operations training (I’m a medically retired Green Beret). I did that for about 5 yrs when my injuries caught up with me so I had to retire from that life.
I needed something new that was the complete opposite what I do for a living, and thought it would be fun to try acting. I quickly saw that it helped balance out my mental health, so I kept at it, and eventually decided to make my own films.

From script–to–screen, how close did THE RUCK MARCH come to its original vision?
I’d say it was 90% of what I wanted. During the final shooting day there was a LOT going on, so it was tricky to film what we needed, direct, act, be the overall safety, and line up the shots I had in my head. 90% is still an “A” though, so I’ll take it.

What was your favorite day on set and why?
The final shooting day was my favorite, but also the most stressful. I had a bunch of real life friends and family out there, and seeing how happy they were to be in a movie was a great feeling. It also meant that filming was complete, so I could breathe a little easier.

What scene did you enjoy directing the most?
There’s a scene where the two lead actresses are walking along and then come upon a guy walking his dog. The guy ends up saying something and getting slapped I the face. The guy is a good buddy of mine. It was a funny scene to shoot and always gets laughs when people watch it.

What is the biggest obstacle you faced while making THE RUCK MARCH?
For the final shooting day, I had to manage around 22 people in the middle of Nowhere, Nevada. We started in the afternoon and continued until around 1am. I had to ensure everyone was safe and accounted for while also acting and directing.

What was your proudest moment during production?
When I was running actual ruck marches before I got into acting, I thought that it would be a great idea to make a horror movie about it. Fast forward about 5 years, and I was not only able to make it a reality, but I got some friends that would do my ruck marches to be part of the cast. It was my way of saying “Thank you for trusting me over the years”.

How do you get a film to stand out in the crowd in today’s landscape?
Make something unique. A story that hasn’t been told over and over again. This is a found footage movie about a group of folks being taken into the desert for an endurance event where a bunch of hijinks and shenanigans ensue. I can’t think of any movie off the top of my head that are like this.

What other filmmakers inspire you to do what you do?

You know what’s weird? I’m a filmmaker that doesn’t watch very many movies, let alone know the names of directors. I do it as a mental balance more than anything. If I had to choose though, I’d say my often partner, Dillon Brown.

Dillon gave me my first role in a movie, Ghost in “The Flock”. After that, he brought me on to co-direct our Bigfoot mockumentary, Tahoe Joe.

Dillon doesn’t make excuses when it comes to making movies. Instead of being stopped by a filmmaking wall (lack of money, actors dropping out last minute, whatever else you can think of), he finds a way to navigate around the wall and get the job done.

What is your favorite horror decade and why?
Hands down…the 1980’s. When I think of horror movies, I revert back to being a kid and seeing some of the movies from the 80’s that either creeped me out or stuck with me in some sort of way. “C.H.U.D.” made me afraid of the sewers (until the Ninja Turtles came around), “The Children of the Corn” made me afraid of red headed kids in small towns, and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” made me afraid of bedtime.

https://foundtv.com/

What is the next step in your filmmaking career?
As a filmmaker, I like to have fun making movies. I also realize that as a filmmaker I can use this platform for something bigger. It started with my first solo movie, The Murder of the Monster. It’s a movie about the horrors a woman experiences with domestic violence. It’s a hard watch, but people have reached out to tell me that it has helped them realize that they are not in a good situation, as well as seeking therapy for past situations.
I want to continue using filmmaking as a tool to bring eyes to hard to talk about subjects. My next big solo project is going to be a documentary about a friend of mine called “the TRANSformation of max”. It’ll be hard to make, emotional, and very real.

I won’t lie, I’m pretty nervous about it. This is about a real person’s, oftentimes, very hard life, and I want to ensure I do their story the justice they deserve. It’ll also be my first time tackling an actual documentary. Nervous, but excited for this next adventure.