Our Questions, Anwered by Ash Moon
The Cleaner, Ash Moon, and what film can do for all of us.
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Ash Moon (they/them/theirs) is a Korexican West Coast filmmaking cryptid. Though initially rumored to exist in the Bay Area, they're currently haunting Los Angeles. Their film education began in childhood thanks to unsupervised access to their father’s extensive DVD collection containing classics such as Trainspotting, Se7en, the Thing, and the Silence of the Lambs. Ash’s overactive imagination developed into a constant sandstorm of ideas that earned them the reputation of having more elevator pitches than anyone you know. Ash functions on the Ursula K. Le Guin writing schedule: early morning pages and getting stupid after 8 pm.
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Q: What kind of films do you like to shoot, and why?
Ash: I like shooting films I would want to see--blending genres, shifting tone, experimenting with form. I'm interested in identity, brutality, justice vs revenge. Gray areas, because I exist in a gray area as a mixed-race non-binary person of color. Yes, I'm an individual, but I know I'm not alone in what I want to see and experience. Film, but really all art, has a transcendent ability to become universal by being specific and personal. If it's cathartic to make, it'll be cathartic to watch.
Q: What is the Cleaner? What's your role in it?
Ash: THE CLEANER is a proof-of-concept short film for a neo-noir action thriller with a supernatural twist. I'm the writer and director. Initially, I just wanted to film a cool fight scene, but the story started talking to me, and it's evolved so much beyond that first concept. The goal is to submit to festivals and secure funding to bring the full feature to life.
Q: What excites you most about making this film?
Ash: Honestly? The fight scene. I love action, and I always hyper-focus on the fights, from the choreography and performance to the cinematography and editing. I'm excited to feature an Asian non-binary lead in a genre that borrows so heavily from us without centering our voices.
Q: Could you tell us about the collaboration aspect of this film? Who have you enlisted to help make this happen, and why?
Ash: I'm working again with producer, Jessica Rionero, cinematographer Gaby Spampinato, and editor, Steph Hoover. I worked with them all before on my first project, AT HOME, which is a horror short. Jess is very practical and flags potential issues with at least three solutions in mind. If she doesn't have a solution, she'll find someone who does.
Gaby and I are on the same creative wavelength, she just gets what I want to do without me having to overly explain myself. Any mood board or lookbook I make, she's able to translate my vision seamlessly. It's rare to find someone like that on your first project. That's typically a relationship you spend a lot of trial and error on, and I lucked out with her.
Steph is another person who understands how my brain works and what my intentions are. Editors are crucial to the storytelling process—they’re storytellers in their own right. I struggle with time blindness, which is hell on set because every minute costs money. Sometimes you have to make split-second decisions and put aside your ego for the betterment of the film.
Both Jess and Gaby were instrumental in some of the decisions I had to make when we were filming AT HOME. I love to hold a shot and Steph is discerning with pacing and flow. She made sure the story kept moving. I can't imagine making THE CLEANER without them.
Q: Without giving anything away, what's been your favorite part of making this film?
Ash: Developing the look and feel. It's far from where I started out, and I know it will keep evolving as we prep, film, and edit. There are so many aspects to visual storytelling, and they all matter, even if they're only on screen for a few frames.
Q: What do you hope audiences take away most from THE CLEANER?
Ash: The desire to see more. Look for other marginalized directors, writers, and stars of genre films. Seek out the stories you want to see and amplify them if you can. Look for us on the independent level. Engage in our work. Consider this your call to action.
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