screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
and
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
.
Early life and education
Raised in
Harrington Park, New Jersey
Harrington Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,664,Bergen Catholic High School, and was a captain of the cross country and track teams. He is a graduate of
Providence College
Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...
, and competed in his early collegiate years for Ray Treacy'sProvidence Friars.
Midway through college, O'Brien shifted gears from athletics to English and Drama, directing a number of university-screened short films and documentaries and acting in the Blackfriars Theatre productions.
After backpacking around Europe, and inspired by the DIY cinema of
Jim Jarmusch
James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...
Richard Linklater
Richard Stuart Linklater (; born July 30, 1960) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for films that revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. His films include the comedies '' ...
, O’Brien moved to Los Angeles, to make independent films.
Early career
The first film he made after moving to LA was ''Bastard,'' a B&W short about a schizophrenic hit man. It was selected by the
American Cinematheque
The American Cinematheque is an independent, nonprofit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms.
The Cinematheque was created in 1981 as ...
O'Brien's debut feature '' Venice Bound'' follows the lives of three off-beat twenty-somethings who meet by chance on Venice Beach and agree to pull a robbery. The film debuted at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles before making its international premiere at Cannes.
'' Variety'' called O'Brien a "talent in the raw" but said the film is "too narratively chaotic and technically hamstrung to connect commercially".
''Venice Bound'' was released theatrically in 1996–97, playing an extended run at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, as well as the Laemmle Sunset 5 (now Sundance Sunset Cinemas). It also played on the east coast at the Cable Car Cinema in Providence, Rhode Island.
''Wish You Were Here'' & ''Hyperfutura''
''Wish You Were Here'' stars Louie Sabatasso, Gary Douglas Kohn and Arroyn Ambrose in a road adventure film about on the effects of addiction and the bond of family and friends.
Jonathan Freeman-Anderson of ''LA Film and Music Magazine'' called the film "an entertaining and soul searching ride of comical and sobering proportions". Nelson Madison Films released the movie in 2013 .
On the other end of the spectrum, O'Brien made the
mashup
Mashup may refer to:
* Mashup (culture), the rearrangement of spliced parts of musical pieces as part of a subculture
* Mashup (education), combining various forms of data and media by a teacher or student in an instructional setting
* Mashup (mus ...
''
Hyperfutura
''Hyperfutura'' is a 2012 science fiction film from American filmmaker James O'Brien, starring Eric Kopatz, Karen Corona, Gregory Kiem, Scott Donovan, Celine Brigitte, Alysse Cobb, Lionel Heredia, Gary Kohn, Edward Romero and William Moore. It ...
''. Created with Eric Kopatz, producer and star of ''Bastard'', the science fiction film ''
Hyperfutura
''Hyperfutura'' is a 2012 science fiction film from American filmmaker James O'Brien, starring Eric Kopatz, Karen Corona, Gregory Kiem, Scott Donovan, Celine Brigitte, Alysse Cobb, Lionel Heredia, Gary Kohn, Edward Romero and William Moore. It ...
'' involves
genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...
, mind control and time travel. It has polarized audiences since its 2013 worldwide digital release by PanGlobal Entertainment.
Chris Garcia, the museum culture specialist behind the visual artspodcast, ''Three Minute Modernist'' and the film journal ''Klaus at Gunpoint'', included the film in his ''52 Episodes to Science Fiction Literacy'', linking it to the works of artist Bruce Conner and the
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
O’Brien's most recent work is the independent Western film '' Western Religion''. It features Claude Duhamel, Peter Shinkoda and Miles Szanto, among others.
The 'making of' story of the production was first picked up by '' Variety'' in 2013 as the filmmakers looked to overcome the government shutdown of all national parks just weeks before their scheduled shoot at
Paramount Ranch
A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. The fir ...
.Johnson, Ted. ''Variety Magazine'' (2013) /ref> To remedy the situation, O'Brien and his producing partner Louie Sabatasso of 3rd Partner Productions enlisted Peter Sherayko, who had worked on '' Tombstone''. Together, they built a Western tent city in the mountains of Agua Dulce, California. Sherayko, who played Texas Jack Vermillion in ''Tombstone'', is also featured in the film as Southern Bill. Sabatasso plays a lead as the eccentric, deadly dandy Salt Peter.