Art of a Hit’s Rob Raco and Ryan Donowho on band feuds and psychological horror
Being in a band is like a family, and families sometimes fight. Art of a Hit follows the waning career of late 90s band Excelsis, who recently reunited to record another album at a beautiful, yet creepy French castle with the eccentric recording producer Charlie (Charlie Sexton). Yet, the band finds that recapturing the magic isn’t exactly easy. Not only that, but weird stuff occurs the longer that the band stays at the castle, especially horrifying visions mostly seen by the band’s de facto front man Ryan (Ryan Donowho).
Just prior to the film’s release, we spoke with Donowho, as well as Rob Raco, who stars as Miles, a former bandmate who ditched the group and enjoys major success as a solo artist. Miles’ stardom serves up its own kind of psychological torment as Ryan wrestles with the group’s messy history and uncertain future.
This interview was edited slightly for clarity.
1428 Elm: What drew each of you to this project?
Ryan Donowho: I’ve known Gaelan [Connell] and Charlie [Saxton], who co-wrote the film together, for about 10-15 years now. Gaelan directed and Saxton co-stared with me. We did a movie called Bandslam years ago. They sent me the script, and at first, I thought I’d maybe have a day player role. I thought maybe I’d play the drummer and come on for a couple of days. Then, they asked me to play the lead.
Before I even read the script, they said we’re shooting in a 1,000-year-old castle in France. I was pretty much sold. [Laughs]. Then, I read it and loved it and obviously, accepted, graciously.
Rob Raco: I know Allie [MacDonald] through the music side of Los Angeles. She had introduced me to Gaelan and Charlie. We had a Zoom call, and I already had the script at this point. I met these two young filmmakers. I fell in love with these guys and what they wanted to create, this vision. They pitched me the role, left me the script, and then we jumped back on Zoom.
I read Miles’ arc. I’ve been him and wanted to be him. I found out that it was the same with Ryan. It was very fun to come in and play a pivotal part. Although small, it’s a pivotal arc. I happily wanted to work with these filmmakers. Now, here we are.
1428 Elm: Ryan, your character is often inside his head, and yet, he’s the one who desperately wants the band reunion to happen. He wants to record a new album. Can you talk about playing this character and his complexities?
Ryan Donowho: This was a natural part for me. I was in a band with Tim Jo, who plays the guitarist, for years. I know Charlie and Tim were in a band together, too. It felt really natural. I’ve already had these fights and discussions about songs with Tim. I had already worked with Charlie. It was such a natural thing to become this character. I've lived it for 15-20 years. I’ve played music since I can remember. That felt really natural.
The part about just fighting and not trusting your bandmates, I think that’s just a natural thing. If you’ve ever been in a band, you’ve had these discussions.
1428 Elm: Rob, even though your character Miles is no longer in the band, he still looms over the reunion and the band’s messy history. Can you discuss playing Miles and the impact he has on his former bandmates?
Rob Raco: When you’re in a band, you create a family. Coming from the garage, in their case, to the VMAs, you see a trajectory happening. Miles is looming into the next chapter of what he wants. To create something like Miles is something I’ve been through in my life in band situations and acting situations. I didn’t come here to stay content. I think that’s the demise of an artist.
Creating something like Miles felt close to home. I felt like he had to leap. Who does he want to take? Ryan’s character was exactly that. Miles had an opportunity for both of them. That I think is the impending doom. The bigger horror in this film is the psychological horror of the what if.
As we talked about Miles throughout the film, we know he’s on an arena tour. They’re living in the shadow of what if. That’s something I can relate to. I’ve been on both sides. It was kind of an easy thing to jump into, to be honest.
1428 Elm: What was the experience like filming this at the French chateau and such an old castle?
Ryan Donowho: The castle was amazing. It was a 1,000-year-old castle in Dordogne. Everyone asked if it was creepy and scary. Yes, it was all of those things. There were bats in one section, next to where the director of photographer stayed. There were rodents.
The worst thing about the castle was the 1,000-year-old mold. We all got what we called castle cough. Everyone had a slight little thing the whole time. [Laughs]. It was real because about 24 hours after we got out of there, everyone was fine.
There’s also a lot of stairs in castles. There are no elevators. I was staying on the top floor, going up this tower. All of our wardrobe was in our room. If I had to change my wardrobe, I had to run across the castle grounds, up, and then back down.
All in all, though, it was beautiful. What a location. Every day, I found new things. I’d wander off and find a new section of the castle. It was incredible.
Rob Raco: I was there for a week. My times were all night shoots, which was great. I woke up extremely early. There’s not much out there. It was the middle of nowhere, in the biggest castle in the village. Where my room faced, I woke up to these sunrises over this mountain. You feel the history and the hauntings.
Like Ryan said, there’s a lot of stairs. Stairs weren’t the best engineered 1,000 years ago. One side was bigger than another. As you’re going, you witness bats and spiders. It’s an element. I remember during my first night there, I felt a presence.
The only recorded death in the castle was directly below me in the chapel, three floors below. I would wake up at 3 am. It was a horror film within a horror film. Then I thought, embrace it. I said hi to this thing before going to bed. It was fun, man. [Laughs].
1428 Elm: Can you talk about the choice of music for the film? How did you decide on the music selection, including Jets to Brazil? They're a band I personally love, along with Jawbreaker!
Ryan Donowho: That’s all Gaelan and Charlie. They were dead set on getting Jets to Brazil, if they could. They wrote him [Blake Schwarzenbach] and were pleasantly surprised. He said sure, use whatever. We started cutting up pieces. Gaelan also plays a lot. He plays a lot of guitar in the intro and trailers, I think.
Before I even signed on, they had music in mind. Then, I had to learn it. That was a problem. I’m not a great guitarist or singer. I tried my best. [Laughs]. I’m no Jets to Brazil, but I tried.
1428 Elm: Anything else that you'd like to add about the film?
Rob Raco: When you jump into an indie project, it’s always scary. This film felt like a family project. We had family dinners at the castle and outside of the castle. We got to know each other on a personal level, which applied to the scenes and characters.
With the scenes me and Ryan did, I was talking to my bro. I was talking to my friend. It was subtext based upon the dialogue they wrote. We’ve both been in those situations. To understand that trust, with someone you just met, is rare. With this specific project, it was sad to say goodbye.
Ryan Donowho: To add to that, everyone in this film gave so much. With these projects, everyone always says everyone pitched in and wore many hats. With this, they really did. Everyone put in so much work and passion into this, from the top down. It’s humbling.
Art of a Hit arrives on digital/VOD on August 20.
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