Randall Batinkoff – Inside Game

By starrymag | March 18, 2020

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on? 

 

A) I am just finishing up a pilot called “Head Trip” that my wife, Hilary Lambert, and I co-created and wrote together.  It’s the story of a psychologist (Eric Mabius) who needs a life coach (me) and a life coach who needs a therapist. 

 

Q) How did you come on board to direct the film Inside Game?

 

A) I’ve known producer Michael Pierce for many years and we’ve been taking about working on a project together for a long time. I was initially involved as a producer but the directors we were talking to wanted a big budget and a lot of money, which we didn’t have. Michael saw what I could do with very little money on my first film 37 and at a certain point asked me if I wanted to direct it. 

 

Q) How familiar were you with this twisted tale of fixing basketball games before joining the movie?

 

A) I was vaguely familiar with the Donaghy story but have always been intrigued with sporting events that seemed rigged and I love stories about seemingly foolproof scams that go sideways.

 

Q) What were some challenges that surprised you about doing double duty as producer and director of the movie?

 

A) There are always so many variables to contend with on a daily basis to make your day. All productions problems eventually seep into the work if they are not handled properly. Only in a very rarified world does a director get to be totally free from production distractions. I like to know what the problems are so I can know what obstacles lay ahead and so I can weigh in on the solutions. I had excellent producers on this film who tried to insulate me as much as they could. 

 

Q) What advice did you try to instill in the actors while shooting it?

 

A) Have fun. Do as little as possible. Don’t worry about the results.  And, most importantly, nothing matters but the story.  

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day of filming?

 

A) Good dinners with the cast and some of the crew. We had two great restaurants in Rutherford, NJ that we alternated between. One was a great sushi bar (Nizi) and the other a Greek restaurant (Elia). That and also by plotting out the next day’s shots with my DP, Akis [Konstantakopoulos]. 

 

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to shoot?

 

A) The scene when the three guys meet in the hotel bar and the scene at Tommy’s (Scott Wolf) place where Baba (Will Sasso) explains how it all works.  The scene where Baba loses everything and breaks down to Debbie (Betsy Beutler). The confession scene with Tim (Eric Mabius) and his father. And the big fight scene with “The Chinaman” character.

 

Q) Inside Game won two awards at film festivals. How does that make you feel?

 

A) Pretty damn good. Winning Best Ensemble Cast awards shows how much people loved the performances and they were pretty amazing. People really responded to the film and how well Scott, Eric and Will played off each other. And we had a great supporting cast, too. People are surprised at how funny the film is. In many ways, even though it’s a searing drama, I approached a lot of it as if we were making a comedy and the actors brought that to the table and audiences have responded.  

 

Q) You are a part of social media. What kind of response have you received to the movie?

 

A) People who have seen the film absolutely love it. They love learning about the nuances of how this whole thing happened and how massively out of control it got (with tens of millions of dollars at stake) and the ending blows them away. 

 

Q) What do you hope viewers of Inside Game take away from watching the film?

 

A) There is no such thing as a sure thing. What motivates a person do what they do is not necessarily what you think it is. People are very complicated and crime doesn’t pay.