Interview: Ray Griggs of ‘Super Capers’

‘Super Capers” is a cute film about a guy with no super powers who teams up with some super-heroes in need of assistance, the “Super Capers.” The story includes good guys, bad guys, stolen gold, a wrongly accused hero, and some surprises. Writer/director/star Ray Griggs says that his mission is “to tell compelling and captivating stories to a family audience so that they may be swept away from reality and lost in the silver screen for a moment in time. I spoke with him about the film.

How did this film come about?

I did an award-winning short, but studios aren’t really inclined to put their money on someone who’s really unknown, so I had to prove myself with an independent film. I tried to use all the resources I had, so I wrote, produced, directed, and starred in it. I thought I might as well do what inspired me to be a film-maker, take a little something from people like Spielberg and Zemekis, put them all into one big melting pot. So, there’s a little bit of “Back to the Future,” a little bit of “Star Wars,” and a little bit of “Superman.” There are a lot of homages to things, like a big 80’s film. Our score is from two guys who work with the great John Williams. And of course there’s Adam West!

Yes, there is! How did it feel to have TV’s Batman, Adam West, involved?

As a kid you’re into watching the shows but don’t think you’ll be one day working with him. I really enjoyed having him as the old superhero — in an adapted Batmobile — driving the young superhero. There are a lot of touches like that, in the costumes and characters, things that adults will recognize but little kids will fall in love with without needing to know where they came from.

The trend these days seems to be superheroes who are complex and troubled, as in “The Dark Knight” and “Watchmen.” But you’ve gone another way, more light-hearted and playful.

We were breaking away from what the traditional movies do. With an independent film I could have had total freedom to do violence, nudity, whatever we wanted. But it also gave us independence to do what we wanted. I wanted it to be for little kids, to inspire them the way I was inspired. The idea comes from me as a kid, wanting to be a superhero and pretending to be one. The main character in this movie has no powers but wants to fit in. He wants it so much he pretends he has powers. A lot of us feel that way.

What superpower would you most like to have?

I’d like to fly, especially today with all the traffic!

How else does the movie reflect your own vision of the world?

Well, the G on the superhero uniform does not stand for Gruberman — it stands for God, the ultimate creator and the ultimate power.

Your short film is about Lucifer, so there is a religious element in both films.

All things are possible with God, and nothing without him. I am grateful to God for my talent. And I feel, why not promote God — there are so many films that don’t. When you do see a Christian on television or in the movies either they are making fun of him or he’s the bad guy.

I have a comic book “prequel” to the movie and will send it to the first person who sends me an email with moviemom@moviemom.com with “Capers” in the subject line.