Rouler, Sonner (New Orleans Film Festival Official Selection)

Bennett Kirschner and Eric Gabourel star in Rouler, Sonner. (Written and directed by Harry Bartle).

I’m not much of a social media user, though I am trying to improve the online presence of Flambeaux Bicycle Tours. Nor do I watch commercial or cable television. (I enjoy film, so going to the cinema is my preferred avenue for enjoying onscreen entertainment). However, I was scrolling through Instagram and came upon a post by Bennett Kirschner. Bennett and I acted together in a locally produced short film entitled Rouler, Sonner which translates from French as Roll, Sound.

I clicked on Bennet’s profile to see what he’d been up. I was in utter shock to see that he had over 100k followers! My initial conclusion was that he paid for one of those social media services that gets you a bunch of fake followers. I DMed him and to my surprise he told me that he was on the reality show Married at First Sight. Admittedly, I still haven’t watched it (don’t tell him I said so). I was super excited for him and that excitement caused me to reflect on the time I spent with him on the set of Rouler, Sonner.

I never auditioned for the film. Rouler, Sonnet’s writer and director Harry Battle asked me to be in it. I wasn’t sure I could swing it. I was super busy at the time getting Flambeaux Bicycle Tours started, but I really liked Harry and the script that he wrote. I eventually agreed.

I had zero acting experience. Harry just told me to be myself, so that’s what I did. When it was being filmed I just acted like the camera’s weren’t there. Being in the film did allow me to see all of the hard work that goes into film production. There’s a lot of moving parts and it takes a pretty sizable team to make it all work. What amused me the most were the extra’s. Their work in the background gave me a whole new appreciation for their silent acting in the background.

If you recognize Bennett from reality TV and you want to catch up with him, check out one of his performances here.

I really enjoyed my roll. My character was some what of a mystic. The beautiful thing about the film is that it’s an art piece and its meaning is up to viewer. As a thank you for being in Rouler, Sonner; Harry produced the video for my crowd funding campaign.