Interview with director Kevin Chapados about his film “Abraham Obama” which focuses on a grass-roots campaign to promote Barack Obama’s campaign for the Presidency through street art. Shot during the San Francisco Independent Film Festival.
Filmmaker Phillip Snyder’s “time-travel, sci-fi comedy” Fitgerald’s Flask is a fantasy mixture of Roaring Twenties silent film cinema and futuristic science fiction. Destitute and drunk, Jazz Age author F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) contacts sci-fi writer H.G. Wells (The Time Machine) and travels forward in time to the 21st century. Upon arrival, he auctions his memorabilia and thus reaps the rewards of his posthumous success. The film plays at the Reel Time Film Festival on Friday, December 12, 2008 at 6:50 PM. For more information go to:
http://reeltimefilmfestival.org/venue
View the trailer here:
Tell me about your film. Why should people see it?
It’s an off-beat time-travel, sci-fi comedy. It combines old and contemporary filmmaking styles.
What led you to make this film?
My brother, Robert, read an article about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s drinking flask being auctioned recently for $50,000.00. That led him to think what would happen if the poverty-stricken writer could travel forward in time and reap the rewards of his posthumous success.
What were some of the greatest challenges you faced in making this film?
Editing the time-travel dream sequence and the compositing the auction scene.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
Make people laugh.
What are you working on now, or next?
Developing a screenplay from a short story plus any short editing projects that come along. Documentaries are usually long form projects. I’ve done a few. It’s best, when shooting, to never stop the camera. Then, when editing, it becomes a process not unlike molding clay.
What are your three favorite films?
That changes constantly depending which are on my mind at a given time. At the moment, I would say “Psycho”, “Jaws”, “The Godfather, pts. 1 & 2″.
Many of our users are just starting out; what advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
For fiction films, coming up with a good story that has a satisfying ending. Really, story is everything.
Have you placed your films online and do you think it’s a good outlet for young filmmakers to get exposure?
Yes, but there is so much stuff out there that it can get lost. What you have to do after posting your film online is to send the link to as many people as possible.
Did you go to film school? If yes, where and what did you think of the experience?
No, I did not go. I was an English major in college. It relates to my belief that learning what makes a good story is the most essential element in filmmaking. The technical stuff can be learned later.
What are the other films you have made?
Many short films including, most recently, “Paperman” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0818690), “Reaper Madness” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455717) and three documentaries on WWII veterans.
Which filmmakers have most influenced your work?
Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Orson Welles, Francis Coppola, Mike Nichols, Steven Spielberg, John Huston, the Maysles brothers, the Cohen brothers.
What’s your motto?
“Shoot first. Ask questions later.” Which means get the footage in the can ASAP and don’t get hung up on technicalities.
What format (film, video, hi-def) and camera did you use and why did you choose the format and camera? If you had a choice, would you use that camera again?
Shot “Fitzgerald’s Flask” on miniDV in standard def because it was the easiest and cheapest. I owned the camera a Sony HDR-FX1. Next time, I’ll shoot in DVCPRO HD 720 24p with the Panasonic HVX-200A.
What other festivals is your film appearing in?
It appeared in the Long Island International Film Expo.
What was your goal when you decided to make the film?
To tell a good story, make people laugh and create some neat visual effects.
Clandestine tells the story of how a woman’s jealousy leads her to betray her arguably naive, but unequivocally loyal best friend and the sequence of events that spur from that betrayal. However, it’s very subtle at telling the story. -Director Condra Magee
What led you to make this film?
In 2005, I challenged a few of my fellow writing buddies to write a script for a short film in 30 days and then we’d all team up to produce it. It was the result of a seminar I attended where the speaker said he made a short film for $1,000. It was so motivating! Well 30 days turned into 45 for me (and probably still counting for my friends) and even months before I got up enough courage to really shoot it but I knew I needed to get over the hurdle of “the first one.” I haven’t looked back since. The story was developed around sentiments I had at the time. And the title was an accusation about me from an ex-boyfriend. (smile)
What were some of the greatest challenges you faced in making this film?
Fear and naivete’! My fear almost prevented me from doing it at all and thank God I partnered with someone who knew the business and was able to connect me with the right pieces to the filmmakers puzzle, crew members, equipment, etc., to balance my naivete. Also, wearing so many different hats. Oftentimes on low-budget films, producers and directors have to pull double duty to make up for what the budget lacked. While it was definitely more cumbersome, I don’t regret it because it was the best way to learn about the various components to film production.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
Is it to much to hope for increased fidelity? (smile) There are so many underlined themes in the film that any one of them might resonate more than others depending on who’s watching. Ultimately though, I hope people are reminded of what is means to be loyal - in friendships, relationships, faith, to yourself, everything.
What are you working on now, or next, and how do you find documentary projects?
I’m currently working on a reality TV show as well as my first feature film. I shot a documentary in late August in relation to the historic election that premiered in Atlanta in October. BELIEVE. Vote For Change featured several Who’s Who from the South who shared their thoughts on the election. You can check out the film at www.believehopechange.com.
What are your three favorite films?
My God, why is this such a hard question?! Stephen Spielberg would probably rattle them off in seconds. These are probably not my absolute favorites but they are at the top quartile: The Color Purple (cinematography), A Time To Kill (dialogue), Hustle and Flow (character and story development). I think people get lost in the surface and miss the underlined themes and “relatability” of the latter one. But I’m also an ultimate fan of the Indiana Jones, Lethal Weapon and Die Hard series!
Many of our users are just starting out; what advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Read as much as you can! And don’t be afraid to team up with someone that has more experience than you but MAKE SURE you have the same vision, work ethic. Otherwise the relationship will be too combative. Clandestine was the first time my partner and I had ever worked together and we only had two disagreements: one was casting for Jasmine (he won) and the other was the music for the opening (we found a great compromise).
Have you placed your films online and do you think it’s a good outlet for young filmmakers to get exposure?
Clandestine isn’t but another project is online and I think it was a great tool to gain exposure. With the distribution channels growing and costs decreasing ,there are myriad ways to create a film and share it with the world, the internet being one key tool. It can only help you. But be sure not to over-expose it before you’ve done the film festival circuit though as it may disqualify the film in some cases.
Did you go to film school? If yes, where and what did you think of the experience?
I did not attend film school. One of my best friends is there now so I try to keep up with her experience. Ironically, I’ve had two successful directors, one is a major producer for a well-known studio and the other a music video director, both tell me that they only went for the first year or so and at that point they had gained all they really needed to know. In fact, one director said that the professor told his class that they’d be in the same place as someone who didn’t go to film school once they graduated: hoping to get a job as a PA on a major film and work their way up. So he said, “well why waste the time and money when I can go out and get a head start now.” Somehow, not long after, this guy met Scorsese and developed a friendship. Go figure. That experience is an anomaly rather than the norm, of course.
What are the other films you have made?
BELIEVE. Vote For Change (www.believehopechange.com). The rest of my work is on the music video, commercial and reality TV side.
What’s you motto?
“Just a girl naive enough to think she could change the world”
What format (film, video, hi-def) and camera did you use and why did you choose the format and camera? If you had a choice, would you use that camera again?
We used Panasonic DVX cameras to shoot Clandestine but in light of nearly comparable costs, I would definitely recommend upgrading to high definition camera (i.e. Sony EX) that will give you an even better quality. However, most of my projects lately have been shot on the RED One, an amazing digital camera that shoots in 4K whose images rival that of 35mm film. It’s awesome!
What other festivals is your film appearing in?
Every time I think Clandestine is nearing the end of it’s film festival run, I get a new call or email for it! That’s so exciting. Since its debut in October 2006 where it took home the best short film award at the Urban Mediamakers festival, Clandestine has appeared in several festivals across the country as well as making its television debut on BETJ The Best Shorts in Summer 2008. Clandestine has appeared in the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival, Black Hollywood Resource Center SE Manly Film Showcase, Legacy Filmmakers Showcase, Pan African Film Festival, Spaghetti Junction Urban Film Festival, Roxbury Film Festival, Run & Shoot Filmworks Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, and National Association of Black Female Executives In Music & Entertainment Conference.
What was your goal when you decided to make the film?
Can I say to just do it without being sued? (smile) My goal was to get one under my belt. I knew that it would get easier for me after that. Not the work but the courage to do the next one. I was never afraid of the work.
In the Washington forest, my brother-in-Law recorded audio of what he thought was Bigfoot. The film is my quest to find out if his recording is real. - David Thayer on why he made Bigfoot.
What were some of the greatest challenges you faced in making this film?
Long drives across the west, with girlfriend Katrin Sutter (who helped film it) and my baby boy Jethro, to meet the folks in the movie. It was also a challenge to keep Jethro from walking into the shots. I gave up after a while and managed to integrate him into the film.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
You mean, like, bringing awareness to Dafur?
I think that there are already too many “Movies That Matter” so I am honored when my film makes no impact whatsoever.
Bigfoot: A Beast on the Run
What are you working on now, or next, and how do you find documentary projects?
I am currently working on a couple of screenplays and I am in the middle of making a doc on the St. Bernhard dogs here in Switzerland.
What are your three favorite films?
Dogsville, Fake! and Robocop 2.
Many of our users are just starting out; what advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
I’m an aspiring filmmaker myself. My advice might be bad.
Have you placed your films online and do you think it’s a good outlet for young filmmakers to get exposure?
I have. Why not?
Did you go to film school? If yes, where and what did you think of the experience?
I learned everything on the streets.
What are the other films you have made?
Mostly I’ve worked on other people’s films, but Bigfoot is my first real movie.
Which filmmakers have most influenced your work?
As soon as I’ve made my first fiction film I can answer that: but as far as Bigfoot goes, I can’t reference anything other than the many hours I spent in front of the TV as a child.
What’s you motto?
I’m working on it.
What do you think film festivals like DocFest offer to the dialogue about issues facing our society?
What I like about the Docfest program is that it doesn’t offer anything like this. Unfortunately, most festivals do. I think it’s cynical of any festival to imply that they can change or ‘better’ anything in our society when they charge in excess of 70 bucks entrance fee. With numerous civic and private sponsors posted in their catalogs, many festivals anyway accept huge entrance for one of their unpaid volunteers to almost watch, and reject, hundreds on bad films on 300 dollars worth of equipment. I guess it’s OK to charge that much because it’s business: but if they’re gonna rip the little guy off, they shouldn’t do it under the pretense of saving the world.
What format (film, video, hi-def) and camera did you use and why did you choose the format and camera? If you had a choice, would you use that camera again?
I used a sony DV cam. It’s broken now and I now have an HDV cam.
What other festivals is your film appearing in?
It showed at Fantaspoa in Brazil, and It’s been rejected by another four festivals. It’s encouraging that it made it into the SF docfest so I will send it off to another few festivals. Ultimately, though, I would like to see my film appear on television.
What was your goal when you decided to make the film?
Laughs, education, fun - maybe find Bigfoot.
“Bigfoot” is playing at DocFest in the San Francisco Bay Area in October.
For more info, check out http://www.sfindie.com