Chris LaMartina is a 26 year old filmmaker from Baltimore, MD. To date, he's produced five features films, created the web series, "Lost Trailer Park: Never Coming Attractions", and has won numerous awards at film festivals across the country... the latest being "Best Director" at the 2011 Killer Film Fest for his role on the film, "Witch's Brew".
What is the current project you are working on?
We're currently writing three screenplays. Two of which are horror-comedies we're looking to produce ourselves (can't reveal the titles/concepts just yet), and the other is a more serious horror/thriller for a buddy of ours in LA.
Why did you decide to create "Witch's Brew"?
"Witch's Brew" stemmed from the title first. I really wanted to produce a film about witches because I thought they'd been under-utilized in modern horror flicks. We came up with the title and from the title, the concept seemed obvious: a horror flick about cursed beer. Since most people drown their horror film screenings in alcohol abuse, a horror film about hexed beer seemed like a perfect fit for our core audience.
Will you share some behind the scenes "fun facts" about "Witch's Brew?
"Witch's Brew" was shot in about thirty days during the summer of 2010. Our total budget was around $16K ($13K was funded through the online donation site, Kickstarter). Three weeks before shooting, I got laid-off from my job as a producer/director for the Baltimore city government tv channel. It was a rough time for me personally, but my amazing cast and crew pulled me through it. It was an intense, grueling summer... one of the hottest on record. There were a million things that went wrong: actors losing their voice, locations falling through, props breaking, make-up sweating off (cuz of the heat), thunderstorms, exploding spray cans, and minor injuries. It all pulled together though, mostly under the supervision of my amazing producing partner, Jimmy George, who oversaw an epic production - gratuitous nude scenes, a dozen wild locations, forty speaking roles, and over sixty practical make-up effects. It was a huge undertaking, but somehow... it all came together.
How do you measure success?
How I measure success changes with every film I make. I find myself becoming more and more self-critical as I progress as an artist/filmmaker. I think you're selling yourself short if you aren't your own worse critic. Walking out of a premiere or a screening and hearing folks discuss their favorite scenes or character is always a rewarding experience. I got into filmmaking because I wanted to tell stories, and when I hear an audience connecting with one of my tales... it's just a fantastic experience.
On a similar token, getting fan mail or a nice email about someone's affinity for one of my film is very inspiring. It keeps me going as a storyteller.
How do you handle rejection?
Getting mean-spirited reviews is tough sometimes. When they're right in their criticism, I don't mind (I know when my shit sucks... and I have yet to make a 'perfect film'..... hell, I probably never will) ... but some reviewers have a tendency of being excessively-rude to pander to a cynical fan base who value reading angry reviews more than enjoying a micro budget film for 'what it is' and not what they 'wish it was'.
I'm not worried about getting film festival rejections or distributer turn-downs. You never know why someone says 'no'... everything is so different and subjective. Our film, "Book of Lore" was rejected by own distributer in 2007 only to be released by the same distributer three years later. Maybe it was just a bad morning the first time they checked it out? Who knows? I don't and I try not to fester my insecurities on 'what could have beens'. We just move on to the next project, knowing it's going to be better because we're stronger with every consecutive flick.
Did you always want to be a filmmaker?
I grew up telling stories. As the youngest of three, I had a natural inclination to 'show-off' and make ridiculous tales up. I used to make my Aunt sit down at her typewriter and dictate scary stories to her. As I got older, I wanted to be a cartoonist (and I used to write comics for my college paper and I've produced a few animation shorts). Eventually, I stumbled across my family camcorder, caught the filmmaking bug, and ruined any chance of having a 'real career'. Oh well I guess...
What inspired you to become filmmaker?
I just love telling stories and telling them visually is an amazing avenue. When I was younger, watching someone's reactions or making someone laugh from telling a tale was a very rewarding encounter. I wanted to get an emotional response from folks just like I responded to my favorite films/tv shows. I grew up watching fun, trashy cinema and I enjoy creating work that draws on the films of my youth, especially horror comedies and ensemble films.
What is the best thing about being one?
Making art and having someone enjoy your art (or at the very least... react to it in any capacity) is one of the best feelings in the world. It's never been about publicity or "exposure" for me (although, I'd be lying if I didn't say those are nice too)... it's about sharing stories with an audience: the modern equivalent of telling tales around the campfire. It keeps you warm, too.
What is the worst thing about being one?
It's not lucrative... at least I haven't figured out that part yet. It puts intense emotional strain on plenty of relationships (friends, family, lovers). You sacrifice a lot of your personal life to bring your words to life. It's labor-intensive and swallows up many, MANY waking-hours. There's a financial burden if you're self-funding them (as we have done) and if you're using investors, there's a potential threat of having your vision (all you have, really) compromised and shifted in a direction you might not believe in. It definitely has its moments... but not without a lot of agony. A wise man once told me, "Nothing worth doing in life is easy"... so I try to consider that every time a filmmaking venture hits a bumpy patch (and trust me, they ALL do).
What is the estimated number of projects you have worked on?
I've directed five features to date - "Dead Teenagers", "Book of
Lore", "Grave Mistakes", "President's Day", & "Witch's Brew". The last four were co-produced by my best friend/frequent writing partner, Jimmy George. Outside of that, I created the web series "Lost Trailer Park: Never Coming Attractions" and produced countless short films (both live action and animation).Who is is your favorite filmmaker?
I can't just pick one. Some of my favorite filmmakers are: John Carpenter, Todd Solondz, Fred Dekker, Tom Holland, Rob Reiner, Wes Craven, Robert Rodriguez, JR Bookwalter, the list goes on... but those are the ones I consistently come back to.
How has your life changed since you became a filmmaker?
I have tendency of zoning-out every ten minutes and scheming movie titles. I eat horribly for two months and then spend the rest of my year trying to lose weight. I sacrifice a good social life to tell a good story. I'm really great at getting fake blood stains out of carpet. I can convince your mother-in-law to let me shoot a nude scene in her basement. Those are things that have changed for me. I wasn't like that before.
What is one piece of advice you can give to someone who also wants to make it in the movie business?
If you want to pursue filmmaking as a career, go to college for BUSINESS, not filmmaking. If I could go back in time, I'd major in business and minor in film. Outside of that, say "Thank You"... that's most important factor on set. People work a lot harder for folks who treat them with respect and dignity.
What do you like to do besides filmmaking?
Outside of filmmaking, I play in various punk bands (guitar/bass/drums/vocals), watch way too much C-Span (I'm a political junkie), explore abandoned buildings, collect spoken word records, and read lots about folklore.
Have you had any other jobs before you decided to become a filmmaker?
Let's see here. My first job was a copy boy at Kinkos. Man, that was a horrible job, but I learned a lot about work ethic and met many crazy characters (some of which will undoubtedly be in a film sooner or latter). During college, I worked a vintage clothing shop, at a used cd/dvd store, and even as projectionist at a small Afrocentric movie house. It was a great experience and I was exposed to a ton of weird flicks. I even booked screenings and bought film prints during that time period. It ruled. After school, I worked three years as a producer/director for the Mayor's Office of Cable & Communication here in Baltimore. I got laid-off there right before we shot "Witch's Brew". Currently, I work as an editor at a production company in Baltimore.
What are some of your favorite American films? Foreign films? Television shows?
My favorite film of all time is "Harold & Maude" - I even have the back patch sewn on my hoodie to prove my affinity. Most of my favorite films are American. I just love eighties American cinema... especially regional low budget horror flicks and ensemble pictures. Foreign wise, "Let the Right One In" ranks pretty high, as does "Wild Zero", and the films of Peter Jackson. As for television, I love "The Wire" (best television show ever... I'd fight someone over this fact), "The Daily Show", and anthology tv shows ("Tales from the Darkside", "Monsters" etc).
How would you describe your film education?
I went to Towson University where I get a BS in Electronic Media and Film Production. Some people think film school is a waste of time, but I'll say this: it's what you make it. I did a ton of networking which continues to help me to this day, I learned a ton about theory, and I made some solid professional friendships. Productionwise, I could have learned everything outside of the classroom... which is just fine. You have to learn inside and outside of the classroom. Education does not exist in a vacuum.
How would you describe the film "scene" where you live?
Baltimore has a very vibrant film community. There is a long history of exploitation/genre films being made here... going back to John Waters and Don Dohler. Currently, there are dozens of filmmakers who I consider good friends that produce movies here as well. My buddies, Mark Colegrove and Mark Leake produced an amazing low cannibal spoof, "Isle of the Damned". My fx guy, Jason Koch is in the middle of editing his first feature, "7th Day". My sound guy, Jonathan Boushell is premiering his feature, "Fang" in a few weeks. There are tons of great avenues to meet kindred spirits. We host "Mondo Baltimore" (a monthly meeting of trashy cinema enthusiasts) at the Wind-up Space (where we shot "Witch's Brew"). There are places like the Creative Alliance where you can book screenings and rent film gear. It's a wonderful environment to create and co-exist in. Baltimore is definitely something special.
How has social media changed the independent film industry?
Social media has made the pre-production agony a lot easier. Organizing casting call, gathering last minute extras, finding cheap props and locations are just some of the perks to a more interconnected world. On the downside, now... everyone is a filmmaker, and while, that's great to a degree (we can see more diverse story lines and styles) the market is unbelievably over-saturated and it's hard to get through a old of phony movies. So many IMDB pages exist for films that aren't going to happen. It can be very frustrating to siphon through the fake projects produced by folks who are more talk than anything else.
What's your opinion on crowd funding?
Well, we raised $13K of the "Witch's Brew" budget on Kickstarter. So, I'm definitely pro-crowd funding, but on the flip side, I would NOT do it for every project. Hell, I don't know if I can ever do it again. For a minute, everyone was using that site or Indiegogo and we began to see "Kickstarter Fatigue". Some projects saw no donations because everyone had already given to another link or were tired of donating to creative endeavors.
Some people have written off crowd-funding as internet panhandling, which I completely disagree with. Sites like Kickstarter are ways for your friends, family, "fans", and even complete strangers to help out even if they can't aid you physically. A $50 donation is just as valuable as someone letting you borrow their cop costume or shooting a scene in their backyard (well, ok... I might have a slightly awkward take on the 'barter system', but you get the idea).
How does independent film differ from the mainstream?
Well, this depends how we define "independent". There are million-dollar 'independent movies' that are produced fairly similarly to mainstream motion pictures... generally. As a whole, an artist has more creative control as an independent filmmaker, but less resources. The studio system has built-in infrastructure for production, marketing, and distribution. Independent filmmakers have to figure out their own path. It's tricky most of the time, but some of the most successful films of all time have been independent productions and I think that's testament to the fact that independent films can take 'chances' that mainstream films won't take because they are worried about 'broad audience appeal'.
You could go back in time and see any film being made. Which film
would it be and why?
Man... that's tough. Hmmm... Y'know, I'd have to say (and perhaps this is ridiculous, I don't know...) "Dead Next Door". I think the entire existence of a Super8 zombie epic being produced in the mid-eighties is incredibly fascinating. So much value and energy ends up in the final version of that flick, that I would have loved to see what went into production. I've seen behind-the-scene videos, but I'd love to know what it was like for Bookwalter, as a young director, to be at the helm of such an intense project. It's remarkable.
What's your favorite movie quote and why?
"Harold and Maude". When Maude says, "You see, Harold... I believe most of the world's sorrow comes from people who are this, but allow themselves to be treated like that". Why is this my favorite movie quote? Because it's true.
What is your opinion on movie remakes and sequels?
I can't hate on remakes because there are some remakes that are generally great (John Carpenter's "The Thing", "The Blob" (88), I even enjoyed "Hills Have Eyes). There are obviously some that are atrocious and those ones were most-likely produced by folks with dollar-signs in their eyes, not with passion for the original. Generally, I kind-of love sequels... even the bad ones, because when as a horror film series progresses it starts to lean toward self-parody ("Leprechaun in the Hood", anyone?) and that's entertaining too. It's enjoyable in a different sense, but enjoyable none the less. Sure, there are some sequels that are so bad... that they are bad, but I'm speaking generally.
What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?
A lot of times you lose intricate/intimidate details of a story when try to crunch a 300 page novel into a 90 minute movie. Obviously, there are a ton of great book-to-film adaptations, but it's a sneaky beast. The screenwriter has to be a master surgeon and figure out what are the essential elements to the story without losing the heart of its style. That's the essence, really... figuring out a way to show the atmosphere visually that is only implied in the reader's imagination. If the author has done the groundwork with strong visuals in their book, it will work itself out more easily... but there are some stories that can't be easily shown (the work of HP Lovecraft comes to mind).
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thanks so much for the interview! I really appreciate it. If anyone's interested in speaking further, they can find me on Facebook. Cheers!
