In this episode: We interview filmmaker, Efram Potelle. Efram was the winner of the second season of HBO’s Project Greenlight. Along with his filmmaking partner, Kyle Rankin, he directed THE BATTLE OF SHAKER HEIGHTS (starring Shia Labeouf and produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon). Since then, Efram has worked on the Visual Effects for such films as PUNISHER: WAR ZONE and THE DEVIL INSIDE. He has also directed several short films, including CASE TAPE 347, which has over 6 million views on YouTube.

Efram shares some insight about the different forms of distribution out there and how they each have their advantages. Efram also talks about the good and the bad of his Project Greenlight experience and what he learned from that production.

Currently Efram is working on a new short film titled, ENDANGERED. The film has successfully raised its funds via a Kickstarter campaign and is set to be released sometime before the end of 2012… that is, of course, if humanity still exists. We hope you enjoy the interview!

You can also listen to any of our podcasts by clicking on the player at the top right, or by subscribing to our podcast on iTunes.

I was walking to the Pacific Theaters in the Gaslamp district of downtown San Diego, and it was hot as horse piss, and parking cost twenty bucks, and I was having a bad day (not whining–this is going somewhere.  Promise).  There, I had an interview scheduled with the cast and crew of the Sundance surprise “Bellflower.”  The trailer looked bold, fresh, and promising:

The story of the film’s production was already famous: the cast and crew went to the desert with handmade cameras, a handmade muscle car right out of Mad Max, handmade flamethrowers and explosives, and bankrupted themselves making a movie.  Writer/Director/Star Evan Glodell’s being positioned the same way Robert Rodrigez was in his El Mariachi days: a D-I-Y filmmaking Saviour, unafraid to take chances, risking all for the joy of uninhibited, challenging, inventive storytelling.

When I arrived, I was invited to the third floor, where Mr. Glodell lay spread-eagled on the carpet, eyes closed.  The cast and crew were avoiding the interview room.  The air conditioning had gone out temporarily.  I sat next to Jessie Wiseman, who stars in the film as sort-of-a-femme-fatale-but-not-really-she’s-just-mean-sometimes Milly.  Her character’s introduced at a late night, dive-bar cricket-eating contest with the film’s protagonist, played by Glodell.

I asked the same first question every reporter has been asking: “Did you really eat those crickets?”

“Yup.  After every take, a shot of whiskey.”

Dang.

Somebody was making a Starbucks run.  Everybody gave their Starbucks order.  The atmosphere was informal.  The cast and crew were accessible.  They felt like peers.

We sauntered into the interview room (I think I was the first interview that day).  It was hot.  Dwight Schrute’s autograph was on the wall.  I took a picture.

Bellflower merchandise was spread all over the table: lighters and matches.  Awesome.

Curious about the director’s history as an engineer, I was fascinated by the sheer volume of D-I-Y craftsmanship in the film.  It begged my first question for the director: ”Which came first?  The car or the story?”

“The car was made way after the script.  I was going through a relationship when I was a lot younger that caused mayhem in my life, and in the wake of it I really didn’t understand.  It was more intense…”

“It’s more intense when you’re there.”

“Yeah. And afterwards, I said to myself, there’s never been a movie about what this is like.”

So, I thought to myself, the art came before the craft.  I’d known the answer even before I asked.  The young filmmaker in me got excited.  These guys were turning my day around.

I’m not whining, but you need to know this: Comic-con was in town, and Steven Spielberg–my personal Kobe Bryant–had taken the stage two hours ago.  I couldn’t be there.  I’d missed him.

Two years before, I’d almost gotten fired from a job over Steven Spielberg.  I heard he was going to be at Comic-Con presenting for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, and took an unscheduled three-hour lunch break… only to watch him on the big screen, via satellite, for thirty seconds, after Jon Favreau’s Iron Man presentation blew the roof off of Hall H.

And now He was here, for real, and I’d missed Him.  No Comic-con.  No fanboy moment.  Me, the aspiring filmmaker, missing the opportunity to brush the hem of The Man’s garment.

I was tremendously excited for this interview, but wasn’t ready for how encouraging it would be.

“When you wrote this, it seemed autobiographical for a bit, before it goes… really nasty.  Why did you choose to do it that way?  Was it instinct?  Was it–and this is the reason I would do it–because you wanted to blow some stuff up?”

“Some instinct, I suppose.  It was a lot of work.  It took a long time.  The first script just had the relationship between me and him, and between me and her, and that was it.  There was no game, or flamethrowers.  All that stuff came over the course of working on it.  The first thing that came into the script was the flamethrower.  I was like, “What are these characters doing?  They’re building a flamethrower.”

It was this gaspingly funny line that got my attention.  Bellflower is a story of misdirected boyhood urges, of creativity gone dangerous.  This nugget of boyhood dreaming, the “I’m gonna build the awesomest treehouse ever!” dream, became the foundation for Bellflower‘s story.

Awesome.

“What format did you shoot on?”

“It’s all based on the Silicon Imaging SI-2K camera.  It’s compressed raw, 2K.  It records onto software on a laptop onto a hard drive.  The sensors run into a laptop.  It runs through an ethernet cable to recording software onto the camera.  This camera’s the SI-2K that Silicon Imaging makes.  There’s two kinds: a mini one, where you can just get the sensor, and then you can get software and kind of build it yourself–or you can get the full recorder version.  I was a beta tester for them, so I owned one of the minis, a prototype one.  So we shot some of the movie with that, and the rest with three different cameras basically that were built around that sensor electronics.”

Short and sweet, the interview was the highlight of the Comic-Con season for me.  I’m amazed at how my brief meeting with these guys made the possibilities of filmmaking and film directing accessible. Certainly if these guys can do it–with fast cars and explosions, no less–than anything is possible.

Bellflower opens today.

After the SXSW screening of Todd Rohal’s hilarious “The Catechism Cataclysm” we had a chance to meet-up with Todd, as well as the star of the film, Steve Little, and the co-star and executive producer, Robert Longstreet. “The Catechism Cataclysm” is a whirlwind of a comedy shot on a micro-budget (and with the help of Kickstarter) in the backwoods of Washington. It also played at Sundance, where it was picked up by IFC Films.

(From L-R) Robert Longstreet, Todd Rohal and Steve Little

Death To The Movies: Alright guys, it’s great to have you all here. I want to start first by asking about the film’s title. It’s such a great title, did it come before you started production or was it something you came up with afterward?

Todd Rohal: The title came pretty early, I thought it was an intentionally bad title because it was unpronounceable.

DTTM: [laughs]

Todd Rohal: But no, the title was supposed to be unpronounceable. You’re kind of not supposed to be able to read it when it’s written out in that font, which is kind of for death metal bands. It’s a sort of code. Like to have a name written out in that insane typeface you may not be able to read what it says, but if you know that band then you just know what it is. It kind of ties into some Japanese things too, like Japanese symbols mean things and stuff like that… I just made that up now, but it sounded good [laughs]. But it also has to do with the catechism things of having to memorize lessons or rules of the church and Steve’s character is going through this crisis within the church of leaving and coming back. So, there’s a bit of a mess of disobeying the laws that are set forward in that and also set forward in the storytelling.

DTTM: Watching this film, it felt like you guys had a lot of fun making it. I think that almost made it more enjoyable because you rarely feel that in films anymore. What was the vibe on set?

Robert Longstreet: Oh man, I had a ball. I’m really glad that came through. I felt like I was at camp, like getting to play with a buddy or a new friend you meet over a summer and he’s someone you just hang out with really intensely for that one month you’re at camp. I mean that’s what I felt like. I was just so happy because I had wanted to work with Todd ever since I saw “Guatemalan Handshake”, I sent him emails, phone calls, and I just did not leave him alone. Thankfully he wasn’t repulsed by that and somehow we developed a friendship and then this film happened. And I was also a fan of Steve, so to work with him was just a pleasure. For me it really was a joyride.

DTTM: Steve, was it an enjoyable experience for you as well?

Steve Little: It was. It was weird because it was kind of like a vacation staying out there a little bit. I mean it was definitely hard work but it was also a lot of fun. But you know, when you perform there is this seriousness of it because there’s investors, or you want to make sure you get the shot, but then also if you’re not having fun then that is kind of contagious. So it’s weird, because there is a business aspect, but you also wanna… play. You know? That’s always the weird thing about it for me.

DTTM: What about for you, Todd? Was it fun or was it stressful? I’m sure it can be stressful to be on a short production schedule with a tight budget, but was it still a fun experience for you?

Todd Rohal: It should have been a disaster. It should have been horrible. It should have rained everyday and been hard on the crew and it also should have been really difficult for the actors with what we were asking them to do. But from the day I landed in Seattle to start shooting it was like every phone call we got was a good one. It was just constantly good news or something funny to add to the project, or something to up the production value of what we had. So, for me it was one of the best times of my life. I really had a great time watching these guys, and just felt much more comfortable directing.

Robert Longstreet: I can add something here. That kind of attitude comes from the director. It trickles down. I think the reason why it was so fun is that Todd just seemed relaxed and would come to us and make sure we had what we needed. He was such a great guy for the whole thing, and really happy to be there, which not everyone is on a lot of these movies. With smaller films like this, it’s more a labor of love. Everyone wanted to be there, no one is just taking paychecks and going home. But yeah, a good experience really starts with the director and trickles down.

Steve Little: I will say, the crew didn’t get paid or anything like that. So as an actor it makes it kind of hard for you to then complain. Not that we were getting paid a lot, but we were at least getting a paycheck.

DTTM: Robert, you were also the executive producer on this film. Did that add a little more weight to your role on set?

Robert Longstreet: Not at all. I wrote the first check and was so happy to do it because as a fan I really wanted to see the next Todd Rohal movie. I never even meant to be in the film. He wrote it for Steve and another actor, but that actor couldn’t do it because of a conflict in his schedule. Then when Todd asked me to do it, I didn’t believe him. I thought because I wrote the first check and got other investors he felt obligated, so I initially declined. I just wanted to invest and give him that 70′s experience where everyone says “yes” and the director is king. But then I finally agreed to do it and I’m so glad I did.

DTTM: How many days of production did you have?

Todd Rohal: It was 12 days. It probably should have been a few more. There were some things we would have liked to spend a little more time on, but it was scheduled really tight.

DTTM: You didn’t encounter any weather problems shooting in Washington?

Todd Rohal: No, we didn’t. But the day after we wrapped it snowed.

Robert Longstreet: Yeah, the day we were pulling out it was raining and then later snowing. But literally, the last day it rained. Up until then we didn’t have a single drop. So yeah, it was blessed.

DTTM: You guys put this film on Kickstarter.com to help raise funds. How was that? Would you go that route again?

Todd Rohal: I hated the idea of doing that, not because of the site, but I didn’t want to announce that we were making this movie in case it turned out to be a disaster or something. I didn’t like the idea of that happening and then someone coming up to me and being like, “Hey, how’s the movie going? How’s that fifty dollars I gave you? Did that… go well?” I didn’t want that guilt. Coming from making “Guatemalan Handshake” where we didn’t pay our investors back at all, it’s kind of odd because you run into those people fairly often. They are very nice folks and deal with it, but now with Kickstarter people give you that money and what if you never finish that movie and now there’s like 50 or 100 people that are wondering what happened to their money. So, I was really hesitant to announce that we were doing this movie, I was happy with just doing it very quietly. But we were in Seattle and all these crew people said, “We wanna work. We want to do this thing and we’re willing to do it for free.” and so we needed to pay to feed and house them. So, we needed to raise this extra money. We put it on Kickstarter and immediately money started coming in. We’d be out location scouting and would constantly be getting these emails notifying us of all these donations we were receiving. A lot of our friends gave big chunks. So it was nice, you feel like you’re not harassing people as much. It paid for the housing we needed for everybody, it was pretty great.

Robert Longstreet: And now, I mean, this movie sold at a profit. I remember when Kickstarter first came out, I had a really cynical idea about it. I was like, “Fuck you, go find your own damn money. Don’t like pass the UNICEF bucket around to everybody.” But now I love it and have contributed to a bunch of different productions on Kickstarter. I think it’s a great idea. I actually feel like it’s a great community that should go on, I really like it now. But I bet there are still a lot of people out there that feel bitter about it like I initially did.

DTTM: Did you guys sell after Sundance? Is that when IFC picked it up?

Todd Rohal: Yeah, we worked with Cinetic, which was crazy. I mean this was a small movie and then to sit down and talk with John Sloss, who works on real movies and then is working with us and our little movie. But they all genuinely loved the movie which is great to see. You want people who are working for the movie to genuinely love it. There are people out there who will work on a project just to work on it. It was such a great experience to be at Sundance and play at The Egyptian and have John Sloss come up afterwards and give me a hug. It was a thrill. I really believe that his heart was genuinely into this kind of movie. John really gets the difference in comedy and where it’s coming from. It was just great to see him back something that we just kind of pooped out in the woods… well, I shouldn’t say it was that easy. It was a hard poop.

DTTM: The tagline for the film, which I love, how did that come to be? Was it just thrown out there and it stuck, or was it always part of the film?

Todd Rohal: That tagline comes from the song “Hand of the Almighty” by John R. Butler, that we use at the end of the film. One of my oldest friends’ fathers went to school with that guy and told me about it… when I heard it I wrote it into the film and it’s been an honor to have it in there.

DTTM: Does IFC plan to keep the tagline when the release the film?

Todd Rohal: I don’t know if IFC will keep it (or our poster) just yet — we’re just getting into those conversations, but they seem to like all of the sensibility surrounding the film so far.

DTTM: I want to talk about the chemistry between Robert and Steve. I thought it was very funny and natural. Was there a lot of rehearsal time? Did you improvise much?

Steve Little: Well, I met Rob a year and a half ago. It was only for ten minutes for a reading on Todd’s film “Scoutmasters”. Then I met him for dinner the night before we started shooting this film and that was when I feel like we really officially met. There wasn’t too much time to rehearse. Todd had written an outline and only got us the script a couple days before shooting. We rehearsed every day before shooting, but it wasn’t like these stories you hear where we had weeks to rehearse before we even thought of shooting.

DTTM: So, were you signed on to “The Catechism Cataclysm” pretty early since you were already involved with “Scoutmasters”?

Steve Little: No, I just did a reading for “Scoutmasters.” But for this film I got an email that said “Do you want to do this movie? It’s about a priest who drops his Bible in the toilet.” I thought that was really funny so I checked with my mother and she laughed so…

DTTM: I thought Steve was a perfect casting decision, was the role written specifically for him?

Todd Rohal: I got an email from David Gordon Green after they filmed the pilot for “East Bound and Down” saying to take notice of Steve’s performance. Once I saw the episode it was like seeing Danny Mcbride in “All the Real Girls” where there was this feeling that this guy is going to become a superstar. But as we saw with Danny, that doesn’t always happen right away. It wasn’t until “The Foot Fist Way” that people really started taking notice of Danny. So, I felt like Steve was in a similar place and after his reading for “Scoutmasters” I wrote this part for him.

DTTM: Was there a specific scene in “The Catechism Cataclysm” that was especially challenging from a production standpoint?

Robert Longstreet: The argument scene was very hard to film. Because we rescheduled it last minute and were a little unprepared. We got the script so late we were trying to memorize our lines real fast and I also was real scared because I had to sing a song that day, but that ended up getting cut.

Steve Little: The first scene in the coffee shop was a little tough, but logistically the canoe scene was probably the most interesting. We had a raft connected to the canoe with steel bars.

DTTM: The soundtrack for the film was great, will that be available to purchase?

Todd Rohal: There are talks about it, Joey Stevens who did the music just knocked it out of the park. He also did the music for “East Bound and Down” and “Observe and Report”. He’s got such a huge range of capabilities and is just super talented.

DTTM: Shooting with the Canon 7D, how was it working with a DSLR camera for a change?

Todd Rohal: It had its good points and bad points. There is a time where you just had to stop caring. I really just wanted to make this movie. While they are not perfect and did slow us down sometimes, I set it aside and realized the material was more important. To just be able to go out and make something that looks so great for such a fraction of the price is amazing. It’s more about actually making the film rather than what you’re actually making the film with.

Todd Rohal w/ Producer Megan Griffiths

DTTM: Ben Kasulke was your DP on this film, didn’t he shoot like 5 films this year?

Robert Longstreet: I swear there is more than one Ben Kasulke out there. I think he found a way to clone himself.

DTTM: With all the connections to “East Bound and Down”, having Danny Mcbride and David Gordon Green as producers on this film, and of course Steve starring in it, are there any talks for you, Todd, to be involved with the next season?

Todd Rohal: Yeah, I’m gonna be the star of the next season. No, I haven’t been told anything about doing the show. That’s more of their thing. I love watching that show, but I have no idea what they are up to.

DTTM: The film isn’t the easiest to describe because it’s not of a specific genre. If someone was recommended “The Catechism Cataclysm” on Netflix through other films they have watched, what would the other films be?

Todd Rohal: Actually IMDB has already done it for us. It recommended “Oh, God!” the George Burns movie, “Saved”, “Don’t tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” and “Christmas Vacation”. So it’s pretty spot on.

Robert Longstreet: Good Lord, yeah.

Steve Little: I got one. It’s “Sister Act” meets “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. [laughs]

DTTM: Thanks for taking the time guys, it was great talking with you.

To call Matt McCormick a prolific filmmaker would be an understatement. Whether it be one of his many Sundance-screened experimental shorts ( “The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal”) or his music videos for The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, The Postal Service, and more, McCormick is truly a remarkably original voice in independent film. In 2010, McCormick premiered his debut feature “Some Days are Better than Others” at the South by Southwest film festival. One year later, “Some Days are Better than Others” debuts in Portland, OR at the Hollywood Theater where McCormick lives, and where “Some Days are Better Than Others” was filmed. I sat down with McCormick in Portland to discuss his fantastic new film.

DTTM: Portland has been a large influence on your work, both in style and location. How do you think that affects the way your work is perceived?

Matt McCormick: I’m an advocate for localism, whether it’s eating food that’s grown nearby or supporting local businesses. I think that kind of attitude and approach to things should also be applied to art, and filmmaking. I look at this region as not just an influence from the artists and fellow filmmakers but also with the landscape and city itself. I love this city. I fell in love with it when I moved here. I was 22, and was captivated by the people, the visuals, and… just the color palette it offers.

In terms of how outside people will perceive my work, there will always be a difference with regional and national audiences. There are things in my work that local people will notice that people who don’t necessarily live here may not get. But then again that’s true with all different kinds of art. On the flip side, people who aren’t familiar with Portland or its culture can see my work almost as a window to another place.

DTTM: Is there anywhere else in particular you would like to shoot a project or do you like to keep it local?

Matt McCormick: I definitely love traveling. Combining that love of traveling with filmmaking comes natural to me. One of the things I constantly do whether I’m working or not is scout for locations. I know Portland really well, so when it comes time to start a new project it feels like I’ve already been working on it. I’ve worked outside of Portland before, but there’s something about working here that I love. A week doesn’t go by without seeing someone outside filming on a bridge or with a crew. Portland is just so friendly and creative that they welcome that kind of constant work. It’s not so busy where it pushes it away but rather brings it instead.

DTTM: With Portland becoming such an emerging place for filmmakers, do you believe that is more of an asset to the city or to the filmmakers already living in the area?

Matt McCormick: It’s a little bit of everything. It’s certainly good for the economy and a lot of other things. For example, every time a big production comes up from LA, it puts people to work. It helps keep the talent pool here at a high level. For all the grips, gaffers, and art directors–they get better too, which is cool because when I make some kind of low budget project that’s not close to union wages, I still get to pick from this great pool of talent as well asking, “Hey can you help me out with this project?” people just hungry to work and better their craft are there to choose from. People like the cinematographer from “Some Days,” Greg Schmitt, who did an amazing job. Now normally someone of his talent we wouldn’t be able to afford. But because we were friends and he believed in the film, we were able to have someone like that on “Some Days.”

DTTM: With Portland growing so rapidly, do you think there is a chance that the growth will eventually hurt those people who want to volunteer or that possibly a town like Portland could be corrupted by this level of exposure?

Matt McCormick: Actually, I think it helps. Most of the people working in the film industry just love film. They started working in this business because they were excited about making good films. Something you realize early on is that you rarely get paid to do something you love. Working here sometimes, it can be on an informercial or television series, which is all great work. But I think at the end of the day we strive for something that’s creative. If more business comes to Portland that keeps people employed–where they have the freedom to also work on these creative projects–that’s really exciting. What really hurts in the business is keeping it only in one location.  The more business here the better.

DTTM: Going back to the film, one thing that stood out were the performances. They all come off as very real and natural. Most of your actors were somewhat unexperienced or at least not classically trained. Is that something you prefer? What are the advantages and disadvantages to having performers like that?

Matt McCormick: I think with this film there were a number of things at play. This being my first film, I’m not hugely experienced with directing actors. The two main characters (played by James Mercer and Carrie Brownstein) are the closest to me because I understand them and had a very specific idea for what I needed from them. In doing so, I cast actors who understood their characters. So with the actors chosen, I’ve worked with both of them before and knew they would connect with these characters. With the other actors as well, they all had a very clear understanding of who these characters are. The character played by Carrie Brownstein works in a dog shelter and Carrie herself has volunteered at a shelter. That kind of experience is something that had to come naturally for me. With James, his instinct with the character was also very natural. I would give him very complicated direction and he would be able to understand immediately what I needed both from the character and as an actor.

DTTM: With the characters chosen in the film, were there any stories that were left out of the film, say with different people? Or was this inter-weaving story always how it started out to be?

Matt McCormick: In the earliest days of the screenplay, there were several characters. That’s how this film came to be–because I started first with many different characters. When I started to write out these different characters I had already been working on them separately for a long time. As I started to connect them and put them all into one solid story, some characters were dropped. Even with the initial cut of the screenplay there are things we weren’t able to shoot. When we finished shooting, I ended up with a three hour movie. I then realized that this isn’t something I was looking to do. So a lot  was actually left on the cutting room floor from the initial idea of the film to the script and to even the finished product.

DTTM: “Some Days” premiered at SXSW in 2010. Now with the film getting theatrical distribution, tell me how the journey has been one year later from its original premiere?

Matt McCormick: It’s been intense for sure. This is is by far the biggest film I’ve ever done. We had investors, a huge crew, and couldn’t have made this film without all of these different people. That was different for me, having this small community surround this film. It definitely added some stress and made it feel so much bigger. It’s also been a tricky time in the world of independent film. With the recession and the industry being in trouble when it comes to distribution just as we were finishing this film has been tough. Going to film festivals and seeing so many films not getting recognition or distribution is sad to see. I feel so fortunate to be picked up by Palisades, and to start playing all over the world is a really fantastic thing to see for this film.

DTTM: I really loved this film and thought it completely encapsulates living in Portland. How do you feel about how “Some Days” is being perceived and recognized?

Matt McCormick: Every filmmaker hopes that when people see their film, it’s met with cheers, roaring applause, and crowds doing the wave. While that didn’t happen with this film, there has been a great response. People have sought out this film and have told us some great things regarding the film. There have been good and bad reviews for the film, but I feel so fortunate with just getting to actually make a film! While our film may not be getting the widespread appeal we were hoping for, there has been a lot of great reception from people from all over.

DTTM: This being your first feature length film, what were some of the challenges from making the leap from your previous short and experimental work to something longer and more direct?

Matt McCormick: I think it definitely helped working by yourself at first. It gives you all the time in the world to learn the steps of filmmaking and find your voice. When you add crew members on any level it changes things. You can’t just sit around to let something grow. You have to be aware of people’s time and how money can be involved. With just working alone, you only have yourself to depend on and worry about. Having that practice gave me a confidence that helped me rarely second guess anything. The challenge was just reminding myself of all the other people involved, rather than move at a pace that just works for me. Working with so many talented individuals can be tough but it definitely is an advantage overall and I felt blessed to work with all of them.

DTTM: The city of Portland is very much a character in this film.  Was that something was always intentional or something that came along naturally?

Matt McCormick: Well, I know that Portland as a city has a lot of character. The characters in this film are very Portland-based as well. I wanted the film to reflect how Portland looked, how the characters acted, and just give off a sense that you knew as well as these characters did of where they all come from.

DTTM: I loved the music in the film as well. Did the story itself work towards the score? Or was the score created first and was the tone established in the scenes from there?

Matt McCormick: Well it was a little of both. Matthew Cooper did the music for the film. He composed the bulk of what was used while we were editing. There were songs that I loved of his that I would listen to while we were shooting, and a lot of the times that would inspire me to direct differently or perhaps have the film shot a different way. The music was a large inspiration for how these scenes came to be, and the music really laid out a roadmap for how the story would be resolved.

DTTM: What were some of the influences that went into creating this film?

Matt McCormick: The characters and shorelines come from all sorts of different places. Some are mash-ups of people I’ve met in my life, while the personalities of the characters are of different people. Otis is based on my step-grandfather but at the same time his personality is based off of George Anderson. George is an Oregon-based filmmaker who actually makes the “soap films” that Otis himself makes in the film. The character of Camille comes from an article I read while I was making a film in Louisiana. The article talked about an urn found at a thrift store. So a lot of these things or ideas either find me or have been in my life for quite awhile and they have stories in them I want to tell.

DTTM: So much of your previous work is original, experimental, and very thought-provoking. Do you ever see yourself working on something more straightforward?

Matt McCormick: I think as long as the project challenges me, it’s something I want to do. I would love to do a science fiction film or an action film with crane shots and special effects. That kind of stuff in itself is very different and something I would love to explore as well. There’s such a technical side behind all of it that I find so interesting and challenging. Attempting something like that isn’t anything I would ever pass up.

DTTM: Your next project, “The Great Northwest,” is a video installation that you have here in Portland. How did that come to be?

Matt McCormick: Well thrift stores are so fascinating to me. I feel as though they’re like museums–they have so many different items from so many different places. With this new project, I found this scrap book about four women who went on a road trip in 1958. The scrapbook documents this entire trip. It was such a deeply personal item. When I found it, it was being sold as an antique. What I wanted to do was to retrace everything in the scrapbook and document it myself. I wanted to show how things have changed both from the scrapbook and with these locations as well.

DTTM: Mr. McCormick, thank you for your time.

—————————

The soundtrack will be released on April 26th soundtrack through Temporary Residence Limited

Screenings for “Some Days are Better Than Others”

Albuquerque: May 6-8 @ The Guild Cinema

Hartford, CT: May 6-12 @ Real Art Ways

North Charleston, SC: May 14 @ Greater Park Film Circle

New York City, NY: June 3-9 @ Cinema Village

Kansas City, MO: June 17-23 @ The Tivoli Theatre

www.somedaysthemovie.com

www.rodeofilmco.com