| Mr Curt W. Cressler Director of the Film: "Maniacts" |
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| Visits to this page |
| 29 June 2003 |
| "We had to rearrange nothing in order to continue! I have never heard of nor seen this happen anywhere else. THAT�s New Mexico!" Curt Cressler |
| Q: What gave you the idea for Maniacts? A: Joe Spinell was a character actor most people remember as Rocky�s boss in the �Rocky� films, and as �Cicce� in the �Godfather� films. On the side, he was a well-known horror and thriller actor, especially in Italy. He and I became friends in New York, and one of his major frustrations was that none of the films he�d done as the �star� could be shown to his mother-he and his Mom were very close. He asked me to come up with something in which the bad guy became the good guy and got the girl and be a film he could take his Mom to-but it still had to be a �Joe Spinell-type film�, in other words, horror or thriller. �Maniacts� was my solution. Three weeks after I sent him the Treatment (which he loved), he passed away. Q: According to an Internet reference, you began working in the film industry in 1978 and almost twenty years later you directed your first film, "Maniacts". Why such a long delay? A: It�s actually a longer delay than you know: I paid for my last two years of college shooting documentaries, student films, and segments of PBS programs. I primarily considered myself a Director of Photography for a long time, working out of NYC, shooting mostly commercials and 2nd Unit work on the few features shot there. The first big diversion was as a Line Producer for a children�s television series that got 12 Emmy Nominations and won 5 Emmy Awards, 3 of which I share in. The second big diversion was when the Director of that TV series �secretly� brought me out to LA to write and co-produce what he thought was going to be the �next big thing�. It was, which is how I became involved in creating, co-directing, and co-producing �Chippendales� for the next 5 years. The final big diversion was when I wrote an Academy Award Nominated Short Film, �Cadillac Dreams�-I then became �pigeonholed� as a writer. Simply put, the powers that be like �everybody and everything in its place�. Once they think of you as having your �place�, it�s hard to have anyone think of you in any other way. I was very, very fortunate to have Bill Kemper, my investor, ignore what others were telling him about �my place�, and back me through �Maniacts� every step of the way, in every position I wound up having to work in. Q: It's been said that directing is such a difficult job but the end result is very rewarding. Do you agree with that statement? A: It�s impossible to simply agree with that statement: on �Maniacts�, I felt as �rewarded� every day in my interactions with crew and cast, as I have since. I have to admit our World Premiere at the Santa Fe Film Festival was one of the most rewarding experiences, as was the reception the film received at Cannes. My word of advice to anyone who hasn�t been through the experience is �don�t think your job is done when your job is done�. As recently as two days ago, I had to deal with the film - and it�s been �finished� for over a year. Q: Do you believe that marketing is essential or merely an aid to a film's success? A: Before �Maniacts�, I would have said �an aid�; I would now say �it�s essential�. How your film is perceived-and that it is perceived at all-in the marketplace can turn out to be more necessary than the actual film, itself. As a writer and director, I consider myself the audience as I work. In other words, I am not creating a film for it to not be seen. Marketing, and not the film, turns out to be the key to having your film seen-and being unable to influence the marketing of your film, believe me, is the most frustrating experience I�ve had as a filmmaker. Having �the darkest romantic comedy ever made� marketed at various times as a �horror�, �slasher�, or �serial killer� film DOES NOT WORK. Q: Does the nation's economy have a bearing on filmmakers trying to get backing for a project or is it a matter of presentation? A: I believe economic conditions have made an enormous difference, especially in the past 3 years. It doesn�t influence the Hollywood Blockbuster much, but Independent Filmmaking has gone through a disastrous period. These days, in dealing with investors, it is very often the economic incentives of states such as New Mexico and Hawaii that will make the difference in their decision to invest. Presentation definitely has its place: in the end, the decision to invest is almost always a result of having the investor identify with some aspect of a project and make a personal commitment to seeing it made; but getting them to that point is usually a matter of economics. Q: Do you see the Internet as a positive tool for filmmakers? A: This is probably the toughest question for me to answer intelligently. I�m aware of all the online �Film Festivals�, �Script Showcases�, and so forth, and even the collaborative possibilities being touted regarding writing and editing; but the fact is, I�m not a participant in those aspects of it, the net is simply a basic working tool for me. I can research my writing and explore potential locations with it, and that�s about it. For whatever reason, I feel online collaborative writing creates more work and less positive results than simply being in the same room, discussing and arguing points before writing the next word; and the idea of online collaborative editing gives me the chills-being in the editing room with your editor is an essential aspect of the process for me. Q: Why did you choose New Mexico as the location for your first film? A: The availability of the Penitentiary as a location was the big selling point. Nothing I saw elsewhere even came close. It was only later that the elements of local cooperation, support, and enthusiasm, as well as the competent labor, made it by far the best place to shoot. Q: Was it a pleasant experience filming in New Mexico? A: It was more than pleasant, it was inspirational. Whenever anyone asks me about the benefits of shooting there, I tell them my �Extras Story�: during the parade scene in the film, we had somewhere around 400 Extras participating; when we broke for lunch, we had already prepared for the �fallout� that normally occurs, expecting roughly half of our Extras to disappear. Not only did they all return, they actually went back to their marks and stood, waiting for filming to resume. We had to rearrange nothing in order to continue! I have never heard of nor seen this happen anywhere else. THAT�s New Mexico! Q: What is your opinion of the quality of talent (in front of and behind the camera) in New Mexico? Do you consider it to be an untapped source? A: Well, with the new legislation having the effect we all desired, I�d say you�re getting �tapped�, finally. But in every way, my �Extras Story� is simply a reflection of all the talent I encountered in New Mexico. Film is entirely a collaborative medium, and collaboration can be simply cooperation, doing your job, or it can be participation, contributing everything you can to the making of the film. The New Mexican actors and crew participated in the making of �Maniacts�, to the extent that it couldn�t have been made without them, and that it is as much theirs as anyone else�s, including mine. I was so impressed with one of your local �talents�, Vanja Aljinovic, my 1st AD, that I don�t plan on making any more films, anywhere, without him. Q: Was getting help for your film from the different agencies, such as the New Mexico film office, the local union, casting directors and others a positive experience for you or do you believe some areas could be improved upon? A: The one area that could NOT be improved upon, in my opinion, was the cooperation we received from your local union. We were shooting a low budget film on a tight schedule, and without Jon Hendry�s help, and the willingness of union members to cooperate, we could not have completed �Maniacts� on time and on budget the way we did. The Film Office provided us with essential services regarding locations, and the local community provided us with everything else, but it was the union that really came through for us and made everything else possible. If there was a weakness at the time we shot �Maniacts�, it was in the Casting area-but even there, the local community and word of mouth did as good a job for us as I feel any Casting Director or Agency could have. Q: Are you considering filming again in New Mexico? A: I presently have two, and potentially three, productions intended to be shot in New Mexico, two of them in Santa Fe. If I had my way, I would shoot all of my productions in New Mexico-it was the best filmmaking experience, bar none, that I have ever had. I can�t wait to do it again. Thank you Mr Cressler. |
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| Mr. Cressler�s credentials include an Emmy Award as a Producer and an Academy Award Nomination as a Writer. His first motion picture as both Writer and Director: Maniacts, starring Jeff Fahey (Lawnmower Man), Kellie Waymire (Six Feet Under ), and Leslie Easterbrook (Police Academy ) received a domestic theatrical release in February, 2003, will be in foreign theatrical release in Summer, 2003, and recently was awarded one of the most lucrative video rental contracts BlockBuster Video has ever negotiated with an Independent Film and Distributor. Virtually paralleling the production schedule of Maniacts , Mr. Cressler�s most recent screenplay, Red Door, was produced and appeared on Showtime, garnering the best ratings and reviews of the year thus far. It starred Kiefer Sutherland, Kyra Sedgwick, and Stockard Channing. Red Door has just been placed into consideration for both Emmy and Writers Guild Award Nominations. RamFilms wishes to thank Mr Cressler for taking time off his busy schedule to conduct this interview. |
| Photo courtesy of Michael Barela |
| Interview conducted by Richard Barela |
