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Current Best of Show Winners |
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 A
Richer Lens Limited (India), Land Gold Women, feature film, explores the reasons
for the honor killing of thousands of women each year from the perpetrators
point of view. Richly filmed with outstanding character development; this film
one long remembered. http://aricherlens.com/
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 Interview
with Chris Kazmier
Director/Producer of Ashley's Ashes
by Alex A. Kecskes
Few films capture the soul of one's internal struggle with life. And fewer still
reveal the subtle complexities of human contact, specifically how people reach
out and connect with those they love, when they are with us and, more
importantly, after they have gone.
Ashley's Ashes is an open-hearted, bittersweet film that frankly
confronts human isolation and the courage it takes to overcome it. Produced and
directed by the creative team of Christopher Hutson and Chris Kazmier,
Ashley's Ashes recently won Indie Fest’s Best of Show award for best feature
film. It's not hard to see why.
The leading actor, Googy Gress as Bob, makes his way through a gauntlet of
colorful characters that elevate him to higher and higher plateaus, revealing
more of whom he is and what he has lost. The film moves with alacrity and grace,
fulfilling expectations, never losing its narrative, and artfully leading us to
the final tear-filled ending that makes us exclaim, "Yes, of course!"
I recently had the opportunity to interview Chris Kazmier, the film's director
and producer who openly shared his passion for filmmaking, his learning
experiences, and the many pitfalls and challenges faced by filmmakers today. In
this insightful interview, he shares with us his vision and approach to
Ashely's Ashes. But first, the question must be asked, what motivates this
skilled auteur in a métier that balances joy with so much frustration?
Q: Why did you get into filmmaking? And do you prefer writing, directing or
producing?
A: Chris and I got into filmmaking to tell the stories that were spinning around
in our heads. We've always been fascinated with the process of making films,
seeing how an idea can transform into something that can impact you for the rest
of your life. So many of the films we saw as children, teenagers, and in our
adult life are still with us; we remember the lines, the scenes, the sounds.
It's almost like we lived them as well. When we met back in college, we were
introduced by a friend who realized that we both shared the same ideas about
things. From there, we would just hang out and write out stories together. We
were also in an improv sketch comedy group, which gave us an outlet for trying
out small story ideas. I think from the very beginning, we knew we would
eventually be working together and making films.
As far as directing, writing and producing, that's tough. We actually like doing
all of them. I think we get excited when we write an idea, get it going, and see
it come to life on the set. Since we come from a post-production environment,
that's the point where we finally get to relax and start to assemble the dream.
It's all pretty cool.
Q: Ashley's Ashes seems a far cry from Darker Reality and Dark
Reality. What prompted you to make Ashley's Ashes?
A: Yes, it was and is! After June, which was a romantic comedy that Chris
Hutson had written and directed, the distributors told him that June is
great 'but' do you have any horror films? And that's how the 'horror years'
started for us. Dark Reality was a small experimental film that both
Chris's worked on together. The film had a small plot, and even a smaller
budget. It was open to a lot of actor improv, and the story could then be
assembled from these performances and scenes. Again, it was very, very
experimental for us.
But, it was also a great exercise in fully producing a film from start to
delivery. Since we had both come from post, editing, audio, music, effects,
etc., we had the opportunity to learn every aspect of the filmmaking process.
This is a 'must' for the indie filmmaker, which is not to be afraid to learn
every step! It can and will save your production from becoming just a spool of
raw footage and rough edits to a fully finished film.
As for Dark Realty, it was picked up by a small distributor who had
picked up Chris Hutson's June, and unfortunately they totally botched the
release of both films. For us that was our second valuable lesson in the indie
world, the dangers and pitfalls of distribution! There are a lot of companies
out there preying on the indie filmmaker, so beware. Fortunately, there are also
some good distributors out there; as well ways to self-distribute your film. It
pays to do your research, and then more research! Again, you should know every
aspect of the filmmaking process.
The irony of our experience is that Dark Realty gave us a chance to cross
paths with Jeff Allard, Executive Producer of the Texas Chain Saw series
of films. That meeting turned into our next project, which was a vampire film
called Bled. After sharing a friendship for twenty some years, it was
that film that really allowed us to finally work together as a close-knit team.
Chris Hutson directed and I co-produced Bled. We also worked together on the
music score.
While traveling down the horror path with Jeff Allard, who was once
again the lead producer, I teamed up with the writer from Bled, and started to toy
with the idea of a Dark Reality sequel. Jeff liked the idea and put a
small budget together for A Darker Realty. Chris Hutson and I switched
roles, with him producing, and I directing. Again, it was a very small budget,
but we were making films. The great thing about it was, we also got to work with
Daniel Baldwin, which was one of the relationships that helped us out on
Ashley's Ashes.
Q: How did your earlier films influence this one?
A: They helped us to really 'find' ourselves in terms of who we were and what
kind of stories we wanted to tell. I think we were at a crossroads in our
filmmaking journey and the idea of Ashley's Ashes just got us so excited
again, because it originated from us. The horror arena has rules and beats that
you follow, or that you are expected to follow, and Ashley's Ashes had
the ability to free us from that. Through our horror films, we were able to work
out all the issues that come up in the filmmaking process. And we were able to
add more to the shooting and posting with the RED camera, and to use this to
streamline the process. This helped us focus on creating and constructing the
vision for Ashley's Ashes. It also helped control the pace and emotion
that comes from more of a mainstream subject, allowing us to use our sense of
humor to entertain while telling a story."
Q: Your film deals with a purpose-driven life lost and recaptured. Was the story
based on someone you know or is it an indictment of certain people in general,
who have simply lost their way?
A: Ashley's Ashes reveals glimpses of people Chris, and I, and writer
Bill Langlois, have met on our journey in life. It has a bit of us in it. It
kind of portrays a bit of everyone, I guess. We all need some changes, others
need more change, and some of us need constant tweaking. We all make mistakes
and find ourselves in situations in which we wonder how we got there. Everybody
knows a 'Bob' character, and there is a little of Bob in all of us as well. I
know there are scenes in this film that bring a sense of reflection to Chris
Hutson, myself and Bill."
Q: Each character Ashley touched changed them. Why did you select these
particular characters to reveal who Ashley was?
A: In the film, we chose these character types to represent people who are less
inclusive in our society. They were from all walks of life, but they were never
expecting other people to help them, even though they might have needed it. In
the end, they pass it on, just as it was for our character, Bob.
Q: The cast dovetailed nicely. How difficult was casting?
A Heidi Hutson worked with several agents, and also closely with Googy Gress who
pulled a lot of favors for this one. She is amazing at breaking down the subtle
meanings in scripts and sharing her unique vision of exactly whom she sees for
each part through her suggestions. Working with Googy, she was able to match the
right actor with the right character. The actors were on board the minute they
read the script.
Q: Getting money for a film is really tough these days. How difficult was
financing to obtain?
A: Friends, family and lots of favors! We had a small budget for Ashley's
Ashes, but the money came from people who really believed in the project and
us. What you're really looking for is an investment in your ability; it's not a
snow job, or a get-rich-quick scheme that will get you the financing you need;
it's knowledge, trust, and a mature attitude that you project. And that's what
people pick up on.
Q: When you secured financing, did you use the script or did it hinge on your
previous work?
A: Both. Our other films showed investors that we could deliver a product, that
we had gained the experience.
Q: What other challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
A: Scheduling the actors and locations, and working with limited funds. By using
smart production people that we had met in the past, we were able to assemble a
great production team. This allowed us to keep things rolling and not 'killing'
the crew or ourselves. But it was still a challenge for all of us.
Q: What mistake(s) was/were particularly instructive and why?
A: Working with the RED camera for the first time. That was a technical hurdle.
We spent months just researching and testing for the post process. We created
our own way of doing it, avoiding several pitfalls. In fact, when we did hit a
snag during our tests, we'd go on the Internet and realize, wow, we were not
alone. While everyone seemed to have a solution for our problem, their solutions
didn’t fit our flow, so with a little software coding, we created our own
solution."
Q: If you could change one thing about filming Ashley's Ashes, what would
it be?
A: More time to shoot. Different sets, hitting the dialog a bit more, hitting
the scenes, opening it up a bit. I don’t know, we haven’t been away from it long
enough to really break it down. We’ll do that in another six months, then a
year, then when it's on the shelf, then put away. It’s constant with us.
Q: How do you draw the best performances out of your actors?
A: With this cast, it was letting them do what they do best and tweaking a bit
here and there. It’s funny, in the horror genre, it was take after take of high
emotion and terror, each time bringing the actors back to that moment. Making
sure we hit the beats. I think on Ashley’s Ashes, we just let them know
when they hit it and when they were a bit off.
I remember one scene we shot late in the day that was very emotional for Sandy
(Gigi Rice). As amazing as she is, she had to hit the scene hard, many times and
she was exhausted. But we needed just one more take, so we had to massage the
drama a wee bit to get her back. But being a pro, she was there instantly,
perfect. We got it then moved on.
Q: How will winning Indie Fest’s Best of Show Award help you in your film
career?
A: First of all, we are very honored to win this award. But it's really about
the film winning, not us. We are hoping that this will ignite a spark to get
this film seen, which is really our main goal. If the film does well, we'll know
people are enjoying it. If we stop and obsess about the next gig, we'll miss the
fun of doing the last one. It's such a blessing to be doing what you love, you
know!"
Q: What lessons learned did you take away in making this film?
A: Follow your passion first. This was a project that came from our heart. We
really had fun making it.
Q: Where will Ashley's Ashes be shown?
A: We are working on a limited theatrical release right now. Again, we want the
film to be seen. We're open to talking to anyone about distribution, but we also
know that the world of indie film distribution is changing as we speak. We know
that there are outlets that can be used by filmmakers to get their projects out
there, and that these are the same outlets that distribution companies use. This
isn't our first rodeo, and we know that people often say a lot of good things,
but in some cases, nothing gets done in the end, so a film can die without ever
seeing the light of day. We care a lot about this film, what it means to us and
the people that were involved.
Q: How do you promote your films? Does the type of material affect how you
promote a film?
A: We're promoting Ashley's Ashes in a completely different way. We never
cut a trailer, never created a website, never made a poster. Now it's time. We
like to nurture a film and let it slowly grow in the public's awareness. I think
this material specifically lends itself to that.
Q: What writers/directors do you most admire and why?
A: There are so many for us. Our two top ones are director Johnny LaRue (an
obscure Canadian filmmaker) and writer/director John Hughes.
Q: What's next for you? Any new projects?
A: We are rewriting a script right now that we wrote six years ago. A sci-fi
comedy called That Pig Alien Move. It's nothing close to Ashley’s
Ashes. It's an idea that came from our absurd side, with some really
interesting characters we've collected from our lives. We're also developing a
teen comedy, which is currently in its early stages. It's called Appel,
and it's more in the style of Ashley’s Ashes, with some new ideas on
where we can take a narrative. It's in its very early stages, but we're excited
to get moving on it. Also, our Ashley’s Ashes co-writer, Bill Langlois,
is working on several family scripts we're also very excited about. In a
nutshell, there's plenty more to come from Chris and Chris.
Contact:
Chris Kazmier
Director/Producer
Chris/Chris Entertainment
chrisk@chrischris.info
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Press Releases of past winners |
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Indie Winners October 2009 Deadline |
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Indie Winners July 2009 Deadline |
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Indie Winners May 2009 Deadline |
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Indie Winners January 2009 Deadline |
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Indie Winners October 2008 Deadline |
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