Articles

Exclusive interview with A.D. Calvo, writer and director of The Other Side of the Tracks

Details

Created on Wednesday, 19 March 2008 17:33

Hits: 702

She's gonna be a star. There's a lot of buzz behind her career, and now she's doing the film with Justin Long. Get her if you can.

We have made an interview to Alex Calvo, writer and director of The Other Side of the Tracks. Thank you very much Alex, for being so accessible to this small website. And thank you, Stavrogin, to trusth me to make the questions, despite my English :P His feature film debut is The other side of the tracks, but he has directed some short films and videoclips (watch them from his youtube's profile!!). We ask him about his personal experience, about the movie, and of course about Tania Raymonde.

Question:First of all, you were born in Argentina and moved to the USA when you were six. Do you still keep contact with Argentina?

A.D. Calvo: Yes. I still have many relatives in Buenos Aires; however, I haven't been back since I was ten. L For many years I wasn't allowed to return because I never registered for the draft (during the Falkland Islands war). My mother figured that she no longer had to file paperwork with the Argentine government after I became a US Citizen. Luckily, President Menem pardoned folks like me, but unfortunately, as my paperwork was being resolved, both my grandparents passed away. After that, I didn't feel the energy was right, to go back. But now, I do plan on visiting within the next couple years, now that my daughter is old enough to appreciate it. Also, I still feel passionate about Argentine futbol – every four years I'm glued to the TV for the World Cup. J

Question: Argentina has improved a great deal with their 'cinema revolution' during the last ten years, producing some very famous movies around the world. Do you know some of these films?

A.D. Calvo Yes. I love the films coming out of Argentina. A couple recent favs include: Historias mínimas (Intimate Stories) by Carlos Sorin and Cautiva by Gaston Biraben. Also, the films of Fabián Bielinsky are great. It was such a tragedy for us to lose him at such a young age. I remain a big fan of his work. Nine Queens is a classic.

Click on read more to read the full interview

You've directed some short films and videos before your feature, "The Other Side of the Tracks." Three of them are a trilogy about celebrity shock sculptor Daniel Edwards, who is not very 'politically correct'. One of your short films "Castro in Central Park" is about a sculpture of the Cuban leader which was planned to be placed in Central Park, and another one, "Hillary's Bust" is about a nude sculpture of Hillary Clinton. This trilogy is a series of small documentaries where you interview the artist. Why this fascination with him? How did you come to know Daniel? What were your motivations to cover Daniel's "anti-system" facts in your short films?

I originally became fascinated with Edwards and his work because of his taste for the macabre; hence my first short film on him, "The Several Severed Heads of Daniel Edwards" (which went on to become a finalist of the TriggerStreet.com online film festival). We were introduced via my good friend, Chris Capot, who's also the publicist on OST, by the way. It turned out that Daniel Edwards lived here in Connecticut. Chris said to me, "you have got to meet this guy, he sculpts severed heads!!" That certainly peaked my interest! Everything else kinda grew out of that. I took a lot of heat for putting out "Castro in Central Park," but, ultimately, the Cuban-American community in Miami allowed the film to screen as part of the 2007 Miami International Film Festival and ended up embracing Dan after he retracted his plans to show the piece in New York. Also, my father was born in Cuba, so I felt a certain calling to the story. The Hillary Clinton folks haven't been as rough on me ;-) The trilogy, which I call, "Portrait of a Serial Sculpture" has combined viewings of almost 600,000 on YouTube. Dan's an interesting fellow, that's for sure—and a friend.

Contrasting to this documentaries, your other short films are horror films or at least with some 'paranormal' things in their plots. Sitter, Hypnogothic and Nine Lives: A Buddhist Ghost Story. This concept has been used too in 'The other side...'. A lot of directors at the beginning of his careers use this genre... maybe because it is the most difficult one? Maybe because horror films are easier to show a director's talent? Or just a personal liking?

Hmmm. Good question. My father passed away when I was ten and my mother moved us to a house with an old New England cemetery in the backyard – which you could clearly see from my bedroom window. Yipes! That was scary. I think I only slept in my bedroom five nights! That, together with all the 70s zombie/horror films, e.g., Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Phantasm, Trilogy of Terror, etc., which I watched without my mother really noticing, made me even more terrified of death and ghosts. Not to forget the late nights watching the Twilight Zone in my brothers' bedroom, because remember, I wasn't sleeping in my bedroom. ;) Anyway, I had always been afraid of monsters and ghosts. But eventually I lost interest in these kinds of things (and films)…I didn't like the violence and gore that permeated the next wave of horror films – i.e, the slasher film (and still does today to a certain extent). I like classic Hickcockian-suspense. I like ghosts. The possibility of an afterlife is my passion and I think that will be a big part of all my films. From a directorial POV, not sure if horror films are easier or harder. Bad ones are certainly easier, but then again the "good" bad ones can be hard to make too.

Horror films are, in my opinion, the most difficult genre because they can easily be prone to becoming 'teenage' movies or can present a weak argument. So, it's a risk for the writer/director to choose this genre. Also, horror films nowadays are in a very bad moment in Hollywood. The most famous horror movies in last few years have been remakes from Asia (The Ring, The Eye, Cursed...) or remakes from old American horror movies (Amityville, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes). What do you think you can contribute to this genre? What would you suggest to Hollywood?

All movies are hard to make! IMO, there's nothing wrong with films that cater to "teenage" audiences...we just need more good ones! In a way, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACKS (OST) is well positioned for this group, the 15 to 25 year olds—who, by the way, go to the movie theater more frequent than any other age group. J After my long break from horror films, I once again became enamored with the genre largely because of the Asian/ J-Horror phenomenon. In particular, there was a Korean film called "Tale of Two Sisters" which really grabbed me. I still believe that is one of the most beautifully shot films ever. The use of natural light, framing, and lens choice…all great! Much of the cinematography style in OST comes from that film. And obviously from the wonderful work of Stephen Sheridan, our DP. That said, OST is not a "horror" film, but a hybrid of sorts. What happens when you combine a love story with horror elements? These are the kinds of films I like best and intrigue me the most. A touch of macabre and beauty together. Perhaps a bit Tim Burton-esque? E.g., Corpse Bride, etc. Some might think that these types of films walk a "muddy middle," as in "if you're gonna be a horror film, be a horror film," but I disagree. I think you can effectively blend elements to create an intriguing story. Something different. So back to the question, what do I hope to add to the genre? Beautiful visuals with a touch of macabre mixed in.

Explain to me one thing... is 'Goodnight film' a production company only for your films? Why create it? How to afford this wager only with the short films and "The other side..."?

Right now, yes. Goodnight Film is my personal production company. How to afford it? REALLY good question. Ask me in a year or two. I may be back to software development. ;-)

Ok, let's start to talk about 'The Other Side of the Tracks'. First of all, has it been picked up by a distribution company yet? If so... please me give me some details about release date and distribution....

No. Not yet. As you know, because it's an independent feature we have some film festival screenings planned while we search for a compatible domestic distributor. The film will eventually be seen by a mix of handpicked distributors. There's lots of buzz and excitement surrounding the film, thanks largely to the enthusiasm and help we're receiving from Baldwin Entertainment Group. Personally, I hope the film receives a domestic theatrical release followed by a domestic and international DVD/Blu-ray release, but this is largely up to the distributor of the film.

The film includes great talent like Chad Lindberg (The fast and the furious) and Tania Raymonde (Lost), two actors who participated in 'very big productions,' but are not yet household names. What do you think that The Other Side of the Tracks, an indepedent movie, can contribute to their careers?

Also, not to forget, Brendan Fehr! For all the actors in the film (lead and supporting), I hope the film brings them great success which they truly deserve. I'm thrilled with Brendan's ability to play a difficult somber lead role, Chad's hugely memorable performance in the film, and Tania's unique power to light up the screen. All three of them deserve much attention, apart from this film, but hopefully even more after the film's official release.

The story mixes romantic and fantastical genre elements. Why use this combination? The mix has achieved much success in the past: Ghost, for example. However, audiences for both genres are very different. How much of each genre does it have? Is it a film to go with a girlfriend on a sunday afternoon to the cinema or is a film to watch on a friday night?

I kinda answered this in an earlier question, but again, the mix is what makes it interesting. And yes, GHOST is a great example of the potential in the film. It's got something for everyone which makes it a good movie for a Sunday matinee and a great film for a Friday date night. The mixture of genre elements is varied. The script had more horror elements than the film – some of which we weren't able to include because of budget/schedule reasons – but that said, I'm honored to have some really fantastical effects, from the designer of the "Pale Man" in the film "Pan's Labyrinth." There's a ghostly dream sequence in the film that takes place in bright daylight. That'll be something you've never seen before. J

The inclusion of the fantastic elements in the story, can downplay the credibility of the story. There's a thin line in a ghost story where the audience can reject the plot or believe it. How did you manage to deal with this possibility?

Tough question. It's my belief that the atmosphere of the locations coupled with the compelling character themes will keep people drawn into the story, despite the fantastic elements. The film has done very well with test audiences – with 80% liking or loving it, and 76% willing to recommend the film to a friend. I hope you like it too! J

In general terms... what inspired you to write this story? I wanted to write a ghost story that I knew would be producible. So, given some of the locations I had in mind, and knew were available to me—e.g., train tracks, Trackside Pizza, and an old haunted farmhouse—I moved ahead with the story. Also, although totally different, I learned a lot from American Beauty, the screenplay, and kept it at my side for constant reference. Alan Ball is an amazing writer who inspired me. I'm also a big fan of M. Night Shyamalan.

You're using the internet to promote this film: myspace, facebook, wikipedia, etc. Also almost of your short films are in Youtube. Is the internet a tool for independent film makers? I'm asking this because the big studios are not very happy with internet, you know...

Yes. But the big studios need not worry about the Internet, because no matter how much your stuff is out there, it still costs the same amount of money to market and promote your film. I'll give you an example, take a look at: http://www.facebook.com/cloverfieldmovie and then take a look at our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Other-Side-of-the-Tracks/10168980428 The first thing you'll notice is the sheer number of Facebook fans Cloverfield has – most of whom were there before Cloverfield was released. In a nutshell, it takes a tremendous amount of money and effort to market a product, regardless of the Internet. The Internet just lets you put it out there, but it doesn't much matter if no one knows it's there.

You are the 'owner' of the production company, and the writer and director too, so this question is going to be a little hard for you. Imagine that at last this film has a small distribution on DVD in USA (I hope not), and me, that I'm living in Madrid, can not buy the film in any place, but I REALLY want to see the film. I have no a credit card, so I can not buy it at Amazon, for example. So I download this film from the internet, using a P2P network. I'm doing any damage to your company? Yes. Piracy hurts the artist and is illegal. So much money and sacrifice went into producing the content, so it's unfair for some to steal. That said, I've done it myself in the past, mostly everyone has…with music, software, etc. The Karmic repercussions of stealing are negative and cause a cycle of suffering. It may seem minor, but lots of little things can add up to something bigger.

Ok, this interview is for taniaraymonde.net... so I need to ask you a little about her. First of all, how did Tania get the role for the film? Had you seen her in other works before you chose her? Is 'Lost' involved in your election?

I'd seen her in LOST and she was brought to my attention by our casting director and Karen Baldwin from Baldwin Entertainment Group (BEG). BEG had produced one of Tania's first films, CHILDREN ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS, and Karen enjoyed working with her and admired her talent. Tania has not played many main characters in her filmography, this is one of the first in her career. How did you know for sure if she could support the main character?

For one thing she has a haunting and exotic look required for the role. J Then, together with the advice from my casting director and executive producer, and watching her work, I knew she'd be great for the part. We didn't audition Tania, it was a straight offer based on her body of work and the potential of her talent.

Tania has some directing interests (Have you seen 'Cell Division'? What do you think about it?).Did she help or contribute with something more that her performance in the film?

Yes. It blew me away. Tania has got to be the smartest 19 year old girl I've ever met. She is such a great talent, acting, directing, and artist (have you seen her drawings?). She was sooooo helpful and easy to work with…all she cared about was, "yeah, but will Alex like it?" That kind of actor-director dedication is fantastic.

According to the trailer, Tania is 'the girl of his dreams'... I can suppose that you wanted the role of a beautiful girl that everyone can fall in love with, so the audience can feel identified with Josh. So, I'm not lying if I say that Tania's physique helped her to get the role, no? :P

Bingo. See my last answer J

What would you say to other directors that maybe are thinking of her for their films?

She's gonna be a star. There's a lot of buzz behind her career, and now she's doing the film with Justin Long. Get her if you can. J

And at last, in your opinion, what can we expect about Tania's career?

A young Julia Roberts?

Thank you very much Alex, we wish you the best luck with the film and the festivals where it's going to be screened. I'm very sure that we will have more news about The Other side of Tracks and you on our site soon...

Thank you!! And all Tania fans around the world. Gracias. J -- A.D. Calvo