Exclusive Interview: Matt Marconi
Interviewed by Cole Akins
Matt ( left) and myself at the State Theater in Modesto.
As the the 3rd annual San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF3) heads into it’s final weekend, I had the opportunity to sit down with local filmmaker Matt Marconi. His short film Sally was accepted into the program and had multiple screenings during this year’s showcase. I sat down with Matt to learn about his path to SJIFF3, background on his experience making Sally, and what makes his creativity tick. Matt grew up in nearby Linden, CA and currently teaches at Delta College in Stockton. It's a thrill to have a filmmaker of Matt's quality living and working within miles of the Festival.
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How did you get into film, and what classes do you teach at Delta College?
I teach the film is literature at Delta College, known as English 30. In the past I’ve taught the composition course which is English 79. That’s a basic writing skills course that prepares students for college level writing. I prefer teaching English 30 because we watch different movies and write about them which is always fun, and then talk about different themes and ideas the filmmakers work with. I initially received an opportunity to teach at Delta through my friend Phil Hutchins who taught there a number of years. He had introduced me to Paul Keene who hired me. It was Phil who encouraged me to really follow my dream of filmmaking when I was a student enrolled in English 30 at Delta- that was back in 1993. We became fast friends by talking about film and he told me, “You know, you should really go out and make films.” He encouraged me to pursue it and that’s what I did.
I transferred to the University of the Pacific and majored in English with a Film minor. They didn’t have a film program at that time. Once I graduated, I went to Chapman University, earned my Masters of Fine Arts in Film Production. and Made my thesis film Truce, a short film which I cast in Stockton. They say write about things you know, and I grew up on a ranch in Linden. I wanted to tell a story about life you don’t really see in movies and I chose Stockton because I didn’t feel that LA was the right place to find the kind of people I needed for this film. It’s a movie about redemption and trying to repair past mistakes. The main character lead a hard life and hadn’t been a good father to his daughters. Then he gets a chance to redeem himself. I sent the film out to film festivals and it received really well. I began hearing from the audience that it could be a feature. That’s all I needed to know. In 2003, I shot my feature film version taking about 5 years to finish. The film gave me the opportunity to work with Oscar winner George Kennedy who was in Cool Hand Luke. In 2006, Truce won Best Theatrical Motion Picture at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. That was special. Past winners include Tommy Lee Jones and Clint Eastwood.
What is it about film that excites you?
Well, I always loved movies. As a kid I grew up in the country and going to a movie was a real treat for me. I can remember every film I saw growing up as a kid because it was such a big deal. I remember going to Star Wars when I was 5. I remember seeing Rocky in theaters at the Old Festival CInema on Pacific Avenue which is no longer there. During Rocky, I was so inspired by his big workout as he was doing his push-ups, that I started doing push-ups right there in the isle. I remember my Dad laughing and people trying to get by in the aisle. I was 6 at the time. I always loved movies and I was fortunate that my parents supported me and allowed me to pursue my dream.
I love storytelling. I love the visual image. I think there’s real poetry that goes into telling a story on film. Film is unlike any other art form. You’re using visual arts, music and performance all in one realm. It’s really special. I’m just fortunate to be able to do my part.
What motivated you to tell the story in Sally?
Thats a good question. Basically I spent over five years on my last project and in that that time, I was asked maybe a thousand times, “What are going to do next?” I have such a one track mind that all I could focus on was Truce and that meant selling that film and getting it released. After I felt I had done everything I could do to make that film a success, I thought, maybe it is time to get back and I got a little itchy.
Honestly, it wasn’t until my wife was pregnant and she was, I don’t know, about 4-5 months pregnant, that I thought- you know, I really need to shoot something. Somehow I thought, when the baby comes I won’t be able to do anything! [laughs] I was misinformed in that thought, but that’s what I was thinking. But about 4-5 months before my first son was born, I began writing a script with my friends in mind- Harvey Jordan, and Henry Brown. Henry was in the short edition of Truce as-well-as the feature. Harvey was in the feature. I started with the idea of Sally because I love the character that Henry plays and the modern west setting around him. He’s a guy who is so attached to his land that it’s a part of who he is. I had made two films with him already and I couldn’t let that character go.
But in Sally, I diverted into a different direction with Henry’s character Harry. The theme here is two men trying to come to grips with a tragedy and how they go about it. Harry is involved in a drunk driving incident that ends the life of a young girl with great promise.
Is Sally a true story?
Not technically. I wasn’t thinking of any particular story, but growing up I’d heard of stories like this up in Linden. I can remember a similar accident with three kids were in a car. A girl died. My attempt was to try and tell a story of both sides. I tried to create more sympathy in the villain and a father, Harvey paying the character James, is full of anger and all the emotion he’s dealing with after losing his daughter. I wanted to tell this story in a different way.
Everything about these tow characters is different. One is a salt of the earth rancher. That scene with Harry’s hand, those are is real hands. He’s got these cuts in his palms and fingers that don’t heal because of all the hard work. I had to show that. Then there’s the father, working with Shakespeare and Theater. With the Harvey Character, we chose to shoe him reciting King Lear because we saw those characters reflecting each other. These are the ideas I worked with in the film.
You acted in this film. What other specific roles did you play and which did you find more difficult?
Acting, well... that part was easy because I played myself for that part. In some cases you’ll cast someone because they’ll have the specific look or type you know? In this case I wrote a character that I identified with, so I thought I could play him. Also, I didn’t have an actor who was a horseback rider. I can ride a horse and I’d rather take that risk in case theres an accident. I thought it would be fun to play opposite Henry (Harry Dobbs) because we know each other so well. I’ve known him now 10 or 12 years. He’s a father figure in a sense. Making the film, Harvey and I worked on the story together. I wrote the script, directed it, produced it, edited, and worked on the sound design with my friend Joe Pious. With Sally, we spend about 2 years, shooting at the end of 2007 and I finished post in 2009.
Were there any obstacles to making the film?
I guess I would say the obstacles would be that we didn’t have any money. What we did need, I just put on a credit card. I think one of the great things I learned through experience that I had heard from directors like Orson Well in interviews, are that limitations can force you to become more creative. My friend Takuji Murata Marata, who filmed this, flew in from Japan to help me out. We are good friends. He shot Truce with me and we went to school together in Chapman. He’s an award winning Director of Photography who I wanted to work with again. But I told him that I couldn’t offer a big lighting package, or the things he was used to working with. We shot on a mini HD DV Cam, a Canon HD20 you can purchase at BestBuy. Yet Takuji Murata made it look a like a million dollar camera. It looks fantastic. That was just his skill as a cinematographer. As far as lighting, it’s the same story I told at the initial SJIFF3 screening as one of my favorite moments. When I shot Truce we had a really expenses lighting package. On Sally, we couldn’t do that. Takuji Murata and I went to Home Depot and got two huge flashlights and some tinfoil. He set the tinfoil up on the dashboard, set the light on the seat of the truck, and bounced the light onto Henry’s face. It looks just as good as the scene that cost us a fortune to shoot in Truce. It goes to show that without money you become more creative; you use what you have. That’s one one of my best memories.
As a local filmmaker, how did it feel watching your short at the local San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF3).
To be honest, I had never screened here in Stockton. It’s a different setting to show your work of art in a film festival and it’s a wonderful feeling to have my work shown. I’m honored that Sophoan and the board here at the San Joaquin International Film Society decided to include Sally in this amazing group of films. I saw the line-up of films from around the world and it’s just a great honor to be included. Regarding other festivals, there’s nothing like having your work shown locally here in Stockton. This festival (SJIFF3) provides a wonderful backdrop for lovers of art and cinema to get together. I feel very fortunate. A lot of people showed up at Sally that I hadn’t seen in years- my high school math teacher- we were able to reconnect. I grew up in the Empire Theater. I used to come here every weekend and movies. I remember watching Die Hard right here. It’s an honor to have my work shown on the same screen. Plus, it’s such a welcoming environment! I’ve never been at a festival where I feel so welcome and home. They’re all great to be a part of, but everyone here is so nice. There isn’t that nervous energy I’m used to feeling elsewhere. Such a nice group of people.
A special intimate Q&A session with (right to left) Matt Marconi,
actors Harvey Jordan (the father) and James Brown (Harry Dobbs),
and SJFS board member Shane Williamson.
Are there any specific films that inspired you?
Growing up, there were a lot filmmakers I admired. I don’t know if my films resemble his, but I liked Scorsese’s early work. I loved Westerns growing up, like John Ford’s, The Searchers. I loved real visual poetry. There’s also Howard Hawks’, The Red River. And later on I loved Jon Sales’ quiet independent films with their great characters. I appreciated european directors as well. I was thinking of my film Sally and that it may have been influenced by Chislovsky. European filmmakers take their time when they tell a story. They hold their shots and the story unravels in front of you. There’s no fast cutting like there is popular in Today’s American Films; that MTV rapid cutting. I like stories that take their time. I believe a well composed shot that allows the story to unfold you is real poetry. Michael Mann is great at this, like in Heat. The production design is important, it takes you a lot about the characters. There’s that scene with Robert De Niro in the opening of the film where you’re just learning who these characters are. In that film, De Niro has this huge house, but it’s empty. There’s a bed and a chair, but he has huge expansive rooms with high ceilings and they’re really sparsely decorated. It reflects his personal life, that there’s not a lot going on. Mann does that really well.
Is there anything you want to add?
I worked a lot on the music with Joe Pious who went to UCLA film school with a focus on sound mixing, editing, and music. Joe really helped me with the editing. I had a cut of Sally I wasn’t happy with and I brought Joe. A lot of my best moments in the film came out of may collaboration with Joe. Ben Pennington composed of the pieces and I was really happy with how they turned out. He delivered the sparse notes and quiet dissident tones. What Ben did with the music really complimented the film.
