As Chokeslam is now playing in select Canadian theatres, we spoke to Robert Cuffley to find out more about this project.

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Can you start by telling us more about you and the film?

I am a Western Canadian Filmmaker, based in Calgary. I began making short films in junior high school and then, later in life, made music videos which gave me an outlet to explore drama. I would infuse as many of them as I could with storylines and this was very fulfilling for me at the time. A great way to get to know musicians as well. After that I travelled, made short films and did some documentary work, then in 2002, jumped into feature filmmaking with Turning Paige, starring Katharine Isabelle and Nicholas Campbell. The process of making this movie solidified the hold that film has over me.

Chokeslam is my fourth feature film. It is a comedy starting Amanda Crew (Silicon Valley), Chris Marquette, Mick Foley (WWE) and Michael Eklund. It has a very different tone from anything else I’ve made and it’s the first movie I’ve done that my kids can see. When most of what you’ve done has been exploring darker themes, it’s a pleasant feeling to do a comedy and make people laugh.

What was the most rewarding part of this filmmaking experience for you?

This was a very tough shoot. My toughest by a long shot. You’re only as good as the team around you and I was fortunate with Chokeslam as the cast and crew pulled together to make it work.

So the most rewarding experience is right about now…where I can finally show the film to people.

What was the biggest challenge that you faced in making the film and how did you overcome it?

Budget limitations would be the toughest aspect of Chokeslam. Having imagery in your head that I wasn’t willing to compromise or cheap out on despite financial restrictions. There’s no small way to do a wrestling sequence. You need a lot of extras, great wrestlers, multiple cameras and the most sought after luxury: time. Trying to juggle all that was trying. Luckily, Amanda Crew (who plays Sheena) had trained before arriving in Regina where we shot. And a variety of real-life wrestlers (Mick Foley, Lance Storm and Chelsea Green) were involved, lending their expertise to the process. In that sense, everyone coalesced otherwise I’d be at the bottom of some lagoon.

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“Be curious about things and other people.”

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What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?

Get out now. But seriously, endurance is the key. You will experience hurdle after hurdle, but like wrestling, it’s who is standing at the end who succeeds. Filmmaking is an exercise in joy and futility. Your job is to make it slightly more of the former than the latter. Secondly – keep learning. It doesn’t matter if you’ve made ten shorts or twelve feature films, you can always continue to learn, in prep, in production and in post production. Be receptive to it and acknowledge that you can’t be an expert in every field. Learn from others and hopefully they will learn from you as well. Lastly…be curious about things and other people. Ask people about themselves, their family, their jobs, their frustrations. The better you understand people, the better films you will make. This is an ongoing process that should never end.

From your standpoint, how would you describe the current state of the Canadian film industry?

Every festival I go to has panel session after panel session describing the gloom and doom of the Canadian Film Industry. I tend to be more optimistic. More Canadians than ever are making films. And their films are being seen by more and more people. I see far more people starting out than when I started out, a lot of that here in Calgary. The jump between your first and second feature tends to weed out a lot of filmmakers. But once you’ve made three, I figure you’re enough of a masochist to keep punishing yourself by making more.

What film-related books and authors have been influential in your creative journey?

The Film Director’s Intuition by Judith Weston is a good one, Making Movies by Sidney Lumet and In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing by Walter Murch.

What other projects are you involved with right now?

I am developing a series as well as three other features in varying genres. I am fortunate in that I love every one of them and don’t have to force myself to get excited about working on any of them. You need to juggle a lot in order to be able to duck and weave should something get held up. I could never stick to the same genre as some filmmakers do. I’m sure it’s nice to be known for something, but I like tackling something completely new each time around.

Where can people find out more about you and the film?

Chokeslam opens in Vancouver, Calgary, Regina and Toronto on April 7th. Despite the success of viewing platforms like iTunes and Netflix, any filmmaker would love you to see his/her work in a theatre setting. I’ve been very lucky to have had theatrical releases on all of my films, so go see this in a theatre. A film has its director’s POV written all over it, sometimes subtle, sometimes not. Ferocious (my last film before Chokeslam) displayed elements of the thriller genre that I love, where as Chokeslam comes very close to mirroring my sense of humour. Dry like Canada Dry. But with less ginger.

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Thanks to Robert Cuffley for speaking with us!

You can see Chokeslam in select theatres in Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, and Toronto now.

The post The Biz Interview: Robert Cuffley appeared first on Biz Books.

After successful film festival showcases in Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, and Sudbury, the film opens in Canadian theatres on March 23rd. We spoke with Carl Bessai to get an inside look at his creative process and learn more about his latest critically-acclaimed contribution to Canadian film.

Can you briefly walk us through your creative process for the production from the early stages (writing, casting, etc.) all the way to the theatrical release?

This is a tough question because the process varies so much from project to project.

In the case of Sisters & Brothers, the pre-production phase really consisted of a lot of discussion/workshops with the actors because we didn’t have a script and we were building the narrative as a collaboration. What we came up with would go into a written outline so that I was able to break down the shooting plan.

As far as casting went on that project, I really approached that film as I would planning a party… I just invited some of my friends and in some cases, when I was stuck, I would get their recommendations on who else to invite! but that is really rare. On a scripted drama like Repeaters, it’s obviously much different. You have a team that you are working with (producers, financiers, distributors) and their is a lot more discussion and prep around casting and hiring and all the issues that go into bringing a creative team together.

Then in production, my process is varied of course depending on the size of the film. With a larger scripted drama, we obviously have a more conventional shooting style, with lighting, blocking, rehearsal and shooting… multiple takes… but with the improvised films, it is a lot more like a documentary with things being invented on the spot and new things being tried – some kept and some thrown away… there are usually a lot more takes in that process as well because we are trying to iron out a scene that is being written as we shoot – it’s a lot less structured. In the end, the process toward promoting each film – festivals, screenings and theatrical release – are more or less the same project to project. You run like crazy and hope that the critics are supportive, and that you can get enough friends and family in the various cities to attend and keep each film in the theatres for as long as possible… which is obviously a challenge when you’re competing with The Hunger Games!

For audiences who have seen the previous two films in the FamilyX trilogy, which common themes are present in this film and what are some new ones they can expect this time around?

I think the thing that is most common between all three films is the sense of the universality of families and relationships within families. We all see aspects of our own relationships in these films – some characters you will relate to and some not so much in terms of an individual experience but I guarantee anyone watching any of these films, they will recognize one of their own family dynamics in the scenes. In S&B there is a lot of sibling rivalry, tension and animosity… I’m not sure why… siblings just compete like crazy and so this film is a little more caustic than the others – more swearing (you better have a strong tolerance for the f-bomb) and a lot of scrappy behavior… that said, these characters love each other. I relate to this mess a great deal in my personal life!

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you during your journey as a filmmaker?

I have always been a fan of JD Salinger for his family stories… Franny and Zooey is a favourite of mine – these wonderfully dysfunctional people who love each other but can behave so strangely about their emotions. He is a writer who touches on the complexity of siblings, even though he only wrote a handful of books.

You’ve had several films screened at film festivals around the world. What’s the most important piece of advice that you would give to filmmakers who are trying to enter the festival circuit?

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get invited to Cannes Film Festival or Toronto International Film Festival or one of the big ones… of course these festivals are awesome if you are lucky enough to be invited, but chances are if you do go, you will be one of the smallest fish in the pond and sometimes, it is better to go to a smaller festival anyway where you’re film will be genuinely supported and there will be so much audience enthusiasm for the ‘smaller’ film… I have had great experiences in Toronto, of course, it is in my opinion the most supportive festival in the world – especially for CDN films… but a boutique festival like thessaloniki where you can be in competition or a real audience festival like Seattle… these are fantastic affirming experiences for a filmmaker.

What is the biggest obstacle facing Canadian filmmakers right now?

It’s probably a big cliche, and I’m sure this is true in any country, but financing films is the hardest it has ever been. Quite frankly, the global market for films is tough and is really pre-occupied with a relative handful of movie stars, so unless you have a major actor in your film, getting the money to make your movie is really challenging. That’s the reason there is so much DIY (do-it-yourself) filmmaking going on… it’s refreshing to see people go out and commit their ideas to film (or chip) and not wait for the unlikely event that tom cruise will be available for your epic.

Are there any upcoming projects that you’re working on that you’d like to mention?

I’m keeping a balance between my bigger projects and my low-fi efforts. I love the idea that even if everything falls apart with a big film, I can still go out there with my SLR and shoot a DIY movie… So in that spirit, I am working with Brent Butt (of Corner Gas fame) on his new movie – a big comedic noir epic called No Clue which is going ahead in the fall, and a DIY horror film with a turkish producer starring Jodelle Ferland that we are shooting in Vancouver in the next month or so (still a moving target!)… and then I have my LA projects.

Sisters & Brothers is now in theatres. For more information, please visit SisBroFilm.com.

The post The Biz Interview: Carl Bassai – Director of “Sisters & Brothers” appeared first on Biz Books.