Past Filmmakers

Peter Sattler
Newton

Interview Questions

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?
The film started with the idea for a shot of everything in a room spontaneously lifting on its own and flying about, as if the house were just thrown off a cliff. The idea that the house and camera were stationary, but the objects moved, naturally led us towards that theme of inertia. We were also primarily interested in making an intelligent experimental film. So we slowly tried to merge the elements of science with humanity and art.

2. How long did the production process take?
We had a total of 8 shooting days. We shot half of the film in October and then the other half about a month later. We had to have time to get some of the footage back to use it in a later part of the film and we also needed time to build some important and complicated effect shots.

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?
As we had a limited budget, there was no way to use digital effects; so we had to rely on much older techniques. There are a lot of in-camera special effects in the film, and we had to figure out how to make them look as real as possible with our limited resources. Building the set/model for the "money shot" of the film took a lot of planning. It was difficult because everything had to be in quarter-inch scale. We had to make everything ourselves and we really had little experience doing anything like that.

4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?
Watching the "money shot" on the video tap playback with the crew. Everyone erupted with excitement when they saw it. Also, setting fifty mousetraps and carefully placing ping-pong balls on them over and over was funny. Everyone on the stage had to be quiet and still, or else the slightest movement could set the whole catastrophic chain reaction off. The next thing you know mousetraps and ping-pong balls would be flying around and then we would have to start completely over. People setting the mousetraps would get their fingers snapped in the traps and it hurt, but they knew they had to stay calm and not blow it. It was really stressful and nerve-racking.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?
The film was designed to be an experience and an experiment. We wanted to play with expectations, structure, and the notions of set-up and payoff. In this way, we tried to make a film that challenges your concept of what a short film really is. It can be much more than just two characters, a conflict, and a resolution. Hopefully, people will have some questions and have their own personal subjective interpretation. Most importantly, we hope they will simply never forget it.

6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?
Questions. How did you do that shot or this shot? How did you get the film to look like that? The film was nominated for a 2002 Student Academy Award. That was a nice honor.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?
Ask lots of questions when you can. Learn by doing. Feel certain that you are making something you truly believe in. Trust your gut. Don't settle. Push yourself. Show us something we've never seen before.

8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on?
We want to do a movie about two characters that meet up after many years apart and for lack of anything better in their lives, decide to hit the road. A loose narrative, with a lot of visual structure, it is the simple theme of a young man facing his quarter-life crisis. He must choose what kind of an adult he will be. Will he be a responsible father? Or will he be that shady friend who you wouldn't leave alone with your wallet? Exploring themes of trust, duality, friendship, responsibility, faith, disenchantment, mutability, purpose, complacency, et cetera.

9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in NC?
I hope it continues to grow and establish itself as a place known for breeding fresh and provocative filmmakers. Growing up in NC has exposed me to all the great resources that the state has to offer. It also seems easy to stretch your dollar and get more for your budget in North Carolina. One also hopes that NC will continue to be a right-to-work state, which attracts low-budget projects which honestly couldn't begin to afford union regulations.