Past Filmmakers

Elena Oxman
Kmart Confidential
(Premieres October 11, 2003, at 11 PM)

Interview Questions:

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?

I started working on the piece when Kmart declared bankruptcy in the winter of 2002… so it began as a sort of in memoriam to a place that’s been on my radar from a very young age.  I was probably impelled to make this film at the moment that I was leaving Connecticut (where I’ve spent most of my life), because talking about Kmart was also a way of talking about my experience growing up in suburbia.  The film thus originated from an autobiographical impulse, but also from my fascination with the way in which Kmart is just as much an idea as it is a place – its mythology is as provoking and substantial as its physical presence in the landscape.  In both the visible and invisible attributes of Kmart, it was a certain mingling of hope, humor and regret that I found compelling.

2. How long did the production process take?

I wrote the text first, with visuals in mind, which made the shooting process very quick and easy.  I shot over the course of three or four days.  I recorded the voice-over and my friend Matt playing guitar over the course of two days. The editing took longer because I was in school by then – a couple months maybe. 

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?

The fact that the film is a monologue has bothered me from the start, and I still wonder what kind of piece it could be with more voices. When I first started thinking about the film I conducted some interviews both in the store and on the phone (they included: the founder of  the activist-group 'Sprawl- Busters,' shoppers in the store; a conceptual artist who makes work about  mega-stores; some college friends).  I guess in the end it was just the volume and range of perspectives that overwhelmed me... I couldn’t find a coherent narrative, or a way to insert my own voice in some way other than a perfunctory, cheesy voice-over -ish one, forcedly linking all the other voices together... at which point I decided to make it an entirely personal perspective, and so it remains. A failure of imagination, or perseverance maybe, but at the same time it would have been an entirely different kind of piece I think... would have lost something and gained something both.  Still, I think about those other voices in their absence, and wonder about the limits of personal narrative when it comes to talking about places as public, shared, contested as Kmart.

4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?

Shooting the landscape that I grew up in very late at night – when it’s totally empty.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?

Can’t really say.  I just hope they find something they like in it.

6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?

The film appeared on a radio showcase site called Transom, and there’s a pretty good cross-section of responses posted there: http://www.transom.org/shows/2003/200303.kmart.html

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?

I think digital technology is one of the best pieces of news for young filmmakers… I love film of course, but would never have been able to get anything done if it weren’t for digital video, solely because of the cost.  My advice then would be to take advantage of the opportunity to do it yourself. Historically, it’s never been this easy.

8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on.

I’ve recently started work on this very inadequately conceived film that deals with (among other things) romantic love, death, the FCC, American television, the nuclear threat … very Ross McElwee-inspired.  For the moment, I’m letting it evolve, messily.

9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in NC?

I’m still learning about it, but so far I’m really impressed with the resources here for independent filmmakers, particularly the large number of well-run festivals.