Past Filmmakers

Aaron Katz
Hoopla 17:52

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

Back in high school I did a couple of super 8 films with Keegan, who is the star of Hoopla.  In the super 8 films he always wore a suit and he never said anything because we didn't have the capability of recording sound.  We joked about doing an expanded version of what we we did in high school, but we never thought we'd really do it.  When it was time to figure out what to do for my senior thesis film it made sense because it was the total opposite of everything else I'd done since being at school.  Also watching Jaques Tati films was really inspiring.

2. How long did the production process take?

We shot for four days, hand a three day break, and then shot for four more days.

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

There were a lot.  One was finding locations that worked.  I wanted the film to have a cold modern look and that kind of thing is hard to find in Winston-Salem.  Some things, like Max's house, worked out, but there's a couple locations that I look at in the film and wish were better.  Also, camera direction was tricky.  I didn't want to move the camera too much, but at the same time I didn't want the film to feel stagnant.

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

Sitting in the back of a van with a hundred vacuum cleaners.

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

I don't have any specific thing I want people to take away.  I hope each person takes away something different.  For me the film is pretty sad.

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

Audiences laugh at different jokes.  It's weird what different people find funny in it.  The ducks usually get a good reaction.

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

Come up with a realistic plan for how you're going to make a film and then do it.  Making a film is very doable now.  All you need is some good planning.  You don't need that much to shoot on DV and you can figure out ways to borrow everything for free.  Be very careful when you're casting.  It's important to take chances on people that you have a good feeling about, but you want to be working with actors that you're confident in.

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

I'm in postproduction on a feature called Dance Party, USA that I shot on DV.  Zach, who cut Hoopla, is cutting Dance Party.  It's very different from Hoopla.  It's about a couple of teenagers in Portland, OR, which is where I'm from.

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

I don't know about the industry, but I think NC is a good place to make movies.  I think the worst place to make movies, unless you have a studio behind you, is New York or Los Angeles.