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In 1972, a flamboyant producer's Hollywood party takes a strange turn when an uninvited guest comes for more than sex and drugs. This is Phil Mucci’s follow up to The Listening Dead, which wowed audiences at Slamdance 2007.

Tell us about the premise of Far Out? What informs it and when did you conceive of it?

The premise is very much like one of Z-Man's parties in BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. A fabulous Hollywood producer is throwing an outrageous house party full of sex and drugs. When Fresno arrives, he brings an uninvited, uninitiated guest, Carmilla. She seems quiet and shy at first, but soon makes herself right at home!

In many ways FAR OUT was my own creative reaction to the somber black and white gothic fable of my first short film, THE LISTENING DEAD. I wanted to make something as different as I could, something more colorful with a lot more camera movement, and a much more overt sense of humor.

I first came up with the idea while I was thinking up concepts to promote the Erie Horror Film Festival. They wanted something much shorter, but the idea eventually grew to over 4 and a half minutes in length. I decided to just make it for myself as a counterpoint to THE LISTENING DEAD. This was in July of 2006...

What we're the biggest challenges in creating the period look and filmic texture? It really sells the conceit very well immediately.

The challenges was getting modern, 16mm film to look like the old, chunky, grainy film of the period! The emulsions we're using now are gorgeous, with lots of sharp details and very fine grain. I think modern super 16mm can look as good as 35mm from the early 70's, no question about it. To get it as close as we could, we shot on 500 speed film, pushed one stop. Then in the color-timing session at Technicolor, we really worked on lightening the blacks, and adding red to them, to create a sense that the film had faded over time. We also de-saturated the colors, which were very vivid originally. Later, in After Effects, I added even MORE grain, and some softening filters.

How does the process begin for you of conceptualizing film generally and what debt does Far Out owe to 70s genre cinema?

I'm really a film "fan" first and foremost. When I'm developing a film, I first think about the kind of movie I would want to see as an audience. Of course, I'm also thinking about what I want to shoot as a director, techniques I want to try, or styles I want to explore. Having been a photographer for 11 years, every project is like film school for me!

FAR OUT is a kind of a tribute to the low-budget independent drive-in flicks of the late sixties and early seventies. From the US, I was inspired by some of the Roger Corman produced flicks like THE TRIP and PSYCH-OUT, but mostly BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, directed by Russ Meyer. I was also influenced by European directors working around the same time, especially Mario Bava and Jess Franco. Of all of these, FAR OUT owes a debt to BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, and Mario Bava's 5 DOLLS FOR AN AUGUST MOON the most.

The Listening Dead was hit and award winner at Slamdance last year after a long niche festival run on the sci-fi/horror circuit. How has your perspective on film festivals been altered by these experiences?

I really enjoy traveling on the film festival circuit, but I think experience has taught me to be much more selective when deciding which festivals to actually attend personally. It gets very expensive very quickly, especially in the US. Most European festivals beyond a certain size or age will pay for your hotel and meals, even if you've only got a short film in the festival. This is unheard of in the US. With THE LISTENING DEAD, I went to a lot of the festivals . Some I loved, others, not so much. With FAR OUT I decided to be much more selective.

The best part of the film festival world is meeting all of your fellow filmmakers and die-hard cinema journalists. I've forged great relationships with people from all over the world. The worst part of the festival circuit, beyond the expense, is when you realize the festival you've attended is more or less a marketing campaign for the people who run it, and that they don't really care about the filmmakers at all. There are more of these types of festivals than you would probably believe, and that's too bad.

What are the biggest challenges that you face as a short filmmaker in a world that prioritizes and commercializes feature filmmaking in ways that shorts aren't?

I don't really consider myself a "short filmmaker", just a filmmaker. The medium of shorts allows you to work on a film without outside involvement. I financed both of my short films with my own money. When you're paying the bill, you get to call all the shots. Of course, it also helps if you're the writer, director, and editor, but you get my point. It's about having the freedom to express your ideas without compromise. That's the draw of short films for me.

And I think they are becoming more and more commercialized. I have sold both short films to various outlets, though not for much money. FAR OUT was purchased by The Sundance Channel after it's very first screening. I think as technology advances, more and more people will have portable video players that can stream live from the web. Broadband broadcasting outlets will make more and more money, and we're going to see a huge increase in demand for video content 5 minutes and under. It's already happening.

What draws you to kitchy, morbid, ironic subject matter?

I love the look of certain time periods. I think as time has worn on, a lot styles have begun to merge, and a boring homogeny has been the sad result. I like seeing different things, from different times, because they reflect different attitudes and social mores. I think when you approach these time periods with your modern sensibilities, you end up commenting on our own time as much as the past. The way we look back at our past, in many ways, says more about our present than anything else. As far as where the morbid sensibility comes from, I guess it's because when I was a kid I watched monster movies every Saturday morning instead of cartoons. Let that be a lesson to all you parents out there!

Can we expect more of the same, or do you plan to work in other genres and forms?

I love genre films, so I can safely say "yes" to the first part of your question. I'd like to explore some science-fiction as well as more horror/fantasy ideas. I tend to get bored doing the same thing over andover again, so who knows. I can't imagine I'll ever shoot a romantic comedy, a bio-pic, or a bible film, but never say never!

What projects are down the pipeline?

I'm currently in negotiations to direct my first feature film, a horror /comedy. If all goes well, I should be shooting that this summer. After Slamdance, I will be directing a music video for The Black Keys. Should be a blast!

# posted by Brandon Harris @ 1/19/2008 11:25:00 AM

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