A new interview with Amir Motlagh (his first feature Whale is now making its way across America in the form of screeners, soon to be at film festivals no doubt, see Whale trailer here) at BRAINTRUSTdv. Here's a taste of the interview:
" BRAINTRUSTdv
You’ve said that L.A. doesn’t have a community of independent filmmakers like you’ve seen in New York. How does your isolation affect your working methods and the films themselves?
Amir Motlagh
It’s hard to find the same isolation that was afforded before the web. Now everything is displayed in lightning speeds on the web, and everybody knows what everyone else is doing. The connectivity is good, but is also problematic because of the insular nature of independent film and the interwebs. That’s why we are developing schemas faster then ever, to categorize and reference things that are immediate. To develop, some distance needs to be in place between the community and the individual. That’s why I have been largely absent from the web and in fact enjoyed my residence in Los Angeles. It provides me a sense of solace from continual discussion and also from having to see what all my contemporaries are working on all the time. So in that way, I feel that my concepts are not tainted—a better word might be influenced—to the degree that maybe some New York filmmakers have to deal with. Again, the downside is also taxing. Without a community, who do you look to for career growth, support, education and inspiration? I am coming to the point of having to answer that question. The solace is beginning to bother me, and having been to New York recently for an extended stay, the feeling of community is strong. In Los Angeles, we are dealing with Hollywood, so that trains the soul to react to things under the larger umbrella of the BIZ. Also, it seems like networking these days involves lots of cocaine, which I am not that interested in. Again, I am older than I was yesterday."
Read the interview at BRAINTRUSTdv.
- Sujewa
" BRAINTRUSTdv
You’ve said that L.A. doesn’t have a community of independent filmmakers like you’ve seen in New York. How does your isolation affect your working methods and the films themselves?
Amir Motlagh
It’s hard to find the same isolation that was afforded before the web. Now everything is displayed in lightning speeds on the web, and everybody knows what everyone else is doing. The connectivity is good, but is also problematic because of the insular nature of independent film and the interwebs. That’s why we are developing schemas faster then ever, to categorize and reference things that are immediate. To develop, some distance needs to be in place between the community and the individual. That’s why I have been largely absent from the web and in fact enjoyed my residence in Los Angeles. It provides me a sense of solace from continual discussion and also from having to see what all my contemporaries are working on all the time. So in that way, I feel that my concepts are not tainted—a better word might be influenced—to the degree that maybe some New York filmmakers have to deal with. Again, the downside is also taxing. Without a community, who do you look to for career growth, support, education and inspiration? I am coming to the point of having to answer that question. The solace is beginning to bother me, and having been to New York recently for an extended stay, the feeling of community is strong. In Los Angeles, we are dealing with Hollywood, so that trains the soul to react to things under the larger umbrella of the BIZ. Also, it seems like networking these days involves lots of cocaine, which I am not that interested in. Again, I am older than I was yesterday."
Read the interview at BRAINTRUSTdv.
- Sujewa
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