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| Matt Farley as himself in Local Legends |
The Squeerelist - We're in 2013 and you decided to make a black and white movie. What are the reasons for this directorial commitment?
Matt Farley - I think black & white is beautiful. The movie is heavily influenced by Woody Allen, who has done plenty of black & white. My previous movies are weird, silly, straight-faced comedies--so I thought doing this one in black & white would be an easy way to show that I'm being a little more serious this time. And, finally, when you're shooting a movie with a digital camera, sometimes the colors look too bright. On film, there's a softness to the image that is lost in a lot of digital photography. If you take out all the color, it's an easy way to look more like film.
Matt Farley - I think black & white is beautiful. The movie is heavily influenced by Woody Allen, who has done plenty of black & white. My previous movies are weird, silly, straight-faced comedies--so I thought doing this one in black & white would be an easy way to show that I'm being a little more serious this time. And, finally, when you're shooting a movie with a digital camera, sometimes the colors look too bright. On film, there's a softness to the image that is lost in a lot of digital photography. If you take out all the color, it's an easy way to look more like film.
In Local Legends you keep mentioning how much you dislike pompous artists. Is this because you feel like their media is not reachable by the common folk?
It's hard to describe, but there's just something about a lot of creative people that drives me crazy. Lots of them seem to be lacking in self-awareness. I definitely have more sympathy for someone who's just trying to entertain an audience than I do for artists who make purposely "difficult" works. I feel like most of the best work from the past was made primarily as entertainment. Any additional "deeper meaning" should just be a bonus.
It's hard to describe, but there's just something about a lot of creative people that drives me crazy. Lots of them seem to be lacking in self-awareness. I definitely have more sympathy for someone who's just trying to entertain an audience than I do for artists who make purposely "difficult" works. I feel like most of the best work from the past was made primarily as entertainment. Any additional "deeper meaning" should just be a bonus.
When did you decide you would spend your free time making music, movies and stand-up shows? Were your relatives supportive or were you the black sheep of the family?
I always wanted to make movies and music (I only dabble in stand-up comedy). I worked on projects all through high school and college. Upon graduating, I made sure I got a job that might not pay a lot, but would give me the time to continue to do music and movies. My family has always been supportive--especially because I have a full-time job and can support myself whether or not my creative endeavors earn me anything. I feel like a lot of the "pompous artists" from the previous questions are the ones who can't be bothered with day jobs as they embark on their selfish quests to create difficult art.
I always wanted to make movies and music (I only dabble in stand-up comedy). I worked on projects all through high school and college. Upon graduating, I made sure I got a job that might not pay a lot, but would give me the time to continue to do music and movies. My family has always been supportive--especially because I have a full-time job and can support myself whether or not my creative endeavors earn me anything. I feel like a lot of the "pompous artists" from the previous questions are the ones who can't be bothered with day jobs as they embark on their selfish quests to create difficult art.
Watching Local Legends, we can feel that you praise the New-Englander way of life. Have you ever considered moving to L.A. or NYC to pursue your artistic career and have a better shot at breaking through?
No. I wish more creative people stayed in the area where they were born. If you're surrounded by nothing but people who share your interests, you quickly lose touch with the real world. You can tell pretty easily when you're watching or listening to the work of an artist who only spends time with other artists.
No. I wish more creative people stayed in the area where they were born. If you're surrounded by nothing but people who share your interests, you quickly lose touch with the real world. You can tell pretty easily when you're watching or listening to the work of an artist who only spends time with other artists.
Your movie is extremely autobiographical. Some of the people your character encounters - the stalkerish girl for example - are very peculiar human beings. How much of what happens to Matt in the movie actually happened to Matt in real life?
Most of it happened in real life. The Abby character is based on the traits of lots of different girls I've met over the years. I really hired a girl to keep track of the stats of 1-on-1 basketball games with a friend of mine. I've seen plenty of ambitiously planned comedy shows get downgraded to basement show levels. Most of the characters play themselves, and most of the conversations are based on actual conversations I've had with them. Of course, plenty of it was manipulated for the sake of making the movie more entertaining. I guess the best way to say it is that this movie collects all of the best things that have happened to me, and makes them all better and funnier.
Most of it happened in real life. The Abby character is based on the traits of lots of different girls I've met over the years. I really hired a girl to keep track of the stats of 1-on-1 basketball games with a friend of mine. I've seen plenty of ambitiously planned comedy shows get downgraded to basement show levels. Most of the characters play themselves, and most of the conversations are based on actual conversations I've had with them. Of course, plenty of it was manipulated for the sake of making the movie more entertaining. I guess the best way to say it is that this movie collects all of the best things that have happened to me, and makes them all better and funnier.
Yes. I get embarrassed by all of this stuff from time to time. But, ultimately, my fear of embarrassment is weaker than my desire to make more music and movies. It's sometimes embarrassing when we're filming scenes in a public area and people walk by and start gawking at us, etc. And it was definitely risky to make this movie because it's hard to make a movie all about yourself without coming across as completely narcissistic. Ultimately, I justified making this feature-length ego-fest by telling myself that most mainstream artists have teams of publicists who do that dirty work for them. Small-timers like myself need to also be self-promoters. It might come off as crass. But ultimately, it's no different from big time artists who hire others to do the promoting.
You give away your DVDs and CDs like peanuts at Fenway Park. You don't hesitate to go out of your way for people to watch your movies or listen to your music (I personally can testify as the postage on my package shows $7.35). It is very enjoyable as an audience member - and as an indie critic - to be treated with such respect and consideration. This being said, how do you do to make ends meet with such a generous marketing technique?
The only money I make from creative endeavors comes through sales of my music on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc. The movies are labors of love. But, even with all the money that goes into the movies, and giving away some of the music, I still end up making plenty more than I spend. And I have a day job, so it's all just bonus money anyway. I guess a long term dream would be that all this stuff I'm giving away will eventually create word-of-mouth that leads to more sales. But who knows? I'm just happy to have people hearing my songs and watching my movies.
The only money I make from creative endeavors comes through sales of my music on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc. The movies are labors of love. But, even with all the money that goes into the movies, and giving away some of the music, I still end up making plenty more than I spend. And I have a day job, so it's all just bonus money anyway. I guess a long term dream would be that all this stuff I'm giving away will eventually create word-of-mouth that leads to more sales. But who knows? I'm just happy to have people hearing my songs and watching my movies.
As an indie film-maker is there any advice or word of wisdom you would like to share with whoever tries to make it in the industry?
I've seen lots of people try to make movies but never finish. So I suggest setting deadlines for yourself. Declare that you must finish the movie by a certain time, and stick to it. If you stick with it, you'll end up with a finished product. Lots of people get bogged down trying to make everything perfect, and before you know it, you've wasted all your allotted time completing just a small portion of the movie. Better to have a flawed finished film than half of a perfect film. Also, don't write scenes that you won't be able to film. If you don't have access to a police station, don't write any scenes that take place in a police station. And make sure you trust your actors. If one of your lead actors is unreliable, it's going to be very hard to film. Also, don't write scenes that require lots of different actors to be at the same place at the same time. It's very hard to get a lot of people together for any extended amount of time (if, like me, you're not paying any of them). Make it as easy as possible for the people who are helping you out. They're probably a lot less devoted to this project than you are, so don't expect them to devote more than a few hours here and there.
I've seen lots of people try to make movies but never finish. So I suggest setting deadlines for yourself. Declare that you must finish the movie by a certain time, and stick to it. If you stick with it, you'll end up with a finished product. Lots of people get bogged down trying to make everything perfect, and before you know it, you've wasted all your allotted time completing just a small portion of the movie. Better to have a flawed finished film than half of a perfect film. Also, don't write scenes that you won't be able to film. If you don't have access to a police station, don't write any scenes that take place in a police station. And make sure you trust your actors. If one of your lead actors is unreliable, it's going to be very hard to film. Also, don't write scenes that require lots of different actors to be at the same place at the same time. It's very hard to get a lot of people together for any extended amount of time (if, like me, you're not paying any of them). Make it as easy as possible for the people who are helping you out. They're probably a lot less devoted to this project than you are, so don't expect them to devote more than a few hours here and there.
More on Matt Farley's projects at moternmedia.com !
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