Recently I had a chance to talk to Drake Doremus who is showing a film at the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival.  He is an OC filmmaker and his latest film Spooner, staring Matthew Lillard, has been making waves in the festival circuit.

Spooner is a movie about a used car salesman, Herman Spooner (Matthew Lillard), who still lives at home with his parents. Spooner is fairly set in his unfulfilling routine, but turning thirty marks a hard deadline set by his mom and dad to get a place of his own. To top it off, Spooner’s boss pressures him to bring in some sales or face the chopping block. Headed for one of the worst days of his life, Spooner meets the girl of his dreams, Rose (Nora Zehetner). Forsaking all other priorities, Spooner works on winning her heart, but on their perfect date, she breaks the news that she is about to leave for the Philippines. How far will Spooner go to keep Rose in town and show her he really knows how to spoon?

Evan Vincent: Lets talk about your new film and latest project, Spooner.  It’s received some amazing buzz.  Kenneth Turan  from the L.A. Times said your film was the ’sleeper hit’ of Park City.  How does it feel to have so much momentum behind your film and having this film be an official selection of the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival?

Drake Doremus: First off, we love Kenny Turan.  No question that it changed the trajectory of the film, three days before we went to Park City.  Suddenly we mattered and suddenly everyone was calling and trying to see the film. I am forever grateful for my first feature to have a blessing from him.  It’s an honor. As far as Newport goes, it’s a childhood dream actually. Growing up in Orange County I’ve been to the Lido hundreds of times and it’s always special.  To be screening there on Saturday is a dream come true!

EV: How long did it take for this project to come together and what was it like writing and directing your new film?  How did you come up with the idea for this film?

DD: It only took us a few months to put the project together. It was a magical experience for a film under a million dollars.  Nobody was getting a big salary so everyone was there for the right reasons. Lindsay, the writer, and I wanted to make a movie about a guy who falls in love for the first time at the age of thirty and after meeting Matthew for another project, his name came to mind. He is an amazing human being and an amazing actor and I feel like his work in the film speaks for itself.

EV: With so many indie ‘coming-of-age’  love stories out, your movie feels very grounded and honest.  What would you say separates this movie from a lot of other movies in this genre?

DD: Perfect lead. That’s actually the thing I’m most proud of in the film. I feel like it’s very emotionally sincere and comes from an honest place. Yeah it’s funny, yeah it’s quirky.  But I feel like Matthew has created an original character that is very special and very likable.

EV: What was it like working with Matthew Lillard and how did he get involved in the project?  Any fun stories from the set?

DD: Matt loves telling this story so I will tell it. After the first day of shooting and watching dailies, I didn’t feel like the character was fully working yet and told Matt that on day two. He was dying with laughter and freaking out. He told me that no director he’s ever worked with has ever said that and that he always hears “dailies were great.” I think we were not exactly on the same page right off the bat, to be honest. But by the end of day two it was rock and roll… an amazing collaboration. I’m very very proud of what we came up with together.

EV: What inspires you as a filmmaker and is there anyone in the future you would like to work with?

DD: I love seeing great work; that inspires me as does great music! Music inspires me the most! I would love to work with Charlie Kaufman… but only if Lindsay Stidham isn’t available. :)

EV: Now that you have shown your film at some festivals and the buzz is building, what are the next steps for you?  Are you working on other projects or are you taking a break in between films?  What can we expect from you in the future?

DD: No breaks! ha! Life’s too short! I’m cutting my second feature as we speak. It doesn’t have a title yet but it’s a story about two estranged brothers who are forced to confront some issues at a wedding and end up on the road trying to find the younger brother’s 5th grade girlfriend to bring her to the wedding. Lindsay and I are adapting a wonderful book by Andrew Aueson called Funny Little Monkey, and an original script called Captain that we are very excited about.  As for Spooner, we are in the middle of hopefully working out a distribution deal as we speak!

EV: For those local Orange County film creators or people who want to be, what advice would you give someone who is just starting out?

DD: Always trust and fight for your voice and instincts… no matter what anybody tells you!

EV: Any last words?

DD: Please come see the film this Saturday, April 25th @ 6PM at the Lido…I’ll buy you a small popcorn and I’ll keep buttering it during the film, I promise!

Thank you Drake Doremus for chatting with us and we wish you the best with your new film.  I will be at the screening on April 25th and so will Drake, the producer, writers, designer and other members of the cast, including Matthew Lillard.  They will be holding a Q & A after the screening.  Don’t miss this!

www.spoonermovie.com

Evan Vincent: Please tell us more about yourself, your background, education and what you do.

Amir Motlagh: I am a filmmaker, more specifically, a film director. Initially, I started as an actor, spent a few years getting professional training (Stella Adler, Meisner, Strasburg etc.), then one day, came up with an idea for a film, got a few people together to help, hustled my way into some equipment, and made my first film, Dino Adino in 2001. That was the start of a long love affair with media creation. At that point, I also had a BA in Psychology from UCLA. In some strange misguided way, I thought that this would help me be a better actor. After another five films, some success, some failure, I went back to school to get an MFA, specifically in directing, at Chapman University, mostly to better understand the process of film directed, not just my way, but also in a way that’s been established through a hundred years. Education, any way you can get it, can only help motivated people grow as artists; that’s the bottom line. But of the same token, if I were to listen to everything that they feed you at film school, I would never make another film again. Thankfully, that didn’t happen to me. And, at this point, I have made ten films, which have played all over the world.

EV: Who are your biggest influences?

AM: This is an ever changing answer to that question, but historically and immediately, John Cassavettes, Abbas Kiorastami, Won-Kar-Wai.  John Cassavettes because of what he ultimately captured from his performers. They were living life on camera, not in what we think of as naturalism, which is often times boring (not always of course) but in realism, in fiction, with heightened states of circumstances. The behavior exhibited was higher art, and captured the nuance’s of theater acting, but brought down to life with a camera lens. Oftentimes exhausting, but nevertheless, greatly satisfying.  Kiorastami, well, what he does with narrative is a direct evolution of cinema. His cinema is different, without formula (but his own), but it penetrates farther then most films. What we worship in the US is script and story. We assume we figured all this stuff out.  Obviously, Kiorastami is one of many testimonials to the fact that we are wrong. I’m not implying that story is not essential to his work, but the way story and script is utilized, gives a different effect. Other things are emphasized. For him, everything alive is story. Won-Kar-Wai both because of his narrative inventiveness, and for the mood he creates. His cinema is so sophisticated, but never esoteric. Its also incredibly entertaining, infused with beautiful images, mastery of technique and just plain cool.

EV: What are you three favorite films?

AM: In all honesty, I cannot answer this question. Filmmaking is such a broad concept, and there has been a tremendous amount of work that has amazed me. To single them out is unfair.

EV: What inspires you as a filmmaker?

AM: First and foremost, the world around me. My family, friends, neighborhood, my background. After that, nature.

EV: Name one person in the filmmaking world you would like to work with?

AM: Can I name three? Gus Van Sant, Harmony Korine, and Michael Winterbottom. Gus Van Sant is a modern autuer. I would love to learn his process, for both his mainstream and on-mainstream projects. Harmony Korine, because he isn’t looking for safety when he works. Its exciting to see an American Filmmaker pushing boundaries still. As far as Michael Winterbottom, well, I would just love to be in one of his films, really.

EV: What do you feel is the most difficult part about being a filmmaker?

AM: Marketing.

EV: Who is your target audience?

AM: For the work I have done thus far, that question doesn’t have a direct answer. But I will say that, mostly for people who want to be inspired, to think, or reflect possibly about their own lives.

EV: What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to a filmmaker that’s just starting out?

AM: The biggest advice I have is just to make inspired work. This doesn’t mean that everyone will love it or be inspired, but just that you really believe in what you are doing. Also, go out and hustle, find a way to make movies. Learn, rather by going to school or doing it on your own. But I worry that going to film school first, will be a dead end, because if you really are into filmmaking, you should already be making movies.

EV: Finally, where can we see your work?

AM: My feature film Whale should be premiering in the festival circuit soon. This took four years to make. Plain Us is currently screening at film festivals, knock. knock. is being distributed by Ouat! Media and Movieola-The Short Film Channel, Still Lover is available at CrushedPlanet and other distributors. These titles along with my earlier work is being made available on a new DVD, including Pumkin Little, My Break Ups Into a Million Pieces, and Love @ 11:47. You can catch many of these titles now at my Vimeo page before the DVD is released at http://vimeo.com/user792020/videos. For more information on Whale, please go to www.whalethefilm.com. For additional information about what I’m all about, please go to www.amirmotlagh.com.