THENEWCINEMA

The legendary rebel filmmaker discusses his new film, “Road to Nowhere”.

Los Angeles, 2011

THE NEWCINEMA: You have stated in other interviews that “Road to Nowhere” is your first real Monte Hellman film.  Can you elaborate?

MONTE HELLMAN: It’s the first time I’ve been able to realize a project of my own, started by me, and created without any external attempts to influence.

TNC: How was working with the Canon 5D different compared to shooting on film? What were the biggest pros and cons, not just technically but creatively?

MH: Well… the biggest difference is, you can put the camera in places you can never put a normal film camera… I mean literally we would be in a booth in a bar and the camera would be taped to the wall in a place where you could never put a regular camera so it made it possible to use real locations in a way not possible with traditional means. I mean that’s one of the big advantages, the fact… that you can put the camera in places you normally couldn’t, and the other big advantage is you can shoot in the street and people don’t know that you’re making a movie.

TNC: Did it mean you were able to shoot without permits?

MH: Whenever we were actually shooting in L.A. or shooting in North Carolina, we had to have permits. You know, It was only with a few scenes that you go out with three people… but on a day to day basis you need to get the same permits you need to have the same number of people… it’s not very different.

TNC: Did shooting on the 5D significantly lower production costs? What was the budget for “Road to Nowhere”?

MH: The picture cost under five million dollars, but that’s only because people worked for a third or less their normal fees. But we literally had no budget…. we hired a production manager… and he never made a budget…

TNC: So you didn’t know what the movie was going to cost when you started it?

MH: We had an idea but it ended up costing a lot more… more than we had anticipated… more than we actually had. We had to find more money as we went along, and of course, if everybody had been paid like in a normal movie, it would have cost ten times that….. So, there is no way to say exactly what the picture cost because people invested their time.. which is worth money.

TNC: How long did you shoot for?

MH: We shot for thirty days.

TNC: Was it the same team all through the movie?

MH: The bulk of the movie was shot in North Carolina and we had the same people there… but we always had the same DP and sound-man, and those people were all the way through.

TNC: How would you rate the experience of shooting with the 5D?

MH: Well…I mean, we were the pioneers… this was the first motion picture that was shot entirely with this camera. So because we came early on, the camera did not have the capability of shooting twenty four frames, which now it can. We could not choose the shutter speed and so forth, so it was difficult. We knew we were making a trade off shooting with something that wasn’t ready to be used in the way we were using it.

TNC: Would you shoot with it again?

MH: Yes we plan to use it again.

TNC: So, now you have made a relatively inexpensive film … what is the distribution pipeline for a picture like this?

MH: Well, its always difficult when you make a movie without stars.. and it’s becoming more and more difficult. You know when we began shooting it was not as difficult as it is now, that we’ve finished.. because the economy has changed, the world market has changed, piracy is a big issue, and so the market place is shrinking. So, the fact that you’re saving money on raw stock, it really is such a small part of the budget so it is almost meaningless you know…

TNC: What I mean is how do you see the future funding distribution model for films like yours, that are not particularly commercial. You rarely see films like yours in a major cinema complex?  Are you going theatrical?

MH: It’s becoming harder and harder. I think we’re very lucky that we’re going to have a good theatrical release in the US, and of course that feeds the DVD and everything else, so theatrical is important….. but it’s hard.. it’s really hard. And even if you have stars… I was just reading about a movie with Penelope Cruz and somebody equally important. It took three years to get released, and even then, it’s getting a very bad release, or maybe it even went straight to DVD… I forget the exact story.

TNC: You’ve a very particular relationship with the industry. You have always been with one foot in and one foot out. Has this been by choice… and if so, do you sometimes regret not being part of the establishment?

MH: No… I think like three feet out (laughing). Well, it’s… it’s so much easier if you’re making a movie for the studio… but that said, maybe you can’t make the movie you want to make for a studio. So it’s a catch twenty-two.

TNC: Do you always have creative final cut on your films?

MH: When I make a movie the way we made this one, yes.

TNC: Is full creative control important for a film? The argument is often made that film is a collaborative medium.

MH: I’ve made movies where I didn’t have final cut, but I’ve always either got it through political means, or else had my cut restored by history.

TNC: Would you want to do a movie again without final cut.

MH: No.

TNC: I read somewhere you said that for the first time you where making films on your own terms.

MH: Yes.

TNC: So, it must be a pretty exiting moment for you?

MH: Yeah but it’s still equally difficult… raising the money for each film.

TNC: If you’re making a film and it’s not audience friendly like lets say “Little Ms. Sunshine” or “Paranormal Activity”, but something more along the lines of “Cockfighter” or “The Shooting”.  What are your options in today’s environment?

MH: Well, I think the ideal thing.. and unfortunately subjects that appeal to me don’t lend themselves to being made that way, but a friend of mine Matt Porterfield… just made a movie for eighty thousand dollars, and if you do that, then you have a lot of freedom. You can do what you want… I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but the things that appeal to me, I still have to spend a lot of money, maybe not a lot but… compared to eighty thousand dollars. Then you get into a range where it’s you know its difficult to get investors because it’s difficult to get your money back in that kind of middle are. You can make a picture for eighty thousand dollars or fifty million.

TNC: So what you are saying is that the middle range is gone?

MH: The middle range is gone, and I’m stuck in that area, so I have to keep finding a way to do it.

TNC: It is interesting that you say that, because in a way it is cheaper to produce movies today, then it has ever been. It is cheaper to distribute with digital distribution, and online DVD’s sales through Amazon and Netflix, iTunes etc. Yet it seems impossible to make a decent return on a movie if it is not a flagpole studio release… even if it is a decent film.

MH: Well… if it breaks through then you see it in all the usual cinemas, otherwise there are certain chains that show so called independent movies. That being said… I don’t know any truly independent producers anymore… to say that Sony or Lions Gate, or Weinsteins are… I mean that’s not independent… that’s really what I would call mini majors. So their whole mentality, the kind of movies they want to make are mini versions of the same movies that the studios are making. So while Little Ms Sunshine is an enjoyable movie, I would not say that it is a groundbreaking independent movie.

TNC: What do you think changed from the sixties and seventies when there were a lot of small niche movies being made and you could see them in regular theaters?

MH: A lot has changed… in the sixties and seventies you could also see foreign movies. You can’t see foreign movies anymore.

TNC: So what’s the problem:

MH: It may seem like its easier and cheaper to make films, but it’s still expensive in terms of marketing… and as distribution becomes more and more homogenized in an effort to streamline, maximize profits, and be efficient… so the movies they want are more and more homogenized. They don’t want a movie that anybody’s going to really like, they want a movie that a lot of people are going to accept as being the only thing they can do on a Saturday night. So it’s really a situation that is destructive to anybody who wants to do something that is truly independent and personal. Independent and personal are bad words.. if you say those words to people who finance or distribute movies, they’re going to think you’re crazy and they wont even talk to you…

TNC: Do they think you’re crazy when you go into meetings?

MH: I don’t go in meetings.

TNC: But somehow your films seem so off the mark from what Hollywood wants. That’s got to be kind of hard?

MH: We were very lucky to get a really top sales agent Entertainment One, and because of that, we got, not necessarily big distributors, but we got a really good distributor in America, Monterey Media. We got a really good distributor in France, and a really good distributor in Portugal, and that’s the only reason we’re going to be seen at all, and even then it’s going to be difficult because they don’t have a lot of money to spend.

TNC: What are you guys going to do for advertising? Are you doing something special with social media?

MH: Well, we’re trying to network with Facebook, but that has its limits… so the distributor will have to spend some money… hopefully it will be enough.

TNC: Do you have a Monte Hellman homepage?

MH: I do, but it’s now inactive.  I find it’s more immediate to communicate through Facebook and Twitter.  I’m shocked I just said that!

TNC: You have a personal Facebook page as well?

MH: Yes… I have a Facebook page for me and for the movie and the distributor has a page called roadtonowherethemovie.com where you can see the artwork and the trailer.

TNC: Do you interact with your audience online?

MH: Yes.

TNC: What do you see as an essential quality for the filmmakers of the future?

MH: The same as always, the ability to see.

* Road to Nowhere 2010, Director: Monte Hellman, Writer: Steven Gaydos, Stars: Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan and Cliff De Young…