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| VIFF 2006 Interview: A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash director Ray McCormack |
Crude Awakening at the 25th VIFF (www.viff.org) |
by Jason Whyte
“It’s a political documentary that explains that the world can never produce any more oil than it is producing now and looks at what this means for us all. It’s all the more convincing because the people that tell us how dark the future might turn out to be are not deep greens or survivalists but political scientists and experts whose politics could only be described as conservative. It’s the most frightening film I’ve ever been involved in.” Ray McCormack, co-director of “A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash” which screens at the 25th Vancouver International Film Festival. (Sep. 28 – Oct. 13)
Is this your first film in the VIFF? (Or the first film you have) Do you have any other festival experience? If you’re a festival veteran, let us know your favourite and least-favourite parts of the festival experience.
Yes, this is my first film at VIFF and first film as (joint) director and thusly first film that’s had a festival life. Favourite part is seeing a full house for your film. Least favourite is the guilt at knowing I’ve burnt more non-renewable kerosene to attend the festival myself. So this time, we’re being good and staying at home, which is a pity but makes us feel better!
Could you give me a little look into your background (your own personal biography, if you will), and what led you to the desire to want to make film?
I’ve been a producer for almost 20 years and my fellow producer/director on this film (Basil Gelpke) is a veteran of TV documentary. In 2002, he read a briefing paper from an Australian investment fund that explained the Peak Oil phenomenon, which the film deals with. He thought it the most urgent and shocking revelation he had come across in more than a decade of TV journalism and resolved to make a documentary feature about it. In the last century, I took time out from film production to gain a degree in Environmental Policy with the intention of making this type of film.
Growing up, you were no doubt asked the eternal question “When I grow up I want to be a …” Finish this sentence, please!
Rich and famous…but I’m still poor and obscure.
While you were making the movie, were you thinking about the future release of the film, be it film festivals, paying customers, critical response, and so forth?
Yes, we knew we would have to launch the film on the festival circuit to get attention. We were ready with an early version of the film for SXSW 2006, where the film had its world premiere.
How did this project come to fruition? If you could, please provide me with a rundown, start to finish, from your involvement.
My fellow director started the project in 2004 before my involvement. He was in the middle of researching the topic when one of his regular clients needed 2 TV docs in a hurry. So he was able to partly fund the first part of the shooting (Azerbaijan, Venezuela, Germany USA, UK) by making these docs. I then became involved - putting together a very rough cut - with a lot of holes it - with which we raised more private investment to complete shooting (USA, Ireland, UK) and basic post-production. We sent a rough cut to SXSW and (with thanks to Matt Dentler) we were invited to compete there. As soon as the SXSW line-up was announced, we were getting calls from sales agents and were then able to go back to our investors for funds to complete post-production (color correction etc.,) and clear rights to music and archive. I think you can manage a production in this way when you’re making a documentary; in fact it’s an advantage not to have to shoot it all in one period.
What was the biggest challenge in the production of the movie, be it principal photography or post-production?
Turning a dry, didactic, intellectual subject into a compelling film.
Please tell me about the technical side of the film; your relation to the film’s cinematographer, what the film was shot on and why it was decided to be photographed this way.
For cost and convenience reasons, we shot on videotape: IMX, a new format, which is a slight improvement on digibeta, as well as on Digibeta when we couldn’t find an IMX camera. Because it was shot over time and all over the world, we worked with several cinematographers’ two first units shooting interviews and several second units shooting background footage and timelapse.
Talk a bit about the festival experiences, if any, that you have had with this particular film. Have you had any interesting audience stories or questions that have arisen at screenings?
Well we’re still waiting for someone to give us a hard time at a Q&A, every time so far it’s been very pleasant. We do tend to get asked similar questions, which is not surprising. Basil tends to try to provoke people by saying that he hasn’t changed his lifestyle since making the film. The trouble is that it’s not that easy; we’re all so dependant on oil.
Who would you say your biggest inspirations are in the film world (directors, actors, cinematographers, etc)? Did you have any direct inspirations from filmmakers for this film in particular?
I grew up, cinematically speaking, watching the American new wave, which started with Bonnie & Clyde and ended with Heavens Gate. All those directors, actors and cinematographers who made those films remain an inspiration and an influence from Arthur Penn to Martin Sheen to Nestor Almendros; and while we’re on the subject of documentaries, D.A. Pennebaker too, of course. For this particular film, Sergei Eisenstein, Godfrey Reggio and Errol Morris were the ones I stole ideas from. I apologize to them unreservedly.
How far do you think you would want to go in this industry? Do you see yourself directing larger stories for a larger budget under the studio system, or do you feel that you would like to continue down the independent film path?
I’ll stick to docs as a director, so it’ll probably be independent film anyway, but there are some good people working at the specialist labels within the studios… so, never say never.
Please tell me some filmmakers or talent that you would love to work with, even if money was no object.
It would be great to work with composer Philip Glass and his film scorer and conductor, Michael Riesman. We were able to license some of their work for this film but it would be even better to have them be involved the whole way through a project.
Do you think that you have “made it” in this profession yet? If you don’t believe so, what do you think would happen for that moment to occur?
You’re only as good as your last film, record or book so I don’t think you ever “make” it.
How important do you think the critical/media response is to film these days, be it a large production, independent film or festival title?
[It is] probably not as important as it used to because of the internet. For doc films though, it’s terribly important until word of mouth takes over as every documentary film needs both of these to succeed.
Do you have an opinion on the issue of “A Film by (Insert Director Here)” ? Is this something you use? Many people collaborate to make a film yet simultaneously, the director is the final word on the production.
We did say this in our film but we did write, produce and direct so, in this case, it’s probably justified? I think this works both ways: if a film is a stinker, the director usually gets all the blame too.
What would you say to someone on the street to see your film instead of the latest blockbuster playing at the Paramount?
Just for a change, go and find out what’s really happening in the world instead of trying to escape from it. It’s more frightening than any horror movie you’ll see in there.
No doubt there are a lot of aspiring filmmakers at film festivals who are out there curious about making a film of their own. Do you have any advice that you could provide for those looking to get a start?
Don’t do it, get a sensible job – listen to your mother, for once!
And finally…what is your all time favourite motion picture, and why?
So hard to say, it’s a toss up between Apocalypse Now - which demonstrates the insanity of war so well - and Badlands, which has wonderful acting, cinematography, everything. For documentaries: any Errol Morris film, but Thin Blue Line and Fog of War really stand out.
The 25th Vancouver International Film Festival runs from September 28th to October 13th, 2006. To see when this film is playing, and for more information on other screenings, happenings and what is going on at this year’s VIFF, point your browser to viff.org. – Jason Whyte, jasonwhyte@efilmcritic.com
link directly to this feature at http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=1952
originally posted: 09/28/06 04:18:37
last updated: 10/31/06 20:38:53
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