INTERVIEW with Garrett Russell.
 

First of all we would like to know a little more about you. So that the audience has as much information as possible. Who is Garrett Russell?
I am a creative and artistic person who comes from humble beginnings, purely wanting to make films, videos and sketches because it gives me satisfaction like nothing else does.

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How many years have you been making movies and how did you end up making movies?
Ever since I was 12 years old and took a middle school class in Beginning Video Production, that was when I began to realize that this was my calling, and I should seek out to make this my profession. I started to make little, short films with friends from school in my free time, most of them on my little iPhone, and did my best to edit. I got better and better the more I did this, and the more I learned from other educational film programs and courses, the closer I got to where I am now.

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Let's talk about your project. How long did it take from the initial idea to have it ready to be released?
This was very much a spur of the moment idea, when I got a new DSLR camera, and I had to make a short film with it of some kind. I wrote out an outline and a little script, and I got some friends to help produce it.

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Can you tell us a bit about the process you've had with Scissors Beats Paper? Is it self-financed or were you able to get financing?
It was self-financed with no outside funding, using the money we had and the resources to put it all together.

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No spoilers, but what will the public find in Scissors Beats Paper?

I think they will find in the film a vision that may not be entirely polished or flashy, but has a unique passion and voice that carries through, almost an innocent sensibility to it that just seeks to take an idea and play around with it, not demanding too much from the audience.

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Have you been inspired by any other film of the same genre?

Horror has always been my go-to genre, ever since I was a kid, especially supernatural and slasher films. My favorite ones usually blend these together in some fashion, as well as a hint of camp or sly humor to it. I would say that Wes Craven’s Scream is a good example of this kind of blend of genres. Taking the surface of a standard slasher, but also having a wink to the audience of the kind of film they’re in.

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There are many creators who seek inspiration from other artists, literature, music, painting, etc. To create this work have you used references from other arts? If so, what are they?
I do take influences from other artists or filmmakers, but I don’t like to completely reference them. I like to clearly make my own movies, and not use others as backbones. But I have used similar moments and ideas from other movies in some of my own, like Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street for example. My horror films take some cues from that movie, but I don’t want that to be what I’m known for.

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We would also like to know more about your film preferences. We would love to know which directors you like and which are your favorite movies.
I have so many directors who I admire and have respect for, as filmmaking is a difficult art to master. But some of my main heroes in the industry are Christopher Nolan, whom I’d say made films that pushed my desire to work in the industry when, with his brilliant sense of realism and original ideas, from Memento to Interstellarand so on. The Dark Knight is my favorite film of all time and has been since I saw it at 9 years old in the theater.

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There are great classics of cinema considered masterpieces, but for us cinema is subjective and we also love films that critics may consider bad. Do you have movies that are not considered masterpieces but that you could watch over and over again without stopping? Which are?

Of course, there are multiple countless films which I appreciate that most people don’t. Probably my favorite comedy of all time, Adam McKay’s Step Brothers, was not liked by critics very much, but I can watch that movie any day of the week. There are a few other examples, but a recent one was probably Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman 1984, admittedly a movie that has flaws, but I did find some enjoyment in.

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Your favorite black and white movie?

It’s incredibly important to cherish classic historical cinema that are decades old, but a film that I have loved and always can come back to is Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men, a masterpiece in acting, dialogue, directing, and the fact that so much of it takes place in one room, yet never fails to captivate or entertain.

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Have you seen anything by David Fincher? How would you define it in one word?

Yes, I love David Fincher, and almost every film he’s made I have watched and at least liked or admired. If I were to describe his filmography, it would be; gripping. The moment any of his movies start, they catch your attention and don’t let go.

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Your favorite 2010-2020 movie or series?

From the previous decade, the movie that I believe is perfectly constructed, endlessly rewatchable and so superbly acted, is Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. A phenomenal achievement!

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Your favorite actor or actress?

It’s hard to pick a favorite actor or actress these days, but if I had to pick one, it would be Christian Bale. He has such an amazing range of performance and can play almost any role you throw at him and master it. Such an unbelievable talent!

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Changing the subject, one of the concerns of many creators is the lack of financing or opportunities that producers provide. What do you think about this?
Financing a film that you want to make sure is good quality is so challenging, and even high budget films fail with this sometimes. You can spend as much money to make something great, but if it’s in the wrong areas, it can hinder the quality of the film. Independent films are easier to finance, not only because of the money needed, but because it’s a smaller crew and cast, so it’s just easier to control everything you have without compromising.

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A very personal question, but... What are your strong points and weak points?

My strong points, I believe, are that I’m always thinking of new ways to write or film a shot or a scene. I can come up with angles and camera movements on the spot, and I don’t need a whole lot of time and preparation just to construct a scene. And I have become a great editor. But I would like to expand my skills with different types of equipment to make those shots or moments in my head a reality in my movies. There’s always room for improving how a film is put together in production.

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Do you have experience on the festival circuit? As a filmmaker, how do you see film festivals? Where do you think they should improve?
I have only a few years of experience with the festival circuit, most likely because of the pandemic hindering my college years and my potential involvement in different projects. But I have enjoyed my experiences assisting and being apart of them, and I think an area they can improve is having enough time to consume and judge a project’s before making their choice.

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Do you have any other project in mind? Can you advance us something?

I’m currently writing my next short film, which will be much higher budget than my past others, and once I have it done, I would love to share it with people of interest.

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Would you like to add something else?

I absolutely appreciate the opportunity for my work to be shared by the festival, and I can’t wait to see what happens!