Monday 15 July 2019

Interview with filmmaker Ian Diaz

Straight-Jacket Guerrilla Film Festival will be screening Rebecca Gold

*How did you get into making films?
Stared as a runner for a post-production company because it had a sister production comapny, so I figured I'd move my way towards the production company, but that never happened and I became a TV graphics artist for 5 years, got fed up with not getting anywhere with my dream, quit my job, became poor, joined up with a friend, raised £14,000 through an ad in a magazine called Loot, (No internet at that moment in time), and shot my first feature film on super 16 in 2 weeks. There's more to this story than that but in a nutshell, that's how I got into movie making.

*What inspired you to make your movie?
Nothing, ever since I have known myself I knew instinctively that's what I wanted to do. The movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind made me realize that I wanted to be a director and writer.

*How has your style evolved?
Naturally.

*Tell us any strange or funny stories while making the film?
We may have been the first people to do crowdfunding, we crowdfunded The Killing Zone back in 1997, by putting an ad in a free magazine called Loot in the UK saying "if you have no experience in film making and want to be part of a film production call this number", (well it was something like that cos I can't remember what we wrote). People rang, we told them they could give their money to a BBC or other film courses and learn nothing, or you can give us money, get thrown in the deep end and learn that way.  14 people said yes and we raised £14,000. One guy gave us £1000 and didn't even show up. People are strange, well back in 1997 LOL! :-) 

*The Misrule Film Movement & Pink8 manifesto bring what to mind?
What?!

*What can we expect from your next film?
Season 2 of Rebecca Gold.