An Interview With Filmmaker and ARFF Director James Christopher
With the fifth annual Austin Revolution Film Festival fast approaching we couldn’t refuse the opportunity to sit down and chat with James Christopher, one of the founding members and directors of the festival. Not only does James run the festival each year, but he also makes films too! We managed to grab five minutes with James to talk all about it the upcoming festival and what movies he has going on at the moment.
Hi James, it’s fantastic to finally get the chance to chat to you.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and How did you get involved in filmmaking?
I have about as round a story of getting into indie film as just about anyone. I was ALWAYS a movie kid. I grew up at the movies and never stopped going. I was always caught up in the magic of it and I’m of that Jaws, Star Wars and Indiana Jones generation that was really affected by it. I thought at first I would be an actor. I even had a drama scholarship to a University with a great drama program, but I couldn’t use it. The school was still too expensive. So after a year of wandering, I ended up in the Army where I spent 7 years serving as a Forward Observer until I got a career ending injury. So I came home and took a flier and applied to the University of Texas. It was there that I spoke with my wife and we agreed that I could try to do something drastic and try to chase down a dream and went to film school. I wrote a sample script and got into one of the best film schools in the country at UT.
WOW, that is actually a pretty fantastic story. It’s fascinating and particularly inspiring that you never gave up on your dream!
How did you come about starting Twitchy Dolphin Flix?
Well, I went to UT Radio-TV-Film to be a writer. I really had almost zero interest in directing. Two people forever changed my life in that regard. I had a class with Ya’Ke Smith of Exodus Film Works who really lit a fire under me. I also met Chris Copple who would co-found Twitchy Dolphin with me, with the mission of creating micro budget films in Austin, TX. I can’t express how much this guy means to me. His demeanor, his talent and skill are vastly underappreciated. He was the perfect guy to do this with. We were halfway through our first feature, after a handful of shorts, when we decided to start a company. We realized that we didn’t have the skills we needed to run a business so we brought in Jessica Bybee (my wife) to run our marketing and Nathan Bybee (her brother) to set up the financials. We celebrate 10 years this year.
10 years and still going strong. That is a great achievement.
You write, direct and produce your films so you are clearly passionate about the films you make. How difficult have you found making independent movies?
It’s not easy, but nothing is. There are limitations that come with it: money, gear and crazy looks from family. But on the plus side, the work we make is our own. So it can be hard, sometimes soul crushing in fact, but the moments when it’s good? It doesn’t get any better.
Where do you get your ideas from when creating a movie?
Lots of places. Music is a great muse for me. I tend to write movies they don’t make anymore. John Hughes type stuff where I lead with the heart a lot. So a lot of those ‘beginnings’ of a script are really about a feeling or a theme, or even just a moment. I’m a big fan of ‘end-of-movie’ declarations of love and that’s clear in my work.
Well you can’t go wrong with that, who doesn’t love John Hughes movies.
What was the motivation behind setting up the Austin Revolution Film Festival?
Well, two things. First, in the beginning, we did a lot of horror shorts, so we would throw a Halloween party and show them here in town, sometimes in my back yard. My good friend, Carlo Rodriguez is the godfather of this whole thing. He pointed out that he might know some folks who might want to screen too. That spun into a full day event. It became a proper festival when we took submissions. Our underlying ‘thing’ was this: we were playing everywhere but in Austin, which is home to three of the biggest festivals in the country. And then we saw movies like THE UNUSUAL CALLING OF CHARLIE CHRISTMAS by Adam Hampton and realized that great movies were not being seen either because they were devoid of Hollywood budgets and major stars. So, we decided to carve a niche for true indies in a town that loves movies.
It is a brilliant idea. The independent scene is thriving with great talent, what better way to allow fellow filmmakers to showcase their work.
Tell us a bit about your job, and what you do before, during and after the festival?
For a day job, I have the honor of running the ST. MICHAEL’S CATHOLIC ACADEMY Film Program. We’re in our 3rd year and its continuing to grow. They have a state championship and several film festival wins under their belt already. So proud of those kids. They keep me excited and invigorated about my own movies. To them its about story, not about not having the money or the connects. They also think I’m basically famous. So that’s cool.
What is the best and worst parts of running the festival?
Look, running a fest is hectic, stressful and sometimes I ask why. However, the good vastly outweighs the bad. The worst part of the deal is sending rejection letters. It’s not easy. It’s not fun. The best part? Announcing the nominations. We roll them out and I love seeing people react when their work is recognized.
It must be a great feeling giving someone that good news.
The festival is going into its fifth year which is a great achievement. How has the festival changed over those five years?
Well. It’s changed in logistics, going from a Horror event to a multi-genre festival that is the 4th biggest in Austin. And it’s just getting bigger and bigger.
It has definitely had tremendous growth over those five years.
Have you got any highlights from last year/previous years?
I love that it has become a community, that people look forward to it so they can reconnect. We screen part of our program at the Blue Starlite Drive-In and people get giddy over it. I remember walking over to one of our director’s cars to ask him a question. I couldn’t find him until I realized he was making out with his wife in the backseat of the car while his movie played. Something about that makes me laugh. Film Festivals can be all about measuring and posturing. An overt focus on competition. We try to mitigate that and make it about the love of movies, the building of a team and the pushing of a group of people who have more in common than they have differences. So in that moment, he wasn’t a filmmaker worried about awards, he was thrown back in time by the venue, the atmosphere and thought the best thing to do was mug with his best girl. I love that. Favorite ARFF story.
I love this story! This is what film festivals are all about and why they are awesome places to attend. The vibe the atmosphere, everything about them. It is great that this festival has created an almost extended family.
This year you are screening 130 features, shorts, web-series and music videos over a variety of different venues. How has it been organizing everything over the three day event?
That is the hard part. We want to put together a diverse program with a lot of different kinds of movies represented. So it’s a delicate dance that we play with the program. But we have a lot of judges eager to be a part of the process and I’m so thankful for them.
I bet it definitely helps having a good team around you to get things done.
What can people expect from this years festival?
Diversity. We have dramas, rom-coms, horror, videos, A GREAT web-series lineup. We have a strong representation for female filmmakers which is a focus of ours. We have films by and about veterans, faith based films, LGBT films, student films. I feel confident that any film fan will have something in the slate that they will like. Jason Tostevin, our Filmmaker of the Year for 2016 is bringing his new joint, a return to Horror/Comedy for one of the most successful short filmmakers I know and the best out of Ohio. World premieres, a movie with Ed Asner, a whole bunch of just good stuff coming down.
This yeah sounds like it is going to be action packed.
What are you most looking forward to at this years festival?
The lineup and the party. We have a great turnout scheduled and a lot of filmmakers coming in from the world over. I’m stoked to show off Austin.
What does the future hold for James Christopher?
Movies and festivals. Nothings changing for me. I’m just going to keep working. I’m also working on a new novel based on a TV pilot I have. So it’s fun.
That sounds very interesting. We look forward to hearing more about that in the future.
What advice would you give someone who was thinking about submitting a film to the festival?
A couple of things. Know your film and find a fest that fits. And submit early. Also, make sure you look professional. Have a poster and a trailer. Not having those things tells programmers that you’re not serious.
Awesome advice. Thanks James.
Have you got any upcoming prospects you can tell us about?
Yeah, we start shooting our new feature on November 17. We shoot one a year and just wrapped THE 5 YEAR. So, this kind of serves as the first public announcement. We’ll be doing a Christmas movie called A CHANCE OF SNOW, a Christmas comedy about the holidays in Texas.
It is good to hear you have lots going on and I am sure a Christmas Comedy from Twitchy Dolphin Flix has FUN written all over it.
Well thanks so much for spending a few minutes with us James, it has been a real pleasure. And good luck with the festival I an sure it will be awesome!
Thanks for your time.
To find out more information about the Austin Revolution Film Festival Click Here.
