IndieFlicks: Interview

Carlo Ortu is the director of the up and coming independent film, The Killers. IndieFlicks had the pleasure of catching up with Carlo to discuss The Killers and his work in film.

IndieFlicks: What was the first film you remember seeing?

Carlo: The first film I remember seeing was King Arthur and the Spaceman, which was on a double bill with The Aristocats. I was about four and I went to the cinema with my Mum and two older sisters. My Mum thought I’d be bored as I was quite young, but I instead sat there transfixed throughout. It was a revelation. This huge screen, the sound, the atmosphere, the darkness - I loved it. I came home and re-enacted the whole film to my family. After that I begged my Mum to take me to the cinema whenever we could and began to watch anything and everything film wise on TV.

IndieFlicks: How did you get started in filmmaking?

Carlo: I was watching a lot of films from an early age but one day my grandparents came round with a book they picked up from a charity shop all about film directors. I still have the book. Each director had a page or two dedicated to them and it detailed their career and style by decade from the early 1900s to the 1970s. It was great, I suddenly realised why films were ‘different’ from each other. I began to see differences and similarities in the films I was watching and make connections if the director was the same. I began to look out for certain films and directors too if they sounded interesting, I basically became a real anorak. More importantly, I had that light bulb moment reading that book when I thought ‘This is what I want to do’ and I have never lost that feeling or compulsion to make films. So I was itching to make films from about the age of seven but this was a bit tricky as no one I knew had a video camera and no one could afford one. However, one Christmas morning I opened a present and it was a book called ‘How to Use a Video Camera- a step by step guide’. I was ecstatic. I don’t know how she did it but my Mum had got me a video camera! Here we go! I excitedly looked around for the bulky present with my name on it that must be the camera but I couldn’t see it. ‘Where is it?’ I begged. ‘What?’ ‘The video camera?’ ‘Oh I couldn’t afford a video camera’, said my Mum. ‘But if we could afford one then you’d know how to use it’.  So I started using a normal automatic stills camera instead where my friends and I would make up stories down the local park. They were like photo stories you used to find in old teenage magazines but generally more out of focus with some odder angles and everyone in them was under ten years old. Things progressed when two brothers I knew who lived round the corner got a Super-8 camera and we made a horror film and a Western which we thought was just the best thing that had ever happened. We even got in the local paper, which I still believe was a small PR coup. Then my Aunt eventually bought a video camera and that was it after that. I could obviously use the camera thanks to my Mum’s forward thinking, so most evenings and weekends my mates and I would make short films based on films we all loved.  Spaghetti westerns were popular, especially after we discovered The Good, The Bad and The Ugly soundtrack in my mate’s parents’ record collection.  We would edit in camera, stopping half way through a sentence so we could change the angle. Things just progressed from then on.

IndieFlicks: Where did the idea for The Killers come from?

Carlo: I had the idea in my car on the way to work. I had this image of two hit-men sitting in a car staking out their victim and just bickering like an old married couple, the way people do when they’ve spent too much time together. I remember that I wanted to approach this story of two guys trying to carry out this murder from a direction of small details. They argue about parking tickets, who’s buying lunches and who has to follow their victim when he goes for a jog. I was inspired by the Ealing comedies, especially ‘The Ladykillers’.

IndieFlicks: How long did it take to write the script?

Carlo: Not long, an intense two months I think. I think that’s because I knew these two characters very well before I started (although I should state now I am not a hit-man!) so knew how they would interact with each other. The story is very organic with the emphasis on character rather than plot so it just ‘came out’ naturally. Usually I plan my scripts meticulously so it was a departure from the norm.

IndieFlicks: How did you secure funding for the film?

Carlo: I initially approached funders through a contact of mine and it looked very hopeful for a while, but then at the eleventh hour we were let down as they decided to pull out citing the credit crunch. But I didn’t want to give up, I’d come this far and my wife was heavily pregnant. This may be my only shot for a while so I took out two credit cards and put the film on them. We had to make a few changes and call in every favour from everyone we knew. My co-producer put in some cash and we also screened a rough cut to someone else who gave us some cash during post-production which was a life saver. Luckily people responded well to the script and that helped. It was hard but although I am still paying for it and am in debt I don’t regret doing it.

IndieFlicks: When you cast the film did you have specific actors in mind for the roles?

Carlo: Yes, from very early on I wanted Ian Attfield and Colin Holt on board. I had worked with them extensively before and I knew I wanted them for this project. Then Matthew Jure came on board - I’d also worked with him before. The only person I had not worked with previously was Anna Acton and she was fantastic.

IndieFlicks: How long did principal photography take?

Carlo: 11 long days.

IndieFlicks: What did you shoot on?

Carlo: We shot with the Sony XDCAM 330.

IndieFlicks: How long did post production take?

Carlo: About 6 months. We had a lot of hold ups due to people getting paid work and we had some technical issues which we had to overcome. But we eventually got it finished in April and had a great cast and crew screening at the new Shortwave Cinema, which I can’t say enough good things about.

IndieFlicks: What do you think about the current state of independent filmmaking here in the UK?

Carlo: I think this country has a lot of talented independent filmmakers.  There are some really interesting and innovative films being made but the chance that Joe Public will have an opportunity to see them is small, especially for features. There are also a lot of filmmakers who have made a number of shorts and want to and should take that step up to features but hit a brick wall. Finding money or support is hard in this country and many chase the same pot of gold in terms of government schemes that come round once a year. I know quite a few directors who have not made anything for years because they’ve spent that time applying for these schemes hoping this will be their step up. Many argue we shouldn’t rely on government handouts and I would love to see a more secure, structured industry in this country similar to the American model where more risks can be taken on smaller films with new talent and then offset against bigger films with named actors. But I also think a few directors who have done the same as me get into a lot of debt making their feature and then start to wonder whether they’re satisfying an expensive hobby or taking the next step in their career.

IndieFlicks: Do you have any projects in the pipeline?

Carlo: Yes. I am developing a comedy drama with Hannah Judah of Urban Myth Productions. I also have another project being considered by the UK Film Council Development Fund and I’m writing another film at the minute, a heist thriller, which is coming along really well. I like to keep busy.

IndieFlicks: What advice do you have for any aspiring filmmakers out there?

Carlo: Make films but try not to film your first draft. Before you shoot a frame make sure your script is as strong as you can make it.  Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, develop a number of projects so that you’re not relying and praying on the success of just one film. Meet other film people; but most of all believe in yourself!  When I decided to make The Killers on the budget we made it for countless people told me it would be impossible. Well fuck them I thought, and I made it.

For more information on The Killers please visit the official website - click

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