FLOK Directed By Andrew Mausert-Mooney

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Andrew: flok is a short 16mm color film about two brothers that travel around their town in search of dead birds.  Using art and science, they attempt resurrection.

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film? 

A: A friend of mine was painting dead birds and asked me to keep an eye out for them.  I found four in one month.  A couple months later I had an idea to make a film about two brothers. 

IE: How did you assemble your production team? 

A: My production team is a group of really good friends that have been making films at the University of Virginia for the last four years.  The two producers of the film are Nicholas Bacon, a roommate and friend of four years, and Chris Mausert-Mooney, my brother.  The rest of the crew (Jonathan Taee, Jessie Katz, Greg Linski, Konstantin Brhaznik, Nathaniel Whelden, Ashley Chipman and Vince Mendiola) are all good friends who happen to be awesome filmmakers as well.  We all live and work around the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va, where good gudter films get made.  

IE: How did you find your cast?  

A: I lived in the same neighborhood as the two main characters, Anthony and Victor Green, for a year and we shared a bus stop.  I asked them if they would help me out with a film, and five months later I had shot everything but their parts and luckily they were still interested in helping out.  Jesse Cohen who plays Jesus is an old friend.  Kate Ciszek is a friend and one of the best filmmakers from UVa. 

E: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit) 

A: The film was conceived in August of 2007 and finished in April of 2008. 

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film. 

A: flok never had a script and the narrative is brutally simple (the brothers try and fail twice, the third time they succeed) so part that took time and made it a film was accruing a few images I thought would look interesting and fit together dynamically on a screen.  Directing this film simply meant finding the people I trusted to make sure those images were realized as well as they could be. 

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you? 

A: There is a shot in the film where Jesus (Jesse Cohen) jumps naked over a candle stick in super slow motion.  We built a set at the cameraman’s (Jonathan Taee) open air garage.  The volume of the fireworks and the nakedness of a crucified Jesse made it a nuisance for Jonney’s neighbors I’m sure.  We had to run through it three different nights to get the shot right. 

Also, finding the dead birds.  After eight months we had seven of them.  Chris and I learned amateur taxidermy which allowed us to puppeteer the final shot of the film. 

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival? 

A: Man… I am just pumped to go to Vegas.  I have never been west of Santa Fe and four people in the crew who happen to be great friends are coming along with me.  I am also looking forward to seeing Kevin Everson’s short film HOME because he is the godfather of this gudter stuff and also my professor and friend.  Also, I’m looking forward to Wellness by Jake Mahaffy because I saw a rough cut and really liked it.    

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you? 

A: Some folks working now that I really admire are Kevin Everson, Cam Archer, Harmony Korine, Werner Herzog, and a lot of the filmmakers in this crew and around University of Virginia.  I admire way too many films and filmmakers to make any real list. 

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker? 

A: I like hanging out with people and having something to show for it afterwards.  Also, I really like art.  

IE: What is next for you?   

A: I just graduated college and got a job that lets me stick around Charlottesville for another year just to keep making art.  I am trying to make as many films as well as animations and prints as possible. 

IE: What is next for the film? 

A: I will probably send it to some other festivals.  I have also been meaning to send out care packages to friends and family for a while so I might include a DVD of the film.  

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be? 

A: Don’t worry too much about your story because usually the story is the most boring part of a film.  Learn how to edit because you can turn almost any footage into a something engaging if you train yourself to find and juxtapose the right moments.  If its still fun, keep doing it again and again. 

IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film?   

A: I like talking about formal strategies of filmmaking so maybe something about that. 

IE: What is the Answer? 

A: Art?  Obama?   Nah… I don’t know, I am 22.