| iR:
I realized that you started as an actor in Chicago, and
you worked with John McNaughton on "Normal Life." When
did you start making your first works? What made you move
from being an actor to a director? |
| |
| Actually, it started quite early. When I
was 11 and 12 years old, I was making Super 8 movies.
When I was 16, I went up to Wisconsin Del, a resort North
of Chicago, where I made a documentary about antique cars
at the auto museum there. It was my first professional
movie. Then I started making music videos in high school
for local groups in Chicago. After high school, I went
to Northern Illinois University for film school. When
I was there, I fell into co-directing, co-producing and
co-starring in two movies for India, "The American Son
in Law" and "The Car Thief." Then I got really involved
with acting. I worked with John McNaughton on "Normal
Life" and Forest Whitaker on "Diary for a Hit Man." In
fact, thatıs how I got John and Forest in my documentary,
"American Storytellers." |
| |
| After getting two movies ("American Storytellers"
and "Death and Taxi") under my belt as a director, I wanted
to focus more on acting and so I moved to Los Angeles.
The weather has something to do with it. |
| |
 |
| Kevin
Mukherji interviews Forest Whitaken in "American
Storytellers" |
| |
| iR:
Why did you decide to make "American Storytellers"? |
| |
| I really wanted to let people know the creative
process of great filmmakers of our time. My concept is
to make a movie about people just being themselves. I
used minimal editing, because every time I make an edit
Iım affecting their answers. Thatıs sort of how my documentary
is set apart from others. Iım listed a silent host, unlike
most hosts who wonıt let their guests finish a sentence. |
| |
| "Ameican Storytellers" started with my first
interview with John Sayles on Hi-8. Then I waited for
the digital revolution to kick in, and I shot John McNaughton,
Forest Whitaker and Harold Ramis. |
| |
| Iıve produced movies on 35mm and 16mm before,
but when DV came out, I completely became self-sufficient.
I can make a movie with a heart without selling your soul. |
| |
 |
| John
McNaughton and Kevin Mukherji in "American Storytellers" |
| |
| iR:
Whatıs the process for you as a filmmaker? |
| |
| With "American Storytellers," I want to
get under their skin and really have them talk about their
philosophy of life and how they operate inside their head.
As a filmmaker myself, Iım interested in making a documentary
through which I can translate their emotions and feelings
onto the screen. Iım very proud of the long takes and
minimal editing. These filmmakers typically donıt give
interviews to promote their works, so itıs a challenge
for me to build trust with them and to open them up to
talk about their life and philosophy. |
| |
| iR:
Do you have a philosophy? |
| |
| Because I was born in India, Iım one of those
people who appreciate every day and being alive. Time
is up to us to reach our own potential. Whatever you do
in life you have to do your very best. |
| |
| iR:
Letıs talk about "Death and Taxis," your other DV fictional
feature. |
| |
| "Death and Taxis" is an anthology of multiple
interconnected stories about how people deal with death.
All the stories take place in a taxi cab that has driven
on the streets of Chicago for 20 years. |
| |
| The movie opens in a junkyard where the taxi
is getting demolished. The angel of death shows up and
sits inside the taxi. As the taxi is being smashed up,
the stories start to unfold through the visions of the
angel of death. |
| |
 |
| A
scene from "Death and Taxi" with Kevin Mukherji
as the taxi driver |
| |
| You see, Iım paranoid about time, because
weıre all here for a limited time. Life is a gift and
time is precious. Do not waste time in making garbage
films. |
| |
| [LAUGHS] |
| |
| I shot "Death and Taxis" on DV, and it was
such a freeing experience. We had this old Mercedes taxi
and an SUV, and we shot mostly in downtown Chicago. I
put together a light package from a local hardware store
and got a little generator from a construction company
that I could fit in the trunk. It was a very nontraditional
package. |
| |
| My actors thought it was a freeing experience.
We shot a story each over a weekend. We had such great
group of actors like Rich Komenich, Mike Backarella, Julie
Lockhart and Shelley Nichols. Two of the actors flew in
from Los Angeles and one from India, Kevin Sumunt, a big
action star in India. We did the movie under a SAG experimental
agreement. |
| |
| iR:
And youıre currently editing it? |
| |
| Yes. "Death and Taxi" is definitely different.
I play around a lot with the structure and try to tell
stories different ways. |
| |
| iR:
What editing system are you using? |
| |
| Final Cut Pro. With a Canon XL-1 camera,
I can shoot, edit and on-line and literally do everything
on my own. The XL-1 is a good camera, though I had some
problems with the lens. |
| |
| iR:
How much is the whole set up of Final Cut Pro? |
| |
| The Final Cut Pro with a DV deck is about
$12,000. |
| |
| iR:
Do you plan on blowing up your two features to 35mm
print for distribution? |
| |
| While Iım hoping for mass distribution, I
havenıt decided if I would blow them up to 35mm. Whatıs
becoming more and more popular is digital projection. |
| |
| iR:
Are you working on any other projects? |
| |
| Iım working with several different writers.
I have a few ideas, and Iıll be taking "American Storytellers"
and "Death and Taxi" to the festival. |
| |
| iR:
How do you see this whole idea of making small digital
movies fit into the industry? |
| |
| Thereıs a room for both. At this point, movies
can be told more efficiently in film. But as the years
go by, digital will be more acceptable. I saw "The Anniversary
Party" and I was blown away. |
| |
| Itıs like many hundred years ago when common
people start getting canvas and brushes to paint. Now
everyone can get a camera to tell a great story. Itıs
a great way for a lot of talented people to find a voice,
tell their personal stories and make a documentary. |
| |
| iR:
If you can make any movie you want, what would it be? |
| |
Iıve been writing something in last 10 years.
The title is "?" Itıs something Iıve been trying to make
that movie for 10 years..jpg) |
Interview
with Kevin Mukherji, an energetic one-man
DV studio, makes his living as an actor but has been making
independent films since he was 16.