SXSW Pre-Production: WALKENTALK Director Phil Zlotorynski

THE 'WALKENTALK' PITCH: WALKENTALK is a real social disorder that affects thousands of Americans. Its symptoms are similar to that of the condition known as Walkenitis, but make no mistake- WALKENTALK is a serious disease and those afflicted need your help.

[Personal Note: Anyone who decides to make a 12-minute film comprised solely of old dialogue spoken by Christopher Walken is a movie freak I'd like to meet.]

Will this be your first time at South By Southwest?
Yes, and it’s been highly recommended to me as one of the best festivals in the country, so I’m thrilled to be a part of it!

Any other film festival experience? Yes, Walkentalk has screened at over twenty film festivals around the country this year.

Describe your film in seven words or less.
An off-beat tribute to Christopher Walken.

When you were 14 years old, if someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what would your answer have been?
When I was 14, I wanted to be an actor. Then I grew up and snuck behind the camera.

How did you get started in filmmaking?
When I was 10 I made my mom drive me to the local video store where they rented video cameras and I’d make lame home movies. Does that count?

How have things changed for you since your film was accepted into the festival?
I’ve been invited to several other festivals as a result of SXSW, received a couple of offers for distribution and got to do this interview!

When you were shooting the film, did you have SXSW (or other festivals) in mind?
SXSW has always been at the top of my list of festivals to submit. Others included Sundance (of course), Slamdance, AFI, Palm Springs and the Los Angeles Film Festival to name a few.

How did you get your film started?
I don’t know about you, but whenever I go out with friends, at some point during the evening one or more of us will chime in with a Christopher Walken impression. Some are better than others, but I think Walken is one of the most imitated (and most under-appreciated) actors of our time. It’s not often that an actor’s speech patterns become a part of out popular culture. So, my brother and I set out to write a script about this phenomenon. We watched dozens of Walken’s films searching for just the right dialog. That’s right, every word spoken by our hero has been culled from Walken’s own varied film and television appearances- can you identify the source of each line?

How did you go from script to finished product?
When the script was ready, I called in every favor I could to make it happen. My good friend Scott Peck helped us produce the piece and provided superb cinematography. We were lucky to work with great people and that always goes a long way toward making a great movie.

When you were in pre-production, did you find yourself watching other great movies in preparation?
Every Walken film ever made- aren’t they all great?

If a studio said ‘we love this, we love you, you can remake anything in our back catalogue for $40m’ – what film, if any, would you remake?
Well, I don’t think it would require $40m, but I’ve always wanted to remake the classic Roger Corman film The Intruder based on the novel by Charles Beaumont. It’s Corman’s most powerful film and for its time, one of the most significant statements against racism in the United States.

Which actor would you cut off an arm to work with?
Christopher Walken, of course!

Which relatively unknown actor in your own film do you want the world to start recognizing sooner rather than later?
There are two- from Walkentalk, the supremely talented Neil Hopkins; and from my new feature My Big Fat Independent Movie, Eric Hoffman. This guy is an untapped comic genius, and when you see the film you’ll know what I mean!

The festival circuit: what could be improved, and what couldn’t be?
My experience at festivals has been that in general, short filmmakers and their films tend to get lost in the shuffle. It would be great to attend a festival where all films are afforded the same level of attention, regardless of their length.

Have you ‘made it’ yet? If not, at what point will you be able to say ‘yes’?
I’m not sure what “making it” means to me yet, so I’ll just keep making movies while I figure it out.

A movie is made by a lot of people in addition to the director, but often films will open with a credit that says “a film by…” – Did you use that credit in your film? If so, defend yourself! If not, what do you think of those who do?
I used it in Walkentalk because, well, I’m an egomaniacal bastard. Seriously though, with or without a “film by” credit, if the film stands on its own, that’s all that matters.

Walkentalk, a short film about Christopher Walken (that I cannot wait to see), is directed by Phil Zlotorynski. You can find more info about the film here and here!