Alex Lorian is a talented film maker devoted to bringing to life stories on screen. His company Dysnomia Films has an impressive catalogue of short films to it's name, and his feature film titled Good For Nothing Blues is currently in production. We had the opportunity to interview Alex about film making and his career.
(Alex Lorian behind the camera)
Welcome Alex Lorian to the Australian Short Film Network Journal
Alex - Hi, thanks very much for the invite!
When did you realise that you wanted a career in film?
Alex - I took a few years to figure it out after high school, but I think I was just worried it was impractical as a career. That hasn’t proved entirely false, it’s hard to make a living and build a career, but it’s become really important to me and I love it.
What has been your biggest achievement so far?
Alex- Definitely making Good For Nothing Blues. I think it’s the best script I’ve written and when it’s complete it will be far better than any film I’ve made before.
(Still from Good For Nothing Blues)
You have done an impressive amount of short films already, is continually working on new projects what makes you the happiest?
Alex- Yes, definitely. I love bringing stories in my head to life, though only the ones I think are unique in some way and worth telling.
How have you found the Western Australian film making community as a whole?
Alex - It’s very small and the actual fully funded production side of things is very hard to break into, maybe even a little nepotistic, which I think is probably a natural state of most any film industry. But most people I’ve met doing film here are lovely people, really fun to be around, creative, collaborative, and a lot of them have helped me, which I’m deeply thankful for.
What is your favourite Australian film?
Alex - The Castle. I find it interesting because it is really nothing special in terms of production value at all, it almost feels like a film made in someone’s free time with how natural a lot of the sets seem and how simple are the cinematography and lighting, but it absolutely becomes more than the sum of it’s parts and is one of the funniest and most genuine, heartfelt movies of all time. Darryl Kerrigan reminds me a bit of my own dad, and it makes me very nostalgic for my childhood. My dad used to take us down South for holidays every year and he’d always make up silly versions of songs, so that scene going down to Bonnie Doon really reminds me of that.
You are currently working on your new feature film “Good for Nothing Blues” can you tell us about that project?
Alex- This is a project I’ve been planning ever since 2015 before I even shot my first feature (which is pretty rough compared to what I’ve done since) and it took me a couple of years to actually finish the script in full and then a couple more to get production underway. It’s more or less a crime comedy with a heavily Australiana feel, though it’s influenced by everything from The Big Lebowski to Barry Lyndon to the music of Bob Dylan. The story follows a loser-in-life, Calvin, who is holding onto some last bit of hope that he can ever make something of himself when he and his friends have a shock lottery win. It’s not enough to make them rich forever but enough to give them all a boost of both confidence and capital, but having never had any large amount of money before, they don’t exactly make the best choices and end up caught in a very chaotic mess. We’re about half way through shooting that now. It’s a story which I think is really fun and exciting, but at the same time touches a lot of heavier emotions and has a really thick mood and personality to it. It’s a far more complete and cohesive piece than anything I’ve yet shot. We don’t have as much budget as I’d hoped, we do have an investor and some generous donations, but everyone is being so amazing and helpful, especially my producer Elle Cahill and my art team Bryce Myles and Rebeka Thomas, and production is going pretty well so far.
(Still from Good For Nothing Blues)
Do you feel that there is enough support for Australian film maker’s by funding bodies such as Screen Australia etc?
Alex - I mean to some extent, they’re kind of limited to what the government will give them. I think their priorities are somewhat in the wrong place. They’re very safe, I feel, with what they tend to fund. Some of these are still good films, but do we really need so many coming of age films in small towns? It’s because especially in WA they’re linked to the tourism industry so they really want to show off our countryside. Something like Hounds of Love is an exception to the rule but less middle of the line films tend to have to find other funding options unless they’re from a well established name. Things like Brother’s Nest, one of my favourite films of 2018, and Top Knot Detective, sought different avenues for funding and they were fantastic, but I don’t think had enough marketing budget. I think if Screenwest and Screen Australia focused less on being safe and allowed greater experimentation, we’d see another great era in Australian film like the Australian New Wave of the 70’s or some of the exciting stuff we were seeing in the 90’s and I think people really respond to that, it’s how you build a cult following, rather than just having most dismiss Australian films as being lack-lustre versions of US and UK mainstream cinema.
What is your favourite genre of film?
Alex - I don’t have one. I just like films that are good. I know that may seem obvious, but like in any given genre you probably have to wade through a dozen bad or mediocre ones to find one good one so I just like to focus on the good of each genre. Films that genuinely surprise you, make you laugh like crazy, or stick with you emotionally or intellectually.
What film has made the most impact on you in the last 2 years?
Alex - Hmm, hard to know how to answer that but maybe Punch Drunk Love? It was just a really powerful and overwhelming experience.
Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?
Alex - Being funded to direct a movie I care about. That’s where I’d like to be, and it probably won’t happen, but I suppose it’s not out of the question if people respond well to Good for Nothing Blues! Which I hope they do.
(Still from Good For Nothing Blues)
Any advice for Indie film makers?
Alex - Help people make movies and people will help you back. The community is very friendly and collaborative. But please don’t make a movie if you have nothing to say and no inspiration. I just don’t really see a point in making something for the sake of having something on screen, unless you’re paid well of course! But if you do have something to say, or a different way you want to express something that you haven’t seen before, please do because we need as much of that as possible.
If you could remake any film what would it be and why?
Alex - I’m not sure. I think “I am Legend” deserves a more faithful adaptation than it has had (even though the Will Smith one is pretty decent). If we open this up to what fiction I would love to adapt to film I’d love to someday make a historically accurate movie about Julius Caesar and I’d love to adapt the Bob Dylan ballad “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”. I can’t think of any other examples right now but mostly when I’ve wished I could remake a movie it was a movie which was based on a much better book.
Who or what inspires you?
Alex - Everything around me is inspiration. Both in the sense of writing and as a basis for living. People I know, like my family, my friends (In particular, some of my friends I’ve worked with such as Bryce Myles and Isabella Jacqueline who’s dedication, achievements and abilities are amazing motivation for me), my previous relationships (each of which has shaped me significantly) and more. My strongest creative inspirations, artists I don’t know personally, are Bob Dylan, Stanley Kubrick and the Coen Brothers. I think bits of them creep into all my films.
(Still from Good For Nothing Blues)
Where can our readers find you?
Alex - I have a Youtube channel (which I’ve neglected while filming so far), Dysnomia Films, and also a page of the same name on Facebook.
Thank you for your time Alex.
Alex- Thank you.
Preview Clip from Good For Nothing Blues
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