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1. You have spent several
years in indie film. Where is your company located and when was it formed ?
My company - On Mark
Productions - is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was formed in late
2001. It was at this time that I made my first film, Despair. The name
actually came from a close friend and former business partner in the late
90’s, when we were trying to decide what to call our indie record label.
Since we were releasing not only my music but his as well, I didn’t think it
was the right time to focus so much on the Mark aspect of it. Once that
partnership had dissolved, however, I finally decided to adopt the name.
2. What have been some of
your productions ?
My entire film
catalog consists of Despair (2001), Ryli Morgan: Audition
(2002), Runaway Terror (2002), Expendable (2003), Sin By
Murder (2004), The Powerful Play (2004), and Heaven Help Me,
I’m In Love (2005). In between Runaway Terror and Expendable
was a film called The Zombie Room, of which I shot a few hours worth of
footage but then realized I'd made a poor casting decision and scrapped the
project. A rough cut of that footage can be found on The Powerful Play
DVD.
3. Do you have a web page ?
Indeed … www.createtolive.com
is the official Mark Baranowski/On Mark Productions site, which provides
plenty of details about everything I’ve worked on over the past 15 years or
so. Most of this stuff can be ordered directly from the site.
4. What is the latest
production you have done ?
Heaven Help Me, I’m In
Love is my latest
release, which I completed in September ’05. Obviously, it’s quite unlike
my earlier films, though it’s my favorite (and the most personal) of the bunch.
A romantic dramedy, it tells of a guy who foolishly tries to deceive his
girlfriend because he’s too stubborn to obey her. It doesn’t work, and she
dumps him. He rebounds, thus making his situation even worse, until finally
realizing how important she is to him, and he tries to win her heart
back before it’s too late.
5. Now you have acted some,
but tend to prefer directing and producing, right ?
At this point, I’m not so
sure. Handling nearly every task in creating my films has burned me out a bit,
and it’d be nice not to worry about anything but playing a character for a
change. I’ve acted in all my films as well, and it’s only been stressful
because I was directing at the same time. I made a brief cameo appearance in
Amy Lynn Best’s 2003 film, Severe Injuries, and I had a blast. Once
the scene was over, so were my duties, in general - a refreshing and welcome
change.
6. You are married to an actress ?
Quite proudly ! Ryli Morgan (www.rylimorgan.com)
has been my wife for over five years, and the star of each of my productions.
7. Do you have a personal
preference for horror or is this simply an easy market on the indie scene ?
For some reason, we’ve
been best appreciated by horror audiences, yet I don’t think any of our
films fall into that category. Expendable might, since it deals with
vampires, but that isn’t made obvious until the last 10 minutes of the film.
In any case, that one is still our best seller to date. I do believe that horror is
the easiest market on the indie scene. Where distribution is concerned, it's probably
the only genre that don’t require a big name actor. All you need
nowadays is an attractive (and generally mindless) cast, as much nudity as
possible, and lots of gore. I’ve been a horror fan all my life, but I can
barely sit through any of the latest horror releases. Ryli enjoys
renting them, but I’d much rather stick to 70’s and 80’s fare,
especially the Italian stuff.
8. Your productions tend to
have good film scores. This seems to be a rarity within the indie cycles ...
First of all, thank you!
Occasionally, you’ll come across an indie film with a great score, but very
seldom. It seems that most filmmakers consider it more effective to create a
soundtrack consisting of several loud/obnoxious indie (i.e. unknown)
bands, rather than taking the time—and spending the money—to come up with
an original and fitting score. I’d guess that the majority of these bands
aren’t offered payment for the usage of their music, but they allow it
simply for the thrill of hearing themselves in a film. Being a musician
myself, I’m fortunate enough to be able to create my own scores, although
I’ve also relied on the immense talents of such folks as Ollie Olsen (Third
Eye, Max Q) and Dubok for some supplemental material.
9. A lot of your film scores
sound like something from Goblin and Dario Argento. A coincidence or do you just
like that style ?
Goblin is
definitely a major influence, since Argento's films are among my favorites of
the horror genre. John Carpenter's scores have also been a great inspiration
to me. Overall, though, I try to maintain a vibe similar to most of Michael
Mann’s productions - Miami Vice, Manhunter, Heat, etc.
The music used in his films plays just as important a role as their human
characters, and it creates an amazing atmosphere that I’ve yet to see
duplicated as effectively by any other filmmaker. It’s important to me to
bring at least a fraction of that style into the indie arena.
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10. Who, aside from your
wife, are some of the actors and actresses you have used ?
For the most part, I try to
rely on local (North Carolina) talent, which generally makes a production run
more smoothly. I also like to bring back certain actors that I’ve enjoyed
working with on a previous film, knowing I can fully depend on them and expect
a great performance. For instance, Michael Hicks (Sin By Murder, The
Powerful Play, Heaven Help Me I’m In Love) is a fellow Charlotte
resident who I’ve come to rely on whenever I have a new project in the
works … Jennifer Calhoun (Sin By Murder) was a nice surprise; a
first-time actress who’d just been featured in the magazines FHM and
Hustler. Although she seemed a bit nervous at first, she soon warmed up to her
role and did a great job … An out-of-town (Ohio) actress who’s become
almost as important to my films as Ryli or myself is Rachelle Williams.
She’s been in every one since Expendable, and I can’t imagine
making any more without her … I’ve also had the enormous pleasure of
working with two genre favorites: Brinke Stevens (Expendable, The
Powerful Play, Heaven Help Me I’m In Love) and Lynn Lowry (Heaven
Help Me, I’m In Love). These experiences were undoubtedly among the high
points of my career thus far, and I hope to work with both again.
11. What are your interests
away from the film world ?
I’ve been working on a
novel for the past couple months, but because my schedule is so unpredictable,
it’s been hard to focus on it for very long. I enjoy photography, drawing
charcoal portraits, and just spending time with Ryli. The past four years have
flown right by, and I feel like much of that time was wasted, where our
relationship is concerned. I may not be able to get those years back, but
instead of keeping my attention focused constantly on films, it’s now mostly
on her, where it always should have been. This business can wreak havoc on a
relationship if you’re not careful. Always keep your priorities in order.
12. Any interesting stories
to tell from behind the scenes about your involvement in indie film ?
Quite honestly, I never
intended to make films of my own - indie, or otherwise. I’ve always been
most comfortable as a writer, and I envisioned myself becoming an author one
day. At the same time, films nurtured my imagination as a child, and later
inspired me to try my hand at writing my own. While still a
screenwriter trying to get my work optioned, many people recommended that I
become a producer and shoot the scripts myself. I didn’t
heed their advice initially, but after two years and still no script sales, I
finally became frustrated and desperate enough to go for it. I’ve never had
any formal filmmaking training, but I believe trial and error is a much more
effective teaching tool than a classroom.
Since I’m both a
perfectionist and extremely impatient when it comes to others handling any
given task for me, it was only natural that with each film I tackle so
many duties (funding, writing, directing, shooting, editing, scoring,
packaging, marketing) myself. As exhausting as this can
become, I’ve grown accustomed to working this way. I guess it makes me a
“control freak.” In any case, the tremendous satisfaction that comes with
taking a film from conception to completion yourself makes the entire
process worthwhile.
13. Anything else you would
like to touch on before closing ?
I suppose I should mention
that we just released a Special Edition DVD of Heaven Help Me, I’m In
Love, which includes over 30 minutes of outtakes, a slideshow and two
interviews; one with Lynn Lowry, another that Ryli and I did with one of the
co-stars of the film, Nic Pesante. Also, Ryli and I will be appearing at It
Came From Lake Michigan! film fest in Racine, Wisconsin (Oct. 20-22, 2006).
Be sure to check out their site, www.itcamefromlakemichigan.com,
and mark your calendars! We hope to see you there …
14. Closing comments ?
The past four years have
been incredible … Ryli and I have met and worked with many great people, and
we hope to continue doing so for many years to come. We’ve been extremely
fortunate ever since Despair, and it’s all on account of loyal
indie/horror fans. You guys (and girls) are the best. Thank you all for your
support ! Thank you for the interview.
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