metro mogul
Starting with Spiderman 3, we are going to see a release of a sequel or remake in movie theaters every weekend until Labor Day. This ain’t Oscar season; it’s chase-the-money season! No other explanation needed.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an independent film snob. Self-proclaimed old man, Barry Koltnow, wrote a piece for the Orange County Register that pretty much sums up my feelings for the typical summer blockbuster. In my world, sequel means “rental.” What I like are new characters and new stories that make me say “thank God for filmmaking.”
But enough about me.
Edgar Sardarian, aka Edgar Metro, is a 25-year-old filmmaker from Chatsworth, Calif, and he’s just completed his third short-film, Parallel Cut, for his Metro Marcel Pictures label—and it’s damned good viewing. It’s about a hit put out on John Favera for accidentally running over and killing the 10-year-old son of his mob-boss neighbor. It’s sexy, gritty, intense, and has a killer soundtrack. I talked with Metro last week in LA.
How did you get started making movies?
As a kid I loved doing live performances with the neighborhood kids for all the parents and eventually my father bought one of those big bulky old VHS cameras for all of our vacations and to shoot me and my sister as we grew up. I had other plans for that camera, though… I started putting together my own movies, using my sister and neighbors as actors. I shot and edited (on the camera) all my films as an 8 year old. That prepared me for the filmmaking world—the fact that it takes a lot of hard work to create a movie.
What were the major challenges in shooting Parallel Cut?
The biggest challenge in the film was to give it the feel that we used multiple cameras instead of one, which was the reality. It was challenging to get the actors to recreate the scene the same exact way every single take so I’d be able to shoot it in different angles and points-of-view, to give it that “Hollywood look.” I made the entire 23 min film for $3000, about the same cost to rent a powerful generator for one day, heh heh. We shot in three days and I am very proud of the result.
What kind of movies do you want to make?
I want to make movies that people respect, but are still commercially available to a wide audience. I admire directors like Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and Tony Scott (Man on Fire). These directors don’t have to sell-out to make money. I don’t want to be like Ice Cube and make “Are We There Yet” type movies. I’m not into making movies just for the money.
What was the production process like when making Parallel Cut? How did you find your cast, crew, and locations? What was most difficult in producing the film?
My best advice for aspiring filmmakers is to write scenes that you know you can do. I wrote a roof scene in my script because I knew I had access to a roof. In terms of cast, make actor friends and write for them. Every filmmaker should know about nowcasting. The site gives entire breakdowns online, has free submissions, and the service is totally free. Bottom line: there is no excuse for any filmmaker not to make a film.
What’s next for Edgar Metro?
I’m really interested in making a documentary. Good documentaries are about what people know but they don’t have enough information about. I like to make films that shock people. My next documentary will be called “Mandingo.” It’s about this underground society of highly educated, sexually attractive black men who go and have arranged, organized sex with rich women while the husbands of these women watch. These rich women are attracted to young black males, and black men make good connections. They’re like “swingers” but for a specific purpose.
What does it feel like to be breaking into the industry? Do you have hope for the future of the movie business?
I have hope, but not that much confidence in the industry. The thing you need to understand if you want to work in this business is that you don’t make it for any one thing. Success in entertainment is always unintentional. There are three things: (1) You have to be an extremelyhard worker. You have to be willing to do anything. If you have an all-night shoot and you promised to be at another shoot the next morning, you have to be there. Forget partying. No excuses! (2) You absolutely need connections. Even if you hate it, you have to meet people, let them know who you are, and be their best friend. Be personable and be able to adapt. You will get hired based on loyalty. (3) You need luck. Luck is the hardest thing to come by but it’s the most important. You can be the best director, the best writer, but you have to be in the right place at the right time.
You can watch clips of Edgar Sardarian’s film Parallel Cut at MySpace.
