Written & Directed by Curtis Matzke
Produced by La Selva Ecosistema Creatiu
A lone man wanders a barren landscape on a foreign planet, salvaging items off of bodies that have fallen to the surface.
ABOUT THE FILM
Recovery of the Fallen was made as part of Werner Herzog's Filming a Strange Planet accelerator program. It won Best Horror/Thriller/Sci-Fi Short at Cinequest. Other festival highlights include the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Other Worlds, Tallahassee Film Festival, FilmQuest, and Hell’s Half Mile among others.
ABOUT THE FILMmaker
Curtis Matzke is a director, screenwriter, and producer based in Chicago, IL. His work has been recognized at dozens of festivals, including Athens International, Cinequest, NFMLA, and more. The legendary Werner Herzog recently mentored Curtis in the Canary Islands during a two-week accelerator program. In 2019, Curtis directed a short documentary celebrating Chicago’s Music Box Theatre, which earned him regional Emmy nominations for Off-Camera Directing and Historical Documentary. His full-length documentary (FIRST FEATURE), is in post and fiscally sponsored by Film Independent. His latest horror short film, SINK, premiered at the Academy-qualifying Chicago International Film Festival and has since screened at a dozen festivals. Curtis completed residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Stowe Story Labs, Chicago International Feature Development Lab, Reykjavik Talent Lab, and Chateau Orquevaux. Three of his feature screenplays have advanced in the Austin Film Festival and won awards, including Best Screenplay at the Anchorage International Film Festival. He holds a B.A. in Media Arts and Technology and an M.A. in Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media from Michigan State University with a concentration in Television, Cinema, and Radio, and a minor in Film Studies.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH CURTIS
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your filmmaking background?
Thanks so much for having me! I always say that my filmmaking evolved from an early interest in fine arts, particularly painting and drawing, which then evolved into an interest in photography, performance, writing, and cinematography. I went to Michigan State University, where I received my B.A. and M.A. in Media Arts and Technology I've been in Chicago ever since working as a freelance videographer and editor, which allowed me the time and flexibility to develop my own work. I've worked almost every role on a film set and directed nearly a dozen of my own short films and music videos. I also do a lot of documentary work which is nice because there are often a lot fewer logistics to deal with than in narrative fiction filmmaking. The work has certainly evolved into more directing and producing work, which is exciting. That being said, I'm most proud of my work as a writer and generating new ideas from the ground up.
Recovery of the Fallen was made as part of Werner Herzog's Filming a Strange Planet accelerator program. Can you tell us about that experience?
The program was an amazing experience. I could speak for hours about all that happened, including the many Herzog-isms he bestowed upon us during that time. I wrote a pretty in-depth article about what happened for Filmmaker Magazine so I could remember it all. The program consisted of about fifty international filmmakers, all of whom were mid-career professionals. I was one of only ten Americans. We spent two weeks on the island of Lanzarote off the coast of Spain, which is a beautiful island covered in black beaches and amazing landscapes. Herzog was with us every day. We would have lunch and dinner together and he would speak for hours after, answering any questions about his life and career. The program was set up where we would quickly have to scout pre-selected locations on the island, write our own short script, cast with local actors (many of whom were non-professionals), shoot and edit the film, and then present it to Werner and the other participants by the end of the trip. Because we were all well experienced, one of my takeaways was the importance of unlearning a lot of things about the traditional aspects of the filmmaking process and going back to the basics of storytelling. This new mindset allowed us to rely on our instincts while adding economy to the filmmaking approach. As we progress in our careers, we tend to put up barriers to what we think we may need for a production when it's often very simple. This program helped us refocus our skills.
Tell us about the genesis of Recovery of the Fallen. What was the inspiration behind the film?
The initial inspiration was just from walking around the island of Lanzarote. The first two days of the program were location scouting on a big bus with Werner, which is incredible (especially with his commentary over the microphone). We would stop at these locations and just wander, looking at the landscapes. He wanted us all to make science fiction films (which I love) because the island naturally looks like another planet. So the idea of walking around this barren planet came to mind in a way that was similar to Cormac McCarthy's "The Road." I thought about these portals and being thrown into space (which is how I felt at the time). It subconsciously evolved into an environmentalist film about Earth dying and how someone can maintain faith when there is no hope left in the universe. I'm drawn toward these open-ended ideas that hint at a bigger world, particularly in short films where it's tricky to cram in a full three-act structure. I wanted it to wash over you like a visual poem rather than a straight narrative. And as a horror filmmaker, I had to throw in a few dead bodies as well.
Tell us about the experience of shooting the film.
The film was shot digitally on my Sony a7sii with a limited crew of pretty much myself and the people you see on screen. Nacho, our lead actor who lived on Lanzarote, was incredibly gracious in driving us around the island. Production was only one day with Nacho coming in to record the voiceover on a separate day. I was the cinematographer and my friend Jake helped with a bit of the dialogue recording (and acted as the first body). I also included a bit of drone footage that was filmed during my initial scout on a separate day. I collected so much b-roll from the trip that I even made another short film, a documentary titled LA ISLA DE ALFREDO, in which I speak to a local character who lives in Lanzarote. That film screened at half a dozen film festivals as well.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making Recovery of the Fallen and how did you overcome them?
The opening scene of the film takes place on a huge volcano, so practically, hiking up that thing with gear was quite the physical obstacle. Overall, I was under a deadline and only had one day to shoot. Luckily, the producer part of my brain kicked in and I overcame the logistical issues with a pretty detailed pre-production plan. I didn't storyboard the film but had an extensive shot list and trusted my instincts while shooting. I was very economical in the way we did it didn't overshoot. Pretty much everything I shot is in the film, aside from a few alternate takes.
It was quite stressful trying to pull off the film in a limited amount of time. The pressure of showing it to Herzog, without the time to analyze the edit in depth, added extra anxiety. He did not mince words about what he thought about the films, which was pretty intimidating at first. To my surprise, however, I wasn't as worried as I thought I would be on the day we showed him our work. We were all professionals selected for this experience so all of a sudden this strange relief washed over me. I think the greatest gift he gave me was that confidence moving forward: if I can stand up and show my work to such a legendary filmmaker, I can do the same with anybody. Thankfully he did like the film, calling it "well shot, well acted, and mysterious," which is probably the best pull quote I'm ever going to have for one of my films.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights, particularly your win at Cinequest.
The response has been amazing. It's an odd little film so I wasn't sure where it was going to go, particularly because it doesn't fit into one particular genre. That said, it did go to a few of my favorites that I've had films at in the past, including FilmQuest and Genre Blast. Cinequest was great because it screened before a feature and receiving a top award at an Academy Award-Qualifying festival was quite the surprise. I had been to that festival before with a short screenplay so was thrilled to come back and win. The context of making the film in such a short amount of time adds a lot to the story and has proven to be quite a good sample for me as I move into bigger projects. I've even had a few executives ask me if it was intended as a proof-of-concept for a feature. "The Wind Is Your Enemy" essay I wrote for Filmmaker Magazine was another great privilege and helped reach a lot of people.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face in the early stages of their career when trying to break into the industry?
I think a lot of short filmmakers struggle to find their voice early on and explore topics they don't know much about. I don't believe in the idea that you should "write what you know," but would encourage people to write what they're curious about instead. Explore something new, do research, and talk to different people. You may find something far more unexpected. So when it comes to career and "breaking in" you'll be able to do the job much better because you've put in the work. We live in an oversaturated landscape so the more unique you are, the more likely you are to get noticed. I'd also say to just keep making work consistently, don't sweat over one project. Try something new, keep writing, and move on to the next one.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
One thing Herzog emphasized was to focus on what is achievable but don't shy away from being ambitious. Don't make a film just because you think Sundance is going to like it, make a film that you are going to like. I'd also say to learn about every part of the filmmaking process. A good filmmaker knows how to intimately communicate with every member of their team. Learn the ins and outs of cinematography, sound, editing, graphic design, etc. so you know what you need and how to articulate it. It's a collaborative medium but don't shy away from your vision and what compels you.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Well, I just saw DUNE: PART II the other night, which was pretty enjoyable. In terms of newer films, this was a great year for international films so be sure not to shy away from subtitles and catch PAST LIVES, GODZILLA: MINUS ONE, PERFECT DAYS, etc. There are too many great things out there and I'm far too behind. I also just came back from SXSW and caught DICKWEED, AZRAEL, and THINGS WILL BE DIFFERENT. A lot to seek out!