Kris Krainock wears many hats - screenwriter, director, producer, playwright and poet - but if one were to boil him down to one word, you could simply call him a humanist. Krainock has been described as "high concept," and his work is undoubtedly cloaked in homage to the greats - Bergman's emotional rawness, Fellini's fantastical exploration, and Hitchcock's cerebral sense of mystery are all found in Krainock's film, television and music video work - but he is not afraid to entertain.
Q. Hello Kris, it’s a big pleasure to have you with us for this interview.
Congratulations on your ‘Best Comedy’ award at last December’s edition of the "Rome International Movie Awards" (clike HERE). Your new project is “Bizzarro e Fantastico”: in a few words, what is it about?
A. First of all, I’d like to say thank you to everyone associated with the "Rome International Movie Awards". It was a true honor and extreme pleasure to win in what we consider "Bizzarro e Fantastico"’s "homeland" of Rome. The city has always held a special place in my heart and it was a dream come true to make a film there.
To briefly describe "Bizzarro": I like to think of it as a humanist take on the morality play - a very serious comedy and an even more playful drama. It’s about using the knowledge of our inevitable death to motivate us to invent our own life’s meaning in the here and now. It’s about how we view ourselves in relation to the universe. And it’s about how gastrointestinal health is the true way to happiness.
Q. What can you tell us about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? Was it difficult to find the right collaborators and, above all, a cast who could translate your cinematographic vision into acting and images?
A. Much has been made about the added difficulty of being my only crew member during the production phase; directing, setting lights, operating camera, running sound - all on my own. But if I was being truthful, the on-set atmosphere was one of camaraderie, creativity and joy. Thanks to the star of the film, Cosimo Tomaiuolo, we had delicious home-cooked meals after every shoot and champagne delivered each night. We were all there because of passion, and it carried us through the shoot’s challenges - which only in hindsight seem insurmountable.
In the beginning, it was difficult to find the right collaborators - just from a logistical standpoint. I was in America and needed performers in France and Italy. But once everyone was in place, the shoot went smoothly. The actors were prepared, dedicated and thoughtful individuals, who weren't afraid to dig deep into the material with me, and were willing to try and convey the nuance our story required. In their brief appearance in the opening Paris portion, Julie Zeno and Roman Lafond established a credibility which would help the film overcome the unfortunate assumption that short films can be taken only so seriously. And together, Cosimo and Roberto Guadagnoli achieved a delicate balance of humor, melancholy and pathos. Not only were the words in the script translated superbly, but my vision was translated and enhanced through the actors, appearing on the screen better than I could have ever imagined.
Q. What got you into filmmaking in the first place, and did you receive any formal training on the subject?
A. The simple answer to that question is I watched films from a very early age and just connected with them for reasons that continue to elude me. Why did I fall in love with movies and not baseball? I don’t think I’ll ever really know that. My first ambition was to be an actor, but this idea was dropped by the time that I first saw Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey". His directorial guidance was so apparent that, even as a child, it clearly articulated my own life’s ambitions. I wanted to be the author of my films.
Coincidentally, I did not receive any formal training in filmmaking. I simply watched (and still watch) films obsessively and I began making movies as soon as I could get my hands on a camera. While I have nothing against formal training, film school contains no secrets that aren’t revealed in movies themselves. On the other hand, nothing can replace gathering together whatever materials you have and making an honest-to-goodness film.
Q. What can you tell us about your filmwork prior to “Bizzarro e Fantastico”?
A. Before 2012's "God of the Machine", it was mainly amateurish projects of low technical sophistication, but ambitious in terms of the stories I wanted to tell. Initially, I defined myself as a writer. I spent most of my youth training in the written word; focusing on theme, structure and language. It wasn’t until an effort called "Flying Circus" in my late teens that I began to experiment with the medium of cinema itself. This is to say, playing with the marriage between the artistic and technical, or the "craftsperson" elements that truly utilize the potential film has to tell visual stories. And it wasn’t until even later that I fully understood that I was a technician as much as I was an "artist" - that to successfully convey an idea that is, at its core, purely cinematic, you had to translate an abstract, poetic idea through the craft itself. Technical choices were creative choices, and vice versa.
Q. Any future projects you’d like to share?
A. I’m pleased to say that my team and I are hard at work on a variety of new projects. My main focus at the moment is a low-budget feature film titled "Bipolaroid" - a psychological thriller wrapped in a period noir mystery that pushes even further the principles I used to make "Bizzarro" - that this story can not exist as a play or novel; it must be realized in the medium of cinema. It’s about a young burlesque dancer in late 1940s America who is accused of acts of promiscuity that lead to the ruination of a marriage, but when confronted with photographic evidence of her "misdeeds", she has no recollection of the scandalous event ever taking place. While touching on themes of misogyny, domestic violence and the stagnation of societal progress, what most excites me about the story is that it’s really about the things that movies handle better than any other art form - the dreamlike aspects of our lives: memory, nostalgia and identity.
In addition to "Bipolaroid", I’ve written a play called "L’imposteur", which deals with themes relating to Imposter Syndrome, produced by and starring "Bizzarro"’s own Julie Zeno and directed by Aurore Kahan in Paris, France. That will hopefully be on the stage in 2023. And, of course, we’re working on our large-scale feature film "Madame X", the project that brought me to Rome in the first place while hunting for financing, eventually leading to the making of "Bizzarro". "Madame X" is a very special project, as I’m working with legendary gaffer Jim Plannette ("The Artist", "Ocean’s 11-13", "Braveheart", "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"), and I’ve been given the incredibly rare opportunity to collaborate with Stanley Kubrick’s widow, Christiane Kubrick, featuring her stunning paintings as part of the film’s art direction. Without "Madame X", there would be no "Bizzarro e Fantastico".
Q. How would you describe yourself as a director?
A. You’d have to ask my team to get an objective answer, but I like to think of myself as fiercely dedicated to collaboration. I’m a "best idea wins" type of director. I don’t care if the idea comes from the Production Assistant’s assistant… but I do have an intensely detailed view of the material and a honed instinct regarding the correct atmosphere for the task at hand. I have a leg-up, usually being the writer of the material, so I demand a lot of consideration and passion before I allow a new idea to take the project off course - but rest assured, if it’s better, we’re going with it. I’m a communicative director, willing to discuss at length whatever needs exploring, but I’m also one who respects the expertise of those around me, including the actors. It’s their job to do their job, and I refuse to stand in their way, as long as I feel that we’re all making the same movie - which it falls on me to articulate that vision to each and every person who sets foot on one of my films. Lastly, I hope I’m a calming, focused presence. I don’t believe in an atmosphere of intimidation and fear. Intensity, yes. Seriousness, sometimes. But we must always be calm so we can give creativity the room it needs to grow. I’ve been nicknamed a “citadel” more than once and I cherish that compliment - even if it was made in jest.
Q. Directors (and indeed actors) who inspire you?
A. As you’ve probably figured out, Stanley Kubrick is a favorite. He was a visual storyteller that I hold in highest regard for his ability to fuse artistry and craftsmanship, rendering the most cinematic of experiences. Despite my admiration for him, as a filmmaker myself, I find I’m drawn more to the intimate, poetic and passionate filmmaking of people like Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini. Those three, Kubrick, Bergman and Fellini tend to be my holy trinity, and I think their guidance can be felt throughout "Bizzarro". As the years have gone on, people like Ophüls, Dreyer, Bresson, Tarkovsky, Fassbinder, Hitchcock, Ozu, Varda, Welles, Huston and Woody Allen have garnered equal significance. Right now, I’m really into Bela Tarr and "The Mikes" - the diametrically opposed cinematic voices of Mike Leigh and Michael Haneke. Those two are probably our greatest working filmmakers.
Q. Your favourite movies? And of course, films you really deplore?
A. Uh oh. Now you guys are bringing out the big guns. Since it’s virtually impossible to pick my favorite films (they’re always rotating), I’ve made a top ten list that functions as symbolically as it does practically. These films are: "Barry Lyndon", "La Dolce Vita", "Wild Strawberries" (often swapped for "Cries and Whispers"), "Paris, Texas", "The Double Life of Veronique", "The Third Man", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Vertigo", "The Earrings of Madame de…" and "The Shining". I also can’t praise "The Passion of Joan of Arc" by Dreyer enough. It very well could be my #1 on any given day. "Citizen Kane" or "Werckmeister Harmonies" could comfortably appear as #10, but "The Shining" is one of the films that I believe I’m always unconsciously remaking with every project I do. No film has probed me more psychologically or stylistically. "Barry Lyndon" has been a fixture at #1 for as long as I can remember, because, truthfully, I just unabashedly adore it. I credit it with showing me that, at the most supreme levels of craftsmanship, the art of cinema lives.
Films I deplore? That’s actually a harder question to answer because I try to hate no film, doing my best to learn from every movie I see and discover their merits. I’d have to say any film that insults my intelligence with its pandering to mediocrity - those I deplore. The films that really bug me, however, are the ones by great filmmakers who fail, in my totally subjective view, to reach what I deem as their "potential". People like Wes Anderson come to mind. Rarely do his films suggest the genius he obviously is. Let Michael Bay sell cars for 3 hours. Who cares? But calling Tarantino art when it’s just highly polished junk food, now we can have an argument.
Q. Where can people see your work?
A. The best place to view my work is on my official website (click HERE) - which functions as the home for everything I’ve ever made, written, thought about or even saw at a glance. You’ll find all my previous films, projects in development, plays, novels, poetry, photography…everything. For better or worse.
You can also find me on Vimeo under "Kris Krainock Productions" (HERE).
Lastly, I’m active on social media, keeping Facebook and Instagram up-to-date with "Bizzarro e Fantastico"’s film festival journey. Just search my name.
A. Thank you so much to the "Rome International Movie Awards"! It was a pleasure chatting with you. My team and I appreciate this opportunity to tell you more about "Bizzarro e Fantastico"! We wear our win in the 'Eternal City' proudly!
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