At age 20, with no major filming experience under his belt, Larry Longstreth set out to finish a home movie called Safari Larry. He begged friends, family members, strangers, and local actors to help him finish the project, and even though the final product didn't turn out how he wanted, it was a learning experience--one that has led to where he is right now, seven years later getting ready to finish up his first TV pilot: Dolly Oxem's Traveling Video Circus.
Longstreth's crew is a large evolving group of filmmakers, including some who have been with Larry from the beginning (his brother Aaron Longstreth, Vince Bruno, and Clint George) as well as others who have just joined this summer (Justin K. Phillips and Jake Ruby). Their popular works include Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face, Nintendo: Old School Revolution (both of which have been shown at Kevin Smith's film festival), and The Greatest Fan Film of All Time. He's worked with WWE/TNA wrestler Steven Richards, Our Lady Peace lead singer Raine Maida, Troma legend Lloyd Kaufman, and Narnia fx man Paul Molnar. Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face was voted 4th best short film of 2006 by Filmthreat.com. His latest project, Dolly Oxem's Traveling Video Circus, is currently in post-production and will be done in the Fall.
Larry took a few minutes from his busy schedule to answer nine questions about becoming a filmmaker, working on Dolly Oxem, and what the future holds.
Blank the Messenger: With having a day job, how much of your free time are you able to devote to filming? Basically, what does a typical day look like when you're deep in the process of filmmaking?
Larry Longstreth: Tricky question. My day job is the time I spend mentally working on our films. Usually, I work on them in some way, shape, or form every single night when I get home.
Now, however, we're shooting something (Dolly Oxem's Traveling Video Circus) that's mostly built around improvisation so I basically just lay out a rough plan for each Sunday and make sure that location-wise and schedule-wise, it's going to happen. Once I get back to working on a more organized project, it will basically take over my life, as the always do.
BTM: You've done both live action and animation films. Which do you prefer?
LL: Animated projects, at least when done with Jacob Drake (our animator), are way easier. I mean, they're a lot of work for him but we keep full control of the project at all times. The only time you really have to rely on somebody else is when dealing with voice actors... but for the most part, the ball is completely in your court and you can tweek and change whenever you want to. With live action, it's completely different. You can have lighting, sound, camera, actors, director, etc all doing a great job and just one thing can go wrong that ruins everything. It's way more of a challenge. Everybody has to deliver. I love the challenge of live-action because we're still struggling to get a system down that's organized AND technically efficient. We keep getting closer and closer and I'm realizing exactly what I need in able to pull it off. I need a close, reliable, educated DP (or Director of Photography) first and foremost. All in all, I love the challenge of live-action but I realize that animation will also provide great challenges down the line as we grow and branch out. It also allows for more epic work. I can't really say I have a favorite between the two.
BTM: Of all of your pre-Dolly Oxem projects, which is your favorite?
LL: Personally, The Wimp Whose Woman Was a Werewolf is my favorite. It's not all that great, I suppose, but it pulled together about 50 different people from all over the country. We worked with Hollywood folks and normal folks. We shot in NYC and Stow, Ohio. We lost so much along the way. I spent so much of my own money just to reach the finish line. Our original werewolf completely fell apart last minute and we had to think of something else so we drove to NYC to pick up Paul Molnar, who created the newer version. There were so many last-minute screw ups that forced me to figure out a way that it felt like baptism through fire. In the end, that finished film means so much to me. Next, it would probably be The Greatest Fan Film of All Time for much of the same reasons. So epic in it's production, and with so many close-calls.
Now, CREATIVELY speaking, I'm not sure. I think Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face might be our best work, but my opinion on that changes by the second.
BTM: The preview for Dolly Oxem is thin on the details. What kind of show would you describe it as, and when will people be able to get a full look at it?
LL: It's a very tongue-in-cheek show that's based on a simple premise: A washed-up, unfunny comedian named Dolly Oxem basically creates this piece-of-shit late night comedy show in a last-ditch effort to become famous. It's a satire of those things you find on local access TV at 2 am. It's done really well, though, and is of course nowhere near as boring as they actually are.
BTM: Where did the idea for the character Dolly Oxem come from?
LL: From local filmmakers, writers, comedians, etc. There are so many unskilled and/or untalented locals (as well as famous ones). Just drive across the Kent State campus any evening and poke your head into a few coffee shops or bars. You'll hear a good amount of bad music, bad poetry, etc. I'm not saying it's bad to do what you love. Certainly at 20 or 30 years old you can do it poorly and get away with being a "starving artist", but I know a lot of people who are in the same boat and are 50 or 60. At that point, it's not just sad. It's irresponsible. Sometimes common sense is the only thing you need in order to figure out just how to get a little bit better at what you do. Sometimes you just put your ego aside and say, "Hey, I'm not a good writer... but I'm a good camera man. Maybe I should try that instead." I suppose there's the argument that good or bad, we do what we love. I understand that. I get it. Dolly Oxem isn't a malicious shot at anybody. It's just something that the gang and I have noticed with a lot of Ohio artists and filmmakers and it's something I wanted to satire because the best comedy is a little bit sad too.
BTM: How much more material do you have for future episodes?
LL: I have an unlimited amount. When it comes to being an asshole and making fun of something, this well never runs dry.
BTM: What is the future of Dolly Oxem? How far do you plan on taking this?
LL: We're going to pitch in LA and Cleveland. One way or another, it will lead to something bigger and better.
Big Chuck Schodowski, a TV icon in the NE Ohio, had recently requested copies of our stuff. I sent him a DVD of Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face, The Wimp Whose Woman Was a Werewolf (which he acted in), and the trailer to Dolly Oxem's Traveling Video Circus. I realized last night before I fell asleep that Batman is filled with sudden F-bombs, the Dolly preview has the word "sexual predators", and Wolf has a girl being shot in the head. Chuck seemed really happy to help us and I figured he'd helps us get on TV here in Ohio if LA didn't work out, but after he sees that DVD, that may no longer be the case. (laughs)
BTM: In the past you've discussed how you have little film education and you're basically self-taught, adding that filmmakers "shouldn't hide from actually going out and getting it done." What's the transition been like from being a wannabe filmmaker to preparing your first pilot for Hollywood?
LL: Long and hard. You have to absolutely not be afraid to look like a total idiot in front of everybody. You have to be okay with being poor for a very long time. I always say it but it's true: I get asked for autographs and I'm a landscaper. Millions of people have seen my face and heard my voice and yet I'm still poor. It comes with the territory. I know money is in our future and we're actually working on that right now, but it's a long, hard, road. If I cared too much about what people thought, I'd never have been able to do it. People are judgemental and cruel. They want to say "Hey, I know that guy. He's gonna make it big. It makes me wish I'd done something like that with MY life." but by the same token, they say "I don't know how you live like that... I'd never be able to live on ramen noodles.", "I've got kids to take care of and I don't have the luxuries you do.", "I've got to save money.", "It's this economy.", etc. They want the glory but they don't want to eat any of the shit you have to eat to get there. There are a billion good reasons NOT to follow your dreams. I'm also very aware of those reasons myself. The people close to me know that I sometimes have bad days. I have days where I think "My God, what am I doing with my life?!". A quick google search to see how things are going with our films usually silences my doubt but still, it's hard and humbling.
BTM: What projects are you working on next?
LL: Four Tanks and a Healer is an animated TV pilot we're making in the same style as Batman's Gonna Get Shot in the Face and The Greatest Fan Film of All Time, but it's a completely original work. It centers around a totally lop-sided team of adventurers as they play inside one of those online roleplaying games. With just four tanks and a healer, they are forced to come up with innovative and creative ways to defeat obstacles that a real team would breeze through. It's really funny and really sad and true.
I'm also getting the itch to do a feature film but I don't know any more at the moment. Aaron just bought a steady cam. I need a few more people who are schooled in certain job types before I'll go forward with it, though.
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You can check out Larry's films on his MySpace page.
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