Body Count Rising: Tell us about your cinematic influences or origins.
Matthew Reel: Growing up, movies and TV saturated every waking minute of spare time I had. I remember practically every movie, show and commercial I’ve seen when I was little. I used to be obsessed with “Jaws” and it almost inspired me to be a marine biologist until the moment I witnessed a whale autopsy on a beach as a kid and nearly threw up. But fact is, when I was young we didn’t have a VCR. I would get out my little red cassette recorder and record the audio from the TV. The night “Jaws” played on HBO, I recorded the whole thing and practically listened to it every night.
Around the same time, I was enamored with the movie posters and trailers that would eventually stick in my head for the years to come. 1982 was a good year. I made crayon drawings of movie posters I saw like “Dragonslayer” and “Tron.” I even made a crayon depiction of the HBO logo they did with the miniature houses and the theme song you can hum to this day. A few years later we got a VCR. The first two movies we rented were “Jaws 3” and “Clan of the Cave Bear” giving me my first childhood crush, Darryl Hannah. Every time we’d go to the video store, I became obsessed with video covers. I loved the horror section because of those great big-boxes with lots of blood and memorable taglines.
I began to pick apart movies and T.V. shows. My mother used to watch “Days of Our Lives.” I remember the lighting, the acting and specifically the reactions seemed so unnatural compared to most other things on TV. I remember it being a huge puzzle for me. It wasn’t until I was eight that I realized everything was done on a soundstage. These things would always be going on in my head. By the age of nine I was being prepped to be an opera singer, and the training continued for the next nine years, but my interest would always go back to movies. By then I had discovered specific styles from certain directors, and my favorite was John Carpenter. I loved any movie with blood in it. I was also amused by quirky local commercials and television programs.
By the time I was in high school, I ended up absorbing the University library movie catalog and by the age of 16 I knew I wanted to be a film director after seeing the films of Kenneth Anger. Films that influenced me were “Naked Lunch”, “A Clockwork Orange” and “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.” I just wanted to make movies, simple as that. My biggest rush came from silent movies and experimental / avant-garde films. I loved how things were shot, even if I didn’t understand that much at the time. And despite the complexity, I resolved I was going to make a movie.
Body Count Rising: Please elaborate on your film making style.
Matthew Reel: Back in 1999 with no formal training or any idea how to go from point A to point B, I decided I was going to experiment on my own. My first film, “Oubliette” was the result of that. I decided to go forward with a silent movie, full of grandiose ideas and plans. For example, the main protagonist was to be placed on the screen directionally on either the left side or right side depending on which side of his personality was dominant at that time. From there, I discovered the more complex rules of editing and with my later films developed into probably a better editor than photographer or even director.
Basically the end result was that my characters tend to not say very much unless it’s important. I tend to direct keeping in mind which shots will follow or what footage I would use to maintain the mood, rather than any real emotion. So the photography / video is a single shot springboard to how the next shot should be and how it will be edited in. I use obscure angles, unusual lighting, and juxtaposition to pull a certain emotion from the viewer. That became all important, and it’s been working for me as a language since. Mood is all important in my work and I will add in any unrelated or absurd image to maintain that mood, even if plot and plausibility have to go out the window.
Body Count Rising: What are your fears with regard to making movies?
Matthew Reel: Health and money. I’ve dealt with health problems most of my life, so I guess one fear has been if I could physically keep up. The other is money; you need it to make a movie, even a small one. The important thing is that the job gets done.
Body Count Rising: How do you see yourself in the role of a director?
Matthew Reel: As a director you have to realize that not only are you playing boss, you’re also playing daddy and shrink, not to mention friend and advocate and, at times, enemy. If the people you work with don’t trust you, the movie’s done. I’ve made a few mistakes in that regard in the past through a certain breakdown or two, and you learn from that. You need to realize you will be wearing multiple hats every day, sometimes even the dunce-cap. Realize you’re human too. As the director you’re going to have to play tyrant now and again, but remember that the vision is in your head and you need to communicate it as clearly as possible.
Body Count Rising: Should the final product match your initial vision?
Matthew Reel: Absolutely not. A screenplay is not something that is set in stone. There’s nothing more annoying than going into a movie theater and having to read without needing subtitles. This is typical all across the board. Usually if I hate a film, it’s because it is flowing word for word from the script instead of utilizing the elements of it that work and throwing away the rest. Just as a fan of movie watching, I’ve learned that any idea or story, no matter how stupid or idiotic it may be, can work if you learn what to keep from the script and what can go in the trash. Rarely do my films hold up word for word from my scripts. I go in understanding that ideas will change as filming progresses. And sometimes, especially for a project that takes a long time to finish, you may realize that you are not the same person you were when you wrote the screenplay in the first place. Don’t get married to your script. The script doesn’t make the movie. You create your own universe following your own rules, make what’s important work.
Matthew Reel: Health and money. I’ve dealt with health problems most of my life, so I guess one fear has been if I could physically keep up. The other is money; you need it to make a movie, even a small one. The important thing is that the job gets done.
Body Count Rising: How do you see yourself in the role of a director?
Matthew Reel: As a director you have to realize that not only are you playing boss, you’re also playing daddy and shrink, not to mention friend and advocate and, at times, enemy. If the people you work with don’t trust you, the movie’s done. I’ve made a few mistakes in that regard in the past through a certain breakdown or two, and you learn from that. You need to realize you will be wearing multiple hats every day, sometimes even the dunce-cap. Realize you’re human too. As the director you’re going to have to play tyrant now and again, but remember that the vision is in your head and you need to communicate it as clearly as possible.
Body Count Rising: Should the final product match your initial vision?
Matthew Reel: Absolutely not. A screenplay is not something that is set in stone. There’s nothing more annoying than going into a movie theater and having to read without needing subtitles. This is typical all across the board. Usually if I hate a film, it’s because it is flowing word for word from the script instead of utilizing the elements of it that work and throwing away the rest. Just as a fan of movie watching, I’ve learned that any idea or story, no matter how stupid or idiotic it may be, can work if you learn what to keep from the script and what can go in the trash. Rarely do my films hold up word for word from my scripts. I go in understanding that ideas will change as filming progresses. And sometimes, especially for a project that takes a long time to finish, you may realize that you are not the same person you were when you wrote the screenplay in the first place. Don’t get married to your script. The script doesn’t make the movie. You create your own universe following your own rules, make what’s important work.
Body Count Rising: What words of wisdom would you give an aspiring horror movie director?”
Matthew Reel: Well, I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole any filmmaker simply as a horror director. But I actually have taught a couple classes of children about some of the fundamentals of film making. While I certainly wouldn’t consider myself a role model, I do have some advice for any fledgling filmmaker. Read up on basics of editing, staging and lighting. Learn writing, planning and editing with continuity. And then break the rules whenever you get the chance. Remember, direct for yourself. Don’t throw in jokes or references unless it amuses you. If you want to disturb, make sure the content disturbs you first. If you’re at the helm, take it in the direction you want it to go. Shoot everything and practice, practice, practice!
Learn more about Matthew Reel on IMDb or contact him via Facebook.
Matthew Reel: Well, I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole any filmmaker simply as a horror director. But I actually have taught a couple classes of children about some of the fundamentals of film making. While I certainly wouldn’t consider myself a role model, I do have some advice for any fledgling filmmaker. Read up on basics of editing, staging and lighting. Learn writing, planning and editing with continuity. And then break the rules whenever you get the chance. Remember, direct for yourself. Don’t throw in jokes or references unless it amuses you. If you want to disturb, make sure the content disturbs you first. If you’re at the helm, take it in the direction you want it to go. Shoot everything and practice, practice, practice!
Learn more about Matthew Reel on IMDb or contact him via Facebook.