INTERVIEW with filmmaker Paul Bortowski...

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Welsh filmmaker Paul Bortowski is an up-and-coming abstract filmmaker. His films are simple but stylish and effective; nightmares concerning madness, discovery and isolation...






Andrew says:
So, how did you get interested in cinema, and at what age?

Paul says:
when i was a child i watched many classic films with my father. i watched many during that time, i think the main film that got me into that world was sergio leone's a fistful of dollars, ever since then i have been obsessed with film. i cant be sure on an exact age, i would say that i was roughly 7 years old

Andrew says:
well that's the perfect age, and a fistful of dollars is no doubt the perfect film; youthful, adventurous, majestic and thrilling. So what was it that really struck you about that particular film?

Paul says:
i simply very much enjoyed it, it was unlike anything i would of expected to of seen, especially at that age. i also adored the musical score of the film, i found it fascinating. ever since i first watched the film i suddenly became a huge clint eastwood fan, he was my hero and still is to this day, after now seeing his entire filmography

Andrew says:
do you prefer eastwood as an actor or as a director?

Paul says:
a difficult question, i would say as an actor. i love his performances, his voice, his rough looks, his visual presence is legendary to me

Andrew says:
what made you think about filmmaking and the process and becoming a director?

Paul says:
when the invention of dvd was released, i naturally seemed to watch all the special features, i found the technical processes of film making fascinating, hence i very much enjoyed watching making of documentaries, the very detailed documentaries, such as the 3 and a half hour docu concerning the making of blade runner. i learnt a considerable amount of knowledge just by watching these...
i then simply decided that film is the ruote i want to head, i then applied for a college course concerning this field

Andrew says:
how did you find the college course?

Paul says:
it was very beneficial, it concerned multimedia as well as film/media production-studies, so i learnt alot of extra knowledge in different but not entirely different subjects. it also gave me the oppoertunity to start making my own short films, which was essential to my needs

Andrew says:
was visitor part 1 your first short film?

Paul says:
no, visitor part 1 was a film that i made when doing my the next year. my first genuine short film, as i made several short productions previously, was dica, and even though it wa smade a year before visitor part 1, i still believe that it is superior in techncailities
*my degree the next year

Andrew says:
are you very fussy or self critical over your films, do you ever look back on them and wish you had done something differently?

Paul says:
when in the production stage of my films, i wouldnt say im very fussy, certainly not as fussy as kubrick was, there was time constraints when filming my earlier films which forced me to accept the not so perfect, yet sufficient shots. with my later films i would say that i am alot more fussy now yes, i take much longer to get specific shots. and i do look back at my films and wish to make changes
primarily concernin my earlier films

Andrew says:
does it get to you a lot, or do you overcome it?
do you ever think of doing a director's cut/
?

Paul says:
i do overcome it yes, i simply have to, there's nothing i can do about it now, i say to myself. but this early stage really is about developing oneself, so adapting from these potential changes, you learn to prevent them from happening again in the future, its all a work in progress, a gradual progression which exists visually throughout this early string of work
i havent actually thought about doing director's cuts, certainly not now anyway, i have ambitions to move onto different types of films now, i need to move on.

Andrew says:
so you're basically about learning from your mistakes? great way of doing things. do you see filmmaking as your primary outlet in life?

Paul says:
absolutely, i simply must create films, i love it, if a future within this subject doesnt happen, i certainly wont be happy. film and music are my primary ambitions, film most definitely is the stronger of those

Andrew says:
now let's talk about the films themselves, what is the primary inspiration for the Visitor series and how was it originally conceived?

Paul says:
i always wanted to make dark and morbid films, it was what i really wanted to make these past few years, i simply love to embrace myself in these disturbing and dark atmospheres. originally i never intened to make a visitor trilogy, i only thought i would of made one. either way i came up with the idea for part 1 by discovering the location that the end film is set in, the location was so dark and
gritty, that i simply had to make something atmospherically horrid within it, i then set out to write a script. for the stage that i was in at the time, i am still pleased with it, for what the film is in its own right, again its a working progress. my main concern with the entire visitor trilogy is the desire to explore derelict larybrnths and the atmospheric energies within those on par with
an assessment on the psychological reprecussions that occurs alongside these terrible adventures that my characters confront within the locations

Andrew says:
well it is a wonderful and atmospheric location, an abandoned church isn't it? The more I think about the third film, the more I see it as a study of rationality coming into contact with irrationality, the visiting backpacker coming into contact with the demonic phantom played by yourself. It's very simple in concept and execution, but very effective and memorable. Is this how you see it?

Paul says:
the location in the first film is an underground quarry explosive storage station, obviously now abandoned, the location in part 2 is an old farm house on the side of a mountain and the location in part 3 is derelict victorian school. i dont see it exactly as you described above no, the rationality part is interesting, although its not what my intention was, despite how reasonable that is.....
the visitor trilogy actually looks at the end result of the characters mind at the end of each film, part 1 states the characters achievement of personal enlightenment, part 2 is that of personal self-destruction and part 3 is that of personal revelation. the story for part 3 is rather subtle and simple indeed, as well as the end result, it is executed in a realist manner, rather than some...
over the top expressionistic manner. the character finds what hes looking for, evidence of paranormal activites and his revealtion of this exists by the fact that he is being haunted and hunted by an entity within the location, that entity is the main character from the first two visitor films, that is primarily the only narrative connection between all visitor films

Andrew says:
what were your main influences for those films in terms of certain films or filmmakers?

Paul says:
part 1 was certainly influenced by david lynchs eraserhead, that film always stuck with me ever since i first saw it, his execution of the atmosphere within the film on par with its surrealistic qualities was really striking for me. i dont have any influences concerning part 2 and 3, i had my own vision really that was partially based on personal experiences, which i shall not utter here in detail
generally my influences would certainly be david lynch, andrei tarkovsky and the film alien by ridley scott

Andrew says:
of course, i was just thinking about alien with the mention of isolated and derelict locations. Do you think Alien is very close to the Visitor films thematically?
Paul says:
certainly, the isolated and claustraphobic elements connect here for sure. also the theme of being haunted and/or hunted within this enclosed setting by an unknown entity is also evident here
Andrew says:
What do you think of the way cinema is today and the direction in which it is going?
Paul says:
well im certainly not a fan of the majority that comes out of hollywood, there is nothing daring or different coming from this area, it's all the same essentially. of course these films are primary for escapist pure entertainment, where some of them are good i will admit, but generally there is nothing striking within them, nothing to think about. which is why i simply admire foreign and independa
film makers, this is the ruote i want to follow

Andrew says:
yes, and there are many independent filmmakers who have broken into Hollywood and made big-budget, but great films, like Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, the Coens. Do you one day hope to make a great film within the public consciousness?

Paul says:
well i wouldnt exactly call tarantino's films great, but thats just me. and yes i certainly do, i want to make some very daring films that will cause controversy simply because they will be expressing my not to popular views on the world, i really want to express these views, i feel that i need to, either way i will be in my independant films essentially, so all is good in that department
i have ambitions to make all sorts of films, i've passed on from the dark films (for now) i want to make a long string of films that is tied with versatility

Andrew says:
so what can we expect from you in the years to come?
or will we be surprised?

Paul says:
well i would like to make many realist dramas that contain tragedy and concern depressing and devesating issues within life, i am actually planning on starting these films later this year. with these dramas i would also like to focus on urban environments that the films subject matter will take place in, i want to focus on how filthy it is and gritty. as well as that i would like to make
several thrillers and many documentaries

Andrew says:
sounds quite similar to the work of Alan Clarke. Have you seen any of his films?

Paul says:
i have of course seen scum, which i thought was fantastic

Andrew says:
so are these going to be short films, or are you hoping to make a feature soon?

Paul says:
well the first couple of dramas i intend to make as shorts, after that however, i would like to make the majority of my films longer than 60 minutes

Andrew says:
sounds great, can't wait to see them. One last question before we wrap up, which of your films is your favourite and why?

Paul says:
visitor part 2 is my favourite, it focuses alot more on the mind, the setting is more enclosed and i simply adore my acting, far better than the ''acting'' in my other films, i put alot of energy into that performance, alot of heart and mind power and executing that at the same time as making the film was very exerting, and the results are find indeed. part 2 is definitely my favourite for
personal reasons of course, although part 3 would be my favourite on the technicalities deperatment, it is such an improvement on any objective level

Andrew says:
i was most affected by part 2 on a personal, but like you I do prefer the execution of part 3. well we'll have to finish up now, thanks for your time.







Here are links to the first parts of Paul's films, soon to hit festivals, the rest can be found in his profile or in the related videos section -

VISITOR PART 1 (1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TT4wJJXx3s&feature=related

VISITOR PART 2 (1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEipRUHTTgw&feature=related

VISITOR PART 3 (1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbHaIfmKNyU&feature=related