Amy Bandlien Storkel is a documentary filmmaker greatest identified for co-producing “The Legend of Cocaine Island” (Netflix, 2019) and the Emmy Award-winning documentary “Alabama Snake” (HBO, 2020). She has additionally produced and edited a number of brief movies and commercials. “The Pez Outlaw” is her directorial debut.
“The Pez Outlaw” is screening on the 2022 SXSW Movie Competition, which is happening March 11-20. Discover extra info on the fest’s web site. “The Pez Outlaw” is co-directed by Bryan Storkel.
W&H: Describe the movie for us in your personal phrases.
ABS: “The Pez Outlaw” is the enjoyable and magical journey story of Steve Glew, who spent the ‘90s smuggling Pez dispensers from Jap Europe and promoting them to the collector neighborhood within the U.S. He made hundreds of thousands of {dollars} and was dwelling the dream, however he gained an enemy alongside the best way: the CEO of Pez USA, The Pezident. Steve’s newfound archnemesis was decided to destroy him, but Steve was equally decided to win.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
ABS: The brief reply is pleasure! Within the top of the COVID-19 lockdown, we had been initially drawn to this story as a enjoyable and loopy journey, an entertaining escape from the burden of the present day for all audiences and all ages.
As soon as we met Steve in individual, we had been offered – not solely on the story however on Steve himself. Steve’s pleasure in telling his adventures was apparent, however on high of that we noticed a honest and caring individual whose perspective and reflection has lots to supply the world. He speaks overtly and candidly about psychological sickness, he chokes up each time he talks about his love for his spouse, and his private progress all through his journey is simple, which his spunky spouse advised us about very candidly.
W&H: What would you like individuals to consider after they watch the movie?
ABS: That is a kind of movies that ought to go away you feeling glad and hopeful about life basically. It would make you imagine in love or have conversations about lifelong targets or simply go purchase some Pez. As Steve would say, having story and telling it to the world makes all of it price it.
And to go very “meta,” the existence of the film is the precise success of the primary character’s aim in life – so it’s a win that the viewers will get to be part of.
W&H: What was the largest problem in making the movie?
ABS: Areas had been positively the largest problem in making this movie. We knew we wanted to go to Austria to get two key interviews in addition to some European B-roll and recreation scenes, however this was late 2020 and worldwide journey didn’t look like an possibility.
Fortunately, there was a window of alternative as the primary wave had not but hit Europe and was on a downward pattern within the U.S. So, after checking with the Embassy, we flew to Vienna for one week of filming. Fortunately, we had been related to a widely known Viennese movie producer, Norbert Blecha, who helped pull every little thing collectively in a really brief period of time.
However after that, all of the recreations needed to be shot in Michigan, and we needed to get artistic to faux it as Europe. There was loads of time spent scouting to seek out locations that may work. One key location ended up falling by the day we arrived on the bottom. We needed to scramble to discover a new location for the Pez Manufacturing unit scene, particularly because it was the largest set construct of our entire movie. Shout out to David Pink and Lauren Schilling who knocked it out of the park!
There have been different scenes that didn’t have a locked location till the day earlier than filming. A type of was the border crossing scene, which we ended up simply filming at night time behind our lodge, and it labored! Nobody would ever imagine that we had a two-person artwork division.
W&H: How did you get your movie funded? Share some insights into how you bought the movie made.
ABS: This movie was produced and funded independently, outdoors of the studio system. We put within the first chunk of cash ourselves as a result of we believed within the story and we needed to get the venture going as shortly as potential, with out pitches and conferences. Our govt producer Chris Smith obtained concerned very early, too. After the primary shoot, we confirmed a sizzle to him, and he was simply as excited concerning the footage as we had been, which gave us the boldness to maneuver ahead with filming.
A number of shut mates additionally put in cash, together with a few of our key crew members. We love the concept of involving as a lot of our core workforce as potential within the funding and possession of the venture. This fashion, a win for the movie is a win for all of us, and after we promote it, all of us get to have fun collectively!
W&H: What impressed you to turn out to be a filmmaker?
ABS: Filmmaking combines my longing for creativity and storytelling with my fascination for the technical facet of issues.
In seventh grade I had already determined I used to be going to maneuver to LA as quickly as potential and work within the leisure trade in some capability. I used to be a kind of youngsters who would join our two VCRs collectively together with the stereo system and create montages from our residence movies, excited that I had discovered the right way to do it. In highschool, I had entry to a tremendous video manufacturing division and instructor — shout out to Mr. Radjewski — and I used to be blown away by all of the gear and expertise at my disposal. We had a model new AVID, which had simply come out, and a steadi-cam, inexperienced display screen, and a video toaster — and now I’m getting old myself. I couldn’t get sufficient of the sensation of making one thing from nothing and having it “immortalized” on video — Betacam — to indicate anybody who would watch. Plus, we obtained to air our work on our native TV channel run by the highschool!
I bear in mind realizing then that I might spend the entire day, together with my lunch interval, and late into the night time engaged on my tasks and by no means get bored. And I get bored simply.
So, I stored my promise to myself and moved to LA shortly after school. I actually by no means thought I might be a director. But after filling practically each different function in unbiased filmmaking — producer, editor, music supervisor, location sound, artful, 1st AD, props mistress, and many others. — I used to be able to step up and direct. Once I heard about “The Pez Outlaw,” I knew it was the proper match for my directorial debut.
W&H: What recommendation do you could have for different girls administrators?
ABS: As girls within the movie trade, we are sometimes confronted with statistics – what number of feminine administrators in comparison with male, what number of feminine nominations, what number of, how a lot. It may be simple to get sucked into specializing in the imbalance: to get annoyed, to complain.
However whereas some statistics are necessary, it’s much more necessary to not enable them to outline you or what you do. Spend your time and vitality creating high quality content material and collaborating with different hardworking and proficient girls. Should you had been capable of stroll by a door, maintain it open for the ladies behind you. Then, when confronted by the statistics of unequal pay or unequal alternatives for girls within the trade, you’ll be able to current options that showcase your work, and you’ve got a military of girl standing alongside you.
W&H: Title your favourite woman-directed movie and why.
ABS: “A League of Their Personal,” directed by Penny Marshall. I bear in mind watching this film as a child and it caught with me. I might relate to it personally as I used to be solely a yr youthful than my sister, who was naturally good at every little thing she did, and it felt like she all the time obtained all the eye. However greater than that, the storytelling was instantly fascinating, whereas nonetheless providing hope and humor and unhappiness and loss and keenness and desperation and triumph and suspense – all the vary of human emotion!
And on high of all of that, it was primarily based on a true story of actual girls that really lived on this distinctive time, and who had these extraordinary experiences. I actually cherished seeing girls take over and be badasses when the lads least anticipated it, and Madonna singing “This Used to Be My Playground” nonetheless brings a cheerful tear to my eye.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you protecting artistic, and in that case, how?
ABS: Preserving artistic might be one of many principal issues that helped me modify to life in the course of the pandemic. My first few days of lockdown had been spent serving to to provide a filmed model of our elementary faculty musical that was canceled.
With one venture that had simply delivered firstly of the pandemic and nothing on the docket, I used to be free to discover tales, concepts, individuals, and experiences searching for our subsequent documentary movie thought. However I used to be additionally free to spend time on issues which might be simply enjoyable: knitting, stitching, taking part in with my youngsters, journaling, board video games, and constructing a yard room escape for my daughter’s birthday.
Whereas my mates will inform you I’m a genuinely optimistic, look-on-the-bright-side individual — generally possibly even previous the purpose of logic — I don’t wish to mislead anybody into considering that staying artistic throughout COVID was simple. There have been instances after I struggled to encourage myself, after I simply missed gatherings and get-togethers and needed issues to return to the best way they had been. However in a time of isolation, the chance to attach with others by sharing tales and dealing in the direction of a typical aim was the one factor I all the time got here again to – and the factor that gave me motivation to push on.
W&H: The movie trade has an extended historical past of underrepresenting individuals of shade onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — adverse stereotypes. What actions do you assume must be taken to make it extra inclusive?
ABS: I do know that we are able to all be doing extra to higher symbolize individuals of shade each onscreen and behind the scenes.
After all, there’s by no means one simple reply to this query. I do know that it’s typically overwhelming if we have a look at the larger downside as an entire, but when we give attention to what one in every of us can do, I feel we now have a greater probability at making a distinction.
With unbiased filmmaking, it’s all the time a problem to seek out collaborators that work nicely collectively and share a ardour for a selected story, however all of us convey completely different experiences and views to the desk.
Personally, I plan to collaborate with extra individuals of shade because the alternatives come up. When alternatives are created for me, I hope to be creating alternatives for others as nicely.
Supply: Women And Hollywood
