Stony Brook Film Festival 2018 - Dean Darling
The summer is sweltering and people are smiling, but after bottling his emotions for months, twenty-year-old Dean Darling finally grieves the death of his parents who drowned in a car accident.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Calogero Carucci
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made the film for a few reasons. First and foremost, I had a story I believed in. I thought I could give an audience a slice of Dean’s life on screen. Second, cinema is my life. I look up to all the great directors and figured I’d throw my hat in the ring to see if something good would come from it. Finally, I made the film because I was tired of waiting around saying that I’d one day direct a feature. I just decided to finance and produce it myself.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch the film because the characters are real. The personalities are real. The settings are real. You’ll feel at home. You know these people. And I find that sometimes it’s actually harder to closely portray those who you know so well rather than those who are so foreign; probably because you have this really specific idea in mind about how things need to be, and if they’re not that way, then it feels phoney.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Everything I write is personal. I have friends who read my writing and it seems like I write about family a lot. I often write about things I fear. Not to overcome them, or even to face them – I think it’s subconscious in a way. My Italian-American heritage is all over everything I do. New York is all over everything I do. But I usually start with the character, as I did with Dean. Then the story grows beyond that.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
As cliche as it sounds, it’s true when people say how you make a film three times: when you write it, when you direct it, and when you edit it. The film grew, then shrunk, grew, then shrunk. It’s exciting to work with different people at each stage because everyone has their own take on how the film should look and feel emotionally. To put it simply, the film changed quite a lot.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I wrote the film when I was 19, shot it at 20, and finished it at 21. For a first film made on $20k, the feedback has been positive. Everyone says there’s an audience for the film. I’m crossing my fingers.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I don’t set out to make the film for others. I make it for myself first. Then I find people to help me make the film, and then the film becomes their film as well, and they make what they want out of it. Over time, it does feel as though the film has become more of a commodity than a creative piece of art. Cassavetes always complained how people think art is a dirty word. In some ways it is. But I’m open to any and all feedback, reviews, and criticism.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I wanna grow a wider audience outside of New York to wanna watch the film. Any publicity is good publicity at this point. And I think the film has a lot to offer on a very deep, personal level.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We need everyone to come on board to amplify the film’s message. That includes producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists, and more.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Well considering I set out to make the movie to just tell a story for myself, I didn’t expect a lot from the film in the beginning. Now that it’s over, I want others to feel what I feel, and to feel what my friends and family have felt.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
The overwhelming question is can you make a feature on $20k? The answer is yes. You need to work hard. Sacrifice some sleep. Starve a little. Watch movies until you’re blue in the face. And then work harder. But it’s possible.
Would you like to add anything else?
I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Stony Brook Film Festival. We made the majority of the film literally less than five miles from Stony Brook. I hope the festival catalyzes some initiative to distribute the film.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m making my second feature called “Moving in 2008” in August. It follows a struggling ‘middle-class’ family during the peak of the financial crisis. I’ll be making the movie with many of the same people who helped make “Dean Darling.” This time the budget is about $40k, and we’ll be shooting on an Alexa with lots of other goodies like split diopters, zoom lenses, dollies, etc. Again, lots of favors and lots of lost sleep. But cinema is a sacrifice. Ask Corman or Cassavetes or Scorsese or Linklater!
Interview: July 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Dean Darling
The summer is sweltering and people are smiling, but after bottling his emotions for months, twenty-year-old Dean Darling finally grieves the death of his parents who drowned in a car accident.
Length: 84-minutes
Director: Calogero Carucci
Producer: Calogero Carucci
Writer: Calogero Carucci
About the writer, director and producer:
CALOGERO CARUCCI finished his first feature film, "Dean Darling," at 20-years-old. At 22-years-old, he's now on his second feature film, "Moving in 2008." Calogero was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but was raised around Long Island, New York. His father, Jimmy, works in construction, and his mother, Maria, as a hair stylist. Members of his family typically appear in his films. He attributes his family's constant moving and Italian-American heritage as major influences in his work. Among Calogero's favorite filmmakers are John Cassavetes, Martin Scorsese, Federico Fellini, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
Key cast: Douglas Towers (Dean Darling), Joel Widman (Franco), Allison Frasca (Jaclyn)
Looking for: producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deandarlingfilm/
Funders: Calogero Carucci and Kickstarter