A young woman is haunted by an undead orchestra when she finds herself alone in an empty theatre.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Curtis Matzke

Watch The Orchestra here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I primarily wanted to make this film as a proof-of-concept feature that I have since written about a young woman going to school for music who is haunted by a ghost orchestra but thematically, I wanted to tell a story about the hidden horrors of academia and pressures that many young students have in school.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

I hope audiences go into this film hoping for it to just wash over them and experience a single moment in time, letting the tension build over the course of six minutes.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Personally, I've always found empty theaters and auditoriums naturally spooky. I think there's a universal feeling of uneasiness in empty spaces that are overtly sterile and feel fake. Furthermore, even though I'm not a musician, I think many people who try and create art feel this outside pressure and judgment of the work that is taken personally and I hope that subtext is apparent both in the short and the feature that we're developing.

The Orchestra - Opening scene of the film

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The short film has stayed pretty consistent throughout the process. The biggest challenge was finding an affordable location, which changed the feel a little bit, most of the story stays the same. In the feature version, the ending is slightly different and more graphic.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Very positive so far. We've screened at nearly twenty film festivals and won awards for Best Off-Kilter Short at the Cindependent Film Festival and Best Genre Film at Austin Revolution. After screening at bigger genre festivals like Cinepocalypse and Nightmares, a few reviews compared the style to that of Mike Flanagan and said they are eager to see a feature version.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Not particularly. Any criticisms have been around things I already knew about. No film is perfect and I stand by the choices that I made.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I hope that more people seek out the film, look at my other work as a whole, and it begins to generate some interest for the feature adaptation.

Behind the scenes of The Orchestra - Director Curtis Matzke with DP Mike Weldon

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

All of the above! As a short, we're not looking for a major distribution deal but would like to talk more with producers, festival directors, as well as managers and agents who can help get the word out about the feature as a possible property that could be optioned or produced independently.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I just want people to walk out wanting to see more, having sufficiently been creeped out by the simple suspense and slow build of tension we were trying to achieve.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Are ghosts real?!

Would you like to add anything else?

Check out my website, www.curtismatzke.com, for more.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

One of my last films, Splinter, was recently released online Alter and you can check that out now. I'm currently working on a few feature scripts and would like to knock out another short film production early this year that is of a different genre. I'm also in post-production for a feature documentary that is seeking finishing funds.

Interview: November 2019

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

The Orchestra

A young woman is haunted by an undead orchestra when she finds herself alone in an empty theatre.

Length: 5:55

Director: Curtis Matzke

Producer: Justin Reifert

Writer: Curtis Matzke

About the writer, director and producer:

CURTIS MATZKE is an award-winning filmmaker who has written and directed numerous short films and produced several features. His work often explores themes of loss and the passage of time. In 2017 he was named "Most Diabolical" at the Academy of Sciences Austin Film Festival pitch competition. Curtis is an independent writer and filmmaker whose screenwriting work has been in the Second Round of the Austin Film Festival Writers Competition, Semifinalist in the ScreenCraft Scifi feature competition, and Finalist in the Cinequest Film Festival. His feature work has been well-received at Slamdance and on the Blacklist and has served as a reader for the Austin Film Festival and SAG/IFP Chicago table read series.

JUSTIN REIFERT is a producer and filmmaker who teaches film production at Oakland University in Michigan. His work varies from fiction to documentary, exploring a wide array of themes and subjects.

Key cast: Gillian Butcher (woman), Daniel McEvilly (ghost)

Looking for: film festival directors, producers, sales agents

Facebook: Curtis Matzke

Twitter: @curtismatzke

Instagram: @curtismatzke

Website: www.unfurnishedfilms.com

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: Unfurnished Films, LLC

Funders: Self-funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? 12/5 NYC Horror, New York, NY - 12/10 Anchorage International. Anchorage, AK