Interview by Carlos Detres

I Can See You

Last year, I had the pleasure of sitting with filmmaker, Graham Reznick at Yaffa Cafe. I think we had some sangria or maybe that was just me drinking the sangria. Anyhow, I enjoyed his surreal-esque film, I Can See You and was excited to interview* (Ellen Donbeck wrote the article) an artist who dually honed technical and creative mastery.

Reznick and I met again — through email — to catch up and learn what he’s been up to since we last convened.

CARLOS DETRES: I have to be honest with you. Your interview was my first ever, which is why I brought that Book of Questions along in case I got stuck. It was a fun chat at that cafe and you were beginning to get a lot of press for your film. What was that feeling like?

Our interview last year came at a very big time for me. My film I Can See You had taken a long time to gain traction, and so finally having a NYC theatrical release and getting a lot of positive press was very exciting and fulfilling.

GRAHAM REZNICK: Last we spoke, your film, I Can See You, had finished its screening run. What has happened since?

The first big thing that happened was that the film found a distributor- Kino International, who have put out tons of classic masterpieces and modern indie films. It’s a great home for I Can See You . Since Glass Eye Pix, the production company, had initially planned on releasing the DVD ourselves, I had already put a lot of work into compiling a really feature-packed disc. Tons of extras, commentary, easter eggs, and my 3D short film The Viewer (plus glasses!). I even designed most of the menus, which are all in line with the experience of the film. Kino let us keep most of this for their release, with some minor tweaks to fit their template, and the result is a disc I’m super proud of.

I’ve also been spending a lot of time writing and developing new projects, as well as working as a sound designer on several Glass Eye Pix films, including Satan Hates You, Bitter Feast, Stake Land, and Ti West’s upcoming film The Innkeepers (his followup to The House of The Devil), on which I just did some second unit directing and will eventually be sound designing.

CD: Your film is now available on DVD. Are you satisfied with its reception?I’m really happy that anyone who hears about the film and is curious is now able to check it out – it’s available on Netflix and Amazon, and I’ve heard rumors that it’s been spotted in a few video stores for sale and rental, around the country. Netflix reviews are funny – most of them seem to be from people who are probably not the target audience for the film and don’t even finish watching it. But then there’s a strong contingent of reviews from people who get what the film is, and respond to it really positively. It’s definitely not a film for everyone, and I’m glad that it’s distribution allows it to find the eyeballs of willing recipients.

GR: Can we expect a new film in the near future?

I’ve been developing a feature project for a while which utilizes stereoscopic 3D in a way that I first explored in my short film The Viewer. It’s about experience – both the subjective experience of the character, and the engaged experience of the viewer of the film. The feature project is sort of an adaptation of the short, structurally, but it’s got a completely different plot. I’m very excited about the prospects and capabilities of 3D as a tool for both artistic and entertainment purposes – so far there hasn’t been a whole lot of cross over in the mainstream (though there’s been a lot of great entertainment). I think as it catches on and becomes more commonplace we’ll be seeing a lot more well utilized / artistically utilized 3D cinema. I’m very excited about the possibilities of this in regards to my new project, and I’m trying to get it made very soon.

Although I interviewed Graham Reznick, it was Ellen Donbeck who wrote the review for his film, I Can See You.