The Questionnaire

"I can’t say no… to anything."

What are you doing these days?
I’m currently working on my next feature film, the follow-up to “Six Reasons Why” called “Roll the Hard Six”. It’s another post-apocalyptic spaghetti western, with some of the same characters. It’s a motorbike-riding, bar-brawling, hodrod driving action film with a love-triangle as the main thrust of the narrative and it’s all wrapped up in my favorite aspects of the western genre.

What turns you on creatively?
Having a muse makes creativity flow. Whether it’s an actor or actress, or a co-writer, or just a really interesting person whose energy can just inspire. I’m a very social person, and I think it’s other people that turn my crank.

If you were a mind-reader whose mind would you like to read?
George Bush or Paris Hilton… I’m so curious to see if there’s anything actually going on in there, or is it just one big echo.

If you could travel in time, which era would you visit?
I’d say the Wild West as a knee-jerk reaction, but I really think ancient Rome would have been even more fascinating and might play a bit more to my strengths. I’m not much of a gunfighter.

What is your favorite sound?
The ocean.

What is the album or song that influences you the most?
U2’s Joshua Tree… there’s something about four Irishmen telling Americans what it is to be American that I always enjoy. Point of view is fascinating to me.

Who would you like to collaborate with? And why?
Natalie Portman. She seems like such a creative juggernaut that being able to share a brain with her for a project or two would definitely make for some amazing work. I think she’d make a great muse!

What drives you crazy?
People who say they want one thing and actually want another. Maybe it’s the honest Canadian in me, but I’ve always been brutally upfront with people, and enjoy being paid back in kind.

What makes you laugh?
Slapstick comedy. I have such a basic sense of humor.

If you had 3 wishes what would they be?
1. To always have just a few dollars less than I need to make any film I ever want
2. To have Clint Eastwood in a Western I write and direct
3. Instant Teleportation. Just like in Star Trek. I hate commuting.

What is the craziest thing you ever did?
Tried to make a Post-Apocalyptic Spaghetti Western in the Alberta Badlands with only 7 guys and $10,000… and then selling it in a quarter-million dollar bidding war to THINKfilm thanks to crashing the Toronto International Film Festival.

What makes you feel embarrassed?
Having creative ideas that aren’t as fully realized as they could be, due entirely to my own laziness and ease of distraction.

What are your favorite web-sites (not including the ones that you are participate in)?
1. Aintitcoolnews.com is one of my must-read sites every few days. I love the scoops and spoilers they have on all my favorite kind of geeky genre movies.
2. Blip.tv is my favorite place for high-end online video, those guys are pros at what they do and enable an amazing community of creative people.
3. IMDb Pro is such an incredible resource for me as a filmmaker. Between the news and being able to follow the career moves of others in the industry and see the impact it has on their popularity.

What is the silliest thing you have ever done?
Eating an entire head of lettuce in under a minute to win a bet. I won.

How would you make the world a better place?
By telling stories that help people recognize the points of view of others and the shades of grey that the world operates within. Hopefully that will bring about understanding, and understanding is the foundation of love.

What is your biggest weakness?
I can’t say no… to anything. As a result, my focus is so split across so many different projects and people that sometimes I have a hard time getting projects to their 100% completion. It’s something I struggle with every day.

Where will you be in 10 years?
Writing, Directing and Show-running my second 5-season television series, taking breaks on hiatus to direct the rest of the fifth installment in the “Six Anthology” of Westerns.

Write a question that you like to ask yourself and answer it.
- What’s the biggest challenge in making film?
- Keeping the balance between integrity and commercial appeal has got to be the trickiest thing. Somewhere on the range between Hurt Locker and G.I.Joe there’s a quality war movie that is going to appeal to a wide audience, just like somewhere Avatar managed to be the Sci-Fi/Fantasy film that existed in the space between Moon and the Star Wars Prequels. Hitting that sweet spot is the biggest challenge.

Who would you like to answer that Questionnaire?
Anastasia Tubanos

Associations
Love – Surrender
Death – Losing
God – The Devil and Disco
TV – Battlestar Galactica
Family – Legacy
Politics – Leadership
Internet – Freedom
Happiness – a warm gun
Fame – Lady Gaga
Filmmaking – Cheating
Matt Campagna – Rogue

Matt Campagna is a Canadian director, writer, editor and new media producer. He directed the movie Six Reasons Why.

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