More Profiles

Matt McCormick

Experimental Filmmaker

Matt's website: www.rodeofilmco.com

Q. How long did it take you to get established as a filmmaker?

A. I appreciate you considering me an established filmmaker!  I am not sure if I have come to that conclusion or not, but I can say that I have been making short films and videos for about 10 years now.


Q. What was your first year out of school like?

A. Very chaotic and kind of heart-breaking... nothing worked out at all the way I imagined it would.   But, in hind-sight I probably learned as much that year as I did the whole time I was in college.

A. Probably a little bit of both- Portland is a great place that I have fallen in love with.  It is cheap and really easy to live here, which in turn makes it really easy to get a lot of work done.  On the flip side, there is not much of an establishment here, either art world or film industry, which forces you to pretty much create your own opportunities.  Being in a small town like Portland forces you to be very dedicated and self motivated- no one here is going to see your talent and sweep you up into some fabulous situation.  Portland is great if you want to get a part time job, be broke and spend the rest of your time working on your art.  But if you hope to get some well-paying job in the film, design, or advertising industries, than LA or NYC is a much better bet.

A. Probably, just the reality of trying to make a living while not giving up on your goals- its really easy to sit in college classes and dream about being the next Steven Soderbergh but the real challenge is working towards your goals while also doing all the normal things that adults have to do.

Q. What did you take from film school that has benefited you in your journey as a filmmaker?

A. First off, I didn't exactly go to film school-  my major was "communication arts" and I originally intended to go into the field of broadcast + photo journalism.   I did, however, take a lot of video production classes, and my interest in shooting and editing soon over-took my interest in journalism.  I was also becoming increasingly interested in art and music, and started making weird video art pieces.   That said, if there was one thing that I benefited from the most while in college, it was probably that the school (the College of Santa Fe) had a pretty open curriculum that allowed me to take a number of very different courses.  A combination of visual art, the history of savant garde cinema, video production, and media literacy classes certainly shaped my academic experience. Also, CSF was not unlike Portland; very small and fertile ground for anyone who is particularly self motivated.

A. I hope to always be able to look back and recognize steady growth and change that I am excited about.

Q. What do you think about the state of  independent/experimental films?

A. Things are very interesting right now.  The late 90's saw a huge re-emergence of experimental film and was unlike anytime since probably the 1960's.  Things are still strong, and with the advent and popularity of digital video, more work is being made than ever before.  That said, I think there is a bit of an influx- almost too much work is being made right now, or at least too quickly- and perhaps we are seeing too much mediocre work and not enough great work.  I think these are growing pains that will pass, but many film and video artists need to realize that just because video is much cheaper to produce than film, it still deserves as much time and energy.

A. Good music, tugboats, activists, and old buildings.

Q. Any advice for aspiring filmmakers who live in mid-size and smaller markets?

A. Take advantage of cheap living by spending hours a day on your work- consider it a job that you just have to do and make it part of your routine.  It is also very important to get out and see stuff as much as possible- go to New York and go to film festivals and art galleries and be aware of what other artists of your generation are doing.   Just don't let Hollywood and MTV become your only vantage points.

Q. Where do you see yourself in five years?

A. That is an excellent question.