Kyle Castellanet is the writer and director of the short film Copperhead. This film is his senior thesis as a film production major with a directing emphasis at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. He is a talented and motivated young film maker, with big ambitions for this film, as well as his future career in the industry.
What is the film about? Copperhead is about a captain of the Civil War who believes that his son is in the battle fields. He hears a voice crying out for help and risks it all for the man who he believes is his son.
What inspired you to make this film? I’ve always been fascinated by the Civil War because of how it changed the country. It was the first modern war Americans fought in, and that changed how we ultimately viewed war. Originally it had gentlemanly rules of engagement, but by the end their were ambushes and night battles. It was so chaotic and horrible. What was worse is that people actually knew who they were fighting against and there hasn’t really been anything like that since. I wanted to examine this part of the war. And more than that, exploring a strong father-son relationship in that setting encouraged me to explore that dynamic even further. People actually knew who they were fighting against and there hasn’t really been anything like that since. I wanted to examine this part of the war. And more than that, having a strong father-son relationship encouraged me to explore that dynamic.
What should people expect from this film? We want to create a different look at the Civil War. A lot of times Civil War movies depict the war in an idealized way, with noble gentlemen. We kind of want to turn this perception on its head and show how violent, gritty and dirty it really was. The Civil War changed the way Americans thought about war and death. We want to immerse the audience into a world they haven’t seen before. Hopefully that will humanize the past and show how those guys were a lot like us and they did brave things. It’s really brave to go into battle against your friends. Hopefully they can take away really what it means to be an American and have a better understanding of that time.
How has Dodge prepared you? Dodge is essentially like a mini version of the industry. We all work for the same studio, which is Dodge. We have access to the best technology on our sets and faculty advisers who guide us in making authentic films. It takes a lot of work to make a film. From day one we can start making movies on sets and that makes our school unique. It cultivates a unique environment where we can be college students and do professional film making. Part of it is meeting the right people and making yourself stand out in a sea of others who are equally as talented and gifted as you. So a lot of it is how you carry yourself and who you meet. It’s been cool because engaging in that sort of professionalism has allowed us to carry ourselves as professionals into the world and really have an understanding of what it takes to make a movie technically and interpersonally.
What has been your favorite part about preparing for the film so far? Preproduction is where all the stress is, which is the stage we’re at. The best part is yet to come. But it has been exciting working with different people and going to different reenactments and seeing people who really want to see the story come alive.
What are some of the challenges you have already faced or are anticipating? The biggest challenge is trying to create the year 1864 in 2015, when we’re going to shoot. It’s especially hard because none of us are history majors, so we have to be extra thorough in our research to ensure that we are making an accurate film and not just our interpretation of it. The mannerisms and the language of present day is something we normally take for granted in films set during modern times. When researching these types of details, you also realize how vicious it is to find authentic clothes. We also want to find a location that allows us to shoot at night. Finding a location costs money, so fundraising the money is also a challenge.
How do you fund this? What can people do to help? We’ve been fortunate enough to have applied for a grant through the Women of Chapman and we received the highest award. But that is not even close to covering the cost of the film. We were able to get some money from Dodge, which is part of the perks of being a Dodge student. But even that is not enough. So in addition, we have launched a Kickstarter to fundraise the additional 10 thousand dollars we need to pull off this film. So far we’ve raised close to $5.5 thousand of our the $10 thousand. This is awesome, but halfway is still halfway. We have the additional 5 thousand remaining. Our goal now is to reach Civil War enthusiasts and history buffs who can appreciate what we are trying to do in that we are creating something realistic that will allow us to connect a modern audience to that time in history. People can donate to the Kickstarter now until December 17th!
What else do you want people to know about this film? This is not any old student film. Student films have a stigma because they tend to be cheesy or have low production value or aren’t interesting because students themselves aren’t that interesting because we haven’t experienced the world. But since we’ve been in Dodge, half of us are working professionally already so that gives us a one up on other film students. On top of that, we have a story that actually transcends and appeals to a mass audience (not just civil war enthusiasts) because of the family dynamics. There is a very good chance with the budget raised that we can deliver a product that people will remember.
Kyle and his crew start shooting Copperhead in February and will work hard throughout the spring semester. Look out for the film premiering May 1st, 2015, at Chapman’s very own, Folino Theater in Dodge. Be sure to check out the Facebook page, official website, and Kickstarter to support Kyle and the Copperhead team!