A German film distributor called Störkanal will soon release a special edition German DVD of WEAPONS. I have been sent a list questions to answer for the booklet. Instead of posting all the answers here at once I will answer a single one each day.

Question #2

Inspired by the independent film scene in America during the 90s you shoot some short movies in your teenage days. Which independent movies inspired you for this step to shoot some short movies?

Again it all started with my part-time job at Blockbuster Video. In like ’94 there was one small section called “Sundance Selects” (or something like that) in our store. It was literally one tiny section with about 25 films. These were “Indie films.” Jim Jarmusch’s NIGHT ON EARTH was in that section. It was one of the first Indie films I ever saw. Richard Linklater’s SLACKER was there too. Spike Lee’s SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT. Eventually Kevin Smith’s CLERKS would show up along with Tarantino’s RESERVOIR DOGS. This section made me aware that a so-called Independent Film Scene existed in the US. It was cool to me. It was like these guys were artists and their films were reflections of their lives and their interests. I got the feeling that these filmmakers weren’t trying to fit in or make movies for the New Release section of Blockbuster – rather they were carving out their own niche and making movies on their own terms. To me that was cool cause it was an alternative to what I always watched, what I grew up seeing in the theatres and on HBO. It widened my horizons. But yet I still watched much more big Hollywood films than Indies. Like for example I probably watched HAPPY GILMORE thirty times the same year that I saw BAD LIEUTENANT like twice.

But the specific movie that set it all in motion for me was Robert Rodriguez’s EL MARIACHI. A guy at my dad’s church (my father was a Methodist Minister) found out I was into film and gave me Rodriguez’s book REBEL WITHOUT A CREW. I read it in one sitting and it changed my life. Literally. I probably would not be a filmmaker if it wasn’t for that book and movie, if it wasn’t for Robert Rodriguez. The book made me realize that anyone can make movies. You don’t need to be from Hollywood. You don’t need millions of dollars. He financed his film for $7000 in part by being a guinea pig for pharmaceutical companies testing new products! He wrote about being flown out to Hollywood by the studio heads and offered million dollar deals. That inspired me. Here’s this kid from Texas who’s being courted by major Hollywood studios for some homemade film he made with his friends! Plus I loved the movie. It was probably the same movie I would have made – guys running around with guns shooting each other, drug deals, good music. Far as I’m concerned the movie and the book set it all in motion for me.