Interview with Gabriel Campisi - Producer of Death Pool

Gabriel Campisi is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who shot his first movies on Super-8mm and 16mm as a kid, the more elaborate ones going on to win national competitions. Proficient in creating practical and optical special effects at a time when computer-generated imagery was not yet prominent, he was recognized early on by national film festivals and magazines for his stop-motion animation and split-beam cinematic techniques.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Campisi spent many years dealing in the high-stakes world of motion picture finance, subsequently writing the bestselling The Independent Filmmaker's Guide to Writing a Business Plan for Investors (McFarland Publishers) presently in its second edition.

Campisi studied with UCLA's screenwriting professor Richard Walter, and has written for industry publications and genre magazines, including Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Fangoria Magazine. He is a partner at Traplight Pictures and a member of the Producers Guild of America (P.G.A.).

Gabriel joins us today to talk about Death Pool

This is yet another collaboration between yourself and Jared Cohn.  How far does that working relationship date back?

I’ve known Jared for several years now, and we’ve worked on many projects together.  I think the fact we work so well together is that it’s a true partnership with mutual respect.  We both bring different assets to the table which complement each other, and recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
While we own Traplight Pictures, LLC with our other partner Demtreus Stear, we also do our own projects independent of one another.  There is no set rule on how we collaborate, but we definitely have the same interests and will be producing movies together well into the future.


And how do you think this project differed from previous films you’ve done together?

While we’ve worked together on other projects in the past, and some in collaboration with our company, Traplight Pictures, this was the first project that was 100% completely financed and produced by our company.  We had no one to answer to but ourselves.

This brought a double-edged sword to the equation.  While on the one hand we had complete autonomy to produce the film as we desired, we also were aware we had no safety net – no studio or executive to turn to if we went over budget, and no one to blame but ourselves if the movie fails.

Would you say this is almost ‘swimming’ in a different genre to the other movies?  It’s part horror film, part art film, almost.

I think the movie still stays within the same body of work we’ve been doing until now, but definitely the movie has a twist.  I can’t think of a movie where the killer used water as his primary tool for killing his victims before.

Who knows, maybe we’re inventing a new genre.


Randy Wayne is someone new to the Traplight Media family, I believe?  How did he come to play the role?

Jared directed him in the movie Hold Your Breath (2012), so they were friends from before.  When it came time to cast Johnny Taylor, his name was one of the first to come up as a possible actor to portray him.  We needed someone who could play a normal person on the outside, but with deep trauma on the inside that he tries to hide, but eventually surfaces.

Randy liked the screenplay, and loved the part right away.  He brought some great insight to how he would play the role, and he seriously brought the character to life.  He did an incredible job.


Did he find some of those ‘drowning’ scenes difficult to film?

You’d have to ask him that question, but I don’t think he did.  I think he had a lot of fun, actually.  Randy was a trooper from the start.  He’s a great guy and he brought 110% to the production.  He was never afraid to try things, no matter how crazy or bizarre.  He was also always very careful to not really hurt anyone, and considerate of the other actors.


Was everyone a little freaked out by him on the set – especially those damsels in distress?

No, not at all.  Randy’s a very kind and funny person, and everyone actually had a lot of fun on set at all times – even during the death scenes.


The film’s title changed -- why was that?

We originally called the movie The Valley Drowner, which was the name the media gives Randy’s character in the movie. When we signed the movie with Artist View Entertainment, they discovered the title did not translate correctly in foreign languages, and it could potentially be a problem with foreign sales.  In fact, the word “drowner” is not a real word, as I found out after my own research.  It’s only listed in fringe dictionaries, but it’s not in any of the respectable ones – Oxford, Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, etc.
So we had to toss around different title ideas, and Death Pool is the one we eventually went with.


How much say do producers and filmmakers get in a film once it’s been sold to a distributor? Do you have to just let it go and wish it luck?

A movie is typically not sold to distributors -- it’s licensed.  Once you let it go, it will play out on its own as per the deal you have with that sales agent or distributor.  This is why it is so crucial to make sure you have a good deal in place.

I know too many filmmakers who are so eager to get a “deal,” they will sign the first deal to come along, or they won’t really consider the distributor’s strengths and weaknesses.  Then when things go wrong, they can’t figure out why.

There are many variables that can make the difference between a good deal and a bad deal.  Making sure those variables are present, and knowing how to gauge them is crucial.  That part is my responsibility as executive producer.


Death Pool is out now on DVD and you can order it from Amazon at the following link.
Death Pool DVD (Opens in a new window)

Interview with Gabriel Campisi - Producer of Death Pool

Gabriel Campisi is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker who shot his first movies on Super-8mm and 16mm as a kid, the more elaborate ones going on to win national competitions. Proficient in creating practical and optical special effects at a time when computer-generated imagery was not yet prominent, he was recognized early on by national film festivals and magazines for his stop-motion animation and split-beam cinematic techniques.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Campisi spent many years dealing in the high-stakes world of motion picture finance, subsequently writing the bestselling The Independent Filmmaker's Guide to Writing a Business Plan for Investors (McFarland Publishers) presently in its second edition.

Campisi studied with UCLA's screenwriting professor Richard Walter, and has written for industry publications and genre magazines, including Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Fangoria Magazine. He is a partner at Traplight Pictures and a member of the Producers Guild of America (P.G.A.).

Gabriel joins us today to talk about Death Pool


How did you get into producing, Gabriel?

I started making movies around the age of 8, when I discovered my father’s Super-8mm movie camera.  Star Wars came out around the same time, and I remember experimenting with stop-motion animation.  Of course, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing at the time, but I just knew it was something I really enjoyed.  I started shooting more elaborate “movies” over the next few years and eventually shot award-winning short films.

As I got older, the natural progression of “making movies” led to handling the productions from the ground up, and that meant putting on the producer’s hat.


Do you find producing more interesting than directing?

I find both positions equally exciting and challenging.  They each have their own distinct set of nuances and rewards, but as producer you’re more in charge of the production, and there are a lot more responsibilities involved.

I enjoy the creativity involved with directing.  Right now I have too many projects I’m dealing with as writer and producer, and not enough peace of mind to take on the responsibilities of a director, but it’s something I will be going back to again soon.


And what about on Death Pool, what were your main responsibilities?

On Death Pool, I had all the responsibilities inherent in any production to contend with.  From preparation and pre-production to post-production and delivery of the finished movie to our sales agent and distributors.
Making sure the project stayed within budget and on schedule was always a dominating factor, as well as making sure the director Jared Cohn could get all the shots he needed to bring the screenplay to life.
Safety was also an issue, since we were dealing with a lot of water and drownings.  As producer, you always want to make sure nobody gets hurt in any way, so that often means jumping in and saying, “Sorry, we can’t do this.”  No shot is worth someone getting hurt.

Luckily, we had a great crew and great actors, and things went very smooth.


What was your toughest day, as a producer, on Death Pool?

I think the first day is always the toughest on any movie.  It’s also the most exciting, but the first day is when all the wrinkles are fresh and need to get ironed out.  Cast and crew learn to work together, and everyone sort of has to feel each other out and learn each other’s personalities, strengths and weaknesses.
A good producer must possess good diplomacy skills and know how to deal with different character types – and believe me, you see every character trait imaginable on a movie set!

Like I said before, though, we had an amazing cast and crew, and they made the entire production fun and laid back.


In terms of casting or creative choices, were there ever disagreements between you and director Jared Cohn?

Jared and I are best friends, first and foremost.  As business partners, we equally respect one another, which is fundamental to the success of any creative and business relationship.  For this reason, it’s very rare that we disagree on things.  However, if we do, we merely discuss the issue at hand, point out the pros and cons, and either compromise or convince the other to our point of view.

The casting on Death Pool was spot-on perfect.  Randy Wayne, Demetreus Stear and Sara Lane are amazing and incredible performers, and they brought life to the fictional characters.  So did all the other actors.


Was the film inspired by a real-life case?

There were some stories in the newspapers many years ago about some drownings in the San Fernando Valley that were viewed as suspicious and deliberate, and were never solved by the police.  At the same time, there was a guy who was arrested for drowning a victim in the same area, and the question arose: could he be responsible for these other drownings?

Although there was never any formal connection between the events, and a serial killer was never declared by authorities, Jared used these elements as the basis for the screenplay.

The original title of the movie was “The Valley Drowner.”  But apparently the title didn’t translate well in other languages, so our distributor strongly recommended we change the name.


Any of those death scenes disturbing to film?

Everything in a movie is make-believe, and there are many people standing around the set, so it’s not as disturbing as seeing the finished project unfold on the screen.  However, there was always some form on anxiety while shooting the drownings, because the actors really got into their scenes.  For a split second you could suspend disbelief and just say, “Wow,” because you know how real it all looked.


Why was MTI Home Video the right home for this one?

MTI has been around since 1984, so they really know what they’re doing.  They have broad experience with genre movies, including horrors and thrillers.  They have a vast library of movies, with connections to every outlet imaginable, and a very intelligent staff that runs the operation.

The same goes for Artist View Entertainment, our sales company.  Scott Jones, the CEO, is a genuinely nice person and really knows the industry.  It was his idea to go to MTI, and I couldn’t be happier.


Can you tell us what’s next for you?

We’re prepping another movie through Traplight Pictures, but I’ve been busy writing a new book tentatively titled Paradigm Shift: The New Hollywood for Independent Filmmakers.

The finance models Hollywood has been using for the past few decades are changing.  There are new players in town (i.e., Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.) that are shaking things up and changing how audiences watch scripted entertainment.  This change has affected how money changes hands, and a lot of the money pots that used to help finance companies in the past are no longer viable.  My new book discusses all this, and I’m supplementing it with interviews with industry executives and producers, like I did with my last two books.

I’m also working on a project called Damnation Come, which hopefully everyone will hear more about soon.


Death Pool is out now on DVD and you can order it from Amazon at the following link.
Death Pool DVD (Opens in a new window)