Your company Campbell Grobman Films - what can you tell us
about it, and what's the philosophy behind it?
LG: I want to say there is a big philosophy behind it
but honestly, we just make movies, we don’t operate on brains. So like
everyone, we want to make good movies and we have made good movies but at
the same time it can't all be perfect. You can have a lot of great elements
but once you put them together it can become just an okay movie. Sometimes
there are budget restraints that prevent the movie from being
what it was supposed to be. But overall we are proud of our product. Do talk
about some current productions of yours for a bit! CC: We
are currently in post on Pablo Escobar, Hitman's Bodyguard,
Hunter Killer. Any
future projects you'd like to share?
CC: We are really
excited The Bleeder in theaters this year. What do you look
for in projects you think about producing? And what would be a good pitch
from a filmmaker wanting his project to be produced by you? LG:
We must look at its business plan, does it make sense financially. Losing
money for an investor is a terrible feeling so it comes before
art. We are familiar with the market, we know what sells, we
know which actors get the audience's attention, so basically any good action
thriller with a big star is a go. The dramas/comedies/horror are much
harder to make and it only makes sense if they are made within
a certain budget. Unless you are a big studio that can take bigger risks. How
did Campbell Grobman Films come into being, and how did the two of
you first meet even? CC: Lati and I met many years ago
when she was an assistant editor for a friend of mine. I have amnesia
and don't remember any of this but if you ask her I wasn't
very friendly... I remember meeting her through a friend and we hung
out during nye in Miami one year. She was stranded there awaiting her
visa and I was just there for some reason. That amnesia again ... so
we became close friends. We started Campbell Grobman Films 10
years later. And here we are. Some past productions of yours
you'd like to share? CC: All of them. I'm proud of
all the films we have made. I've learned so much on each and every
one of them.
How would you describe yourselves
as producers, how hands-on or hands-off are you on any given project? CC:
Each film we are involved in has its own story. Sometimes we are just
selling, other times we are attaching certain elements,
or we are bringing the money, on some we are doing it all. Each
film is unique. How
did each of you enter the filmworld in the first place, and did you
receive any formal education on the subject?
CC: I'm not sure you need a formal education on filmaking in
an industry where there are no rules. You make your own. I've
always believed that. I started as an actress, that was
challenging. And being in a business where you have zero control isn't
good for a control freak like me. So now I'm a producer, it's
perfect.
LG: I have always been in the film world, I don’t know any
better. I agree with Christa, you don’t need any education to enter
this business. It wouldn't hurt to get an MBA, would make
things much easier in the beginning, but film school is
completly useless unless you need to know how to operate
machinery, how to be a cinematographer, editor etc.
What can
you tell us about your filmwork prior to the formation Campbell Grobman
Films?
CC: Lati was producing films for many years before I was. So
when it was time for me to make that transition I was lucky to have
her.
LG: I don’t want to sound like we are a married couple (we kind
of are except there is no sex) but the day she entered my producing life
was a lucky day for me. She elevates me to places I might not have gone
without her.
Producers, filmmakers, whoever else who
inspire you?
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CC: I'm inspired everyday by the people around me. Filmmakers
who are making films that I admire. The young and hungry inspire me
everyday. When I see a film that's made for 2 dollars and it's
brilliant. That inspires me. Talent can't be taught, you have
it or you don’t.
Thanks
for the interview! photos courtesy of Ian
Fisher
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