INTERVIEW: CHRISTOPHER PICO (PATH OF BETRAYAL et al)

interview conducting began 4/15/2003

Christopher Pico is the writer-director of Path of Betrayal, the first film in the Pathways trilogy.

Okay--basics. Name, age, location, favorite Star Wars movie.

Christopher Pico. Age: 27. Location: Wheeling, IL. Favorite Star Wars movie: The original is always the best... A New Hope.

Ah, a sane person. What do you think sustains the fan film community?

The love of the universe that George Lucas created and the infinite possibilities that can be found within to make an interesting and entertaining film.

What was the last really good fan film you watched?

The last one I watched that I really enjoyed was probably Pink Five. I thought it was a simple idea that was pulled off brilliantly... and it was hilarious to boot. Hey Stacy... Call me! Wink Wink!

What was the last really good 'real' movie you saw or watched?

I'd have to say that I haven't seen anything this year so far that has beaten Equilibrium in the utter coolness factor. I thought that flick was absolutely amazing and it's a shame it disappeared from theatres so quickly with so little hype. But in a guilty pleasure kind of way I also enjoyed The Core and House of 1000 Corpses.

Be gone from my sight forever. Besides ones you've worked on, what's your favorite fan film and why?

For me it's a tie. I loved Knightquest because of the characters and the plot. I think it's the only fan film that actually got me emotionally involved in the story (as I wipe a tear from my eye remembering Ulic's death). I'd love to meet Joe Monroe one of these days and shake his hand.

The other is A Question of Faith. The fight scenes in that film were fantastically choreographed. I wish we could have had some ultra flashy acrobatic fight scenes in my film.

What do you foresee as the next big development in fan films?

I have a strange feeling that fan films are going to be made mostly against greenscreens or completely CGI in the future.

Beats looking for actors. What would you like to see in a fan film?

I suspect all that I'd like to see in a fan film will be in Sins of the Jedi. It looks awesome.

What would you NOT like to see in fan films?

What I wouldn't like to see in fan films is what I mentioned before about movies being made against greenscreens and with nothing but CGI. I understand that not everyone can act and that there aren't a lot of places to film outdoors except forest preserves (I'm guilty of that), but I think that's an uncreative way of making films. Get outside and do some scouting. You'd be surprised by what you'd find... I know I was.

I tried to make Path of Betrayal as CGI free as I could. I only think CGI should be used to push the story forward, not become the story. We only have like 5 CGI shots in the whole film (lightsaber stuff not counted).

Funny how people don't seem to think of lightsabers as CGI... But, yeah, let's talk about Path of Betrayal. What stylistic influences guided you in the making of this?

Let me think... I've always been a fan of directors that are flashy and like to tell stories visually. Paul Anderson (Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil) and David Fincher (Se7en and Fight Club) are probably my greatest influences. I tried to create some visuals that haven't been seen in fan films before, and most of them were pulled off very nicely.

What, no mention of Fincher's work on Return of the Jedi?

Besides those visuals, what else can we expect from Path of Betrayal that might make it different from the average fan film?

Absolutely no music by John Williams. Nothing personal against John, but I was just sick of hearing "Duel of the Fates" used over every fight scene in fan films. I'm not even using the main theme.

I'm using industrial metal for the soundtrack and that's all. Bands like Stabbing Westward, Violent Work of Art and Front Line Assembly are some of the ones I'm using. I know it sounds kind of strange (some think it's a sacrilege), but I put together a rough cut of the movie a couple of months back and showed it to SW fans and non-fans alike. Everyone thought it was very appropriate and worked like a charm.

Plus I've also redesigned the opening prologue and titles to make them that much more unique.

I note that a lot of the trailer seems to be structured more as a trailer for a regular movie than a Star Wars movie. Why is this?

I want the film to appeal to not only Star Wars fans, but everyone. By not focusing on canon characters (it takes place 100 years before Episode I) I came up with all new characters, some of which have personality types that haven't been seen in Star Wars fan films before. I've been wanting to make a film of some type for years (I made a lousy Shadowrun full length fan film back in '94), and the one I finally settled on just happened to take place in the Star Wars universe. I think people will enjoy it, Star Wars fan or not.

Will the rest of the movie reflect this artistic sensibility?

Yes... I tried to make a different kind of fan film. We use lots of colored filters to set the look apart from the others and tried lots of flashy camera movements and angles. It looks unlike any Star Wars film, real film or fan film. I want to continue this in the remaining two films in the series.

Ha, ha, be honest. Will there actually be a Chapter II?

Most definitely. I wrote the script to Chapter II and half of Chapter III right after writing Chapter I. They all interconnect and form a full story when watched end to end (when I get the other two made), and I needed to get the ideas onto paper before I forgot them all. I've begun purchasing props and talking to actors to play some new characters introduced in the second installment. We plan to begin training the actors on the art of sword fighting after Chapter I is released in July.

Better bring the Band-Aids, buddy.