By Steffon Olsen
Hailing from Southend-On-Sea, England, Kristian Fitsall is one of the most notably unique and provocative independent filmmakers of recent years. His specialty of bringing drama and comedy together to create deliciously original and hilarious Dark Comedies, has begun to define him as a writer/director. His brilliant new film, ‘Don’t Bury It’, comes in the wake of his wildly successful recent films, ‘Wallace Gets the News’ and ‘Teething Problems’. The film delves into the issue of mental health and the potential chaos and damage that can result through its avoidance. It has already become a huge hit at festivals and among critics, throughout the world.
Scorpius: What are some impressionable experiences early on in your life which had a powerful impact on you as a storyteller?
Fitsall: The way I fell in love with movies was at sleepovers, staying up late with friends watching trashy horror films. I think that’s why I’m so drawn to horror – particularly campy, midnight-movie-type horror. It’s the communal experience of laughing and jumping together. That, and when my family bought their first VHS camera. From then on, every hangout was either watching or making films – filming silly videos of us going around on our skateboards or trying to fake car crashes with my toys. I just got used to having a camera in my hands. That led to making music videos for friends once people started getting into bands, then short films once I was old enough to know what a script was. I’m constantly chasing that same thrill I felt when I first held a camera.
Scorpius: Where did the inspiration come from for “Don’t Bury It?”
Fitsall: The inspiration, as with most things I write, came from trying to make myself laugh. The image of someone carrying their washing machine and all their other broken appliances into the garden and just chucking them in a hole – I found that funny. Then it was about building out from there: discovering who this character is, exploring themes of mental health and grief. But that juvenile humor remained in the fabric of the film, particularly with our B-movie inspirations and the playful-but-bleak tone.
Scorpius: Which film that you have produced, would you consider your personal favorite and why? Some memorable experiences while producing it?
Fitsall: Don’t Bury It is definitely my favorite so far. It’s the biggest thing I’ve made, which meant a bigger crew – and that means more cool people to hang out with on set. I think my favorite thing will always be the most recent project, because it contains all the lessons learned from everything before it. I have a very specific memory of losing light on day three – our final shooting day – and realizing we didn’t have time to shoot the final scene as planned. So, I chaotically worked out a backup plan with our DOP Bobby whilst he was still in the hole, covered in dirt, ready to shoot. Then several weeks of anxiety waiting to see if it would pay off in the edit. Thank God it did. I also remember sitting on the driveway of the house we’d rented after we wrapped, with just the core team who’d I’d been working with for several intense weeks at that point, letting the feeling of being finished wash over us. That was a really special moment. Another recent favorite is a music video for my own song (SO FAR SO GOOD by 0121Kristie), which involves a narrative told backwards and stars me getting dragged through mud, tied up, beaten up, and thrown into a bog. One of my first times on camera, doing all my own stunts, getting covered head to toe in mud – pretty memorable.
Scorpius: What is your favorite aspect of being a director and storyteller?
Fitsall: I’m a writer first and foremost. I love those moments sat alone at my laptop when a story or scene suddenly clicks and you can see it – then you’re rushing to get the words on the page before they disappear. Seeing those words brought to life by actors on set is always amazing. I’m a big fan of collaboration, so I’m happy for actors to tweak lines and make the characters their own. That means I get to experience the film for the first time again when I see them perform it. I’ve also learned a lot from doing music videos and love visual storytelling – finding purely visual ways of getting something across, or exciting ways of shooting it. In Don’t Bury It, lots of the rigs were built so we could play with perspective in the hole – cameras attached to shovels, all that kind of thing. I love those moments of seeing the crew’s input on the film, things that I’d never have thought of myself.
Scorpius: What did you enjoy the most regarding your experience at Scorpiusfest?
Fitsall: As a Brit, it was amazing to come out and see how you guys do it. Seeing how true it is that everything’s bigger in America, but also seeing the similarities to UK festivals. Realizing it’s just a bunch of film geeks like myself sitting in a dark room watching movies, then going to the bar and talking about them afterwards. It was my first time in Colorado. In the same trip we hit ScorpiusFest and Durango Film Festival, so it really felt like we were taking Don’t Bury It on tour and introducing Americans to some of the quirks of British humor. I was worried people wouldn’t get it, but pretty quickly into the screening I realized those quirks mostly consisted of people falling over and things that sound like fart noises.
Scorpius: What can you tell us about any future projects which may be in the works?
Fitsall: Can’t say too much at this stage. I’ve been writing a lot, and David – the producer on Don’t Bury It – has been reading scripts. We think we’ve decided what the next couple of projects are going to be. I’m hoping to get one shorter made, then move on to something bigger. But it’s too early to jinx anything by giving it away just yet. I also film a lot of music videos between projects – recently, mostly for my own music under the name 0121Kristie. It’s a great way to experiment with new visual styles and do things you couldn’t get away with in a standard short film. They’re all on YouTube if anyone wants to check them out.
