Craig Schlattman

Craig Schlattman (December 20, 1949 - December 9, 2014) was an American director, writer, producer, and cinematographer, best known for his Independent features, At Ground Zero starring Thomas Jane (credited as Tom Elliott), and The Seller starring Brian Brophy.

Career

Craig Schlattman (1949-2014) was an American photographer and filmmaker. He began his career in the medium, exploring black-and-white photography through large-scale mural prints and vibrant colour works characterised by movement and experimentation. After gaining recognition through numerous group and solo exhibitions, Schlattman's career took a pivotal turn when he was represented by the Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport, California. There, he showcased a series of humorous and thought-provoking photographs depicting pseudo-scientific experiments laced with political commentary and intellectual wit.

Alongside his photography, Schlattman actively pursued experimental filmmaking throughout his career. This earned him recognition in the art film world, particularly for his short films "Slap" and "Bag." These darkly comic and formalist works garnered Directors Awards at the Sinking Creek Film Festival (now the Nashville Independent Film Festival) and extensive international exposure, including screenings alongside Stan Brakhage and Michael Snow at the Museum of Modern Art.

Despite his self-disparaging view of "Submitting," produced by Rutger Hauer, the film secured awards at the World Fest-Houston, Athens International, and Chicago International Film Festivals. He also directed "Heroic and Furious," a pair of unorthodox documentaries offering behind-the-scenes glimpses of Hollywood productions. Shot in a gritty cinéma vérité style, these films challenged studio expectations and faced hurdles in distribution

Very much a part of the resurgence of independent filmmaking in the early 1990s, Schlattman said that he waited a couple of years with a feature script he wanted to shoot before running into two actors he thought perfect for the part; Thomas Jane, and Aysha Hauer. Schlattman met them through a mutual acquaintance shooting something for a new director and thought they were perfect for the parts of Thomas Pennington and Aysha Almouth in his first feature, At Ground Zero. He picked for his subject marginal characters tied together by love and drugs in an extended traveling family on the road. At Ground Zero premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival to enthusiastic, full houses, and went on an extensive festival run in the US and Europe.

"An impressive debut. With dark, dead-pan humor, experimental visual techniques and solid performances, At Ground Zero is a promising first feature."
Jamie Painter - Film Threat.

"Powerful and distinctive. Impressive. ...a raw, edgy tale, shot through with dark humour Schlattman directs with terrific wit and immediacy. Well acted...winning portrayals."
Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times.

"Life on the road with a couple of junkies doesn't get much more interesting than in this impressive first feature by Craig Schlattman. This is a small treasure of independent filmmaking."
Matt Langdon - LA Weekly.

Schlattman said that he made mistakes along the way, let too much of the pressure put on him seep out to his actors. "Tom and Aysha are wonderful actors, and worked hard in difficult parts. I loved working with them and I'm sure they will go on to great things." After making the festival circuit, At Ground Zero had a small theatrical release and Schlattman started his second feature, The Seller.

A difficult story about marginal characters, The Seller opened at The Chicago Underground Film Festival to reviews of;

"An astonishing fusion of stark landscape cinematography and wildly compelling close-ups, especially of Brian Brophy as he delivers hypnotic monologues that seem to be about everything and nothing at once and that lay bare his character's internal processes without demystifying them. Schlattman rarefied emotion instead of breaking it down - his characters are indelible because they retain their mystery even as they let you inside."
Lisa Alspector - Chicago Reader.

and:

"The festival's most gratifying find could be The Seller which deserves a much larger audience. The meandering discussions they have about life, death, dreams and mortality have all the sizzle and wit you could ever hope to find in such a movie."
John Petrakis - Chicago Tribune.

The film had an unpublicized, un-marketed release and did not get "a much larger audience."

Undaunted, Schlattman proceeded to write "Guerrilla Filmmaking 101" articles and post them free on the internet (www.proletariatpictures.com) as a way to give back to filmmaking, and help other filmmakers to a successful completion of their Indie film. He said "I couldn't get past an agent on the freeway with my scripts - no big stunts, no nudity, just difficult compelling characters. Fat chance you get financing without Nick Cage signed on." He then went on to make Asymmetry, an extremely difficult film praised by those that have seen it, but ignored by the distributors.

Before illness occupied his time, Schlattman was seeking financing for a new film about family tragedy and insanity. He was a 2008 recipient of the prestigious Bush Fellowship and was in pre-production on 2 new feature films at the time of his death.

Other work

Schlattman taught classes on filmmaking to college students for several years.

Filmography

Asymmetry
The Seller (1997)
At Ground Zero (1994)

External links

• Craig Schlattman at IMDb
• Proletariat Pictures – official website