Interview with producer Mark Ezovski from the exciting short film Elimination Strain

We had a chance to talk with Mark who was a producer on the proof of concept (short film) Elimination Strain.

Mark can be found on Facebook and Instagram under his name, he is the only Mark Ezovski on the planet. That’s kind of cool being the only one in the world with that name.

How did you get into producing?

Anyone who wants to be a filmmaker becomes a producer by default. Someone has to start organizing the details of your shoot, and the duty inevitably falls on you. I started out in the biz as an editor. When it came time to make my first feature, I didn’t know the landscape at all, so I just jumped in head first. You start putting up some ads for crew, maybe start looking at locations… Just from watching films, you know what most of the puzzle pieces are so you can start from a place that makes sense. Then, as you go along, you learn the less obvious elements like dealing with the permit office and such.

How did you find out about Elimination Strain? 

I saw an ad on one of the Facebook groups and our casting director Mary McGloin had made a comment on the ad indicating that she was part of the project. I knew her from a film we both acted in a number of years ago, so I said “hello” to her. I emailed Chris and heard back from him a day or two later.

What attracted you to this project? 

I’d never really worked in the horror genre before, so that was a really enticing element. It’s always cool to tread some new ground. When I spoke to Christopher, it definitely seemed like it would be a positive experience to work with him. I liked him and the project right away--he was super realistic about the parameters of production and the “Covid conspiracy theory” basis of the project was really inventive and showed a lot of potential for a cool film. 

When doing a location scout what are some of the things you as a producer need to know and ask to ensure a smooth shoot? 

Probably the most important aspect nowadays is whether or not the space can be used safely in regards to covid compliance. A studio apartment isn’t really a viable location any more unless it is like one actor, director, DP, sound, even that might be pushing it. You’ll probably need to add more space to stage gear and have meals so folks can be socially distant when the camera isn’t rolling. 

Generally speaking, you want space, regardless of covid or not. A small cast and crew and gear fills up an average sized room quickly and that makes it harder to work. You don’t want to bump into something every time you move and have to start moving furniture out the room so you can get the tripod in a certain spot, etc. So space is definitely important for a good production workflow, and it’s always easy to make a large space look small, next to impossible to make a small space look large!

There are a million factors, really. Noise, natural light, insurance needs, stairs vs. elevator, etc. etc. Make the location work for you, instead of you working for that location--i.e., unless you need that space for a very real  reason (affordability, creative vision), don’t deal with it if it has difficulties. Find something else. You’ll be happy you did.

What has the pandemic taught you as being a creative person? 

I’m not sure it’s taught me anything, per se, but I have kept busy with creative things the whole time I’ve been away from the world. I guess maybe it really opened my eyes to how best to take advantage of free time. 

What was your biggest obstacle on Elimination Strain? Christopher told me that you didn’t have a lot of time and said you were getting contracts signed as your driver was literally in his way to pick up equipment. Can you talk to me about that? 

Christopher decided to do this film at the last minute, more or less. He saw the due date for a contest he wanted to submit to, and said “Ok, let’s go!” He hired me on a Monday evening and I started working literally immediately reaching out about crew options and researching some SAG guidelines. The shoot was scheduled for the Thursday and Friday of the following week, so there was no time to waste. I was also in the midst of another project that I was shooting on the following Monday and Tuesday, so that left me/us with even a bit less time since I had some loose ends to tie up for that!

As well organized as you are, you still have to deal with other people--a SAG rep on the west coast, rental houses, a Covid compliance officer that you need info from right away--who might not be as organized or as responsive as you’d like. So yes, as much as we knew what we needed to get done, there were still roadblocks since we couldn’t get answers to some important questions. Once you start getting questions answered, the roadblocks start going away and you build on that--insurance dictates rental possibilities, locking in the location dictates schedule, etc. 

We wound up having to go non-union since we weren’t going to be able to satisfy the SAG covid compliance report in time and we let the covid compliance offer go since he wasn’t helping in the way we needed him to. We talked over equipment rental options and reached out them--you’ve got to balance cost vs. their location/convenience, so the answer isn’t always clear cut, especially when no one has all the gear you’re looking for.  The insurance was finalized, then they had specific requirements for production vehicle overnight parking, so that added a whole new wrinkle and challenge of finding the exact parking lot required--lots of parking facilities seemed to be closed during covid times. I was on the phone for hours trying to track that one vital thing down. Parking is NOT a sexy element of film production, but here we were, hung up on this “small” detail that would have derailed the whole shoot had it not been attended to. Then, one of the rental houses asked for revised terms on our insurance certificate before they’d rent to us. Meanwhile, our driver was on the way to pick up gear from them. 

So yes, we were on the phone nonstop the day before production wrangling all the last minute details. But we knew everything we needed, so it wasn’t hard to do, just time consuming and obviously a bit stressful. And in the middle of it all, I had to run out and track down some size 13 work boots for our villain to wear on screen. Size 13 is harder to find than you might think!

What was it like working with Christopher? Being that you guys didn’t have a lot of time I can only imagine things were moving extremely fast and there wasn’t a lot of time to overthink.

Christopher was great. Again, that he was super realistic about the constraints of the time frame, location, etc. was a huge factor. If you’re not asking people to do unrealistic things, you’re going to get good results from your crew. He also knew what he wanted to do artistically, what he wanted from the actors, what he wanted the film to look like. To be prepared artistically is as important as being prepared with the “office” details-- schedule, budget, etc. 

Did you have any doubts going into this project and were they relieved once you saw the final film? What did you think of the film and the trailer?

I knew from seeing Christopher’s previous work that he knew how to put a film together and I knew that we were prepared to shoot. Once we were on set, everything went as smoothly as possible vis a vis the schedule, and every time I talked to Chris about how he felt it was going, he was pleased. I’d take a look at some of the shots as Lucas La Battaglia was DITing, and they all looked great. So yes, I knew we were all set.

I think the short film really sets the stage for more to come. It’s got the perfect atmosphere of mystery/horror without feeling staged, and there are nice surprises that don’t feel like they are there without motivation. The trailer is really on point in laying out a quick but compelling tease. Everyone I showed it to thinks it’s super creepy and they want to know more. I really hope we can make the feature!

How was it working with the cast and crew? Was it more or less difficult to bond with them during the pandemic?

Everyone on set was a real pro and everyone worked with more diligence than I have ever seen on a set. It was a very positive experience.

We basically had a backyard crew (Covid compliance, key PA, DIT, me)  that didn’t go into the house except for a minute or two as needed, so we didn’t interact with the production team much. They’d also take lunch on the front porch to best enforce social distancing, so yeah, didn’t have much of a chance to get with them. But our backyard crew had a lot of nice chats about film and aesthetics and the projects we are working on. We all had a good time talking shop.

How important was it for you and Christopher to ensure the safety of your cast and crew while shorting during the pandemic? Did the Pandemic pose any problems on set that wouldn’t exist otherwise? In such a short period of time to get the film into production were there any obstacles you had to overcome to ensure you were Covid ready?

Probably the first thing Christopher mentioned to me was the need for high quality covid compliance and I was 100% on board. I got covid in the first week that it became a real thing in the US, and I still have some residual problems from it a year later. I know that even if it doesn't kill you, it can really damage your body and your life, so yes, it was important to take care of everyone.

I think we had the ideal setup for covid compliance, so it wasn’t a problem in any way. The location was a large three story house. We set up hair and makeup on one floor and production on another. There was a large enough back porch and back yard where we staged gear, set up for meals, had the craft services table and DIT station at more than acceptable distances from each other. There was also a front porch where we were able to stage more gear and where the production team generally had meals, so we were really able to keep people away from each other even more than compliance guidelines asked for. Everyone was great about wearing masks. Heather Cole did a great job as our compliance officer and I was happy to pitch in with cleaning and organizing crafty/gear, etc. as I am also a registered covid compliance officer. 

What advice would you give filmmakers when working with another producer (in terms of delegating, communicating, hiring cast and crew, overall setting a tone on set, etc.) and what advice would you give producers who are looking to get onto a film production? Are there questions they should ask, productions they should avoid, etc.? 

For directors, being realistic and communicating accordingly is key. Every detail of a film should be discussed at least once to find out where it sits on the scale of “vital” to “not so important.” What do you absolutely need to be perfect, what doesn't matter as much? Not every detail can get the “150%” treatment--if you’re going all out in one area, you’re going to have to cut back on another area to make up for it. Creatives need to understand this and adapt their vision accordingly. A producer is always trying to maximize your resources, and unless you have an amazing budget, you’ve got to understand this and be willing to compromise. You likely won’t have an amazing budget, unfortunately. 

The director does set the tone for everything, so again, communication. Hire people that want to communicate and are open to discussion. At the same time, respect their talent and ability and let them use the tool kit that they bring. No one wants to be told how to do it, whatever that “it” is. As the leader, it’s up to you to make this a team-wide approach.

If you want to be a producer, just start doing it. Get one of your small projects organized and shoot it. Learn from your mistakes, learn new things as you expand the scope of your work--for example you won’t need insurance shooting a non-union piece in your own living room, but you likely will if you rent a location, or maybe your landlord was annoyed because other tenants complained because you had all this gear clogging up the stairs or the elevator. There’s always a new wrinkle and the sooner you see that, the more you’ll be aware of every possibility. Then you’ll really understand how much communication you need to make it all happen without problems.

Elimination Strain is a proof of concept which made me want to see more. What is the difference between a short film vs a proof of concept and is it more attractive to work on a POC vs a short or does it not matter?

I think we more than “proved the concept” with this short film version of Elimination Strain--it accurately shows the talent of those involved and what the vibe/viewer experience of the full length film would be. I feel like anyone who sees it will be curious about what else happens. So hopefully down the road there is the opportunity to tell the rest of the story.

I just want to work on cool projects. I know how hard it is to get a full length feature made and I know the process and how long it takes and how daunting it can be. I like to do what I do, I like to work with talented and fun people. So I think my answer is “it doesn't really matter” as long as there is an aspect to the project that is feeding my artistic soul or whatever it is that drives me.

Are there any moments during the shooting or in pre that was extra fun? 

My favorite fun memory was coming into the house and seeing our actors Jourdan and TJ laying there “dead” with their throats “slashed” and “blood” everywhere as the crew nonchalantly was planning the next shot. It was pretty funny.

Have you ever received film advice that you’re still able to apply to current and future productions? 

“Start in the middle of a scene, end it early.” 

When a filmmaker posts a job do you check out their directors reel and/or IMDB? What sort of things do you look for? 

Yes, I am always curious as to the level of quality and expectations that a filmmaker brings to the table. I think it makes it easier to communicate about the job as you can understand where they are coming from aesthetically, even if you won’t have a specific/direct voice or input toward the aesthetics of the film.

Are you involved in any cool projects? 

I’ve got a few things in the works, and I generally always do. You’ve got to juggle projects and keep a lot of balls in the air because, invariably, some of the projects won’t happen for one reason or another, so quantity does come into play. Right now, I am prepping a one location feature that will be shot in September (hopefully)--we were supposed to shoot in June but it got delayed because the director’s family had to go into covid lockdown. I’ve got three more features that I am trying to raise money for, one super low budget that we hope to shoot in the fall. There other two are on a higher budget tier, so those will be more of a long term process. I have a short scheduled for late October, which I will also DP, so that’s fun. I have to do some pickups and finish post on one of my own films as well. So the answer is a resounding “yes.” There is always something going on. I’d better drink some coffee and get to work...

What attracted you to go into the film industry and what are your thoughts on indie filmmaking in NYC?

I was never really a film buff growing up, but when I started taking art classes in college to fulfill general education requirements, I wound up taking a film class. It was a lot of fun, and I figured out that I had a degree of talent for telling stories in a bit of an unorthodox style. The rest, as they say, is history.

Indie filmmaking in NYC is a mixed bag. Tons of folks in the biz have a lot of talent, but not everyone is adept at getting their project up and running smoothly. That’s why it’s an extra pleasure to work on a project like Elimination Strain--everything was organized and on point and Chris really trusted his hires to do their jobs without constant interfering and questioning of process. It’s really validating to work in an environment like this, and it makes everyone’s job easier. It also saves time and stress and leverages the most out of the creative possibilities.

Are there any websites or film groups that really help filmmakers network and help make their films? 

I can’t point to any site in particular, but I am involved in a lot of Facebook and Reddit film groups. There is always someone on one of them who can offer great advice or who can answer even an obscure question. Just get out there and talk to people in the industry and don’t be shy with questions, whether online or in real life.