Exclusive Interview : Director / Writer Machined

MovieMaven our uber interviewer and resident horror guru had a chance to sit down with Craig McMahon writer and director of the upcoming film Machined. This movie has the distinction of climbing into the Horror Top 100 on HorrorMovies.ca in less then a week. Not to bad at all. Machined tells the story of a serial killer who is also a collector. In this interview Craig and Maven touch on alot of the film. So without further ado lets get right to it.

You are the writer/director of several films, but you have been just about everything including Director of Photography and Sound Engineer. You are practically a one-man movie making machine.  What is your favorite aspect of filmmaking?

It tends to frighten actors at first that I do so much. In the past I’ve had crews of 20 plus, but I found that the stuff I wrote never reached the screen. With my last film I tried directing, running camera and found out that I move faster and got what I wrote.

With Machined I got better at it. I wrote it such a way that I could do more. As far as sound, I own a recording studio here in Phoenix so that helps to score your own movies. 

The hot film of the moment for you it seems is Machined . Tell our readers about this movie and how it came to be.

 I actually had my eyes on the location for several years. It was perfect! I just had to come up with the right story. I think I was electrocuted more times than when I did the remodel on my house!  This location destroyed more lights than I own. It was a very freaky place. There are all these stray cats that live there that would, I swear to God, jump out at you, then dart off. It made filming difficult and nerving.  Oh, there really is a Motorman Dan. I also got him to play a small part in the movie.

This film takes such a fresh approach to the serial killer theme.  Just when I find myself thinking no one is going to come up with anything new ever again, something like this comes along.  Can you please tell us a little about it?

I have friends that are collectors and they will do just about anything to get what they want. That always seemed to amaze me. Take the news for instance; people are drawn to this subject, and in a sense, they collect media, so I guess we all have a little Motorman in all of us, we just know when to draw the line!  

Where did you get the idea for Motorman Dan, the crazy collector?  Or for the creature that he created? 

 I did a lot of research on serial killers and found that there were people that really do collect things on the subject. I also read that the wife of Richard Ramirez, Doreen Lioy, was a freelance editor for some Teenbeat magazine with an I.Q. of 152 who contacted him after his arrest. Well, Motorman Dan is a collector that wanted his very own serial killer to love and admire.
The story revolves around a motor shop, all the tools were there to make the monster. I spent a lot of days machining the helmet and gear. 

Are you pleased with how your vision is being realized on film?

The actors took the movie into another level. And because I shot it, I was editing it in my head on the set.The original script was set for summer, you know 115 degree days, but the real Motorman Dan was facing severe fines from county and the location would be gone if I waited, so I pushed principle shooting for winter, which meant, re-writing on the set which actually worked out better. The movie came out better than what I wrote.  

Since you are the writer as well as the director of Machined, I'm sure you had a clear idea of what you were looking for in a cast.  Did you have any difficulties finding people who matched the pictures your mind created?

A few years back, Phoenix was slim pickin’s for talent, but recently that started to change. The Motorman Dan character is a very sick individual. I figured whoever read for the part would say "no way am I going to do that" But David Hayes is way above all that, he took the part and ran with it.   

Is there anything that you collect obsessively?

I don’t, I’ve never even bought a single DVD, go figure.

Aside from hopping all over with your job description, you dabble in several genres as well.  You did a drama in 2003 called The Ghost of Mickey Bullock.  Would you be kind enough to tell us a little about that film?

That movie is about an autistic musical genius that ends up missing. Mickey was freak and I love people that are like that, you know interesting characters. I love sick dark humor, though I think I found my niche with horror.

Now I find this particularly interesting.  You directed a Spanish thriller called La Caja about a kidnapping.  What is like to direct a film in another language?

Yeah, La Caja was all in Spanish and I don’t speak Spanish… that was a trip directing! But it taught me tell a story with the sound off. Directing a movie without understanding the words coming from the actors forced me to watch every move they made and whether or not it told a story.

You also are directing a documentary called Turning Point.  What is the focus of this film?

Turning Point is still filming and will over years. The doc focuses on the live of 5 guys that were penniless and down. One guy was molested during his growing up years and what it’s like to be him fighting those demons everyday. Another guy was in prison most of his life. Documentaries are hard to edit I mean what story do you follow? 

Did you find that you enjoyed working with non-fiction as much as with fiction?  What are some of the challenges involved in working with real people and real situations?

The documentary was very real and very scary shit. It made me understand what devastating things people go through like these 5 guys did. It’s not as fun as fiction but it makes you grow. 

Since you have experience working with so many different genres in several mediums (I know you also do television work,etc.), what would you say you find the most rewarding?

I don’t watch TV, I just don’t have the time anymore, so I’ve lost touch with that medium a bit. I really love the creative process of making movies most.

If you could work with anyone, who would it be.. What would they do for you and most importantly why?

When the time is right, I would want to work with my daughter, Savanah. She has an incredible voice.

So what is next for Craig McMahon?  Comedy perhaps?  Do you currently have any other films in the works for us to look forward to?

Yes I do. I have a Sci-Fi movie called Layer 414, which uses a new type of special effect. We are casting for that one now.  

Machined broke onto the Horror Top 100 on HorrorMovies.ca in some sort of record time. It went from dead last to the top 30 out of over 2,000 films, in under a week. Wow! Any comments on that one? That’s what you call some interest.

 The guys over at Film Asylum had Machined up on their "Trailers you must see" for over 2 ½ months which helped put us in front of a lot of people. Patti Tindall (from Machined) e-mailed me and said Machined is like # 95 at Horror-Movies and I was like what! No way.    

Any tips for the film makers who visit our sites? Any lessons learned to share? I went to film school but dropped out to make my first movie. You learn a lot on the set.

Go out and shoot the damn thing, it probably will suck but you will get better and better. 

Okay, my final question. If you found yourself facing the end of civilization, what are three things you would like to have with you and who would you want by your side?

 Like Mad Max a cool car, a weapon, and food, with my family by my side.