In Conversation with... Clara Aranovich
"If a viewer walked away having laughed, been startled, and shed a tear, I’d be ecstatic"
Clara Aranovich is the director, editor and producer of Murder Camp, a horror comedy about two slasher serial killers whose friendship and identities come into question when they both show up to the same summer camp on the same night. It’s hilarious, thoughtful and surprisingly sweet and after its international premiere at Fantasia Film Festival, it will show at Hollyshorts Film Festival this Friday 11 August in the 10pm Horror Block. Amidst its festival run, Clare caught up with Clara to find out more about this gem of a short!
Clare - Miss En Scene: Hi Clara! Congratulations on your brilliant short, which will be having its LA Premiere on Friday at Hollyshorts Film Festival. The story of how Murder Camp came to be is fascinating! Can you tell us about the process of producing it and how you became involved as director?
Clara Aranovich: Murder Camp originated as a one-act play written by its co-stars, Will Lagos and Jeremy Radin in 2017. I was a creative lead at the producing theatre company, so I was part of the committee who both selected and workshopped the original theatre piece; and I also directed it. In 2021, after years of continued theatrical collaboration with Will and Jeremy, I approached the boys and said it was time to finally turn Murder Camp into a short film. They heartily agreed and I embarked on putting together a crowdfunding campaign and pre-producing (alongside Lillian Campbell, who co-produced physical production).
For those who are in Los Angeles – our monthly event of original one-act plays is still going strong and is now officially a 501c3 non-profit under the name of Public Assembly. Many of the pieces we produce go on to be short films.
Clare: There were multiple laugh out loud moments (literal bursts!) while I was watching the short. What sort of comedies did you take inspiration from for these elements of the film? And how did you work with the writers (Will Lagos and Jeremy Radin) to ensure that their screenplay matched up with your vision?
Clara: Will and Jeremy share a profound appreciation for broad comedy and Mel Brooks-ian satire; films like Blazing Saddles and Robin Hood Men in Tights were major influences not just on the comedy style of Murder Camp but on the specific mechanics of spoofing a well-known genre (in the case of Saddles and Tights: Western and Fable, respectively; in our case, Slasher Horror). Because the three of us have been collaborating in the theatre for years, we have a well-established rapport. Back when Murder Camp was a one-act play, I’d pitch jokes and give notes on character/structure. When we adapted it to screen, the boys let me take a couple passes at the draft to mine for some more jokes and cinematic moments that wouldn’t have been possible on stage (e.g. when the camera pulls out of the window of Becky’s cabin, or when Greg’s audio pre-laps over Kevin as he’s about to bust into said cabin).
Thankfully, the three of us share a lot of mutual trust and respect and have been pretty aligned on vision and tone from the start.
Clare: There are several layers of commentary in the short - about the genres it draws upon, about society and the human condition - which is impressive considering the length! What are you hoping audiences take away from it?
Clara: This is so nice to hear! Honestly, I just hope people have a great time watching it; we certainly had a fucking blast making it.
If a viewer walked away having laughed, been startled, and shed a tear, I’d be ecstatic. Of course, we put a lot of heart and thought into each character’s journey (well, except Johnny’s!) and there are specific themes we were exploring… but I fear saying any more will end up being prescriptive.
Clare: Can you tell me a little about your approach to diversity in filmmaking? How important was it to you to consider how the film would include people from underrepresented communities?
Clara: I’m so grateful that a larger cultural awareness of this topic has come about and I’ve witnessed, first-hand, how things are (slowly) changing for the better as a result. However, we still have a long ways to go. It’s no secret that most TV shows and features star actors of a certain slender body type. Our historic rejection of fat people and narratives is so profound that even when a career-defining role for a fat person comes about, it’s most often played by a thin actor in a fat suit (a fat suit that then goes on to win a Best Makeup Oscar, no less). While Murder Camp does star two cisgender white men, it stars two large-bodied men; men who (ironically, given their vocation) are allowed to have a full spectrum of feelings, experiences, dreams, and dignity. At no point do we make reference to or a punchline of Kevin or Greg’s size. They just get to be regular ass serial killers like the rest of us.
I’m also thrilled that our Final Girl is played by a fellow Latinx artist, Olivia Holguín. Latin women (especially of indigenous descent) are one of the most underrepresented demographics in American media.
Finally, it was important to me that we maintain our diversity values as we hired our crew.
In short, I suppose my approach to diversity in filmmaking is just put my money where my mouth is: write for, cast, and hire people of all walks of life.
Clare: As a queer, female filmmaker, what has your experience been like in the industry so far?
Clara: Suboptimal, I’d say! But slowly improving.
Clare: How do you balance your filmmaking with your work as co-creative director of Public Assembly (a non-profit theatre company)? Do the two complement each other well?
Clara: Directing film/TV and directing theatre are, as you can imagine, closely related in many ways; but radically different in others. I find that when I spend a lot of time doing one, I miss the other, but they’re certainly complementary. Theatre directing, predictably, focuses my attention on actors and blocking and interfacing with an audience. It’s totally alive and present. In film and TV, I’ve many other technical elements to consider, such as camera and editing (which I love); but rather than a live thing it’s the creation of an embalmed artefact.
Co-Creative Directing Public Assembly has been one of the greatest blessings of my career thus far and constantly challenges me to be a better storyteller, administrator, leader, listener, creative, and person. Even if I’m not writing or directing in a Public Assembly show, I take tremendous care (alongside my co-Creative Directors) to foster an environment in which our artists can do their best work. In this way, it's quite similar to directing an episode of TV.
As for balancing my actual time, that’s another story entirely and very much a work in progress.
Clare: For anyone - particularly women and girls - wanting to get into film, what advice would you give them?
Clara: My general advice, regardless of your demographics – watch a ton of stuff. Read a ton of stuff. Re-watch and re-read that same stuff. Pull apart the sequences you love in films; figure out why they do or don’t work. Make stuff with your friends. Break cinematic conventions and rules. Write the things that scare you to reveal about yourself. Be the best most respectful and kind collaborator you can be. At the end of the day, filmmaking is really hard… may as well try to make it as pleasant an experience as possible.
My more specific advice for historically underrepresented creatives – don’t deny what is true about your circumstances, but do everything you can not to get too distracted or discouraged by them. Find people who understand your struggles and validate your perspective. And then, as often as you can, put these matters of inequality aside and just try to make the best films you can.
Clare: What projects have you got coming up that you're excited about?
Clara: As a WGA member, I’m currently on strike. As such, the “project” about which I’m most excited is reaching a deal with the AMPTP that is fair and ensures a quality of life and dignity for all of my guild members (and SAG members as well).
Beyond that, we’ve still got monthly shows at Public Assembly!
Clare: Good luck for the rest of your upcoming festival run. Can we expect a future length of Murder Camp in the future? It definitely has legs!
Clara: Thank you! … Wouldn’t that be nice 😉
Find out more about Clara and Public Assembly here:
Buy tickets to the Oscar qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival here: