With Destination Marfa now on DVD and digital services, I caught up with director / writer Andy Stapp to learn more about the mystery of Marfa, working with Tony Todd, and his experience making the film:
What inspired you to write Destination Marfa?
In 2010, I had no idea that a town nabbed Marfa existed. Thru conversation, someone told me about these so called mystery lights that were out there in the desert. In 2011, I took a road trip skeptical that they even existed and, to my surprise, my first night to go out and see... they were there. So I studied the history on this phenomenon and I found out the only production ever made about them was in the 90's via Unsolved Mysteries. I decided there had to be a movie with my twist and the writing began. I wrote most of this movie at the end of the longest pier on the western part of the United States in Surf City USA (Huntington Beach, California). I was on the TV show Overhaulin at the time.
Did you always see this as a project you'd direct? What was the biggest challenge in getting this project off the ground?
I knew the moment I wrote it that it would be me that would direct it. I had a certain vision and certain look that I tried hard to convey to the audience. I had difficulty at times relaying that to my DP, but overall we captured the emotion of weird, sketchy, and strange on camera. That's difficult to do. The biggest challenge is getting someone to believe in you and number 2 is money. I decided I would EP this myself to get past the financial stage.
Can you talk about your work with Tony Todd and what made him perfect for the role of Major Henry?
Tony was wonderful to work with and the first day I met him he called me into his trailer to go over his character. Tony told me the character was unusual and interesting and that the dialogue was intriguing to him. Of course, him having years in the business and a history in horror meant a lot to me. His ambiance of having that horror-ish effect made him perfect for the Mayor of a town with creepy vibes. This also allowed the movie to intermingle and play off of different genres (sci-fi and horror).
Working with this talented cast & crew, what are some of your favorite on-set memories?
My favorite is very simple. The ability to watch a story I wrote and characters that I created literally come to life and be acted out in front of me. It's a feeling of excitement and surrealism that can only be captured by first hand experience. It was a moment of a lifetime.
With Destination Marfa now available on DVD & digital services, what project is next for you?
I plan on writing treatments to 4 more crazy ideas and shop them around to see which one needs a full screenplay first. And the feedback on Destination Marfa that's coming in has people feasting for more it appears. This movie has people thinking and watching it more than once in order to catch all the hidden innuendos throughout the film. They wanna know how Marfa came to be. How did Tony's character come to be? What's up with this mysterious hitchhiker with a scary on his face? "We need to know more!" is something I'm hearing more and more everyday. I'm thankful for the interest of every single individual who has given Destination Marfa this much of their time. It is appreciated.
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To learn more about Destination Marfa, visit: https://www.spreleasing.net/destination-marfa
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