We recently connected with Rob Mabry and have shared our conversation below.
Rob, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
This is an interesting one. I’ve dreamed of being a filmmaker since I was a kid running around with my dad’s 8MM camera making silly movies with my friends, but it didn’t happen until I was in my fifties.
When I was in my twenties I did make a half-hearted go at being a big time Hollywood screenwriter. That was back in the day when Shane Black sold “The Last Boy Scout” screenplay for nearly $2 million. I’d been writing stories my whole life. I was a journalist in the Army. Writing and filmmaking were in my blood, but at the time (1990s) you really needed to be in Hollywood to have a career in film.
I was living in Atlanta at the time, working odd jobs and writing and performing in an ensemble sketch comedy show for public access TV, but I don’t think I understood at the time what it really takes to make it in the film business. I considered myself a screenwriter. It didn’t occur to me that I had access to some film equipment and if I just wrote something on a small scale with available resources, I could make a movie. Robert Rodriguez was doing it. Quentin Tarantino had just made “Reservoir Dogs.” The opportunity was there. I just didn’t recognize it.
Unlike Tarantino, I was married with a daughter. Family responsibilities took precedence and that meant moving to San Antonio in pursuit of a better job. My focus on writing and a film career faded as I focused on a career in technology. Years passed. I still wrote scripts here and there, but it was just an outlet…a hobby with no ambition attached.
Fast forward two decades and the idea of making a film made a reappearance in the back of my mind. Reflecting back on the past, making a movie felt like unfinished business. It was a new era for indie filmmaking at the time. DSLR cameras with cinema-level quality were becoming more affordable and available. A new wave of indie filmmakers were working outside the Hollywood system. In 2015 or so, I bought my first DSLR camera and started experimenting with it and studying the craft of filmmaking which, unlike 20 years ago, was a topic that was widely covered on YouTube. That was my film school and it was way more affordable than USC.
To the question of whether I’d have started sooner or later…if I could transfer the maturity, wisdom and knowledge I have today to my twenty-year-old self I think maybe I’d have a shot at success but in those days I just didn’t know what I wanted from life, much less how to get there.
I made The Legend of El Chupacabra on my terms. It’s (almost) exactly the movie that I wanted to make and as writer, director, producer and editor on the film there is so much of “me” in it. It would have been a very different experience if I’d written it back in my twenties and sold the script to a studio. My filmmaking journey started at the right time for me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m the writer, director, producer and editor of the feature-length film, The Legend of El Chupacabra, a horror-comedy available on Tubi, Amazon and Apple TV. I started my professional career as a journalist in the Army and eventually gravitated to technology and software development. I’ve always loved writing and film and carried a lifelong dream of making a feature film. The Legend of El Chupacabra was the culmination of that dream.
I think what sets me apart from other filmmakers is my sense of humor and knack for comedy. It’s definitely not for everyone, but most of my films have an edgy, risk-taking comedy vibe. Juvenile, sure. Bathroom humor, check. I’m heavily influenced by the comedy films of the 80s and feel like in some ways I’m carrying the torch for that brand of comedy.
Some comedy filmmakers who have influenced me…Mel Brooks, Steve Martin, John Hughes, Woody Allen, Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, Zucker Brothers,
All time favorite director…Steven Spielberg.
I’m very proud to have made a good feature film. It’s not perfect but the performances are terrific, it looks great and it’s a fun, entertaining ride with great creature effects from FX artist Sergio Guerra. It was made here in Texas (San Antonio, Blanco, San Marcos) with an all-Texas cast and crew. Really proud of that. Over the past few years, I’ve been able to give a lot of people an opportunity to ply their craft both in front of and behind the camera. I’ve been able to help these talented Texas actors and creatives build up their portfolio and go on to bigger roles and positions in film. That’s the most gratifying part of what I do. It’s great to see people succeed and know you may have played a small part in helping them find that success.
A recent achievement I’m especially proud of is winning the 2024 Austin 48-Hour Film Project “Best Film” award with our comedy, “Spare Me.” I’ve competed in the 48-Hour Film Project since 2017. I’ve written, directed, produced and edited many of the short films I’ve entered into the competition which requires competitors to write, shoot, edit and deliver a 4-7 minute short film in just 48 hours. This was the first time a film I directed was selected “Best Film.” Winning the 48HFP has been a goal since I first competed, so I was happy to cross that one off the list.
I’m very excited about what’s next for Bright Eye Pictures (my production company). In December, we’re shooting a proof of concept trailer for my next feature, “Here No Evil,” a mockumentary about a former final girl who starts a halfway house for murderous slashers and horror fiends trying to go straight. We’ll be crowdfunding at the start of next year and hope to film in the spring.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
There is absolutely nothing about how to make a film that isn’t available on the internet. I think I picked up on this pretty quickly, but I’m surprised how often I see people posting on social media…”I’m interested in being a filmmaker? What should I do?” Like…seriously dude?
You don’t need to go to film school. It’s all right there on YouTube. Terrific channels like…No Film School…Film Riot…Studio Binder…Indie Film Hustle…Indie Mogul…Rocket Jump Film School. No matter the topic, from the rules of cinema to how to pull of a visual effects shot, it’s all covered. You just have to put in the time and learn your craft.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
It’s pretty simple for me. I really just want to entertain people and make them laugh. The thing about good comedy is that it cuts across the divide. There are things that are universally funny and in today’s world it feels more important than ever that people have a reason to laugh.
The most satisfying part of making comedies is sitting in a theater with an audience and listening to them laugh at something you’ve created. It delivers on a lot of different levels. There’s the validation that some silly idea or bit of dialogue that you conceived as “funny” is, indeed, actually funny. You never really know until the audience confirms it for you. Then there’s the satisfaction of knowing that you brought a little joy into someone’s life with a laugh. That’s really gratifying.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10230172
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brighteyefilm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mabry.rob
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechupacabamovie
Image Credits
BTS: Kevin O’ Hara Jr. Film Stills: Bright Eye Pictures