We were lucky to catch up with Chris von Hoffmann recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
If you decide to pursue a career in the creative arts, everything is a risk. Especially if you wish to be in the movie business. However, by a country mile, the most prominent risk I have ever taken is making my debut feature film, Drifter. It was a film generated by my unhealthy anger and frustration at that time.
Despite getting severe sunburn all over my body, carrying multiple hats, dropping weight, fracturing my thumb, spraining my back, and developing eight canker sores over the production… none of those were as painful as the financial toll it took. I risked everything. Honestly, I’m not sure where I’d be now if Drifter hadn’t kicked open the doors of Hollywood.
Count your blessings because you don’t get many in this life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been a filmmaker since birth. Without it, I might be in a straight jacket. I’d make films on my iPhone if all the money for traditional film financing evaporated tomorrow. Genre films are what I’m best at (i.e., Thriller, Horror, Crime, Action). However, I like to experiment with producing short film content between feature films. It’s a way to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself further.
In professional filmmaking, navigating the system is borderline impossible. Everything is your fault, no matter what. You feel like you’re failing most, if not all the time. There’s politics involved. It’s demoralizing. Even when your film comes out, there’s no guarantee it’ll land with audiences. And yet, I find myself addicted to the process because I’m an emotional masochist.
How I cast sets me apart from other films in the genre space. I love casting and developing a character with an actor. The faces you put on camera have much to do with how high or low your film’s budget feels. Styles and techniques change over time, but if you make a film with solid acting and writing, there’s a chance it’ll age like wine.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Unfortunately, nowadays, unless you’re making a $100M I.P., feature films are wholly undervalued by the average person. At the same time, TikTok videos are going viral and are weirdly paving the way for the future. Don’t get me wrong, I watch A LOT OF TIKTOK. I find many of the videos hysterical, clever, and endlessly rewatchable. I’m considering creating some TikTok videos soon. But making a film from conception to release is an arduous task that outsiders take for granted. We’re living in a world of instant gratification; therefore, people’s stamina is fading.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I was working a sales job six days a week in 2019 to stay afloat until I got the next movie off the ground when I received an offer to direct a psychological thriller written by two brothers.
The financing was in place. A lead actress was locked in. We were going to shoot in Cape Cod in November. But then, just like a lot of projects, it fell through. I was devastated. It was as if I had just been shot in the stomach and was held up in intensive care.
After a grieving period of thinking I’ll never make movies again… I decided to dust off an old horror concept called The Workshop (later changed to Devil’s Workshop). It was simple, contained, and an excellent piece for actors. It ended up starring Radha Mitchell, Emile Hirsch, and Timothy Granaderos and was released by Lionsgate in September 2022. It’s now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of the written word. Screenwriting is a fantastic tool for writing your way out of a career low point.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chrisvonhoffmann.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cvhoffmann
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.v.hoffmann
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn_OaZdc3-Y
- Other: DEVIL’S WORKSHOP (trailer) https://tinyurl.com/2utyazdn MONSTER PARTY (trailer) https://tinyurl.com/5ytn2jew DRIFTER (trailer) https://tinyurl.com/yckzuuza PHOBIAS (trailer) https://tinyurl.com/3h6hc9fk SHORT FILMS https://tinyurl.com/2p8zbsux
Image Credits
William Tracy Babcock