Peter Olsen and Josh Apter on location shooting 'Kaaterskill Falls'

"Kaaterskill Falls," a psychological thriller set in the Catskills, is a true independent movie: shot over Easter weekend on 16mm with a cast of three, it has won acclaim for its actors and the two-men crew, Peter Olsen and Josh Apter, who doubled as co-producers, cinematographers, directors, and editors. Their film garnered two nominations at this year's Independent Spirit Awards and is currently playing at New York's Two Boots cinema. Salon's Stephanie Zacharek calls the film "a sterling example of what a small group of actors and filmmakers can do." Jürgen conducted the interview with Josh Apter.

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Elsewhere on the Web • "Kaaterskill Falls" Official Site • Independent Spirit Awards 2002 • NYT Review

How did you get into making movies?
I started with my Dad's Super 8, kicking around shooting anything that moved, but it developed with movies I saw as a kid. "Star Wars" has obviously influences so many current film geeks - myself included - but the first film idea I ever had was a music video remake of "Foul Play" set to the song "A Fifth of Beethoven." Wow, did I just date myself there.

When you're not making movies, how do you earn a living? What are your daytime jobs?
Peter is a DP on films and TV, and I'm an editor, doing features and short subjects. I just cut a short for Showtime's "Visions From Ground Zero" that Peter shot and another colleague of ours directed.

Who are your favorite filmmakers?
Cassavetes is such an overused reference these days, it's hard not to sound trite. But his dedication to non-traditional codes and ways of telling a story continue to inspire. Kieslowski certainly kicked some ass, as does Loach, and Mike Leigh, older Polanski and a few really nice pre-Brockovitch Soderbergh films. I also saw a Mark Rappaport film that blew a few circuits. He's got a thing going. I need to dig deeper into his work.

You shot "Kaaterskill Falls" over Easter weekend in the rain and wilderness without a permit. Would you recommend this guerilla approach to others?
Yes and no. If you have to do it, you'll find a way. But there's little hope for these kinds of movies in the current climate. It's easier to get a film made these days than to get it seen - its a shame, too because most people working at this level can't afford the celebs it takes to generate interest.

How did you finance the project?
I cut a film that paid ridiculously well. The cash went straight into "Kaaterskill."

I was surprised to see writing credit go to "cast & crew." Tell me more about how that worked.
We laid it on the table that "Knife in the Water" was the inspiration, so structurally, the beats were there. The actors wrote a step outline while Peter and I lit the Cabin and wired the sound, so we had this sheet of paper - later a crumpled, folded bible in my pocket that was littered with shot and scene sequences that we came up with as we went. Luckily, we were able to take a video feed from the tap and an audio feed from the DAT, and send both signals to a Mini DV player/recorder with a flip up screen - we actually had sunk playback tapes to watch after each take. That was a lifesaver.

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