By Maria Jarmain
It was an average morning for young filmmaker Christopher Kitsakis. While buttering two pieces of toast for breakfast he started thinking, ‘what if this could split an atom?’.
This is the premise of his new short film Butter.
The set is a frenzied maze of cords, heavy cameras and microphones; the snap of the clapperboard echoes across the room as shooting begins.
But watching your vision come to life doesn’t come cheap. With funding for arts projects across the state plummeting, Kitsakis chose to fund a lot of the film out of his own pocket.
“We did a donation campaign and some generous people were happy to donate, but it was self funded,” he says.
Funding for the arts in Victoria alone has been reduced by over $20 million in the last four years, and film is no exception. Finding funding for small independent productions is hard to come by.
“Unfortunately for filmmakers like myself we don’t have that luxury. We have to work for ourselves and build our way up until we get the attention of something bigger,” he says.
Filmmaking isn’t anything new for Kitaskis. He grins as he recalls the videos and movies he made throughout his childhood and reflects that this eagerness to create followed him into adulthood.
He says that collaborating with other young artists in the industry while writing Butter helped bring the film to life. While Butter is not his first directorial feat, it is the first to have so many people involved.
“The first day of filming I was really scared, I was waiting in my friends house and I felt really worried,” he says.
“I wish I wouldn’t have been so anxious because I would’ve been able to express myself more, but I still had such a fun time,”
One of his favourite memories on set is when it began to rain and the cast and crew had to scramble to bring in the equipment.
“Previously I made all my films with one of my best friends, but having more people involved and talking to them, laughing and getting their input was great,” he says.
One of his previous short films screened at the Altona Film Festival. He recalls the memory fondly, saying it was great to see other people watch and react to his work and hear people talking about his film after the event.
“It’s very hard to get your films noticed and out there, but the more work, effort and love you put into it, the more chance it has of connecting with people. We just have to keep on trying,” he says
He hopes Butter will be selected for a film festival, but still plans to upload it on Youtube for people to see.
“It’s about telling stories about who we are,” Kitsakis says. Rather than trying to create the next blockbuster he says his favourite thing about cinema is how it communicates with other people.
“Art from anyone, especially self funded, tells an honest perspective about who we are. It tells a truthful story rather than something that was made to generate money.”
Kitsakis continues to write and create films on top of his full-time studies and part-time work. While it is time consuming he says he doesn’t regret telling stories and putting his art out there.
When asked if he has any advice for other young filmmakers, he perks up. “You’ve got to put yourself out there, make art even if it’s bad.”.
“Work your way up. Because if you don’t start now, then when are you going to start?”
