Shannon Lark Interview
Here is an Interview I did in 2013 As part of Women in Horror Recognition Month, I was able to interview the very busy filmmaker and Viscera Film Festival founder Shannon Lark. Unfortunately the Viscera FIim Festival is no longer in operation but this is still a great interview with a talented film maker.
Please tell us a little about yourself and what the Viscera Film Festival is all about.
I am a filmmaker who chooses writing, directing, acting, and producing as her main focus in the film industry. I'm starred in over 40 films and spend a good amount of my time traveling and working on various productions in all stages of development.
The Viscera Film Festival is a festival I founded in 2007, which has grown into a non-profit organization that assists female genre filmmakers (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and action). I might have created the initial idea for the VFF but it's the staff, the filmmakers, the sponsors, and the public that have made it shine. I no longer run the festival itself, I oversee the organization and assist in developing its array of services to help female filmmakers better. However, I keep my filmmaking career separate from my work with the organization. I am an activist at heart, but I have my own career completely outside of the Viscera Organization.
Since Viscera has started, have you seen the number of female horror film makers increase?
Absolutely. A lot of that has to do with technology: the explosion of the internet and increased communication, as well as digital cameras and cheaper equipment. Women are now able to access these items with very little funds. There is still an issue with women not being "bankable" enough in mainstream hollywood, which is an easy scapegoat for discrimination, but they really are becoming more prominent in the independent film circuit.
Do you get many returning film makers to the festival, or is there a different group every year?
We get several each year made by Viscera alumni. The organization works hard all year round to get their films screened in a variety of venues around the world-at no cost to the filmmaker. We focus on facilitating relationships with the filmmakers and want to see them succeed: that's why the organization exists. However, we don't accept their film simply because they are alumni. We have a 3 tiered judging process wherein the judges, including celebrity judges, watch objectively from their own computers and provide notes, which are provided to all the filmmakers, regardless of acceptance or not. Our focus is education and cultivating more experienced and more supportive filmmakers.
It's a cyclical process that many filmmakers have utilized each year to get a critique from professionals in the industry and the general consumer of film. What's even better is that it's completely free to enter. We never charge submission fees. We are not a profiting business, we are a non-profit that serves the filmmaker.
How many events does Viscera hold each year, and where?
We tend to do between 20-30 events each year domestically and internationally. Last year we worked with several partner festivals and events as well as hosted our own in the United States, Ireland, Portugal, Canada, Sweden, and Columbia. We also been to Australia, South Africa, and many other locations in the past. We are currently developing several events in new countries and are constantly expanding our geographical reach.
We recently opened up a new festival dedicated to fantasy and science fiction films, called the Etheria Film Festival, which was created by our brilliant director of programming, Heidi Honeycutt. These films are now available on the tour as well.
What does 'Women in Horror Recognition' month mean to you?
WiHM is a month long celebration with a philanthropic angle: those who participate (called WiHM Ambassadors) must be serving underrepresented female genre artists, those behind the lens and canvas. All Ambassadors must provide educational material to the public (that the organization provides) which lists statistics and facts about the lack of female presence in leadership positions in these industries. No profits can be made from assisting these artists. If any revenue is made it must be donated to a charity of their choice, and recorded.
What WiHM means to me, specifically, is that both genders are participating in what is so called the most objectifying genre to ensure we create equality for both genders. This year we have over 45 Ambassadors around the world discussing these issues and raising awareness about why WiHM exists. The moment the public becomes aware, things start to change. Let's make it a positive one that fuels more jobs and creative ideas.
What made you decide to get into Horror films?
I've always been drawn to the horror genre, since my experience as a spectator of a "Romeo and Juliet" ballet at the age of 4 to seeing "The Elephant Man" at the age of 7 when I was home alone. I have always been deeply affected by the cruelty of other people: the monstrosity they create inside themselves them forces them to hurt themselves and others. That's where the monsters are.
I directed my first film when I was 16 for a panel of scientists at Los Alamos laboratories in New Mexico about the potential destruction of the world if we continue to participate in the proliferation of nuclear weapons. When the world "exploded", it featured an abstract scene with a girl in clown makeup with a strobe light and a Marilyn Manson soundtrack. The scientists were speechless and weirded out, but I had found my calling. I won't always create works of horror, but they will always be intense. That's who I am.
My activist work is certainly wrapped up in the fact that horror, or genre film, for that matter, is an extreme mirror of social, gender, and political reactions. What better way to display women's perspectives than with an intense mirror? As a cinema consumer I would rather experience that than seeing a woman cry into a bowl of ice cream or play out any other stereotypical idea of what a female is.
People aren't black and white. We are all different, men and women.
I will say, however, that ice cream kicks ass.
You have done a lot of work both in front of and behind the camera. What film-making role do you enjoy the most and why?
I love acting, writing, directing, and producing the most. They are all so different and exciting in different ways. However, I love acting the most. I jump completely into it and find myself going all the way for the film, doing all my stunts: walking away with bruises and an exhaustion that's incredibly fulfilling. I truly enjoy creating a deep relationship with the director to give him/her exactly what they want. There's something incredible about assisting in bringing someone else's vision to life, and equally terrifying that a camera is stuck in my face.
Writing is wonderful: I get to escape into a world where no one reaches me. I can become reclusive and exist in a dream before it's presented to the world. Directing is just unbelievably amazing, and producing is equally exciting. It's all awesome.
Do you have for any budding female horror film makers out there?-not sure what this means? Maybe you meant advice?
Start small. Focus on quality, not quantity. Do a 30 second-1 minute film and learn every position on the set. Try everything, and build from there. Making a full scale film is a ton of work, involving quite a few people, so don't shoot yourself in the foot by going too grand too fast (a huge mistake I made in my first films). The script is the absolute most important foundation for your films success. If you have a bad script, no production value or good actors will cover it up completely. However, if you have a good script, the audience are more willing to accept lower production value.
Also, support other filmmakers. There is nothing more distasteful when a filmmaker is only out for themselves, and others notice, including potential investors, press, filmmakers, actors, crew, and even general audience members. Show up to screenings to support filmmakers, even if your film wasn't accepted or involved. Your support to them will only help you, as well as building a community of supportive filmmakers. There is no competition-there's only filmmakers in various stages of development. Support others besides yourself.
Please tell us a little about yourself and what the Viscera Film Festival is all about.
I am a filmmaker who chooses writing, directing, acting, and producing as her main focus in the film industry. I'm starred in over 40 films and spend a good amount of my time traveling and working on various productions in all stages of development.
The Viscera Film Festival is a festival I founded in 2007, which has grown into a non-profit organization that assists female genre filmmakers (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and action). I might have created the initial idea for the VFF but it's the staff, the filmmakers, the sponsors, and the public that have made it shine. I no longer run the festival itself, I oversee the organization and assist in developing its array of services to help female filmmakers better. However, I keep my filmmaking career separate from my work with the organization. I am an activist at heart, but I have my own career completely outside of the Viscera Organization.
Since Viscera has started, have you seen the number of female horror film makers increase?
Absolutely. A lot of that has to do with technology: the explosion of the internet and increased communication, as well as digital cameras and cheaper equipment. Women are now able to access these items with very little funds. There is still an issue with women not being "bankable" enough in mainstream hollywood, which is an easy scapegoat for discrimination, but they really are becoming more prominent in the independent film circuit.
Do you get many returning film makers to the festival, or is there a different group every year?
We get several each year made by Viscera alumni. The organization works hard all year round to get their films screened in a variety of venues around the world-at no cost to the filmmaker. We focus on facilitating relationships with the filmmakers and want to see them succeed: that's why the organization exists. However, we don't accept their film simply because they are alumni. We have a 3 tiered judging process wherein the judges, including celebrity judges, watch objectively from their own computers and provide notes, which are provided to all the filmmakers, regardless of acceptance or not. Our focus is education and cultivating more experienced and more supportive filmmakers.
It's a cyclical process that many filmmakers have utilized each year to get a critique from professionals in the industry and the general consumer of film. What's even better is that it's completely free to enter. We never charge submission fees. We are not a profiting business, we are a non-profit that serves the filmmaker.
How many events does Viscera hold each year, and where?
We tend to do between 20-30 events each year domestically and internationally. Last year we worked with several partner festivals and events as well as hosted our own in the United States, Ireland, Portugal, Canada, Sweden, and Columbia. We also been to Australia, South Africa, and many other locations in the past. We are currently developing several events in new countries and are constantly expanding our geographical reach.
We recently opened up a new festival dedicated to fantasy and science fiction films, called the Etheria Film Festival, which was created by our brilliant director of programming, Heidi Honeycutt. These films are now available on the tour as well.
What does 'Women in Horror Recognition' month mean to you?
WiHM is a month long celebration with a philanthropic angle: those who participate (called WiHM Ambassadors) must be serving underrepresented female genre artists, those behind the lens and canvas. All Ambassadors must provide educational material to the public (that the organization provides) which lists statistics and facts about the lack of female presence in leadership positions in these industries. No profits can be made from assisting these artists. If any revenue is made it must be donated to a charity of their choice, and recorded.
What WiHM means to me, specifically, is that both genders are participating in what is so called the most objectifying genre to ensure we create equality for both genders. This year we have over 45 Ambassadors around the world discussing these issues and raising awareness about why WiHM exists. The moment the public becomes aware, things start to change. Let's make it a positive one that fuels more jobs and creative ideas.
What made you decide to get into Horror films?
I've always been drawn to the horror genre, since my experience as a spectator of a "Romeo and Juliet" ballet at the age of 4 to seeing "The Elephant Man" at the age of 7 when I was home alone. I have always been deeply affected by the cruelty of other people: the monstrosity they create inside themselves them forces them to hurt themselves and others. That's where the monsters are.
I directed my first film when I was 16 for a panel of scientists at Los Alamos laboratories in New Mexico about the potential destruction of the world if we continue to participate in the proliferation of nuclear weapons. When the world "exploded", it featured an abstract scene with a girl in clown makeup with a strobe light and a Marilyn Manson soundtrack. The scientists were speechless and weirded out, but I had found my calling. I won't always create works of horror, but they will always be intense. That's who I am.
My activist work is certainly wrapped up in the fact that horror, or genre film, for that matter, is an extreme mirror of social, gender, and political reactions. What better way to display women's perspectives than with an intense mirror? As a cinema consumer I would rather experience that than seeing a woman cry into a bowl of ice cream or play out any other stereotypical idea of what a female is.
People aren't black and white. We are all different, men and women.
I will say, however, that ice cream kicks ass.
You have done a lot of work both in front of and behind the camera. What film-making role do you enjoy the most and why?
I love acting, writing, directing, and producing the most. They are all so different and exciting in different ways. However, I love acting the most. I jump completely into it and find myself going all the way for the film, doing all my stunts: walking away with bruises and an exhaustion that's incredibly fulfilling. I truly enjoy creating a deep relationship with the director to give him/her exactly what they want. There's something incredible about assisting in bringing someone else's vision to life, and equally terrifying that a camera is stuck in my face.
Writing is wonderful: I get to escape into a world where no one reaches me. I can become reclusive and exist in a dream before it's presented to the world. Directing is just unbelievably amazing, and producing is equally exciting. It's all awesome.
Do you have for any budding female horror film makers out there?-not sure what this means? Maybe you meant advice?
Start small. Focus on quality, not quantity. Do a 30 second-1 minute film and learn every position on the set. Try everything, and build from there. Making a full scale film is a ton of work, involving quite a few people, so don't shoot yourself in the foot by going too grand too fast (a huge mistake I made in my first films). The script is the absolute most important foundation for your films success. If you have a bad script, no production value or good actors will cover it up completely. However, if you have a good script, the audience are more willing to accept lower production value.
Also, support other filmmakers. There is nothing more distasteful when a filmmaker is only out for themselves, and others notice, including potential investors, press, filmmakers, actors, crew, and even general audience members. Show up to screenings to support filmmakers, even if your film wasn't accepted or involved. Your support to them will only help you, as well as building a community of supportive filmmakers. There is no competition-there's only filmmakers in various stages of development. Support others besides yourself.