Henry Davis

Keep Film weird

Written by Henry Davis

Austin’s unique style with film and how it persevered through a pandemic

For decades, people have noted Austin as a hub for film. With many famous directors, producers, and other filmmakers living here and making movies, the film scene in Austin has become very large. Some say we have a unique style, and some say that we are very diverse in our film.

Several Austin-based magazines, such as the Chronicle and The Statesman, have film critics that bolster the Austin film industry and help people choose which movies they want to watch. One of these reviewers is James Scott, a proofreader and film critic for the Austin Chronicle. He loves films, especially ones made in Austin.

“I think we have a very robust community of creative people,” Scott said “That leads to perhaps not a booming film industry, but definitely one that’s consistent and puts out a lot of very interesting stuff.”

Scott thinks Texas has a

“I think we have a very robust community of creative people”

very unique and distinct style when it comes to making films.

“I think Texas films in general have a really specific and unique voice because this is a very specific and unique state,” Scott said. Deb Lewis, a film professor at the University of Texas at Austin and cinematographer, agrees with Scott. She has shot many productions in Austin such as The Making of Dazed and Confused and All of Me. Lewis does not think Austin necessarily has a unique style of film, but a much stronger industry than other places.

“I wouldn’t say it has a specific style,” Lewis said. “I mean, there’s more independent filmmaking made here... you’re not going to see someone make Revenge of the Sith here. So it’s more limited, and a lot of people come here to make more independent films, but there are all sorts of types of independent films.”

Many famous Austin films are independent films. Slacker, written, produced and directed by Richard Linklater, is an example of an independent film made in Austin. Linklater casted random people he saw around the city to be in the movie, and in the end, his idea worked out very well.

Several of his films were filmed in and around the city. Lewis remembers coming to Austin at a very pivotal time in its growth as a film center.

“I came here right when Richard Linklater’s Slacker was just coming out, which was a really important film and in the Austin film scene, and I just got here at the right time, and I’ve been here ever since,” Lewis said.

Leah Marino is an editor and producer, who has worked on several projects such as Motherland, Southwest of Salem, and 7 Chinese Brothers. She agrees that Richard Linklater is a very influential director in the Austin film industry.

“See, I think that [Linklater] created the feeling of what Austin was in the film world, but I think it’s broken out from that...I don’t think it’s limited by that,” Marino said.

She believes that the Austin film scene is very diverse and not limited by a single style.

“Before the pandemic, we didn’t think anything could suppress Austin’s voice in film,” Marino said “But when

Deb Lewis filming Making Dazed. Photo courtesy of Deb Lewis.

it started, productions across the city started to slow down. Some were even canceled altogether.”

“I think we haven’t been able to come together as a community. And I think that’s the biggest loss, because there’s certain times during the year when you can... all gather together like... the film festival and some events, you know, at the Austin Film Society and things like that. We were all able to come together and see what’s happening.”

Behind the scenes of Slacker, 1996. Photo courtesy of Criterion.

Marino also thinks that the pandemic hindered our ability to share ideas and come together over film. Several festivals and screenings were canceled, which lowered the enthusiasm of fans and filmmakers.

“I hope the future of Austin film is that it continues to grow as an industry”

“At South [by Southwest], we would have a party afterwards, and we could see each other and say, ‘We haven’t seen each other in six months,’ and the community kind of felt connected because of that,’’ Marino said. “I feel like those connections are harder to happen now. See, we’re all...in our own little universes more [than] without with COVID.”

It was incredibly difficult to produce a film during the pandemic. The strict safety precautions prevented creative vision, and many sets and studios were closed. Directors found it harder to organize shots with people standing close to each other, and the crew had to work with social distancing too. However, the film industry adapted.

“I know that the film industry started to put together COVID protocols that really helped to get filming started again, in Austin, and kept a lot of people pretty safe,’’ Scott said. “Even though it was more expensive, it was definitely creating a lot less liability. And it’s getting back up to speed postvaccination.”

Once the COVID-19 vaccine became available and widespread, production started to come back. Hypnotic, directed by Robert Rodriguez, is being produced in Austin right

Robert Rodriguez on the set of Hypnotic. Photo courtesy of the Austin Chronicle.

now in Rodriguez’s studios. The film crew has been seen wearing masks and following correct safety protocols to ensure production goes smoothly.

Who knows what the future holds for film in Austin after the pandemic. Filmmakers have had a lot of time to think, so they may come back with new ideas. Marino thinks the industry could go any way. “It’s so hard to predict,” Marino said “It’s grown so much. This guy who lives across the street from me is a filmmaker, too. It’s just crazy.”

She also believes that the industry will come back strong post-pandemic.

“[The film industry] is going to come back and I don’t know what’s going to happen… What kind of fresh, new ideas are people going to come up with the way [films are shown]?” Marino asked.

Scott hopes that the film industry continues to grow and come up with new ideas.

“I hope the future of Austin film is that it continues to grow as an industry… and that a lot of the initiatives and other projects that have been cropping up allow for more diversity in the film industry are able to thrive,” Scott said.

Naturally, the unique style found in Austin film comes from the people that live here. Scott recognizes that without them, our creative voice would be gone.

“For most creative industries in Austin, in general, [I hope the] technification and high cost of living don’t drive a lot of the cool weirdos out of town,”Scott said. “That continues to be a very distinctive creative voice within Austin.”