Q&A with filmmaker Michael Matzdorff

Longtime film editor and Green Bay native Michael Matzdorff will return to Wisconsin in February to film Feed the Fish, a romantic comedy about a burned-out children’s book author who had a hit book a few years back and is now trying to get his career and life back in order.

Matzdorff has directed two short films, but Feed the Fish will be his first time directing a feature length film. He has a wide array of credits to his name, mostly as editor or assistant editor. Most recently he edited Code Name: The Cleaner, a comedy starring Cedric the Entertainer, Nicollette Sheridan, and Lucy Liu. Other films he has edited are From Within, Motel, and National Lampoon’s Pledge This!, starring Paris Hilton. He was also the editor of the second season of the TV show Monk.

Additionally, he worked in the editorial department of the films Fight Club, Analyze This, Black Sheep and Meet Joe Black.

At the time of our interview in mid-January, last minute casting decisions for Feed the Fish were still being made. But a few talented actors have already signed on for the project.

Tony Shalhoub, from the USA Network’s Monk, will play the town sheriff. Later this year, Shalhoub will tape the eighth and last season of Monk, for which he has won three Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe.

Veteran actor Seymour Cassel is set to play Axel, an inspirational mentor the main character meets while in Wisconsin. Cassel is an Academy Award nominee who has appeared in over 100 films and dozens of TV shows.

Actress Vanessa Branch is also on board. Branch’s film credits include the three Pirates of the Caribbean movies and roles on the TV shows CSI: Miami, Lost, Gilmore Girls, and Port Charles.

In mid-January, I spoke with Matzdorff - who was deep in the pre-production stage of the project. He filmed Jacksonport’s annual “polar bear plunge” on New Year’s Day and will return to Door County in February to film the rest of the movie.

Q: I know you’re no stranger to Wisconsin…

A: Well, I’m originally from Green Bay. Also lived down in the Milwaukee area, in Delafield. My parents moved west to California when I was 13 years old.

Q: Was that your main motivation for setting the story here?

A: Yeah, it was actually. My family is up there every summer, as am I. We have some family property up there that we use, and a couple of them will be main [filming] locations. And I know just because my father and mother have been up there since the early 60’s, and my mother’s family has been up there since the 40’s and 50’s, that there’s a lot of people who know the name. That has sort of allowed us to get help and favors from people who know the name. I’ve met a lot of them over the years in passing, but they’re really better known by my mother, my father, my grandfather and other people who preceded me up there.

Q: What do you think about Wisconsin as a filmmaking destination?

A: Winter, of course, is an issue because it’s cold, it’s slippery, and the weather is a little unpredictable. But that being said, I think Wisconsin is a fantastic destination for filming. It’s got a ton of elements that are used in every story. It’s got big cities, it’s got open water like an ocean, it’s got hilly country, it’s got forests, it’s got farmland, and little towns in-between. And I think that its beautiful landscape and I don’t know why more productions don’t go there. And I’m hoping that with not only the tax incentives, but also places like RDI Stages in Milwaukee –and I’m sure that more of them will spring up– that it brings more business.

Q: You filmed the Polar Bear Plunge in Jacksonport on New Year’s Day. I heard you’ll be re-shooting that?

A: We’re gonna do a reenactment with our main actors. We’re gonna be looking for some spectators who are willing to come out and put themselves in the movie. Probably about 100 people. And we’re also gonna be looking for about 100 people who are willing to go in [the water] again. We’re gonna send in four groups of 25 or so, just so we don’t torture anybody too much. I think it’s going to be Feb. 21^st. If anyone is interested, they should contact feedthefish@triplefinger.com. Just in case anybody wants to subject themselves to some pain.

Q: Where in Door County will you be shooting?

A: We’ll be in Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay, Ellison Bay, Gils Rock and Jacksonport. And a few points in between all of those.

Q: How many people do you expect to be working on the project in Wisconsin?

A: We are expecting probably between 25 and 35 crew members depending on the day and the need. I know we’re also looking for some local folks who can help us with some things. There are both paid and unpaid positions that we’re offering. Like intern-type positions.

Q: How have the communities up there responded to the project so far?

A: They’re extremely gracious and have been very generous with their time and their help. Really, we could not be doing this without so much local support, without question.

Q: You’ve directed two short films, No Regrets and The Belt. Can you tell me a little about those?

A: Well, I’ve always looked at short films as a great way to practice for a feature length film because generally you run into all the same problems and the same issues, the same needs. It’s very much sort of a miniature version of a feature film and it’s a great way to learn. And both of them have played festivals and won awards at festivals. And both of them were made for basically no money at all.

Q: Feed the Fish will be the first feature length film you’ve directed. Much of your work in the industry has been as an editor. How has editing helped prepare you for directing?

A: I think editing is a great place to learn about filmmaking because what you end up doing in editing is actually the last rewrite.  Story is very important, obviously, in filmmaking and storytelling in general. In editing, you take everything that’s been shot and figure out what’s required to convey the information on the screen. And because I wrote and will be directing and probably taking part in the editing of “Feed the Fish,” I’m hoping that I’ve guessed right with the writing and will do well with the directing. There’s been a lot of editing already done, in my opinion. And hopefully my opinion is the right one!

Q: When did you write the screenplay?

A: Started working on it in 2006 and I’m gonna be working on it this afternoon. (Laughs) It was basically to a state of completion, I would say, early last year. Storytelling, I think, is a really complicated thing and it’s hard to do well. It takes a great deal of time, at least for me, to make a good story. And I think that we have a great story here, but it hasn’t come without a lot of help and input and showing it to people, getting feedback. So it’s not a solitary process. Nothing about filmmaking is a solitary process.

Q: Will you premiere Feed the Fish in Wisconsin?

A: Yeah, the plan is once we are finished, I would like to run the film in Sturgeon Bay for everyone in Door County and everyone who helped us out.

Related Items

• To read a report on RDI Stages’ grand opening, click here.
• To visit the film’s official website, click here.
• Contact Matthew Sliker at matt@bayviewcompass.com.