Making Horror Films is Discovering your own Demons- "Mama" by Antonio Riestra
2022 NEER Nightmares - Part 3
Award-winning NEER Artist Antonio Riestra ASC, ACK, AEC : Cinematographer of “Mama,” “Normal,” “Black Bread.”
Every creative process is a reflection of what you are going through.
When I was shooting “Mama,” I was going through a phase. I was seeking light for my inner darkness. A friend suggested that shooting the film was a way to exorcize my own demons. She said that if we do not shed light on the darkness, then the darkness will always be there. If you shed light, you are able to see and address it.
During the making of “Mama,” I was lonely. I purposely isolated myself. I stayed away from the crew, in my own world. So when I watch the film, I actually feel my own isolation coming through in the shots.
My brain exploded after shooting “Mama.” And one of the strangest parts of working on “Mama” was, right after I finished shooting, my mother passed away. Just twenty days after we wrapped!
“A friend suggested that shooting the film was a way to exorcize my own demons. She said that if we do not shed light on the darkness, then the darkness will always be there.”
In 2010, I shot “Black Bread” - a story that takes place in the Civil War. It’s about how a kid discovers all these lies about his own life. Through the lies, he begins to discover who he is. I was in a similar personal situation when I shot that film too.
As I mentioned earlier, I once believed that my success was me. But, it was not me. It was through me. It is a larger life force, you can call it creativity or creation. Because our work happens through us, the movies we make are often related to the life we live. It can help us to work out our own demons.
Q: Why do you think creativity finds expression in such a dark way as in the Horror genre?
Some people are lucky to manifest their monsters in a creative way. Others are not so lucky. They manifest their demons in destructive ways. Then, they cannot get out of it. I think a society of crime, homicide, absence of certain values… It attracts rough energies. Those energies need to find expression.
In my case, the situations I was going through in my life manifested. The things I had gone through in my life needed to be out in the open. They manifested through the combination of people, the crew.
When I first started shooting “Normal the Düsseldorf Ripper” in 2003, I met Julius the director. The first thing he said after I read the script was like, “Let’s fuck it up. Let's do anything you want… let’s go wild with shooting this movie.”
My favorite scene in that movie is the one I hated shooting the very most because the location was creepy and made me feel very uncomfortable- when the kid first sees blood and realizes he has an attraction for its smell.
It is my favorite because of how it turned out. The light looks cyan, yellow-green… There is a sulphuric effect which dissolves things in a harsh way. That came from uneasiness. I was so uneasy with that part of the story. And everything I was feeling, shows on screen. I get goosebumps remembering that moment.
But now, the movie I just finished - “The Black Demon.” That is so different. It is more me now, who I am today. It is fun, not taking things too seriously. Learning to deal with things without taking it personally.
So if you are aware, movie-making evolves you too.
