Marta’s Sex Tape - The Making of a Pop Art Comedy

Interview with Anthony Rivero Stabley (Designer & Filmmaker) known best as the Art Director of “Stigmata”, “White Oleander” and Todd Hayne’s “Safe”. In 2001, using the pen name Antonio Rivero he began making short films in Mexico City with fellow artists Mariana Kahlo & Marco Niro. As a result, we now have the Pop Art Comedy “Marta’s Sex Tape” and the Award Winning Series “Electronica”

Q1: What is Marta’s Sex Tape about?
I think that all Artists eventually have to expose themselves to the outside world and well, as you can imagine, there’s a lot fear that’s attached to that process. So understanding this creative journey and feeling good about oneself is the essence of “Marta’s Sex Tape”. It’s also, honestly, a rather comical reflection of all the self doubts & concerns that I had during the editing.

Q2: What was the inspiration behind the film?
This all sort of happened during the time that I was shooting some short films down in Mexico City with Mariana Kahlo & Marco Niro. I was experimenting with this concept that Cinema & Love both share this amazing, yet rather intangible “Make Believe” quality. So for me, “Marta’s Sex Tape” was a thematic continuation of that blurred celluloid world.

Q3: For those not familiar how would you define pop art comedy?
I call this a Pop Art Comedy for many reasons. Firs off, it’s a very funny film and second, the main character (Marta) is a struggling artist, so the idea was to make this all very painterly by using a restrictive color palette like one you might see in a Pop Art canvas. We used broad strokes of blue, purple, pink, black, white and golden tones to tell our story. Marta’s Sex Tape is also very Pop Culture because making a “sex” tape is so ridiculously prevalent in these absurd, cyber loving days.

www.martasextape.com

Q4: How was shooting on location? Did you find all talent locally?
Marta’s Sex Tape was made over a course of four plus years. The principle photography took place in Mexico City, using English and Spanish speaking actors. Pilar Padilla (Marta) had recently finished “Bread & Roses” for Director Ken Loach and we were really lucky to get her. There was also this big mix of non-actor talent, just funny, interesting people. Marta’s parents were shot in Albuquerque (New Mexico) while I was working on another project. Emilia Carbajal (Marta’s Mom) was a housekeeper at a hotel when I met her and I have to say that she is one of the best, most genuine parts of the movie. We also shot some portions in L.A. – so it was quite a collage in a filmmaking sense.

Q5: What were the biggest challenges directing this film?
Marta’s Sex Tape had to be an art film because of the work I do as a Production Designer and because the main character was an Artist, So creating a language for the film that was genuine, fresh and more importantly, that made sense was my biggest task. I also had to learn how to edit on my own, I had to keep adding and taking away bits and honestly, having the film to myself and not quitting was my biggest undertaking. We also had some last minute music issues and that was a big hurdle. Luckily, my wonderful Music Supervisor (Claudia Andrade) came in and saved the day.

www.miamiundergroundff.com

Q6: Have you participated before in Miami Undeground Film Festival? Where else would you like to take the film?
This will be my first time at the Miami Underground Film Festival and I am really looking forward to it. Last year, this Festival showcased another Bolivian born Filmmaker (Rodrigo Bellot) and that made me really happy. As for future screenings – I think any well-organized Festival that embraces Art & Latin Cinema would be perfect for us. I am sure we will also put together screenings in L.A. and Mexico City as a gesture to all the generous people that helped us out.

Q7: What are the prospects for Distribution?
I think we will do well with getting the film out. The landscape has changed tremendously in the last year or so. We can now combine self-distribution, while using various websites as platforms for broader markets. So far the clips playing on the web have attracted considerable attention, because people are really curious. Marta’s Sex Tape is foremost a Comedy, but it also has so many crazy aspects to it’s personality. It’s a real strong original piece and people are gravitating to it. Please visit… MartaSexTape.com, Amazon.com and Filmbaby.com – the DVD will be available at these sites and more.

Q8: What is next for Super Grande Films?
We did really well with our Web-Series pilot “Electronica” last year. It screened at Cannes (Short Film Corner). It received Nominations and Awards at the HDFEST & the IPOD Film Festival. So we feel we are on the right track with this project. We will get into Production later this year and finish it up. Producers David Hillary (Spun) and Tim Peternel (Buffalo 66) have come on board as mentors. We are quite happy with this. For more info go to… SuperGrandeFilms.com

We can’t wait to host the “Electronica” series on LatinLounge.tv. - Mitch

Sunday, January 20, 2008  |  Share This