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 Banner by Wes Vance |
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Don't let the name fool you, Stolis Hadjicharalambous is a name to look out for in the future. The independent film veteran at only 20 years of age took part in a film group at his high school led by Bart Mastronardi and as the group graduated, they stayed together to continue making movies. Stolis decided to test his skills on a feature, and co-wrote the action/thriller CROSSED with star Christopher Otis. With CROSSED almost complete, and simultaneously working on three other projects as well as currently studying at the School of Visual Arts, Stolis is the real deal when it comes to pure independent filmmaking. Recently, the Crypt met up with Stolis on the set of Bart Mastronardi's VINDICATION to discuss his interest in film, CROSSED, working with indie stalwarts as Alan Rowe Kelly, and a bright future ahead.
COLONEL’S CRYPT: What led you to co-write and direct CROSSED? STOLIS HADJICHARAMABLOUS: The idea for CROSSED came along when I graduated high school. I had made short films with a local film club. I wanted to try and tackle a bigger challenge. Christopher Otis, who plays Frank Archer in the film, and myself developed the idea for CROSSED and wrote it together. I really wanted to tackle a big feature, see if I had it in me. I knew I wouldn’t keep making shorts the rest of my life. I want to make a living on this and persue a career, and I felt doing a feature would be a good opportunity to do that. It would also act as my own personal film school, to play around with all the tools that we had. So far, it’s been doing amazing and I’m very proud of the film. CC: How is being involved with this club and how is the camroderie involved with everyone in this project? SH: I found my cast and crew through my high school. We had the club and a great theater program which Bart Mastronardi helped set up and direct. I was 18 at the time so I really used the talents surrounded by me. I think by working with your friends, Javier Rodriguez, Chris Otis, Henry Boriello, all actors, and Bart, who is my DP, I was able to work with people I grew to know and trusted that I know wouldn’t steer me the wrong way in making CROSSED the best movie that it can be. You feel an element of comfort working with friends. They know my style, what movies I like, they know me well and it’s very easy to communicate that. We constantly contact each other. I know that nobody will bail out on each other. There won’t be a talented group like this group that graduated together. CC: What is CROSSED about? SH: In a nutshell, CROSSED is about the journey of a young hitman, played by Christopher Otis, who at a very young age lost his father, a hitman. It is his journey to discover whether he should continue to be a hitman to honor his father or branch off and become the person he feels he should be. He does encounter a few unsavory characters. Javier Rodriguez, who plays the Ripper, is one who is challenging Frank Archer and people that he works for. In addition to this emotional journey, we have a grand scale of action that proceeds the story forwards. It’s a simple journey with a lot of action. CC: Being I know CROSSED is more of an action film, you have worked on a few horror themed projects with Bart Mastronardi. What else have you worked on? SH: I’m working with Bart Mastronardi on his directorial film VINDICATION. I act as assistant director or a production manager on set, but I am primarily an editor on the film, which I’ve also been doing on side for other filmmakers. We’re hoping to have that done in post production by the end of the year. I know he’s wrapping up production in the next few weeks. I’ve worked with Bart on so many projects so we have a good history and working relationship. In addition, I have worked with Alan Rowe Kelly, where THE BLOOD SHED was my first real editing credit. Alan took a chance on me, I was 19 at the time and he asked me to do the film. I jumped on the opportunity. He’s a genius among geniuses and we’re about to wrap up his vignette for HUNG BY A THREAD called A FAR CRY FROM HOME. Alan also acts in CROSSED, he’s immensely talented. I worked with Bart on a commercial for HANDS ACROSS AMERICA as an assistant cameraperson. They’re just awesome and brilliant people. CC: How did it feel to direct someone like Alan, a director, on the set of CROSSED? SH: Alan is a tremendous talent. He takes any role very seriously. He wants to make it unique and different. As for the tables turning, there’s not much of a difference because we respect each other so much and we take each other’s opinions very seriously. By working together, he trusted in me to bring out his character and performance. He always gives 120 percent so I just love working with Alan. He also did a part in DING DONG DATE, my School of Visual Arts thesis project. It’s a pleasure to work with him, and he takes any role and makes them unique by giving a spin only he can. CC: What are the rigors on such a low budget independent film especially one in dealing with stunts and fight scenes? SH: Doing an action movie really asks a lot from the cast and crew. I knew we could do things that our group really hasn’t done. There is gunplay in the movie. I have to credit Javier Rodriguez for getting his hands on some blank guns that we can use within reasons. We were smart about where we used them so we went to very deserted locations and staged our fight scenes in places that we could get away with. We went to upstate New York and we filmed most of the gun fights in a wooded area so we could stay away from trouble. Sometimes we kept some of the action in our backyards in Queens, New York. We took a lot of risks but that’s a part of filmmaking. As far as the brutal makeup effects, I have to thank Henry Boriello, who’s doing double duty since he’s a lead actor in the film. He’s also doing makeup effects for VINDICATION but he’s really honed his skills for CROSSED by doing great, crazy, bloody makeup effects and prosthetics. He was recently nominated for several makeup awards for his theater company. I credit Henry and Javier for the materials we need to bring the scenes alive. We also choreographed the stunts ourselves, especially Javier and Christopher, who do the most fighting throughout the movie. They were able to study films in how they were shot in terms of how to stand and maneuver around. They were able to practice the fight scenes and also run their lines, so I think that’s why all the fight scenes came out tremendously and I’m very proud of the hard work those two put in, because they made it feel that more believable. CC: How important has Christopher and Javier’s roles been in terms of financing and getting the project together? SH: Originally I hired Javier just as an actor to play The Ripper. The more we discussed about what the story would be, Javier was starting to really love his character. He believed in the story enough he was willing to help finance the project. We’ll just balance it out, make sure we’re spending money where it needs to be spent, and keep it economically rational. He’s responsible for the major finances going on, and we split the difference. The movie wouldn’t have been made without him, he got everything rolling. With Christopher Otis, I’ve known him since my sophomore year in high school, he’s like a little brother to me. We just cooked up the idea and fell in love with all the characters. Again, he’s one that really knows the story and he’s making sure I’m keeping track with it. He’s also a fantastic actor, he came from the film club. He had no formal acting club, only through what he experienced from the plays and the little short movies that we did. When we were doing CROSSED, he said he wanted to be in the movie. He wrote the character for him based on his strengths. He rehearsed and I honestly think he’s grown so much as an actor and he’s become a Jack of All Trades on the set. Those two are like the trinity of the group and working with Bart too, who started it all, it became full circle for us, so I’m very proud to be working with these gentlemen. CC: What is your role on Bart’s VINDICATION? SH: I am the editor of the film. I’ve been editing Bart’s movies since the early days of high school. He asked me for my help to edit VINDICATION and that’s my role in that. I’m also a crew member. He has me on set all the time working as an editor to check out the coverage which is unique because editors usually aren’t on set, they’re always in the editing room. That’s a habit that I’ve just gone from working on everyone’s movies as crew members we just came onto the idea of being on set, but it’s very helpful as I’m able to see the progression of the story as opposed to just viewing dailies going “There’s that movie.” I know the movie well and we’re about to head into post production in the next few weeks. CC: What’s next on the horizon? SH: It’s sometimes very difficult to see what’s on the horizon when you’re still sailing this ship but I do have a few projects lined up. What I usually do when I finish a short or a feature, whatever genre I’ve just worked on I usually go the opposite end of the spectrum. I did a short movie called DING DONG DATE, my School Of Visual Arts thesis film which was a comedy. I was shooting it while I was shooting CROSSED and I decided a comedy because I didn’t want to always do heavy horror at that time and I fell in love with it. I think the next feature I would love to do is a really good comedy as I fell in love with it doing DING DONG DATE. God willing, if people like CROSSED, maybe they’ll be a CROSSED 2. I hate talking sequel but you never know, hopefully. If not, I’d love to revisit these characters anyway. CC: Do you see yourself directing a horror? SH: Yes, every genre. I don’t want to be stuck in one genre, I kind of want to test it, going from spectrum to spectrum. My first little short was a horror movie. It was called SCHOOL’S OUT and I’d like to revisit horror. However I’m working with Bart and Alan, who are horror geniuses in my opinion so I’m getting my horror fill. If I find a really good story to tell, I’ll definitely do it. CC: Where do you see independent film in the next few years? SH: I think if people like myself, Bart, Keith Fraser, Chris, Alan, Javier, and Henry push the limits of independent features and more people are like that, seeing independent features not just as a launching board for films but as the way people will catch on to it and really pay more respect to it. I think it’s coming along since the technology is catching on more and I think there is a lot more quality in the independent films that are coming out. There is always something special in independent filmmaking as opposed to Hollywood filmmaking, which I have no problem with, but there’s definitely a special spirit, a family feeling. If I were to make CROSSED on a Hollywood budget, I wouldn’t have a family helping me like this group. I think that’s why that spirit will continue on and grow bigger and bigger. It started in the late 80s and it’s growing, a force to be reckoned with I think. I see great things on the horizon for independent filmmaking. CC: I leave the last word for you. SH: CROSSED will be out hopefully by the end of the year and I just hope people will go see it and enjoy it. Thanks Scott.
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