HFF 2015 Interview: Your Catfish Friend: Philip Campbell Director Kurt Lee Nettleton

Artist Philip Campbell spent more than a year of his life creating a hand carved, wall sized, wooden piece depicting ‘Your Catfish Friend’. It reflects far more than just that year. Your Catfish Friend: Philip Campbell is a 2015 Heartland Film Festival Official Selection, Indiana Spotlight, Documentary Short.

We spoke with Director Kurt Lee Nettleton about his film:

HF: What is your film about, and how did the project come to be?

KLN: Your Catfish Friend is about artist Philip Campbell, an Indianapolis local. Years ago he saw potential in a building in Fountain Square that used to be Murphy’s Department store. Seeing a need for space for artists (at the closing of Hot House) he got SEND to help him acquire the building and set to work. This short covers the newest work from Phil; now that he doesn’t operate the Murphy building or other artist facilities, he’s fully back into creating his art. While receiving a Creative Renewal Grant, he and Shauta Marsh talked over commissioning a new piece for IMOCA’s gallery, his biggest carving to date, and IMOCA’s largest commission. The project lasted a full year and towards the end of the piece, Shauta hired me to create a video to document Phil and his work.

HF: What was your role in the production?

KLN: I did all the filming and editing. I worked with Gabriel Levi Stonerock on the scoring.

HF: Why did you submit to the Heartland Film Festival? Have you been to the Festival before?

KLN: I have! It’s been years actually, but when I first came down to Indianapolis for college in 2006 we went to all sorts of films up at the Landmark art cinema in Keystone. One film I like so much (Expiration Date) I found it online and bought it.

HF: This year’s tagline is “Movies That Stay with You” – what lasting effect will your film have on moviegoers?

KLN: For Phil, he’s gone through a number transformations in his life, and his intention was to remind people that there are beautiful experiences you should try to hang on to through out your life. My hope is that by the end of the film that sense of “fleeting happiness” really sets in and reminds you (the viewer) of what you find beautiful and fleeting.

HF: What has inspired you to become a filmmaker?

KLN: Star Wars. Followed by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And then so on, down the list of films I love. I suppose it’s the same way musicians feel about music: to most people films are just a spectrum of good or bad, entertaining or not. For myself (and I suppose other passionate filmmakers/artists) films are everything. From consolation, to moving, to inspiring, to disgusting, they’re so visceral that the thought of not making films and video is borderline painful at times.

HF: What is something that you know about filmmaking now, but you weren’t told when you started your career?

KLN: Like any trade or skill, there’s a slew of things you don’t want to do that comes with being control of something you do. For me two big things were organizing and scheduling. I never considered that organizing footage would be both important and monumentally time consuming. But now it’s sort of an “obvious” thing. You think of filmmaking and you mostly think of filming behind a camera or maybe a little bit of editing. But simply sitting and sifting and labelling footage….not my first thought. Scheduling with people to be somewhere at certain times, seems obvious, but I for some reason never mentally connected filmmaking with something so menial.

HF: What are some of your favorite movies? What’s your favorite worst movie (you know it’s bad, but still love it)?

KLN: I stated two above. The new Star Trek (not into Darkness), Blade Runner, The Thing, Lost in Translation. As far as bad-good movies, the only thing that comes to mind is Saving Silverman.

HF: How many film festivals has your film been a part of? What do you like the most about the festival experience?

KLN: Just one other one, the Indy Film Fest. It’s fun! This is my first year ever submitting. It can be stressful, but it forces me to make materials I would otherwise not make or think to make. I get to sit and watch other films (which is always fantastic).

HF: Heartland Film Festival moviegoers love filmmaker Q&As. Let’s say a Festival attendee wants to earn some brownie points—what is a question that you’d love to answer, but haven’t yet been asked?

KLN: I’m open to anything. Just don’t make me answer in person in front of a crowd….I’m not a big fan of having to talk to crowds.