Interview with Filmmaker Liz Lachman (PIN-UP)

PIN-UP played at the October 2018 Los Angeles FEEDBACK Film Festival to rave reviews.

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

Liz Lachman: This film was motivated by my own experiences and artist friends experiences of feeling never good enough and emotionally “empty,” always searching for perfection in our work, ourselves, everything outside of ourselves. On closer examination I realized that the feeling of being loved was actually the thing we were all in search of.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this short?

The short was actually taken from my feature film script- so not including the writing of that, I would say from writing to final mix was probably a year.

3. How would you describe your short film in two words!?

Psychological, haunting

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest obstacle was not enough money to shoot for more days. We had to cram probably too much into the 4 days we could afford and that meant some artistry suffered. We couldn’t take the time to set up the shots we had planned so all of a sudden lots more handheld camera… stuff like that. It still works, but I would have liked to see what we actually had planned to shoot!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

Initially, when the MC asked what people thought about my film – there was dead silence. My stomach and heart sank. But then she shared her own feelings and it seemed to open everyone up and then they started talking about their reactions. And it was SO OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE that I was thrilled!

6. How did you come up with the idea for this short film?

The idea for the short was based on my feature script- but instrumental in the idea for that was that I became physically attracted to a painting of a pin-up calendar girl. I was so blown away over what triggered that in me- how that could happen, that I began to examine what was behind it all. And then … down the rabbit hole!

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

If you’re asking which film I’ve seen the most times- the answer- no question- is GROUNDHOG DAY. In the guise of comedy, that film examines some very deep and wonderful themes! And it’s hilarious.

8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway, what are you feelings of the submission platform from a filmmaker’s perspective?

FilmFreeway is SO EASY! They keep track of things, remind you if you’ve already submitted, let you know what festivals are upcoming- it’s easy to see what you’ve submitted to with results, it’s a user friendly platform. Really like it.

9. What song have you listened to the most times in your life?

As a former singer/songwriter- I’ve probably listened the most to MY OWN songs- RUMBLE is probably my favorite (you can hear it on my website http://www.lizlachman.com). When I couldn’t get the rights to the song I wanted for Pin-Up I decided to put one of my own songs, RELENTLESS, in there and it worked great! BUT barring my own work- my all-time favorite that I never get tired of hearing- and a brilliant song, probably a perfect song: “WHY” by Annie Lennox. OMG -sheer poetry.

10. What is next for you? A new film?

Next for me is working on getting the feature version of PIN-UP made. As I mentioned, the script is written and I’ve had a budget put together on how much it will cost to make- that turns out to be 2.8 million. (Not a huge sum but more than I have in my pocket!) Now I need either the money- OR to attract an actress or executive producer who loves the material and can help draw that money. I also have 2 screenplays under option being shopped to major directors and talent, so my fingers are crossed on those as well. So that’s what’s next!