http://lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2005/06/09/film/film01.txt
Here is an older article I found about Matthew and his short film The Cactus That Looked Like A Man. Its dated back in 2005 but of course we don't mind! Enjoy!
The life cinematic with Vegas filmmaker Matthew Gray Gubler
BY TOMMY MARTH
When film students finally get hands-on experience with a camera, the resulting product is often a droll, abstract and emotionally unstable film about a boy/girl who meets his/her significant other. The significant other leaves, boy/girl kills him/herself with a rusty straight razor, and the final death scene alternates between sepia, black and white, and color to make sure everyone notices the microcrystalline blood substitute that came courtesy of their film's financier -- i.e. the director's mother.
Matthew Gray Gubler's mother, unbiased as she is, thinks he has put together the finest collection of short films ever. She declares so on the sleeve of his DVD, which contains cinematic bursts such as Dead or Retarded and My Favorite Friend. But during his enrollment at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Gubler's professors didn't know what to make of one of the films now included on the DVD. The Cactus That Looked Like a Man ran twice as long as the standard student short.
"The faculty had an argument over the film -- they didn't even want to show it because people were offended," says the 25-year-old filmmaker. "They tell you to not do more than 15 minutes in film school, but you tell a joke until you get to the point, however long that takes."
There was another problem the pedagogues had with Gubler's wry sense of humor. "It ends on a happy note, but you have to side with someone who is not the most savory of characters. It's not good guy versus bad guy; it's more like bad guy and bad guy."
During Gubler's senior year, he was required to intern. "I found Wes Anderson in the NYU pages and just sent him some of my older movies with a note. That was a really lucky thing because I'm not usually that forceful or anything." That internship led to a role in Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, in which Gubler plays the intern whose arm is cut off. He was then cast in the CBS pilot, "Quantico," which debuts in the regular fall season under the new title "Criminal Minds."
But Gubler prefers to leave the acting to others in his own films. In Cactus, longtime Vegas scenester and Killers' road manager Ryan Pardey plays the part of Henri French, a loser city boy who goes looking for the romanticized West he reads about in a book. The film centers on his encounter with murderous recluse Rancher Croon, who befriends the naive French with salt-water taffy and music instead of killing him.
Many filmmakers can be described as an actor's director, a producer's director or a writer with a camera. Gubler is all of the above. He allows the story to dictate direction and acting. His writing is succinct but descriptive. His shooting style is aggressive but mature. He doesn't arbitrarily use crane shots and camera gimmicks; he shoots without superfluous "creative" distraction. Most importantly, Gubler maintains control over every aspect in the film, saturating frames with key colors when necessary and forcing the actors to give his audience the story. His films look as though they were shot by a seasoned professional.
"I see too many of these characters, especially in student films, who are like, 'Fuck it dude,' like they're too cool for anything -- too apathetic. I enjoy characters like Max Fischer from Rushmore -- anyone flawed with a lot of heart and optimism." Every character Gubler creates or enjoys is an extension of himself: a flawed, optimistic, and passionate human being. And that is why Gubler succeeds where dilettantes fail.
Here is an older article I found about Matthew and his short film The Cactus That Looked Like A Man. Its dated back in 2005 but of course we don't mind! Enjoy!
Cactus flowering
The life cinematic with Vegas filmmaker Matthew Gray Gubler
BY TOMMY MARTH
When film students finally get hands-on experience with a camera, the resulting product is often a droll, abstract and emotionally unstable film about a boy/girl who meets his/her significant other. The significant other leaves, boy/girl kills him/herself with a rusty straight razor, and the final death scene alternates between sepia, black and white, and color to make sure everyone notices the microcrystalline blood substitute that came courtesy of their film's financier -- i.e. the director's mother.
Matthew Gray Gubler's mother, unbiased as she is, thinks he has put together the finest collection of short films ever. She declares so on the sleeve of his DVD, which contains cinematic bursts such as Dead or Retarded and My Favorite Friend. But during his enrollment at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Gubler's professors didn't know what to make of one of the films now included on the DVD. The Cactus That Looked Like a Man ran twice as long as the standard student short.
"The faculty had an argument over the film -- they didn't even want to show it because people were offended," says the 25-year-old filmmaker. "They tell you to not do more than 15 minutes in film school, but you tell a joke until you get to the point, however long that takes."
There was another problem the pedagogues had with Gubler's wry sense of humor. "It ends on a happy note, but you have to side with someone who is not the most savory of characters. It's not good guy versus bad guy; it's more like bad guy and bad guy."
During Gubler's senior year, he was required to intern. "I found Wes Anderson in the NYU pages and just sent him some of my older movies with a note. That was a really lucky thing because I'm not usually that forceful or anything." That internship led to a role in Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, in which Gubler plays the intern whose arm is cut off. He was then cast in the CBS pilot, "Quantico," which debuts in the regular fall season under the new title "Criminal Minds."
But Gubler prefers to leave the acting to others in his own films. In Cactus, longtime Vegas scenester and Killers' road manager Ryan Pardey plays the part of Henri French, a loser city boy who goes looking for the romanticized West he reads about in a book. The film centers on his encounter with murderous recluse Rancher Croon, who befriends the naive French with salt-water taffy and music instead of killing him.
Many filmmakers can be described as an actor's director, a producer's director or a writer with a camera. Gubler is all of the above. He allows the story to dictate direction and acting. His writing is succinct but descriptive. His shooting style is aggressive but mature. He doesn't arbitrarily use crane shots and camera gimmicks; he shoots without superfluous "creative" distraction. Most importantly, Gubler maintains control over every aspect in the film, saturating frames with key colors when necessary and forcing the actors to give his audience the story. His films look as though they were shot by a seasoned professional.
"I see too many of these characters, especially in student films, who are like, 'Fuck it dude,' like they're too cool for anything -- too apathetic. I enjoy characters like Max Fischer from Rushmore -- anyone flawed with a lot of heart and optimism." Every character Gubler creates or enjoys is an extension of himself: a flawed, optimistic, and passionate human being. And that is why Gubler succeeds where dilettantes fail.
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