Recently, writer/director Clint Cullum took time out of his busy pre-production schedule to talk to us about his new film, The Deserted. Below is our exclusive interview with the young filmmaker.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Let's start with something simple. What made you want to be a filmmaker?
Well, initially, I suppose it was because I enjoyed watching movies. A lot. I could make a list a mile long of films and filmmakers who have influenced me in one way or another. There are so many, it seems almost unfair to try and reduce them down into a list. But I will say that my primary influence is probably the work of Ingmar Bergman. In many ways, I think his films represent the high point of film as an artform.

What goals do you have as a filmmaker or a storyteller?
I believe that the conflicts and matters of the spirit and the soul are what unite us all, and many people react very differently. Actually, I believe that this is the true purpose of all art—to address the universal questions of existence and meaning and truth. So, I guess if I were to sum up my goal, it would be to create a visual manifestation of spiritual conditions. I also hope, with my films, to reveal or understand certain universal truths—to hint at the Divine. To be honest, these are the feelings I have when I watch many of my favorite films, or when I hear a piece of music by Bach, or see a painting by Da Vinci or Michelangelo, and I hope to be humble enough to be used like they were.

Your influences are very European. How do you translate that for American audiences. Do you feel you need to?
In a way, I don't feel that I need to. I seem to recall Trudcdcffut once saying when he was making The 400 Blows, that he was trying to make an American film, like those of the great American filmmakers he admired (Hitchcock, Ford, Hawks, etc.), yet in the end, even he recognized that he had made one of the quintessential French films.

You approach film somewhat uniquely. What makes your directorial style distinct or different?
I don't focus on story or plot, like the typical Hollywood film might, but on characters, feelings, and the truth of the moment. I'm more interested in ideas and moments rather than stories.

So you're not looking for stories that Hollywood would typically consider "marketable?"
I don't make films with the thought of getting studio interest in mind. I'm not necessarily opposed to those kinds of films, but it seems that I'm not especially drawn to make them either. Now, though, in today's environment where it's conceivably so much cheaper to produce films than in the past, I don't feel as much of a need to make films with the express purpose of being "marketable." Obviously I want people to see my films, but they probably aren't the kind that will be setting any box office records.

Let's talk about The Deserted. How did you come up with this story?
Initially I came up with the idea after watching Ida Lupino's The Hitchhiker—a low budget film noir from the 40's. I liked the idea of having a film almost exclusively set in a car and on the open road. Back then, however, my idea was much more genre driven—much more of a suspense film. As I kept rewriting the script, my ideas about filmmaking and about this film in particular started gradually changing. Now about the only things that remain from my original idea are the three characters and the setting.

Why limit yourself to one location? Why a car?
The simple answer is cost efficiency. With the one, primary location I can afford to make the film for a ridiculously low cost. Plus, with the possible exception of Kiarostami's Ten, I can't think of another film that is set almost exclusively in a car. The car in the desert also makes an interesting metaphor for life, particularly in the case of Ron and Susan's characters, who seem to have abandoned everything.

Your film focuses on a young married couple. Are you writing about marriage? Love? Relationships? Or something else entirely?
No, I don't see the film as having any grand statements about marriage, relationships, or love—at least not marital love. I see it as being the spiritual journey these two people take in the aftermath of a horrible tragedy in their lives. They are married, and that relationship is a part of them, but that's not what the film is about.

Our world is going through a lot right now—political turmoil, social upheaval. This year has seen many disasters that have a lot of people asking questions. Does The Deserted address this? Do you see this film as an answer to today's questions or is it more timeless than that?
I don't think the film addresses any particular, current social issues. It does address how people respond to tragedy, but in this case it's a personal tragedy and not national. I'd like to think that the film makes more of a broad statement about humanity rather than a specific political statement. It addresses timeless issues like, where is God? What is my meaning in life? The nature of grace, and so on. Political turmoil comes and goes, but people will always be asking these questions.

What films or directors have influenced your particular approach on this film?
I was primarily influenced by four directors: Ingmar Bergman, as I mentioned before, Jean-Luc Godard, Robert Bresson, and Andrei Tarkovsky. There are a few others, but those are the ones that I kept returning to. I think each of these filmmakers are visually and cinematically inventive, each is very distinct, yet each profoundly explored humanity and spiritual truth in their own way.

You co-wrote the screenplay for New Renaissance Pictures' Project X, as well. Did that experience help you as you wrote The Deserted into a feature-length script?
It did in the sense that all experience, particularly with writing, is beneficial. I mean there's very little overlap between the two films, so it's not like writing Project X helped me to develop any thematic ideas for The Deserted, but it did help in my growth as a writer in general, particularly in the transition from short films to features.

Project X and The Deserted are very different stories in two entirely different genres. Do you find yourself changing your writing style for different kinds of films or do you try to remain relatively consistent?
I don't see The Deserted as being a "genre" film at all. In fact, I think all of my films stand just outside of understood genres. Project X, on the other hand, is certainly a genre film. It's an action film and a horror film. So the two experiences were different because with Project X, I was working within the understood conventions of the genre, and I was also working within boundaries dictated by the specific story that the director wanted to tell. But with The Deserted I didn't have to answer to anyone or anything except for myself and the ideas that I wanted to convey, and for me, it's the ideas which ultimately dictate the narrative of the film.

Tell us a bit about what's different about the actual production process on this film. How does it differ from other features?
Well, for one, the production schedule is much shorter than the average film, but since we're shooting in such a limited environment and in high definition, we can also move more quickly than the average production crew. We have a small crew with a lot of overlapping responsibilities, which will help us to move more efficiently. No question about it, this is a small production, but at this point I wouldn't have it any other way.

With such a low budget, does that affect how you direct the film? Are you forced to change your style or your story because of that?
Not really. For one, I just don't naturally think in terms of grandiose productions. Also, as I was conceiving and writing the film, I always kept in mind the limitations which would certainly be a part of the project. Plus, just to make me feel better, I think it was Orson Welles who said, "The absence of limitations is the enemy of art."

Well, there you have it! Thanks so much for your time, Mr. Cullum! We look forward to seeing the finished film!