Buzz Blog

Taylor and Crahan held an informal press conference at the Carhartt Backcountry Club in the Treasure Mountain Inn. Truth be told, it seemed ridiculous (and nearly a slap in the face of the legitimate filmmakers who come to Park City each year) for these two to announce their foray into new artistic visual realms at the Sundance Film Festival. They did not belong, as witnessed clearly in the “made for this party” short film they debuted -- more on that in a sec.

I’m not a Slipknot fan, but I’m also not a hater. I think the emotional catharsis they help folks have is more helpful than other emotional releases. And if that sort of hard rock and mask-wearing is their art, then so be it. I guess it’s more confusing to me than anything. I don’t “get” the music or the messages in quotes printed on announcement cards like this: “We have been waiting patiently to spread our disease.” Or, “Let’s put content back in the cult.”

Crahan talked about his creative visions for the production company: “I’m tired of watching a movie where they cut the scene when a guy goes into the bathroom. In our movies, we’ll show all three minutes of that. It’s all about the details. That’s what films are missing these days.” He then listed an arsenal of movies, including Psycho, that he hoped to emulate when he directs psychological thrillers.

“We don’t want to make slasher films -- er, we don’t want to just make slasher films,” Taylor said, adding they hope to specialize in mystery, suspense, horror and “the dark side.”

“We just want to make some really saturated, intricate movies that will get in people’s heads,” Crahan says, “the type that people kind of need. Like they’ll watch it every night before they go to bed. We just played in Rio for like 150,000 people, and there’s no way that all those people could see us or, maybe, even hear us. Our movies could be like that -- people just put them in and don’t even watch or listen, but are just comforted by the fact that they know they are there.”

Crahan went on to say that the logo was designed to incorporate the letters of the company’s name, along with “ancient” symbols for each word. “This will totally be something our fans will tattoo,” he says.

The two said that they are currently editing the company’s first script and are unsure when Living Breathing Films will release its first movie. However, they made a special short for the folks in attendance. If it is any indication of the creative potential of Living Breathing Films, the company will not last long.

It was a silent short that hinted too closely to Blair Witch Project in its eerie vibe and low production value -- shaky cameras and sloppy editing. The two company founders acted (term used loosely) as they were forced by an unseen person(s) to wear canvas hoods over their heads and zip-ties around their wrists. The two stumbled around the woods for what seemed like way too long, occasionally stopping to be forced to put their nose against a tree (a la the Blair Witch). The twist came as the two were shot in an abandoned cabin, and the murderers revealed themselves to be none other than Taylor and Crahan. Yawn.

That was followed by a rare acoustic set. The first song was “Little Red Corvette,” which was more than I could take. We left halfway through the song. I suppose only time will tell if Living Breathing Films actually has any life.