5 Questions with Corey Hughes

Filmmaker Corey Hughes is back on NoBudge for the third time with “Armageddon 2,” his latest experimental oddity, this time about the black market internet in Cuba. We asked Hughes about his unusual process, what his vibe is like on set, and what comes next for him…

1) Generally, what comes first for you when you’re sparking a new project? A camera technique, or a character, or a location, something else?

For most projects it starts with an image. That’s the first thing I see. It’s like a vision of the future. Sometimes I see a whole finished scene playing out with music, camera movements, and dialogue. Then it’s this process of problem solving to figure out how to actualize that into the real world.

I do a lot of walking wherever I am. I put my little earbuds in, turn on some spa tracks or nature sounds, and wander around. An idea will start as an image or a line of dialogue or a location and slowly all these small chunks start forming together, making connections, forming into bigger and bigger chunks.

I work as a cinematographer too so I’m thinking of ideas for my own projects when shooting other projects or freelance jobs. I feel like I owe a lot of my best ideas to weird freelance jobs. It’s great inspiration.

2) What about this project, how did it begin?

Armageddon 2 began when I got selected for this workshop organized by Black Factory Cinema in Cuba taught by Werner Herzog. The workshop was fifty filmmakers from around the world. We had ten days to each make a short film.

I had heard a little bit about the “el paquete” before coming to Cuba and was interested in how it functioned. I spent a couple days going to different towns talking to people who were involved with the paquete and finding locations that I liked. Then I met José and his uncle, who distributes the paquete out of his house, and the film began to form more concretely.

José’s uncle has this beautiful backyard and some newborn chickens had just hatched a few days earlier. We decided to start the film based around this interaction with this little chicken. The project formed out of this surreal series of circumstances. The final film reflects the way the project was created. It’s this journey of wandering around and exploring different zones, both physical and digital.

I was conscious of my role as an outsider in Cuba and wanted to make something that was not claiming an objective documentary stance on the paquete. I was more interested in creating something in between genres and something that wasn’t easily digestible as content. So I worked with José on fabricating this fictional character and interaction that explored not so much how the paquete works but the ethos behind this particular system of exchanging data and how that relates to other systems of human connection.

The whole film was shot in a day. I had a few ideas and some locations where I wanted to film but most of it was written while it was happening. José and I walked around town drinking boxed rum, coming up with little scenes, and filming them.

3) Your movies have a remarkably light touch. It seems like just you’re making them as you go, which gives them a real freshness. Is this true? What does your planning process look like?

Kind of. Every new project starts where the last project left off. It helps me be less precious about each project if I think of it as a part of a continuing body of work.

The planning process starts with research and writing. I start by building a foundational knowledge and familiarizing myself with locations, characters, and ideas that I’m interested in. I go to the library and load up on books. Dig deep into online message boards. Take a lot of screenshots. Watch YouTube videos looking for new visual techniques.

Having that base structure allows me to be more open when shooting and gives me something to work off of. But when it comes to shooting I don't look at any of that. This process allows me to internalize the influences and the structure but not be too connected to that while shooting so I can follow something else more interesting if it presents itself.

I try to structure the shooting process in a way that allows for openness and space to work within for myself and the performers. For me that means finding locations that have some living element to them, something to work against. Also simplifying scenes so I’m not spending all my time trying to communicate a plot point and more time trying out different ideas or spacing out on small details.

However, Armageddon 2 is kind of an exception to that normal planning process. Everything had to be done quickly and there were too many variables to really plan anything out ahead of time. The planning process was wandering around and talking to people.

4) Once you’re rolling on a project, what’s your vibe? Are you tense? What does it feel like when something is not clicking for you?

I get stressed out planning out a project but usually once I’m shooting I’m in the zone and transcend to a spiritual plane. I leave my body and float around for a little bit. I also try to shoot projects as quickly as possible so if I get stressed out it doesn’t last too long.

I try to write projects in a way that there aren’t too many plot points I need to establish. That way I’m never locked into a certain scene if it doesn’t work on screen. If something isn’t working I try to problem solve it as quickly as possible. Sometimes that means changing locations, having the performer try something new, or filming it in a different way. If it still isn’t working then it’s time to move on and figure out something else. It’s like a cool puzzle.

I think if you want to capture new and unexpected things you have to use new methods, to give up some control and be okay with things feeling like they could fall apart at any moment. That is usually when you get the best stuff.

I try to remind myself that there are a million ways to make a movie and not to get too locked into a certain way of making things. You could make a whole movie using screen capture or cgi or still photographs. There are many zones to explore.

5) What else are you working on at the moment?

Just finished shooting my first two feature films as a Cinematographer, Crestone directed by Marnie Hertzler and All, Light Everywhere directed by Theo Anthony. Super excited for those to be released, two next level filmmakers and friends.

Also writing and directing two new shorts. The first is GoPro in the Grass, it’s a romantic comedy about a military surveillance drone and a deer hunter. The second is My Toe Shoes . Com, an unboxing video for Vibram Five Finger Toe Shoes I’m trying to shoot in Southern Florida this Spring.

Bonus question: What’s your favorite Herzog movie, and your least favorite Malick?

My favorite Herzog movie is the one where he is the bad guy and Tom Cruise is the good guy. My second favorite is Strozek. My least favorite Malick movie is the one with all the steadicam and voiceover bits.

Contact Info 

IG: @coreyhughes2020

Website: coreyhughes.info