5 Questions with Anthony Caronna ("Clay")
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
I actually come from a theater directing background. I moved to NYC when I was 17 and truthfully just didn’t have the financial stability to go to any of the film schools I wanted to go to. The theater was a way to figure out how to make stuff and tell stories. I went to an acting school here in New York, learned how to work with actors, and then immediately started directing off off off off off off broadway theater. The pieces I was making got more and more avant-garde and I began incorporating film into them. Slowly I started to get more comfortable behind the camera and transitioned into directing music videos and fashion films. They were a great tool in figuring out my visual language and what I could do within film that I couldn’t do in theater. I still love theater very much. Someday I’ll be an old gay man who runs a theater company and directs Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? every summer.
2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?
I had seen Claywoman on stage years and years ago and she just completely captivated me. I reached out and she was open to collaborating. We’ve made a lot of fun one minute shorts together and this time decided to make something a little deeper. Working with Claywoman has been an amazing gift. I’m thankful she still wants to work with me!
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?
Honestly, making this was wonderful. Besides Claywoman I work with some AMAZING collaborators on these shorts and it’s always a joy to get in a room with them and just create stuff. Making film can be tough. woof. This was not one of those times. Making this and all the things Claywoman and I do is a great pleasure for me.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I recently watched A Face In The Crowd again. I’ve seen it many many times, and it’s always shocked me how ahead of it’s time it is. This whole age we’re living in obsessed with brand, and influencing is really sewn into that film. Watching this time it really struck me how much Lonesome Rhodes uses the power of positive thinking to hypnotize the viewer. Which was a new exciting thing to notice. He’s such a pathetic character and it’s unsettling to see a lot of the world were living in today within him.
5) What’s next for you?
I directed an episode of a series called Pride. Which came out two days ago on FX and Hulu! I learned a lot from making that show. At the start of creating my episode I had just gone through a pretty big trauma in my life and had to really grit my teeth and get through the first six months of making it. I don’t think I’ve ever had to lean on the folks around me for emotional support like I did making that show. I really learned a great deal about my personal strength as a queer person and the power of allowing others to be there for you. It was the first time I truly felt supported by a lot of amazing friends and creatives. In terms of whats next there are A LOT of amazing things on the horizon. Projects I never dreamed I’d be asked to consider, but the priority for me is attaching myself to things that not only reflect me, and teach me, but allow me to work with people I love. These projects take a lot of time, effort, and patience. I want people along for the ride that enrich not only the project but my life. I hope I can do that for my collaborators too.
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https://www.anthonycaronna.co/ | IG: @AuntyAnthony