Chris Wolf's passions are travel and filmmaking, but he's staying in Tucson to shoot his next independent movie.
Partnered with another local filmmaker, Jaz Garewal - the husband of Star copy editor Yui Umehara-Garewal - Wolf is casting "Bad Time to Sell," a dark comedy short about a couple desperate to sell their possibly haunted house.
Wolf graduated from Catalina Foothills High School in 1997. He attended the University of Arizona, transferred to Arizona State, where he graduated with a communication degree, before returning to the UA to work as a human resources manager.
The 31-year-old also moonlights by doing some work with Protravel International, a travel agency that gives him the chance to fly for cheap. He says he's addicted to frequent-flyer miles and once jetted between Arizona and Rhode Island 17 times within three weeks because the miles he earned had more value than the money he paid for tickets.
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Wolf and Garewal - who was mentioned in Time magazine in 2004 for podcasting the duo's making of the feature film "On the Cutting Room Floor" - hope to make their mark as low-budget filmmakers.
The partners also collaborated on the Web series "Off Key," about a singer-songwriter who ducks out of the limelight by hiding out in Arizona. You can find the show at www.skinnybones.net/offkey/.
How did your creative partnership with Jaz begin?
"We went to high school together, were roommates in college at the UA. However, it was not until we were both out of college when we worked on our first project together, a feature-length movie, 'On The Cutting Room Floor.'"
Did you always meld creatively?
"I was working for IBM (in Tucson) at the time and had also recently started my own business. I had rented an office above Beaver's Band Box, however, was not using it nearly as much as I thought I would be. Jaz called me and said that he had written a feature-length movie script, and asked if I wanted to help produce it."
What did producing entail?
"Initially, it was my job to find us some office space to use for pre-production, coordinate auditions and identify locations throughout Tucson where we could film."
What are your strengths as a filmmaker?
"I do this for fun and enjoyment, and I try to ensure that everyone else who's involved has a similar experience."
Why are you interested in filmmaking?
"While in high school, I had the opportunity to be part of over a dozen theatrical productions. That gave me a heavy dose of respect for the demands - artistic, physical and emotional - put on both the cast and crew.
"I grew up with a dad (Gerrit Wolf) who preached the merits of entrepreneurship. (He started the entrepreneurship program at the UA back in the early 1980s.) Something must have stuck, because I am always energized when I get the opportunity to work on a start-up project. I see every movie as a start-up business."
Will you stay in Tucson or move on?
"Although the summers seem to become hotter and longer every year, I am happy to be a Tucsonan. My wife (Cassie Sherwood), who currently works for IBM, will graduate with her MBA from Thunderbird in January. Thus, I'm not going to rule out the possibility that there could be some enticing opportunities coming her way which would require us to move out of the state, or even the country."
What does Tucson have going for it as a filmmaking town?
"There is a wonderful subculture of artists in and around Tucson, and I'm always impressed by their willingness to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for their craft.
"I am always humbled by the willingness of Tucsonans to allow film geeks like Jaz and me to invade their space for a day of shooting. People will open the doors to their homes, offices, stores, businesses and theaters and allow us to clutter up their space with lights, mic cables, cameras and pizza boxes."
If you're involved in filmmaking and would like to be featured in a Q&A, write to pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
