CSI-TV’s newest show “Student Film Series” kicks off this month with Carmine Mazza’s “In the Shadows of Your Backyard.” CSI Today caught up with Mazza, a junior Cinema Studies major, to discuss the project which was done early on in his CSI career specifically for submission to CSI’s Student Film Festival.

Inspired by cinematographers like Roger Deakins (1917, No Country for Old Men) and Greg Frazier (Dune, The Batman series), Mazza himself hopes to focus on cinematography. He contends that he has grown a great deal as a filmmaker since “In the Shadows of Your Backyard” but is fond of the project and how it has served as a springboard to his work in the classroom and on set since.

See below the full conversation with student filmmaker Carmine Mazza:

CSI Today: “In the Shadows” has that supernatural thriller vibe to it. Where did the impetus for that come from?

Carmine Mazza: A lot of that came from detective shows with a supernatural twist. The X Files, Twin Peaks, and True Detective were some of the things that inspired me. Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead is something I take a lot of influence from as well. I feel “In the Shadows” ends up being more of a concept for a short than an actual fully fleshed out story. We had a larger script and scenes that we had to cut down due to the time we were up against. I look back on it fondly because as ambitious as it was, I feel it is one of the more complete projects I’ve done, especially as a new student. The people I was working with wanted to make it great, we were editing up until the last minute. It was definitely a great experience.

CSIT: What were some of your favorite parts making “In the Shadows”?

CM: The rear projection scene (in the car) was one of the favorites for sure. It took the most time and the most takes but it was great to be able to use that. There was a lot of dialogue that ultimately got cut and voiced over for that. The wind kept knocking the screen over too. We ended up shooting a lot in Clove Lakes Park too and it wasn’t a great idea with our battery-powered lighting…we actually ended up creeping ourselves out a bit – it ended up being a fun experience.

CSIT: You mentioned “In the Shadows” was one of your first projects at CSI. How have you grown as a filmmaker in the Cinema Studies program?

CM: I think going into cinematography I’ve grown a lot in my lighting ability, and making scenes more filmic, and the way I envision them. I think also being able to get a crew on and being able to teach them is important. I think most new students tend to work by themselves because our major is rather small, but being able to network and meet new people to bring on set allows you to take the weight off yourself. I can now bring on people to help with things like script supervision and continuity. I think, too, because I did a bigger project at the start like “In the Shadows,” I’ve learned to reel it in a little more, and do smaller things that I can flesh out and make better instead of films with expansive narrative or sets. I’ve become stronger at optimizing process too – shot-listing, making a look book, and getting more people on board. I think it’s about learning from mistakes and being better able to downsize to work within restraints and asking for more from my colleagues.

CSIT: As an upperclassman now, what advice would you give to students in the major or who maybe are thinking of dipping their toe into the water of filmmaking?

CM: My advice would be working together with peers – a lot of people are afraid or don’t think about asking their fellow students to help them with projects, but we all end up helping each other, it happens all the time. I also think as someone heading up your own project, you should look at what crews are like on bigger sets and take initiative to learn any areas that you may not be too familiar with. Taking the initiative to learn on your own, outside the classroom, anything you think is missing, and then being able to teach your crew some of that knowledge, allows you to have more control of your project. Having the support of peers who can then carry out those tasks frees up your mind on film day.

Check out “In The Shadows of Your Backyard” below, and be sure to subscribe to CSI-TV for updates on new shows premiering each month.