Maximiliani ultima nox - A short by Thierry Lopez

Why did I make a shortfilm like Maximiliani ultima nox ? I think that after my shorts in super 8, I needed to make a large step. I had to continue with shorts, because I didn't feel very well for largepicture. The short is a wonderful place to learn and experiment. I wanted to make a movie able to be seen in festivals, possibly on TV. The logical following after super 8 is of course the 16 mm. Sure, professionnal cinema is made with 35 mm. But 35 mm needs a high budget, and I find that 16 mm gets a particular texture, and goes perfectly for a certain kind of cinema. The last house on the left by Wes Craven, Evil dead by Sam Raimi, The night of the living dead by George Romero, Bad taste by Peter Jackson (their first films), and any movies by Guy Maddin, have been made in 16 mm. It was logical for me to use that camera.
Nevertheless, I've tried to find a producer, I've contacted 60 guys, for nothing. It's sure that with a script like this one, it's hard to find someone enough brave to produce, in all circumstances in France. The idea to make that short as usually, meaning in autoproduction and totally independance, has quickly come back. It was going to cost money, time and energy, but it would be interesting. And I wanted to proove that in Montpellier, so far from Paris, there were all talented people to make a good movie. I don't speak of the containment, that anybody is free to like or not, but of the technical look. The entire crew is full of people from Montpellier or neighbourhood.
For the containment of the movie, as I was totally free, I made what I love. I wanted to make a mixing with action, horror, humour, fantastic of course, violence, gore, bad language spoken, and traditionnals special effects. All things we don't often see in the french cinema...
We were animated with the passion and the wish.
And at last, I've wanted to show my respect, with the bright-dark atmosphere, for the german expressionnism, that is the origine of the fantastic cinema.