“A grounded romantic comedy set in an absurd world, “Molli and Max In the Future” takes the character-driven romance of a movie like “When Harry Met Sally” and combines it with an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sci-fi universe found in shows like “Futurama or “Rick and Morty.” Through a combination of old-school practical visual effects (hand-built models, miniatures, puppets, stop-motion animation, and rear-projection) and cutting edge technology (Unreal Engine and LED Volumes) we’ve created a universe like no other. Tentacles! Robots! Glorp!” Filmmaker Michael Lukk Litwak on MOLLI & MAX IN THE FUTURE which screens at the 2023 edition of South By Southwest Film & TV.
Welcome to SxSW 2023! Are you attending your screenings in person?
Yes! I will be at all of them.
How did this whole project come together?
I was planning to make another project that I had been working on for 6 years and just when it looked like we had a lot of great momentum, the pandemic started. Like a lot of other people it got me thinking about how there are so many things in our life we just have no control over. I started watching all my favorite movies to pull myself out of a slump and when I rewatched WHEN HARRY MET SALLY I started to think about how I could update it for today’s world, which as of late feels so chaotic, insane, and overwhelming.
While working on a project, what is your creative process? Do you have any particular ritual or tradition when working on something?
I usually make a playlist of songs that feel within the tone of the movie and then just blast that on repeat over and over again. I usually start with a common relatable experience and then try to find metaphors and allegories that can express that. I try to turn off the critical part of my brain and just come up with a ton of bad ideas, then sort through them and try to pick out the ones that might have some promise. After that it’s just constant rewriting, getting feedback from different people with different tastes, and doing draft after draft until I don’t hate it anymore!
If you had one favourite moment out of this entire project, the “Yes, this is IT” moment, what would that be?
By the end of our first week of shooting our editor Joanna Naugle cut together the scene we shot on the first day and I was able to share it with the cast and crew. Normally I’d never show anything rough to people but she nailed it on the first try and it was something very concrete and tangible that we could show to everyone that proved it was going to turn out alright. It really gave us all a huge shot of adrenaline
I love to get technical, so I would love to know about the visual design of the movie from the cameras you used and the formats and your relation to the cinematographer.
For everything on the LED Stage we shot on the Red Komodo, for everything that was rear-screen projection and green screen we shot on the Arri Amira. For our vfx plates we shot on a combination of the Sony A7S, A7R and Blackmagic Ursa. I’ve been working with our DP Zach Stoltzfus for 10 years and he’s both insanely talented and extremely humble and hardworking. He was also our VFX supervisor on this film and we spent 18 months building and shooting plates together before principal photography. I can’t understate Zach’s creative contribution to the film, it would not have been possible without him.
What are you looking forward to the most about showing your project at SxSW 2023?
The movie starts out mellow and then we slowly ramp up the absurdity and I’m so excited to just watch people react to the way the movie reinvents itself every 10-15 minutes. I’m also just really excited to meet all the other filmmakers!
Where is this going next? More festivals or a theatrical or streaming release?
We’re currently seeking worldwide distribution so we’ll see! Definitely want to play as many festivals as possible and see it on the big screen wherever we can.
How do you feel about the current moviegoing climate? Are you wishing more people to see movies in theatres, or is it okay to opt for a streaming release where more people could potentially see a movie?
It’s so hard to really get a birds eye view of the industry and I don’t think anyone ever really fully understands what’s happening on a macro scale. I love seeing films in theaters and I also love watching them at home so I think it really depends on the project and what makes sense for it economically.
What is the one thing that you would say to someone who is looking to get into movies, even now in such a changing world?
Filmmaking is a physical act and you can only learn by doing it! Start as small as you can, build a community and team of people who can help you (and then you need to also help them with their movies!). Learn a craft skill (editing, camera, lighting, etc) and use that to gain experience, relationships and pay your bills.
And final question: what is the greatest movie you have ever seen at a film festival and why?
A couple years ago I went to SXSW with my wife for a project she worked on and while we were there we saw a movie called WILD ROSE. Jessie Buckley played some songs during the Q&A and it was so cool to see the beginning of what is already turning out to be an amazing career for her. We had no idea what the movie was about before we saw it and were so delightfully surprised by what it turned out to be. I think stumbling upon those happy accidents is the beauty of a film festival!
This film and many others like it will be showing at South By Southwest taking place March 10-19. For more information point your browser to www.sxsw.com!