Director Robbie Banfitch Talks “The Outwaters” With Macabre Daily

Robbie Banfitch: pride of Central New Jersey

Robbie Banfitch is alive and well, despite what his latest film would like you to think. “The Outwaters” is, by many accounts, an insane found footage rollercoaster about four friends who went to the desert to make a music video and all they got was madness. 

Banfitch sat down with us to discuss the film, as well as his process, post-production, and my Bouncing Souls t-shirt.

Lowell Greenblatt: How much of “The Outwaters” was storyboarded?

Robbie Banfitch: There were some specific shots. A lot of the images were just kept in my mind and some were improvised.  It was a mix.

Can you give any examples of what was improvised versus what was planned?

The scenes with the donkeys were spur-of-the-moment.  We didn’t expect them to be in the desert, so we explored filming them in different ways with different mindsets.  That’s why you're able to see them throughout the movie.  Also, the scene where Michelle is walking away from the still camera  on the lake bed was a specific image I had, which was inspired by “The Tree of Life.” I wanted to show that my character was inspired by Terrence Malick, but I ultimately did something to change its meaning, if that makes sense.

Talk to me about your post-production process.  When you came back from filming in the desert, did you have all the elements you needed?

I definitely shot everything I needed after the first 2 times I went out there.  I was able to come back, edit, and there were really no limitations to how many times I could go out.  I very much kept exploring, experimenting, and thinking of new things.

So it wasn’t just 1 trip for principal photography?
More like 20 [laughs]. Any excuse for a desert road trip.

Can you discuss what’s behind the imagery of the last half of the film?  You don’t have to give anything away.

It all started with the word “outwaters,” and what it would mean.  It doesn’t have a meaning because it’s not a real word, but I thought it would be a good title for a film.  The images that came from that built on each other and it was all kind of exploratory and instinctual. The idea for the threat came early on.  I built and designed the whole film around what I thought the threat was.  It was very much designed, though it’s intentionally supposed to feel very chaotic.  There’s a purpose for every little thing.  One of my inspirations was that video log from “Event Horizon.”

I actually put that in my review.  It felt like a feature-length version of what happens to the old crew of the ship.

I wanted to see more of that because I love that movie and that scene.  It’s definitely an inspiration.

Michelle (Michelle May) doesn’t need eyes to see where she’s going.

Oh, you can definitely tell.

My dad took me to see it in theaters.  I thought it was going to be a “Star Wars”-type of movie.  I was like 11 and I was so scared, but I loved it.

What did your mom [who appears in the film] think of “The Outwaters?”

Well, the first cut I showed her was much weirder and more abstract.  She definitely didn’t like it.  After I worked on it for 2 years and made more of a story, she liked it a lot more.  It’s not her cup of tea.  

She’s not a big cosmic horror fan?

[Laughs] Like, if I didn’t make it and showed it to her, she’d probably be mad at me [laughs].Her favorite film is “Somewhere in Time,” which I also love. [Robbie notices my Bouncing Souls shirt].  Hey, I love the Bouncing Souls! I used to listen to them on my Walkman on my way to school.

Oh yeah, aren’t you from New Brunswick, New Jersey?

Yeah, and my next film is actually very Jersey.  It all takes place in Jersey with a variety of Jersey accents.

Can I ask: does Central Jersey exist?

I’m from Central Jersey, so yes it does!  My next film is [“Tinsman Road”] North Jersey, but “The Outwaters” is definitely Central Jersey.

Interview edited for length and clarity.  “The Outwaters” is out now.

You can check out my original review of the film below.

Skinamarink-i-Deux: a review of The Outwaters!

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