Interview with Abe Mercato, director of The Seventh Coffin
I had the chance to speak with the winner of May's War of Films contest. Abe Mercato is from Seattle and enjoys making stop-motion animation. The Seventh Coffin, was the most liked, tweeted and dugg film on Film Annex last month. And we're not surprised! Check out our interview below!
F.A. What inspires you to do film? More specifically, what inspired you to create this short?
A.M. I grew up in Seattle, and life wasn't that exciting until I met a girl from France who came to Seattle on an exchange program. I fell in love, traveled to Quebec and France with her and lived there for a year. The year after, we went to Cannes Film Festival, which was amazing. There I met Liviu, a film editor who taught me some Final Cut Pro. When I moved back to Seattle, I got my hands on a copy of Adobe to edit because I didn't have a Mac for FCP. My still images turned into stop-animation and this is how I began playing with animation.
F.A. Do you or did you go to film school? If so, what school and what did you study?
A.M. No Film School. I just did high school. Art is purely for fun, but now I feel I should take it a bit more seriously. Especially because it just made me win two thousand dollars.
F.A. What is your favorite type of film to create?
A.M. Stop-motion animation.
F.A. What kind of resources did you use to create this short?
A.M. A Nikon camera, Adobe Premier, and my PC. I always seem to find sound and music difficult. I like visual, but not audio.
F.A. Are you currently working on any projects?
A.M. I've got a few projects, but I wouldn't boast, they're in their infancy. I am currently playing around with claymations.
F.A. What were your social media marketing strategies to win the War of Films contest?
A.M. I didn't have an intense strategy. I emailed friends and told them to take a look at my film. I think people on your website might have voted, and I'm grateful for that. Thank you everyone!
