2015 Sundance Trading Card Series: #20. Rob Cristiano (Bob and the Trees)

Eric Lavallee: Name me three of your favorite “2014 discoveries”…
Rob Cristiano: 1. I’m new to the work of Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, so when I saw ‘Birdman‘ I was completely floored. 2. Jake Gyllenhaal, he deserves a lot of credit for his incredible work in ‘Enemy‘ and ‘Nightcrawler.’ 3. Director Luigi Campi, see his short film ‘Escape for Planet Tar,’ is one of the best shorts ever made.

Lavallee: Congrats on having your very first feature film producing credit be a “Sundance” accepted film. How did you join the project, what is it about the film itself (narrative, themes, ideas) and the filmmaker that made you a believer?
Cristiano: Thank you! It’s a great honor to be included with the incredible group of filmmakers and artists that come together at Sundance every year. DP Chris Teague and I worked together on a film called ‘The Mend,’ and Chris shot Diego’s ‘Bob and the Trees‘ short. When Diego was looking for a producer for the feature, luckily Chris recommended me. I was already a big fan of Chris’ work, but I became a true believer in the project when I saw how magnetic Bob was as an actor. It’s so difficult to cast someone charismatic enough for people to want to watch for ninety minutes, and I immediately knew that audiences would want to follow Bob’s every step in the film.

Lavallee: What are you hoping that future auds will take away from the portrait?
Cristiano: One thing that we’re really proud of is the accuracy of Bob and Matt’s portrayal of the American logger. These hard-working people endure harsh weather, dangerous work conditions and an even more brutal economic situation to provide for their families. With the effects of globalization, they’re faced with a market crunch that makes it extremely difficult to get ahead. On the filmmaking side, I hope people will enjoy the striking quiet moments in the film as much as I do.

Lavallee: Part of your professional creds is that of Location Scout with recent visual finds for the likes of John Magary’s The Mend, The Sound and the Fury and The Adderall Diaries. In a nutshell, could you describe your working process and the all the magic involved in finding an exterior setting.
Cristiano: As a scout, you take a mental inventory of all of the places that you pass through and how they could be used in a film. The process, which is quite daunting when you don’t have much money, starts with understanding the core elements of what the director wants from that specific location, and the amount of space he or she will require to shoot the scene. For exterior locations, you really want to see what the place looks like at the time of day when the scene is supposed to take place to discover the magic that that location offers.