interview with Mark Krupa, writer, actor, executive producer

INTERVIEW WITH MARK KRUPA

What attracted you to live action role-playing as the setting for a dramatic thriller?

I was always interested in creating a story about Fantasy and Reality colliding. Role-play and the psyche's thirst for ritual has always fascinated me. What would it be like for a group of intense role-players to have their game disrupted as reality crashes in and tensions flare? A Lord of the Rings meets Lord of the Flies saga. In terms of acting / screenwriting -- the challenge of having characters walking a fine line in and out of character was also intriguing and I thought it could make for a compelling story.

The first drafts had more of an environmentalist tone as the LARP grounds were being taken away. Play spaces or 'sacred' natural refuges [are being] destroyed. As a kid I had many of the Natural oases near my home city taken away; they became urbanized, filled with concrete. [It’s] very sad, as play spaces are more important than most realize.

What larps have you played or heard about, both before and after the movie?

I really only went to Bicolline [Duche de Bicolline, a semi-permanent larp village in Canada), then I heard about Darkon [a documentary about the Darkon battlegame larp released in 2006—AV] so I watched it and I thought “Ouch...This doc makes larpers look a bit sad.” The guys at Bicolline seemed way more passionate, creative, and organized. I think LARP is best played in the wilderness, not at Dunkin Donuts or football fields.

How did you approach Duche de Bicolline, and what was their reaction to the movie (if they saw it)?

We made this film for less then the average 30-second beer commercial and it was shot in 35mm. We had little money, but Bicolline had lots of imagination particularly the owners of the co-op, Basha and Olivier Renard, but our associate producer Eric Dube was also with us from the start. Bicolline was our partner. We gave them all versions of the script leading up to the shoot. We love the Larpers there—our core group set the tone. You will notice we deemed it unfair to call them extras in the movie, so we called them warriors. Many of them have professional film experience as stunt-fighters, working on several American productions like Timeline. Alex, the director, also previously filmed with a stunt-fighting group that LARP there called La Compagnie Medievale. It was a natural fit.

Most of the Larpers in our film saw The Wild Hunt and loved it. In fact, despite the fact that our Canadian distributor didn't want to put any money into marketing, the Larpers really supported us throughout our Canadian premiere phase and continue to be ready to help. For example, during a festival in Montreal, we summoned the Hunt Master at a park bonfire, then charged into the cinema with an army of 40 Larpers. People kinda noticed.

My character Bjorn was also spotted on occasion in Canadian cities, attacking streetcars and gas-stations with a latex axe, warning all (before the BP oil rig disaster) that Ragnarok is coming and that "the black water that burns" will be the doom of us all.

Did the other actors or Alexandre spend time “researching” by larping?

I spent a lot of time up at Bicolline going over locations like the Roman Ruins in the opening scene. Alex and I, a year prior to shooting, took our girlfriends up during the big battle weekend to do "research". We stayed at the fake Inn at the center of the medieval village, with real bunk beds on the third floor—surrounded by 2,000 Larpers sheltered in colorful tents and wild sets. All night, barbarian players drank and pounded the tables, singing war songs, insulting opposite clan leaders. We didn't sleep much but it was wild. So a word of advice: if you wanna spend intimate time with your girlfriend on a first date. Don't LARP, rent a movie.

Moreover, the following year we shot. To get the feel of thousands of larp extras we filmed many of the larp day scenes during a real larp weekend in summer. Everyone knew we were filming but didn't know where. We had a small cast and crew of 8, all in costume, and not to mess with the LARP players decorum. Even our camera and sound-boom were covered in medieval pelts!

During our main shoot in October, the Bico-larper warriors were half-dressed in fur all night in sub-zero temperatures. It made it hard for the cast to complain about not having trailers and decaf mochachinos. The Bico-Larpers would yell “SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT” if we putzed around and didn't shoot scenes fast enough. Without them we couldn't have made this film.

Do you think the events of the movie could occur at a larp? Why or why not? What “cinematic license” did you take in the story?

No. Not in the LARPS I have experienced or am aware of. Bicolline is a very serene, creative place. I would say a LARP is one of the least likely places for violence to erupt. The Bicolline Big Battle is a summer family event. Kids with elven ears, all in costume. Most people there are more interested in escaping, wearing costumes, communing with nature, conducting fun play-rituals, drinking beer, then fighting and role-playing too seriously.

The Wild Hunt is a fictitious story about a fictitious Larp for intense players—no kids allowed. It takes no more or no less license then a Shakespearean tragedy or modern Norse myth. It is an authentic raw saga, not like most super hero stories today, where everyone is beautiful and perfect, except the bad guy who is often utterly fake-evil.

How can larp, or drama, work as therapy? Also, could The Wild Hunt (the movie, not the fictional larp in the movie) be therapeutic?

First, some disclosure. I am completing my masters in dramatherapy. We are trained in both individual and group settings, using dramatic tools to promote therapeutic goals. So I take the word therapeutic quite seriously as it has professional connotation to me.

I certainly don't believe The Wild Hunt or other films are therapeutic. Cathartic? Yes. Evocative, engaging, and impactful? One would hope. Starting at the age of two, infants engage in pretend play. Play is very therapeutic in infants and adults. Somewhere along the way, as we grow up, many turn their backs on play. That can lead to stress, neurosis and possibly to a passive-lethargic or a hyper-workaholic, unfulfilled quality of life.

In our increasing fast-paced Western society, I believe people can become pressured to excel at a specific role that may not always be the most fulfilling... So role-playing often helps fill that void. Dramatherapists are trained to expand their clients' role-repertoire, to explore and re-integrate new roles. LARP is one way we can explore roles so perhaps in the play aspect it could be argued that LARP is therapeutic but in order to contain and support long term positive change, I would not call LARP therapeutic. Just ask Bjorn, right?

I am also personally very interested in what we call in dramatherapy “liminal spaces,” sacred play spaces where therapeutic transformation can occur. That's one of the themes that permeates the backdrop of the script.

Is larp the last refuge of damaged goods? Can normal people enjoy it as well?

For the reasons mentioned above, I think it may be true that certain LARPs can attract the type of personalities you label as 'damaged goods''. I did get that sense in Darkon and perhaps even in Role-Models [a Hollywood comedy featuring larp, released in 2008] and our film The Wild Hunt. But remember flawed characters make for better fiction. At Bicolline, I would say the vast majority of people are mostly "normal," very creative and in touch with what makes them at ease in the world. I would much rather be lost in the woods with 2000 Larpers than with 2000 lawyers of 2000 teenagers who play first-person shooter video-games all day and all night...

A Globe & Mail interview with you says “While Krupa admits he has never dressed up and joined a LARP – and has no immediate plans to do so – he admires the participants’ resolve to find a connection to something more primal.” [full interview here: http://bit.ly/aTkWNY]

Yes it is true I am NOT an avid Larper. During the Globe interview I explained that... I have been playing Dungeons & Dragons quite fanatically for the past 25 years. [Director] Alex Franchi has as well. So it's safe to call me a gamer. I have been an outdoor writer, photographer and actor for about 15-20 years so being outdoors and play acting prominent roles in my life, and since I play D&D, I am not possessed to also join a LARP. Frankly, I doubt I'd even have the time. But I now go much more to the Bicolline gatherings, feasts and medieval events and this film has really introduced me to many creative new people.

Time considerations aside, why wouldn’t you try a larp? What is the “primal” that is mentioned above? How can larp help connect with that?

I have tried LARP at Bicolline and I would gladly LARP at other places anytime. One place I want to go is the EPOCH larpers in Ontario. I find LARPs are quite scattered around and frankly some seem even to be divided according to rules, conduct, etc.. The negative connotations that Larpers fear about non-larpers who look at them weirdly seems to be more prevalent in North-America than in Europe, for example. In Germany, LARP is huge! We recently sold our film there. The founder of Bicolline comes from Belgium, and France has a web-series about LARP. LARP is much more accepted there, it seems. We can't do much about religious puritans who think Larepers are evil Satanists. But they probably see Satan in there own shadow. I think they should chillax or bug off! I think that in US, if Larpers fear people looking to point fingers at them, they should deflect those fingers towards real problems: real weapon laws, high-school-shooting frequencies, and environmental disasters.

At their core, I believe, people need ritual to connect with themselves and others. It has been archetypally rooted in the psyche for generations. In our Urban Jungle, it is increasingly easy to tune-out and disconnect. Or to connect with a machine, a virtual human. Not the real world. LARP helps remedy these feelings, in my opinion.

You mentioned in an interview “Escapism is a drug. It’s a hard exercise to break away from.” Is larp/role-playing games pure escapism?

I'm not sure I know what pure escapism is, but I believe many people turn to fantasy in general as a part of escape - hence the popularity of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. LARP is part of the Greater Fantasy community. It's important for people to explore personal myths. I think LARPS provide great opportunities for this (but not if you play in a Dunkin’ Donuts).

The Wild Hunt is the story of two brothers: Erik the young realist, and Bjorn the older chronic escapist. Their worlds are set on a collision course as tensions escalate and the game spirals out of control.

Escapism is a drug when problems or stressors in real life lead people to react by always running away or immersing into a play-world as so many do with computers and games. Too much leads to a destructive cycle, a self-destructive pattern.

What is the difference between playing Dungeons & Dragons and a larp like Bicolline? Is there any?

Not significantly, as it depends always on the group you are with. I think LARP is healthier because at least you're outside. I've played D&D in a basement for so long, part of me is like moldy expired cheese.

What are you and Alexandre’s religious beliefs? How did religion, specifically the Norse myths, affect you and/or the script?

I am a Fishologist, or an Animist: one who worships the River. I think Alex and I are on the same page in that we are fed up with Photoshopped stomachs and Golgate teeth in today's big screen blockbuster myths. They tend to fail to capture the authentic flare of traditional myths such as the ancient Norse sagas, [which] often served as moral barometers of how one should lead one's life.

I particularly gravitated towards The Wild Hunt myth because it was prevalent in many parts of Northern Europe. [It’s] based on a symbol, The Horned Shaman, found in a cave at Ariege, France, 10,000 years ago. It is perhaps the oldest symbol known to man. And when we destroy our planet from over-burning oil, perhaps it will be the last. The destructive force in Nature and our Shadow.

What do you want audiences to take away from the movie?

I would love them to be affected and surprised by a modern version of an ancient saga. And I hope they all strive to fight for the personal myth that matters most to them. Oh, and please tell others about the film because we have zero money for distribution. So please howl with the Hunt, even if it's via the Internet!

Two comments I overheard from the Newport Beach Film Festival from two different couples, total strangers, sitting near me: “I am never going to larp. Never, ever.” And “I’m not going to the Renaissance Faire anymore.” What would you say to those people (I don’t know who they were) if you could talk to them?

If they were serious, I would say, "That's unfortunate, if you weren't so careful you may end up having fun." Or to the guy I'd say, "You should see the girls there in chainmail bustiers." Or to the girl I'd say, "You know the medieval thing really helps guys role-play. Like take that extra time to attend to your needs, you know?" But I'd probably really say “Yeah, medieval faires!? God, who needs that!? A bunch of CRAZY LARPERS in COSTUME!? I'd much rather drink liver-poison in a dark bar with loud music or go to a club where real girls twirl around poles. It's a much more human experience."

Does your throat get sore from bellowing to Norse gods? If so, what’s the cure?

Cough drops and more vodka!

Anything else you want to add?

Yes actually...

THE WILD HUNT CANNOT BE STOPPED! JOIN US! COME ONE, COME MANY! OUR U.S. PREMIERE IS ONLY WEEKS AWAY! OUR SAGA WILL AWAKEN THE ANCIENT FIRE! BY THOR , IT WILL BE WILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--Interview conducted via email in early May 2010

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