Directed by Aaron Lavinsky

Interview with Arizona Filmmaker Aaron Lavinksy

By M. Saldivia-Berglund, PhD | Sedona.biz

“Secret Canyon”—a short sci-fi film directed by Aaron Lavinsky—was released on July 11 as a special addition to the opening of the Sedona Tuesday Cinema Series “Night of Israeli Films” at Harkins Theaters.  According to Mr. Lavinsky's blog at MySpace.com, the film is about "an American soldier who wakes up during a top secret medical procedure to find himself a pawn in a ring of illegal military testing which he must expose and escape."

Aaron Lavinsky is an 18 year old filmmaker from Scottsdale who came to Sedona to study film making at the Zaki Gordon Institute (2005-2006). During his young career, Lavinsky has produced close to thirty shorts and features. He has won several awards including Best Film Viewers Choice Award and Best Cinematography.

On July 21^st he is entering a 48 hour film competition in Phoenix, joining another award winning team and taking on the role as Director of Photography.

Secret Canyon—after which the film was named—is located in the Red Rock Mountain Wilderness, just outside the city of Sedona. The film was shot primarily in Verde Valley with some shots from Sedona and Strawberry Canyon.

In twelve intense minutes, “Secret Canyon” transports the viewer into an anguished struggle for survival of a desperate man. The film begins with flash images of brightly yellow dressed doctors and their surgical instruments from the perspective of a male patient. The doctors are implanting an unknown device in his left temple. As soon as the patient wakes up from the operation, he takes a sharp object and kills his nurse. The man pulls the implant from his temple and runs away armed with a pistol. The saga of the hero/anti-hero thus begins.

Lavinsky’s photographic technique displays a blurred reality through the traumatized gaze of the patient. As the action unfolds, the viewer learns that the man works for the U.S. Army and that the hospital he escaped from was located in an underground military base. The young filmmaker explained that this idea was taken from a popular folk-tale that an undercover military base exists in Secret Canyon.

The photographic effects are very realistic and make the best out of a low-budget to create a high quality short sci-fi film. The plot end is intriguing, which brought to my mind similar clever endings in the style of the classic television series “The Twilight Zone.” Moreover, “Secret Canyon” explores the inherent struggle for survival and self-identity that characterizes human nature.

Aaron Lavinsky displays self-confidence, he is assertive, very positive, and he does not hesitate when he answers questions.

M.S-B: What brought you from Scottsdale to study film at the Zaki Gordon Institute in Sedona?

A.L.: In 2005 my parents were vacationing up in Sedona and they caught ZGI's "Reel Talk" on a local Sedona channel. Knowing that I was pursuing a career in filmmaking, they told me about the school and I was in Sedona within a week looking at apartments.

M.S-B: I see some resemblances in your style with the student film of George Lucas “TXH1138.” How do you feel about that? Who do you consider the greatest influence in your film work?

A.L.: All I can say about my film being compared to “THX1138” is thank you.  “THX1138” is the single movie that got me interested in pursuing a career specifically in cinematography. The cinematographers who inspire my work are Vittorio Storarro, Janusz Kaminski, and Steven Spielberg. Between Storarro’s gorgeous lighting styles and Spielberg and Kaminski’s ability to tell a story so well visually, I feel that they are some of the greatest talents the film world has seen.

M.S-B: How do you describe yourself as a filmmaker?

A.L.: It depends on the film. I tend to have a different attitude and different goals going into every project because each project is different in some way or another and it is important for the filmmaker to adapt to different situations. But if I have to describe myself in a single word it would be “eager.” I am eager to go out and get bigger and better jobs in the film industry.

M.S-B: How did you come up with the script for “Secret Canyon?” What motivated you to make this kind of sci-fi story?

A.L.: I have always wanted to write a sci-fi script based because there is so much creativity you can apply in camera work and production design. I felt like my student short would be an excellent opportunity for me to apply what I have learned. However, I credit Nicholas Dubis, a former Sedona resident, with coming up with the main concept for “Secret Canyon.” All I did with fellow student Ross Fisher-Davis is adapt the story for the big screen.

M.S-B: How did you feel about your movie premiering with other Israeli films?

A.L.: It was great to have my film screened along with talented Israeli film makers. At first, I was worried that my film would be totally random because I was half expecting the other films to have Jewish themes, but after the first screening I realized that the films were of all different genres, though some carrying with them underlying Jewish values and lessons.

M.S-B: What are your plans for the near future?

A.L.: I am moving to Los Angeles to further pursue my career in filmmaking.

“Secret Canyon” (student film, 12 min. 2006)
The Zaki Gordon Institute
An Aurit-Lavinsky Production
Edited by Brett Amick,
Director of Photography Aaron Levinsky
Starring Nicholas Dubis

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