Meet Dominic Martella | Independent Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dominic Martella and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dominic, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’m a fan of independent cinema, from the works of Giuseppe Andrews to Jeff Leroy to Joe Castro. When I watch films from these filmmakers, I feel inspired to make some of my own. I remember seeing Andrews’ film “In Our Garden,” and I was blown away by it. It was one of the lowest budget movies I had ever seen, but it was hilarious and memorable. It showed me I didn’t need a million dollars to make something entertaining. There’s a whole market for low budget films too, especially horror. You can make something inexpensive and have it stream on Tubi for people across the country. It’s a very inspiring time for independent film, and I find making movies to be a lot of fun. It’s a blast to bring a vision to life, and you don’t need to live in Los Angeles or New York City to make it happen.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a filmmaker who enjoys making wacky horror-comedy films. I like doing movies with not only colorful characters but original storylines as well. I’ve made two features so far. The first is “Pappy’s Graveyard,” which stars my grandpa as a farmer who discovers shriveled humanoids on his wooded Indiana property. The second, now in post-production, is called “Swollen Creek” and is about a date between two eccentric individuals in a bug-infested forest. Both of these films had very small crews, especially “Pappy’s Graveyard.” My dad and mom were my only crew members during the production of that film, so I’ve learned to design my features with a small crew in mind. I make sure to do a great deal of planning to make the process as smooth as possible.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d first take this friend to B’s Craft Deli & Market in Castle Rock. They have great sandwiches and chips there, and Steve is really nice. We’d next go to Twist & Shout Records in Denver for some music. Fingers crossed they have some Bloodhound Gang CDs for our car ride. Then we’d go to the May Natural History Museum in Colorado Springs to check out some awesome bugs. From there, we’d swing by Land of Ozz in Manitou Springs for some vintage toys and shirts. Lastly, we’d go to Boulder to pay our respects to the sorely missed Albums on the Hill.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my parents, my sister Amedee, and filmmaker Trent Harris. Without them, I would not be making feature films. I’d also like to give a shoutout to my good friends, Drew Wayne Roberts, Dana Crawford, and Jim Leighty, for their committed assistance on my work.

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6396696/

Image Credits
Drew Wayne Roberts, Sally Collins, Nancy Martella