Today, we’d like to introduce you to Costa Karalis.
Hi Costa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was the kind of kid who had to know what was behind every door. Very curious but also timid. I’d explore but wouldn’t tell you about what I found. As I grew up, I learned to break out of that shell a bit, and that curiosity I harbored eventually became one I needed to share. I now choose to share my findings primarily visually through my works in film.
Everyone observes the world differently. I prefer to focus on the strange eccentricities that make our home planet so unique and absurd, no doubt due to an upbringing that I felt made me very aware of everything around me all of the time. I’m the oldest child of two immigrants, one of whom (my father) passed away when I was young.
From very early in my life, I took to helping my mother navigate the world and, as a kid, learned that a lot of what we do doesn’t make much sense at all. From naming conventions of tax forms to dust bunnies under the couch. It’s these curious details that interest me deeply.
In high school, I began to highlight my findings in various short stories, but it wasn’t until a teacher encouraged me to film these stories that I found the medium I would work in for the rest of my career. I’ve since attended Florida State Univerity’s College of Motion Picture Arts, where I wrote and directed several short films that have been recognized around the world, most notably by BAFTA-LA, CamerIMAGE, and the Emerging Filmmakers showcase at the Festival de Cannes.
After graduating, I moved to Atlanta where I’ve directed several more short films and am currently in post-production on my first feature film, Frogtown, a work that has best captured my fascination with the wonderful and strange world we live in.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Making films, especially independent ones, is not easy work. It requires a community of like-minded and talented people who have to give so much of themselves to achieve a unified result that must feel like it was suddenly manifested and has always existed. Ideally, the seams are not seen.
This is an incredibly difficult trick to pull off on a low budget, but it gets much easier with practice, and I’m very fortunate to have had the practice that I have had. Every project that I work on or lead in the independent world always could do with just a bit (or sometimes a lot) more funding.
Oftentimes very talented people take significant pay cuts to participate in these odd, passion projects that studios would never fund. If they are not taking pay cuts, then they’re working for free, which is a tremendous testament to the project and extreme kindness. I’ve done so for all of my projects and many of my colleagues in the past.
Taking reduced or no pay to help make this art is challenging in many ways and can make life a bit tighter at times, though it’s always worth it when the result is something meaningful and unique. I’d love one day to be able to hire my friends onto a project that is just as strange as all the ones before but has enough funding to pay everyone as much as they deserve. Hopefully, that day is coming soon.
We’ve been impressed with Costa Karalis, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart?
Currently, I work for hire to write/direct original films, commercials, and music videos. My style is unique in that it pushes the bounds of our everyday life by 10% towards the absurd. My short films (available at ckaralis.com) are a good example of this ideology.
I love to work in the realm of the fantastic, meeting the mundane and elevating our typical sights by including just one alien or exaggerated element. Something that ‘could be’ but usually isn’t. I’m proud of this brand of absurdism. It’s something I don’t see often and can make for some visually striking images.
As much as I enjoy directing narrative works, I am slowly expanding into music video work and am very excited to begin working on some projects in that space soon. If you’re a local artist with a strange, unique voice looking for video work, definitely reach out.
What makes you happy?
Working with others. Keeping busy. I really love busy set days where the time flies and you are tired but get home and look back at what you’ve done and realize it was worth that exhaustion. Anything where I get to exercise my brain and my body.
Contact Info:
- Website: ckaralis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/costakaralis
Image Credits
Jazleana Jones and Jackie Owen
Summer Schantz
