Interview with Fred Carpenter: Long Island's own veteran indie filmmaker

INTERVIEW WITH FRED CARPENTER: LONG ISLAND'S OWN VETERAN INDIE FILMMAKER

Written by Jerry Saravia (Published in March 18th, 1999)

Reprinted with permission by the Times Beacon Record Newspapers

Fred Carpenter - producer and director

Back in 1998, I recall seeing a film called "Schmucks" by Long Island filmmaker Fred Carpenter. His first words when introducing the film to the Staller Center audience at the State University of Stony Brook were, "To chuck all thought and pretense out the window. To leave your brains at the door." Though I am not an admirer of "Schmucks," I find his other work far more solid. As of this writing, Fred Carpenter has completed nine films including his latest thriller, "Deadly Sin," now in post-production and starring bikini model Donna Decianni. His career path, however, has had its rough edges. 

Carpenter, who was born and raised in Atlantic Beach and Baldwin, NY, and is the son of a former reporter for the Long Island Press. He now lives in Shirley with his grandmother, the scene-stealing star of "Schmucks." He attended Five Towns College in Dix Hills, originally intending to major in economics, then transferring to the State University at Stony Brook. There he discovered his true calling was performing in front of and behind the camera. 

Carpenter's first foray into filmmaking was "Chase of Temptation," a 1987 short-subject film that he shot with fellow filmmaker Samuel Hurwitz. Hurwitz later directed a script by Carpenter that became their first full-length feature film called "On the Make." The film, a parable about AIDS and youthful promiscuity, was shot on a $120,000 budget. 

Gary Burghoff in Small Kill

Since then, Carpenter has produced a violent police thriller called "Small Kill," in which he played a Nassau County policeman on the trail of a psychotic child kidnapper. Gary Burghoff, best known as Radar in "M*A*S*H," played the kidnapper. The film also featured Jason Miller, best known as Father Karras in "The Exorcist," as a wino informant. Ellen Greene, known for her role in the film "Little Shop of Horrors," also appeared. 

Carpenter expressed satisfaction that he was able to get Burghoff "whom everyone identifies with as Radar," and Miller, "an actor's actor and a writer's writer," for the film. Even with those big names, however, Carpenter could not find a distributor for the film, and therefore sold it to the cable television channel Showtime. 

Jason Miller in "Murdered Innocence"

Carpenter followed "Small Kill" with another police thriller, "Murdered Innocence," which also starred Jason Miller. Both "Murdered Innocence" and "Small Kill" were shot in Stony Brook Village, Smithtown, Swezey's Department Store in Patchogue and Cedarhurst. 

Frank Coraci - director of "The Waterboy"

Fred's neighbor in Shirley, Frank Coraci, is also a film advocate of the highest order - he's the director of two popular Adam Sandler films, "The Wedding Singer" and "The Waterboy." Before Coraci made it to Hollywood, he served as a co-writer, actor and director of "Murdered Innocence." "We talked one day since we were neighbors and realized we had many of the same interests, goals and aspirations," said Carpenter.

Carpenter says that filming in Stony Brook Village and other local areas saved money he would have spent location scouting, and that these areas could be adapted to evoke almost any town in America. "If you want a Williamsburg setting, you look no further than Stony Brook Village," said Carpenter. "If you need a club setting, as we did in On the Make, you look no further than the club in East Meadow for interior club scenes. Everything is accessible and adaptable for your filmmaking needs."  

Carpenter shares the frustrations and tribulations of many independent filmmakers trying to make it in the world of cinema. "In the end, 90 percent of all hopeful filmmakers will never make it," said Carpenter. "Ten percent will actually get to make a film. Two percent of those may find a distributor." 

Fred Carpenter's financial support has come mostly from friends and relatives. "I've made and lost money for many people," said Carpenter. "It is the nature of the business. My biggest budget has been for Murdered Innocence which cost $1.7 million. A typical production for me costs $250,000. That's the real nature of independence."

Carpenter's future plans are to act in Hollywood films and to make independent films as a producer and a director. "A filmmaker often coasts along on his pride, his ego. You cannot think in terms of ego," insisted Carpenter. "As a filmmaker, you have to think, 'we!' Make no mistake, filmmaking is a collaborative process."