Los Angeles-based filmmaker Emett Casey will be screening his recent short film "Fairy Grotto"—part of a larger five-part series—at RAW's next Los Angeles showcase at the Angeleno Hotel on Thursday, April 8th. Be sure to RSVP for this event! 

Tell us about your work as a filmmaker.
'Fairy Grotto' is part one of a five-part series of shorts (with an additional screenplay), where I attempted to dissect the elements of film and focus on their specific natures, separate from each other. 'Fairy Grotto' represents aesthetics, but the others focus on elements of character, the physicality of film, authorship and the personal, the power of the frame to the eye. In addition to 'Fairy Grotto,' I have directed a 30minute children's film inspired by creepy children's films of the 80's and a Russian production company called Gorky Studios; and a feature-lengthed "poetic narrative" film, using avant-garde techniques to compose an attempted American Epic in the tradition of Homer, Virgil, Dante, Pound, Joyce (Brakhage). I am currently cutting two short films and in early stages of pre-production for a VHS feature inspired by Lautreamont, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Frader Perabudo and some others.

Tell us about "Fairy Grotto."
 "Fairy Grotto" is a satirical look at aesthetics, done in the respectfully mocking style of fashion photography. 

From where do you draw inspiration for your work?
I draw inspiration for cinema's history in general. There were a lot of very smart people making very smart films in the last 120 years. People tend to forget that.  Specifically, I love foreign art-house cinema and the American avant-garde–but this isn't a sole inspiration. I love all of the arts in very specific ways, with very specific opinions on each and the history of each. I guess, I most love poetry, painting, photography, literature and music. I engage in other art forms when inspiration hits.

What is your process like?
I try not to let a film have a typical day. It can make the project stagnate and dull. I just try to figure out the specific needs of each work and then execute it.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not filming?
When I'm not filming, I am writing, reading, watching movies, gardening, drinking—that kind of stuff.

All-time favorite film?
My all-time favorite film is E.T. But, I like others, too. Children of Paradise, Renaldo and Clara, 8 1/2, Kill Bill, The Very Eye of Night, Soepyonje ... stuff like that.

Any particular film styles you like working with?
I don't know if there is a style I like working with. I know what styles I don't like, but that's a lengthy list with a lot of "but" and "except when..."

Are there any film directors/producers--past or present--that strongly inform and influence your work? 
Strongly influenced by Stanley Kubrick, Maya Deren, Stan Brakhage, Andrei Tarkovsky, Carl Dreyer, Ingmar Bergman, John Cassavetes, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bob Dylan's editing style in "Eat the Document" and "Renaldo and Clara" (specifically the last one—his cutting has implications that are an Eisenstein wet-dream).

Why showcase with RAW?
Any screening is a good screening. Cinematic experience has been dwindled with the advent of home videos, discs, internet, etc. Cinema as a communal experience, or even just a public experience, needs to be available. I will show my films at any chance I get.

Any current rising stars within the genre that you recommend we look out for? 
There is an artist named Andrew Wilson who used to do video work (don't know if he still does, I know he got into sculpting for a while)—his work is pretty amazing.