15 Questions With Jared Corwin, Silver Lake Shorts Director
"We're not meant to be isolated from each other on our phones, watching things by ourselves on streaming services."
Name: Jared Corwin
Location: Los Angeles
Occupation: Co-Executive Director of Silver Lake Shorts
Links: Silver Lake Shorts, Jared’s Short Film Mayor Mochi
Silver Lake Shorts is a monthly short film screening series & festival championing independent filmmakers and animators in Los Angeles. It’s free to submit & attend. Check out their upcoming events here.
1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?
There’s something very special about a Sunday night movie. It’s such a great way to cap off the week. I’m also quite partial to a Monday night movie. Gives you something to look forward to after a long first work day back after a weekend.
2. What’s your favorite movie theater?
The Vista is my favorite theater by far, but I’m also quite partial to the Los Feliz 3. I just love how the Vista feels like this beautiful temple devoted to movies. It’s simply the best. I have such a distinct memory of watching Hereditary at The Vista and some kid kept making the “BOING” noise that the girl makes throughout the movie. In theory something like that is annoying. And in a way, it was, but it also highlighted how no theater watching experience is ever the same, and how the energy of the crowd can really transcend (or sometimes ruin) an experience.
3. What’s your go-to movie theater snack & drink combo?
Theater time is a time for Dr. Pepper. You always need some of what the doctor ordered. And you can’t deny the S-tier status of Bunch-a-crunch. It’s a genius concept. Chocolate AS the popcorn. Come on now!
4. What’s your dream movie theater snack & drink combo (if noise and sound weren’t an issue)?
Now I’m feeling self conscious about how loud I am when I eat in general? Oh God. I guess Jeni’s ice cream would be an ideal theater snack if not for the risk of dripping and the sound of loud licks.
5. First movie you remember seeing in a theater?
I know that my first movie experience was The Lion King. I definitely don’t remember it. I have a distinct memory of seeing The Road To El Dorado and being terrified by the final battle against the high priest when he transforms into a giant Aztec lion. I also distinctly remember seeing Max Keeble’s Big Move and getting a Hi-C as a drink instead of a regular Diet Coke.
6. Last movie you saw in a theater?
The last movie I saw in theaters was Marty Supreme at The Los Feliz 3.
My last screening experience was at WHAMMY! in Echo Park at a really cool screening called Vino Video where curator Jeff Bowers pairs four different wines with four different short films.
7. Is there a movie you wish you could have seen in a theater?
I would LOVE to see The Shining in a theater, or Barry Lyndon, mostly because I haven’t seen Barry Lyndon yet and I feel like the theater experience would force me to watch it for the first time.
8. Have you ever seen a movie more than once in theaters?
I've seen Parasite twice and Get Out twice. I saw Mid90s at Fantastic Fest in 2018 and then again when it came out in theaters in 2019.
9. Do you stay through the credits or leave once the film ends?
I stay through the majority of the credits, particularly for animated movies. I love to see the thousands of people involved!
10. What’s one thing you would change to make movie theaters better?
Honestly, I think theaters should collect phones. I've been pretty annoyed by the public lack of theater etiquette lately, especially when it comes to people pulling out their phone and engaging with it during a movie.
11. Tell me about an especially memorable moviegoing experience that stands out in your mind.
Watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall in theaters with a bunch of friends in high school and losing my mind was a particularly amazing experience. I also have very distinct memories of seeing Borat and Napoleon Dynamite when I was younger. The theater experiences I remember the most are comedies!
12. What’s a movie you’re looking forward to seeing?
I’m really looking forward to seeing Dead Man’s Wire, which was written by Silver Lake Shorts community member Austin Kolodney. I’m also looking forward to seeing The Musical by Silver Lake Shorts filmmaker Giselle Bonilla, which just had its Sundance premiere. It was adapted from an AFI short of the same name and premise that screened to great acclaim at Silver Lake Shorts.
13. What’s your dream combination of director and lead(s)?
I want to see a Terry Gilliam movie with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Paul Dano and Tyler Gregory Okonma.
14. If you could live in a movie, which one would it be?
Let me live in Satoshi Kon's Paprika. I long for the dream world.
15. Why do you think people should continue seeing movies at the movie theater?
People need to see movies in theaters because it's a reminder about our collective humanity. It's an opportunity to connect with your community in a real tangible way. We're not meant to be disconnected and isolated from each other on our phones or watching things by ourselves on streaming services.