Brian Berkowitz
He is the man behind The Secret Transit Codes of America’s Highways Dollar Baby Film.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Brian Berkowitz: I am currently entering my final year at School of Visual Arts in New York City. I’m 22 years old working full time as a photographer while I finish up my final year at school.
SKSM: When did you make The Secret Transit Codes of America’s Highways? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?
Brian Berkowitz: Transit Codes was done in the Spring of 2003. All the shooting took place in one weekend which was shot in a motel in New Jersey. The full production cost in total was around $1500. It then took several month for the editing. From start to finish, including the writing, it was from about January 2003 until may 2003
SKSM: How come you picked The Secret Transit Codes of America’s Highways to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?
Brian Berkowitz: I read the short story, which in actuality is titled “All that you love will be Carried Away” in the summer of 2002 and I immediately wanted to adapt. I just felt an immediate love for the character and his personality and how you could see inside his head and learn what goes through an unstable mind.
SKSM: How did you find out that King sold the movie rights to some of his stories for just $1? Was it just a wild guess or did you know it before you sent him the check?
Brian Berkowitz: I was unaware that he sold rights. I made the film for a class assignment and when I was happy with the results, I went about getting right to display the film in some festivals and the like.
SKSM: Was there any funny or special moment when you made the movie that you would like to tell me about?
Brian Berkowitz: This was a year and a half ago. Unfortunatly , nothing particular from that shoot stands out.
SKSM: How does it feel that all the King fans out there can’t see your movie? Do you think that will change in the future? Maybe a video or dvd release would be possible?
Brian Berkowitz: I am glad that King fans have the opportunity to see this film. If people are fans of this particular short story, I am happy to give them an opportunity to see it on film.
SKSM: Did you have any personal contact with King during the making of the movie? Has he seen it (and if so, what did he think about it)?
Brian Berkowitz: I’ve had no personal contact with Stephen King while making this film, aside from getting those rights for $1. As far as I know he hasn’t seen it but I would be glad to show him if he’s interested.
SKSM: Do you have any plans for making more movies based on Stephen King’s stories? If you could pick – at least – one story to shoot, which one would it be and why?
Brian Berkowitz: Right now Im in the middle of going through a bunch of short stories to find the next one for me to film. Some of them happen to be Stephen King stories but I havent made a final decision. Hopefully soon I’ll pinpoint the story I’m going to use. If anyone know some good Stephen King short stories, drop me an email.
SKSM: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there anything else you want to say to the fans that read this interview?
Brian Berkowitz: Thanks for eveyones support and keep watching, I’ll have a new film out within a year!!
