FILM INTERVIEW: THE WILD HUNT's Mark Krupa
Film Interview: THE WILD HUNT's Mark Krupa.
Producer/actor Mark Krupa discusses his various roles and the mythology surrounding the harrowing, LARP-inspired thriller, The Wild Hunt
Vegas Outsider: To begin, what was your familiarity with the Larping community beforehand? In addition, what were your initial thoughts about the subculture in general as well as its participants?
Mark Krupa: I have been an avid Dungeons and Dragons player for many years (along with director Alex Franchi) so I am very familiar with the gaming subculture, yet I was unfamiliar with LARP prior to writing this film. I knew of a few friends who played at Bicolline, one of the world’s largest LARPs – a commune with acres of land and large sets that has been in existence for over 15 years. I thought Bicolline was an amazing outdoor studio, complete with wild sets like life-size period-piece boats from old American film sets (Americans used to film in Montreal a lot!)… All odds and ends salvaged and constructed to create a unique, fantasy ambiance.
During their big-battle event every year, there are 2 thousand players, tents everywhere, fantasy costumes, orcs, demons, treants, flame-throwers, weirdos, normal folk – people who just wanna have fun. My initial thoughts? I was taken by their imagination and networking prowess – enabling to nurture a venue that keeps expanding to this day. The participants at Bicolline come from all walks of life, including many families – some interested in battles, others interested in role-playing, others simply interested in communing with Nature and finding a connection in smaller clans - rich with ritual, creative myth, and imagination. I wrote the script especially with this LARP location in mind. However, I knew the script would feature a fictitious LARP with intense players because real LARPERS are probably among the most peaceful people you will find… More peaceful I think than first-person-shooter-video-gamers… or lawyers… And not necessarily in that order.
VO: What was the initial inspiration behind The Wild Hunt itself as an idea and what prompted you to foster its development into a full story?
MK: I was interested from the start in writing a story about fantasy and reality colliding – about blurring the lines and the rules. Originally, I wasn’t sure if it would make a better TV series or a film at first, but I was fascinated by the psychology of role-play and how it can turn on a dime under the right – or wrong – circumstances. When I studied psychology, I recall being very interested in the 1971 Zimbardo prison guard experiment at Stanford – where those playing prison guards and inmates played too seriously forcing the experiment to end prematurely… I believe that so much goes ‘wrong’ with the psyche when we are forced to live as an existential disconnected part of the masses, disjointed from ourselves, others, and Nature itself.
VO: What are your thoughts on the theme of ritual since it appears that so much of the story itself operates around the ritual these game players engage in and how this outsider disrupts it, thereby setting the groundwork for the violence that comes?
MK: Ritual lies at the core of THE WILD HUNT – the psyche’s constant thirst for ritual was always used when I pitched every version of the script. I believe role-playing games are so popular because not only do they satisfy the hero quest in us all but they involve ritual – LARP especially. You embody a character that is connected with a clan or a tribe and with Nature through the rituals you enact. In fact, at Bicolline, some players care nothing for battles or plotting political allegiances – what they really want is to do is role-play extensive rituals. For example at Bicolline, there is a feudal Japanese clan that enacts elaborate tea-ceremonies and weddings – in full costume. There are Elven clans who celebrate mid-summer festivals with enchanted woodland ceremonies where an entire forest glade is decorated with consummate care. 
THE WILD HUNT is a story about fantasy and reality colliding through the embodiment of two brothers – Bjorn is a consummate escapist, he can only live in fantasy and refuses to accept the responsibilities of Reality. His younger brother Erik is the opposite, responsible, workaholic – straight – hates fantasy, play and has little imagination and no fun – he takes care of their ailing father while Bjorn abandons them, drinks beer and hails Thor. Everyone at this fictitious LARP needs their escape – decorum and playing by the rules is paramount - so when Erik comes up and disrupts the game, looking for Lyn his girlfriend, it sets off a chain reaction that makes the game spiral out of control. It brings real problems into the game and they boil over… Erik however is forced to play the game – for real – in order to try and win Lyn back. THE WILD HUNT is very much about the quest for one’s personal myth… What gives us meaning? What roles are best for us? The Wild Hunt is a ritual of rebirth. Some may find rebirth through role-play while others become suffocated if never allowed to reconnect through ritual… I think it’s important to find the right balance between fantasy and reality – often difficult to achieve in our ever-increasing fast–paced lives.
VO: What influenced the decision to lean heavily upon the Norse sagas and other known, ancient imagery i.e. the Horned One, as well as how those ideas were incorporated into story? Was there any particular importance to using those specific tales and references over others, for example Arthurian legend?
MK: I had to choose specific clans and an appropriate mythos – the problem with this story is that in a LARP, there are so many possible myths and characters; it’s easy for a script to spiral more out of control than the players in the film… But I always had faith in The Wild Hunt myth. Why? Because, as you exactly mention, it comes from the Horned One – a symbol found in the caves of Ariege, France – the Horned Shaman, or Dancing Sorcerer of Trois Freres (http://symboldictionary.net/?p=2625). This 10,000 year old symbol is believed to be the oldest symbol made by Man and it is also the precursor to Cernunnos, the Celtic Hunt God, as well as devils or demons in Judeo-Christian myth.
The Wild Hunt in Northern European myths was mainly a hooded huntsman that raged across forests with cursed hounds; in Norse mythos – he raged across the skies. So I had a central myth – and a myth of re-birth that could be used by two clans – the Celts of Shaman Murtagh and the Norse clan, led by Bjorn. Arthurian legends have been depicted a lot in TV and film – much more than The Wild Hunt, a myth that leant itself also towards the slight supernatural element of fate in the story… Moreover, the director Alex liked the concept of filming a modern Norse saga – since the old sagas often tended to have both tragi-comic elements and they also served as parameters or ethical guidelines for how to lead one’s life – ie: how to deal with family honor. I researched extensively the Norse sagas and myths – so much so that it inspired me for my next film – an epic action adventure set at the turn of the millennium featuring the decline of the Norse empire!
VO: I found it interesting that on one level, the game itself appears as a metaphor for performance and catharsis since so many of the players engage in it as a way of release. What are your thoughts on the notion of performance in regards to not only the film’s game itself but larping in general, circling back to the theme of ritual?
MK: I find it very interesting that you use the word ‘catharsis’ because as one who just finished my masters in drama therapy – I work with at-risk youth and I use role-play and drama a lot to promote catharsis, working towards specific therapeutic goals – allowing participants to see themselves a new light. I think role-play has cathartic elements though I would certainly not call LARP therapeutic… It does, however, fill an increasing void in our society. I have been stunned by research revealing how much modern technology, especially computers and video-games are re-wiring the brains of young people by constantly bombarding them with high-stimulus virtual worlds that offer little chance at making meaningful connections. People are becoming increasingly dis-connected and LARP, through role-play and ritual offer one possible fun way for people to connect (and re-connect.)
VO: How was the actual process of shooting and acting in the film since many of the characters are explicitly playing these fantastical roles, while also maintaining a “real world” identity? Was there any improvisation in terms of allowing actors to flesh out their LARP personas in addition to what was stated in the script?
MK: I think since improvisation is central in LARP – it should be central in the film. Alex also likes improv, and we were lucky to have great improv actors like Ricky Mabe and Nick Wright who pushed their characters with an original authentic flavor. (I have been told that I also tend to improv a bit on occasion…) Finding the right tone was a concern of mine from the very start and when you are an actor playing someone who is acting – it can be tricky… Luckily, we waded through it and each found the right voice for the story. The surreal thing about shooting this film in 35mm with hundreds of extras on occasion – at night – in often sub-zero temperatures… was that Fantasy and Reality continued to collide throughout - within our very crew even.... For example, we shot the day scenes during a REAL LARP event . We had to be in-costume and disguise the camera with furs in order to film! We had to pay the gypsy clans in fake coins to dance – though I had to buy them REAL beer… The guys who look drunk in the background… are really drunk.
VO: What are your thoughts on the supposed negative portrait of larping that many feared the film would present, almost hearkening back to the 'Mazes & Monsters' controversy of the early 80's when D&D and its players were somewhat demonized for a moment?
MK: I think a lot has changed since the 80s . For example at PTA meetings in the 1950s, kids who chewed gum in class were considered rebels without a cause (today we have metal detectors and some kids with machine-guns)… In 1980, it was those evil D&Ders. But in 2011? Larpers – really? Are LARPERS really crazier than the 7-figure salary world-bankers or the IMF who creatively plot to plunge our world deeper into crisis… No – things have changed a lot since 1980 and I don’t mean just the bad hair and good music. We now bombard our youth with constant violence. First person shooter games… Or criminal avatar games like GRAND THEFT AUTO where you get points for messing up others really bad – these are commonplace and kids sit in front of a screen more than they ever have in the past. We live in a time of terrorist attacks, oil addiction, our own government’s apathy towards its own people (and vice versa), school shootings… All are much more disturbing than a few guys getting dressed up with foam swords.
Yes, it is true that some LARPERS are worried that non-larpers will think larpers are crazy after watching the film. But I think audiences today are very smart. They know that THE WILD HUNT is a fictional film set in a fictional LARP – not a documentary. I have been to 20 festivals around the world and spoken with hundreds of fans and NONE have expressed any negative view of LARPERS by watching the film. I think if LARPERs are worried about that they should stop feeling so insecure and embrace their passion. I think fictional films like Role Models and documentaries like Darkon depict LARPERS in a much more negative, geeky light than THE WILD HUNT – where both good and bad, heroic and cowardly players are portrayed. When you see a crazy cop on TV – it doesn’t mean that all cops are crazy. And when a soccer game turns into a mass riot and several fans are brutally slain – it doesn’t mean all soccer is satanically evil. People know that. Most Larpers enjoy the film. They are not our main target audience but I respect their creative energy and they were our partners in the film. So much so that we couldn’t even call them ‘extras’ in the movie – we called them ‘warriors’ because they often set the tone and kept up the energy on this very difficult shoot.
VO: Speaking specifically in terms of your character Bjorn, what are your thoughts on the transformation he appears to experience as a result of the story's aftermath? Especially the ending, which I won't spoil here, which is swift, final, and quite shocking. Is he someone who has perhaps moved past the game or does his long-term affinity for it remain untouched?
MK: Todd, you are asking a very good question and I fear I cannot answer it honestly without spoiling it for those who have not seen it… But I will try to remain metaphoric. First of all, Bjorn has most certainly changed at the end of the film – yet his character, as the film itself – becomes blurred and fused when fantasy and reality collide… In fact, he has become somewhat of a composite beast – like the horned shaman – part man and spirit animal… A character worthy of the sagas. For any who wish to discuss more about this or any other issue regarding the film – I invite you to search and join ‘Bjorn Magnusson’ on FACEBOOK as well as ‘The Wild Hunt’. I always answer fans there – often in character even on my wall ( I know… maybe I need a therapist… By Thor, this saga is getting to me…) I also invite all to visit our site (www.wildhuntfilm.com).
