Had it not been for the purely coincidental fact that Darius Marder shared a park bench in Brooklyn with Dan Campbell, a man who had a story to tell about treasure hunters, there is a large possibility that his film, “Loot,” would have never been made.
“I was writing a screenplay, watching my kid in the sandbox,” said Marder, the director, editor and co-producer of “Loot,” winner for best documentary at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival. “He told me about this guy Lance, who is the main character. He told me that he knew a veteran, and they were planning on recovering this veteran’s lost goods. I said, “˜Great! I’ll make that film.’ He said, “˜Great I’ll produce it.'”
The luck that led to Marder’s discovery of the topic for his film, which will be screened through Melnitz Movies today at the James Bridges Theater, did not stop there. In a weird twist of fate, filming the documentary unearthed parallels within the character’s stories, creating a narrative neatly written by fate that seemed too contrived to be real.
One month into filming, Marder discovered that their treasure hunter, Lance Larson, was actually on another quest to find another man’s treasure ““ a man who also happened be a World War II veteran and similarly was almost completely blind. Both protagonists had sons who died at 19 due to drug addictions, similar to Larson’s 19-year-old son who was battling a drug addiction as they filmed.
“Within the first month, we knew we had these amazing connections, but it was very hard to see how they would connect,” Marder said. “It’s one thing to have similarities ““ it’s another thing to use them in a story and make them relevant and vital.”
What’s even more astonishing about the making of this film was not the fact that it was Marder’s first film: It was the fact that Marder wasn’t even working in the film industry. Though Marder had always desired to make films, it wasn’t until right before filming “Loot” that he decided to pursue his dream and quit his full-time job as a food stylist.
“I found myself thinking about all these films I wanted to make, and you realize at one point that nobody is going to do this for you,” Marder said. “It’s not like it’s not going to happen; there’s no way that you can continue to do something like food styling, which is very alluring. You can make a lot of money doing it, and it’s somewhat satisfying work, but there’s no way you can turn that into film.”
Unlike the “Loot” narrative, Marder’s journey into filmmaking was not as simple. Though he had done a lot of work on set assisting behind the scenes, Marder became a food stylist after a successful career as a personal chef in New York City and operating a sushi catering business in Vermont before that.
“I’ve never studied cooking, but I’ve always done cooking,” Marder said. “I’ve never studied film, but I’ve always done film. “
Additionally, he had made the leap into the culinary world only after a successful career as a teacher in Massachusetts, where he got it in his mind to teach seventh and eighth grade right after he graduated high school.
“I’m not college material,” Marder said. “After high school, I went and taught school without a degree. I’ve never been inclined to go to school but always been inclined to learn. You don’t need to have a teaching credential to teach at a private school. I was really young and had a lot of ideas ““ at least I’d like to think that.”
If Marder’s personal career path seems too much of a treasure hunt to find his perfect career, it’s probably due to his personal philosophy to follow the paths in life that are often shrouded in fear.
“I feel that every time there is that fear impulse, there is an opportunity to have courage,” Marder said. “I really look for those opportunities in my life to have courage, to stretch who I am and stretch what I’m doing in order to create something to take me out of the confines of myself.”
Marder insists that the idea of making films persisted throughout his careers, but it was his gut instinct that finally got him out of the kitchen and holding a camera. Though his path was winding, he believes that finding Campbell was meant to be.
“I’m just lucky; I met this guy, but I don’t believe that it’s just luck,” Marder said. “On some level, I chose that and had this journey that changed all our lives.”