In Greek mythology Cerberus is a three-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld. When watching the strange films of Salazar, it’s tempting to imagine the band of directors as a single Cerberusian beast. Only instead of forbidding entrance to lands unknown, Salazar accelerates it inventing images that are easy to get lost in and hard to forget. A boy lost at sea in a boat filled with artifacts, two women’s game of tug-o-war before letting the ocean swallow them, a misguided pygmy’s journey through an arctic snow-globe. Salazar has woven mythology into the music of Brasstronaut, Fan Death, Shimmering Stars and Wizard Smoke (to name only a few). This summer, as they prepare to embark on yet another curious collaboration with Lifetime, I snorted a bunch of speed and caught up with the three heads of Salazar: Nathan Drillot, Jesse Savath, and Jeff Petry. This interview was conducted magically… really.

What is your role in the Salazar collective?
Nathan - We all have the same role in Salazar. It’s a three-headed beast. We’re a band of directors working together for a single goal. We write and produce our projects, and others work as well, but our number one focus is on directing original projects.

In a sentence or two, how would the others describe you?
Nathan - I hope they would say hard working, and I know they would say occasionally difficult.

Jesse - Well I for sure come across as being pretty neurotic, but I think that the guys appreciate my ideas and my drive.

Jeff - Mood swinger, over thinker, something of a looker.

Can you tell me a little about the conception of Salazar?
Nathan - We came together out of a shared visual aesthetic and interest in making unique and compelling work on our own terms. Like most things, the genesis probably sprang forth on a late dark night around a bunch of empty glasses. We’re friends first and business partners second.

Salazar has developed quite the wandering eye, creatively. Your focus is broad encompassing everything from music and fashion to politics and conceptual art film. Do you ever find that your openness-to-all and lack of singular focus causes some creative schizophrenia?
Nathan - I personally like being schizophrenic. Every project leads you to new experiences and new viewpoints on reality. Our diversity is purposeful and something that has forced us to develop skill sets and talents that otherwise would not have been possible with a narrower scope.

Jess - I agree completely. I am very thankful that we all come from different backgrounds with art, music and life in general because it makes us each look at every project in a different way. We also enjoy taking on new challenges and trying to maintain our style and feel.

Jeff - Being open to any kind of project, even if it’s not video or film related, is really important to me personally. I don’t think it’s healthy to identify too strongly with any one medium.

Has your work ethic or personal process changed much since organizing and committing to a group?
Nathan - This is something we’ve talked about extensively. Salazar is an experiment in collaborative filmmaking. We’re going against the grain and bucking some of the conventions of the film industry by challenging the normal structure of the filmmaking machine. It’s been an interesting experience working so closely together. It forces you to constantly be aware of your ego. We know each other so well [that] there’s no lying or bullshitting, it would be impossible to get away with it. We’ve gotten to the point where we’re calling each other on our weaknesses, not in a negative way but in a constructive way that pushes towards growth.

In the way of film, music and literature, what fertilizes your imagination?
Nathan - Personally I’m highly influenced by European cult, fantasy and exploitation films. I really connect with their sense of making something ordinary into something dreamlike. So many of the films I enjoy are about finding magic in the mundane. I’m also constantly watching documentaries; I find real life to be the greatest inspiration.

Jesse – My influences come from exploration. My imagination flourishes when I’m in a new environment or even just [taking] a new path to work. I spend a lot of time in my mind thinking of the unordinary and don’t like to get too caught up in pop culture. Of course being aware (to a degree) is somewhat vital, but I like that Nathan and Jeff can pass me something they think is important for us all to watch.

Jeff - The sort of high I get when I/we achieve a good idea is so addictive. Never knowing what combination of experiences in life will add up to, that idea is what makes it really surprising and satisfying.

How does magical realism work into Salazar’s sensibility or spirit?
Nathan - At its core magical realism is combining something extraordinary and impossible into a very real atmosphere but doing it in a way that seems completely natural and plausible. So much of media now exists in a world of pure fantasy; it’s divorced from any sense of reality. I find most of it very boring, like watching a really bad cartoon. All the comic book movies coming out lately are a good example. They’re supposed to be fantastical and awe-inspiring, but I find them dull and uninspired mostly because at no point do they feel real to me. When you compare them to truly magical films by directors like Jodorowsky, Lynch, Jarmusch etc. they can’t deliver the same feeling of awe and wonder.

Jeff - I think it’s in our language --a willingness to be somewhat romantic about certain things, the way we banter with each other on a daily basis. It’s something that we’ve noticed reoccurring in ourselves rather than intentionally seeking it.

Is there a shoot that stands out to you or resonates with you personally?
Nathan - Every shoot has been an adventure, whether it be filming in back alleys in remote western China, fording rivers deep in the Mexican jungle or something as simple as finding a hidden grove of poplar trees in our backyard. Personally, I’ll never forget filming with friends on top of a 500 year old church outside Mexico City. We paid the gatekeeper $50 to let us in, and we had about 6 hours to enjoy ourselves.

Jesse - For me, even though it was highly stressful and nauseating at times, the Brasstronaut shoot was the most fun. It was so intense and so rewarding. Open ocean, crazy seasickness and sunburns, people almost drowning, boats breaking, [it’s] so funny because when you watch the video it seems so calm.

Jeff - I’m going to take the easy way out here and say that each one has its own set of challenges to work through and the extraordinary experiences come from there.

Your video for The Simmering Stars is beautiful. It’s also very dark and depressing. Since you consistently bleed the two together in your videos, I’m going to ask: What do you find depressing? What’s something you find beautiful?
Nathan - The most depressing thing to me is watching someone you love, really truly love, do something you know is going to hurt them and being powerless to do anything about it. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen is a group of people interacting in real communities. So many of us are isolated and spend most of our time alone with machines. It’s inspiring to see people connecting face to face.

Jesse - Life can be so amazing one minute and so devastating the next. It’s something I love and hate about it. I find it depressing that people become way too insular, forget that life exists well past their job, their block, their city. I’m struggling with the beautiful question right now.

Jeff - Depressing? Cynicism. Beautiful? Emotional experience, among other things.

Do you prefer being given a lot of guidance or freedom from a client? Which works better for the way you work?
Nathan - It’s a balancing act. It’s great to have freedom, but it’s also important the client feels like they have a voice and stake in the project. The best projects are when you can come together and help each other make something that everyone is excited about and has creative ownership of.

What is the farthest you’ve traveled (geographically speaking or otherwise) to see a vision captured?
Nathan - India would be the most geographic distance I’ve gone for a film, but the farthest I’ve traveled personally was directing a project that was actually never released. It involved shooting in a soon to be demolished house with a group of 25 friends and strangers who were all naked.
Jesse - The furthest I’ve traveled for film would be New Zealand. Wow. That place is phenomenal. Wish I could be back there now.

Jeff - Individually and collectively we have had the chance to travel to Europe, Asia, North and Central America and even to Vancouver Island. This next year will see more travel than ever and I’m sure a few more BC burgers on the ferry.

Generally, Do you select clients you want to work with or do they select you?
Jeff - It’s always nice to be wanted. We generally let clients come to us. Having said that, we meet a lot of interesting people who become friends and later make projects with. That’s probably the most rewarding method.

How did the Lifetime collaboration come about?
Nathan - We knew of them but had never really met one another. We admired their collective spirit and thought it would be a good match with how we operate. It’s turned out to be a very fruitful collaboration. They’re like family now. We yell at each other like siblings --in a good way.

What was the creative process like on this project?
Jeff - It hasn’t happened yet, but I expect Trevor [Fleming] to be gagged and bound and thrown in the back of the van as soon as we clear the border on our way to the salt flats.

Does Salazar produce enough revenue for you to make a decent living in Vancouver?
Nathan - I make my living completely from my work in Salazar. We love Vancouver, and it’s been very good for us. However, it’s hard to grow beyond a certain point here. It’s not just about money but rather the ability to access a deeper pool of talent to collaborate with. This extends to actors, cinematographers, art directors etc. We love the people we work with here, but it’s a really small community. Vancouver is always going to be a home but in order to grow you have to branch out into the world. Luckily our work allows us to travel constantly and spend extended periods in other places, and I feel very blessed for that. Vancouver isn’t going anywhere, and I find solace in difficult times knowing that.

Jesse - Agreed.

Jeff - Yep.

The group that ____ together, stays together.

Nathan - That grows. Once this experiment stops forcing us to grow, we’ll move on and work as separate artists. Luckily, that day feels a long ways away.

Jesse - Agreed.

Jeff - That spends countless hours working, eating, yelling and loving.