To help launch the film, the director is releasing a digital box set: featuring an exclusive Student Academy Award winning short film, Under, the first 5 minutes of the feature film Copenhagen, music by Esther Maria and ONBC, art, and a curated photo collection from behind the scenes. Download the BitTorrent Bundle, and unlock the new film.

Copenhagen X BitTorrent Bundle

Copenhagen Official Trailer (Video)
Copenhagen Film Special Preview (Video)
Esther Maria: Broken (Audio)
ONBC: You and Me Against the World (Audio)
Copenhagen: Stay With Me (Audio)
Under: HD (Video)
Copenhagen: Exclusive Movie Clip HD (Video)
Copenhagen: Slamdance Spotlight (Video)
Copenhagen: EPK (PDF)
Copenhagen: Final Script (PDF)
Copenhagen: Shotlist (PDF)
Copenhagen: FFTT Pitch Package (PDF)
Curated Photoset (Art)

Words with Mark Raso: On Copenhagen, and After

BitTorrent: What drew you to Copenhagen? The place? The story? What role did the city play in the narrative (and off-screen)?

Mark Raso: My wife is from Copenhagen, so I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years. I instantly fell in love with the youthful energy of the city, and the story grew from that and various specific episodes I had while living there. The city plays a huge role in the film, and I wanted it to feel like a character much like the Tokyo of “Lost in Translation” does for that film.

BitTorrent: William and Effy’s relationship goes against the conventions of a typical Hollywood romance. Why was that important? How did you approach the development of these characters?

Raso: I’m not sure it goes totally against the conventions, but rather pushed them to the extremes so that it feels different. And pushing them was important because I feel like films don’t challenge audiences enough, so we wanted to ask the tough questions while at the same time hope that audiences can embody the characters and “feel” along with them. Once the audience is in William’s shoes, they are forced to look at things differently. The characters have clear arcs and we knew where they had to go, so it was just a matter of the actors hitting certain milestones along the way to help the characters get to where they needed to go.

BitTorrent: This marks your first feature-length project. What was the process like? What were some of the challenges you faced?

Raso: It was a truly great experience and a privilege to work with such an incredible team. Shooting in a foreign country challenged us a lot, but it is also provided myself and the crew from out of town an experience of adventure, which I think we brought to the film. The longest I had shot prior to Copenhagen was 8 days, so the thought of going 24 days was a bit scary at first but it really became easier as we went on, and I actually found myself hitting my groove as we moved forward. By far the biggest challenge we faced was budgetary, but the Producers really made every penny count and the people of Copenhagen opened their arms that were were able to pull it off. Still, shooting a micro in one of the most expensive countries in the world is not advisable.

BitTorrent: What advice do you have for filmmakers who are just starting out, or working on micro-budgets?

Raso: Filmmaking is a craft, so if you are just starting out my advice would be to hone that craft by practicing. With the cost of good, cheap HD camera’s being so low (or coming with your phone), make a ton of shorts and practice, practice, practice. In terms of tackling a micro, remember that pre-production is free. So spend as much time working on the script as you need. And as much time casting as you need, and make sure you have done everything you can to prepare before days start equalling dollars.

BitTorrent: As an independent filmmaker, how do you see the industry changing? How would you like to see it change?

Raso: It’s easier to make films, which is great. But trying to get them seen is that much harder with all the competition – which is a shitty word to use- out there. I think it has never been more difficult to be an Indy filmmaker and until audiences start gravitating to them it’s going to be hard to make money doing this. I’m not sure what the change would look like, but there is definitely a need for something to change so that great films can be seen by large audiences. The platforms are out there, it is just a matter of monetizing it so that it can be sustainable for so many people in the Indy film landscape.

BitTorrent: What’s next?

Raso: Things are going well. I am attached to various scripts of different sizes, from something very small and indie, to something more on the studio side. So much has to time right with this that I am reluctant to get ahead of myself and discuss the projects in more detail, but the hope is you will see my second feature sometime in the near future.

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