Interview With ‘Shadows’ Writer And Director Michael Matteo Rossi

Michael Matteo Rossi (Chase 2018) has been making movies since he was a teenager. Studying Filmmaking at San Diego State University, he created his first short film, Our Lost Translation, playing at the L.A. Shorts Fest, and has has never looked back. Now, with his feature film, Shadows, Rossi takes on the world of drug dealing, gangs, and street justice with a strong emphasis on conflicted characters and onscreen violence.

We had a chance to chat with the writer/director about his career and the making of Shadows.

PopHorror: Michael, you have been making movies since you were young, completing your first short when you were only 19, and have continued to produce, direct, and write. What has helped keep you passionate over the years?

Michael Matteo Rossi: I just love storytelling at its core, and movies are the best medium for me to show that, so it keeps me moving. I love working with my actors and seeing my characters come to life on screen as well.

PopHorror: The three features you have most recently written and directed, Chase, The Handler, and now Shadows, involve the criminal underworld, assassins, and the violence that is inevitably faced by your characters. What draws you to this world and continues to compel you to create stories around it?

Michael Matteo Rossi: I love writing conflicted characters, because 100% good or 100% bad characters bore me. That’s not real life. I grew up watching gangster and action films as well, so that motivates me to tell those type of stories. They just entertain me the most.

PopHorror: It’s never easy directing a movie with action sequences, but what did you find most challenging while making Shadows?

Michael Matteo Rossi: Without giving too much away, the end climax shootout scene in Shadows was, by far, the most challenging, just in terms of blocking and a lot of moving parts and the most amount of characters in one scene. We had 5 days to shoot that scene, and it’s one of the proudest scenes I’ve directed so far. I think it turned out really well.

PopHorror: Looking back at your journey creating Shadows, what are you most proud of?

Michael Matteo Rossi: I would say the casting of the actors, because everybody really got into their characters. I think it’s the best-acted film I’ve ever made.

PopHorror: Was there anything you were adamant about keeping in the script regardless of time or budget restraints?

Michael Matteo Rossi: Overall, the action and shooting type stuff, I knew I wanted to keep it in there. Even if we had to be creative to make it work, I was not going to take it out.

PopHorror: What do you hope audiences walk away with after experiencing Shadows?

Michael Matteo Rossi: That it was powerful and had some dynamic, memorable performances and that the audience cared about the characters presented on the screen.

PopHorror: If you could program a double feature at your local theater, what two films make the bill and why?

Michael Mateo Rossi: Terminator 1 and 2 because they are two of my favorite films of all time!

We would like to thank Michael for his time and hope you check out Shadows, now available to stream on Google Play, Amazon Prime, and Vudu.