Meet Ryan Clausen | Writer, Director, Special Effects Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Clausen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, what are you inspired by?
Practical gore effects in films. From the super cheesy to the hyper realistic, it’s all magic to me. Equal parts slight of hand and puzzle building. One moment, everything in the scene is normal, the characters are intact and more or less OK, the next, something horrible happens. A character’s insides are on the outside. Somewhere between those moments, something is secretly added to the scene without the audience knowing. A squib or a prosthetic or wires or tubes under patches of fake flesh. Maybe an actor has been swapped out for a dummy rigged up to do who knows what. There are technicians just out of frame, waiting for their cue. All of it has to be so carefully planned and choreographed. Whenever I see a particularly interesting effect, my first thought is: ‘How did they do that?’ followed shortly by my second thought: ‘How can I do that?’ There is always an effect in mind when I start thinking about my next film. I do my best to build a compelling story around that effect, but moments are what people remember.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think I can do anything and I always want to find out if I’m right. There is a particular incident in my childhood that sums up my approach to art. This occurred at a family dinner out at some restaurant. I must have been around seven or eight years old at the time. I really wanted a burger, but there wasn’t one on the kids menu, so, for the first time, I ordered off of the adult menu. When the food arrived, the server set this massive burger in front of me. It was much too large for my tiny, child sized hands, but I really wanted to eat that burger. So I’m really struggling with it, trying to hold it in such a way that the patty doesn’t slide out. I am getting creative with my grip, using my palms to press it together from the top and bottom. My grandpa sees me struggling, so he very kindly takes the burger and cuts it in half. For the rest of the dinner, I refused to take a bite of the burger. I wasn’t done trying to figure it out on my own. I am aware of the negative connotations of this story. Film is a collaborative artform and it would be almost impossible to make a movie completely on my own. When I am on set, I am all about staying in my lane and making sure we make our days. But when time isn’t a factor, I will do whatever it takes to figure out how to pick up a burger larger than my hands can handle. Whether that means learning how to play a new instrument so I can add it to the sound track, mixing silicone with one hand so I can make a mold of the other, learning how to design and build puppets from scratch with no prior sewing experience, or whatever the next project brings, I will find a way to pick up that burger.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Assuming this week long trip starts on a Monday, we will definitely be going to the Loft Cinema for Mondo Monday. Four dollars for a ticket to some of the most bizarre and shlocky B-Movies with a packed house full of weirdos who love nothing more than yelling at the characters on the screen. There is no better way to spend a Monday in Tucson. Midtown Vegan Deli will be on the itinerary at least once (The only burgers I lift these days are plant based.) We can split a basket of buffalo fries. I will make sure my back up bike is in good condition so we can spend some time on the Chuck Huckleberry Loop. 137 miles of paved bike path, all of them good in their own way. We’ll have to get an Eegee. Whatever the flavor of the month is. Film Tucson puts on a mixer once a month, that is a great place to catch up with the film community and hear about what everyone is working on. We can make an appointment with Lindsey Wonder at Tucson Tattoo for some matching ink. There’s usually something interesting at the Scoundrel and Scamp theatre. Maybe a Red Herring puppet show. There’s a great view of the city at the top of Tumamoc Hill. There’s plenty of other hikes around town, too, or we can drive up to Mount Lemmon if it’s too hot.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This is a hard question. There are so many talented actors and artists in the Tucson film scene, many of whom I have had the pleasure of collaborating with. I’ll go with Callie Hutchison. She is a staggeringly talented actor, both on stage and on film. She has been game for everything I’ve thrown at her. Somehow, she always manages to ground even my most surreal films in reality.

Website: https://theryanclausen.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theryanclausen/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanClausenThe

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2861466/

Image Credits
Agata Orlinski
Amy Crater
Kevin Larkin