Filmmaker Michael Matzdorff has found his way back home after spending his career in L.A. primarily working as an editor in TV and film industries.

In his first film as a director/writer, Matzdorff returns to Wisconsin to shoot “Feed the Fish,” a dark romantic comedy that follows a children’s book author who travels to the frozen tundra with his best friend for the annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Originally from Green Bay, Matzdorff, 45, has been part of the editorial department for a number of films, including “Meet Joe Black,” “Fight Club,” and “Code Name: The Cleaner.” He also edited TV shows such as “Monk” and “Last Comic Standing.”

During an interview with EXTRA, Matzdorff talked about the challenges he faced as a first-time director and what it actually takes for someone to make an independent film.
“Feed the Fish” will be available on DVD Jan. 25.

EXTRA: You worked as an editor before finding your way to writing and directing. What led you to editing in the first place?

Matzdorff: I really gravitated towards editing in part to the general principles of editing – taking things and putting them together so they work. That’s something I’ve always been good at. It’s almost like puppetry. You can make people do what you want to a great extent.

Did you anticipate any challenges as a first-time director?

There was so much going on. We tried to address every possible scenario and challenge in pre-production. I was surrounded by a great team. We tried to foresee all the possible problems. Because I was aware of the environment intimately, it was easy to predict what the weather was going to be like. It was going to be cold. We were going to get a lot of snow.