In high school, Charles Anderson used to be in a band called ‘Mud Men.’ Despite the name, he said the group never actually covered themselves in mud.
He played guitar and drums in the band and described their sound as “heavy, noisy stuff.” They often covered themselves in shaving cream when they played for crowds. The Mud Men got the inspiration for their name from a National Geographic magazine.
Although it has been a while since Anderson has been in a band, he has plans to get back together with his high school buddy, who also lives in St. Louis, to play music.
Anderson said his real passion is storytelling, specifically theatrical storytelling. Initially, he thought about becoming a writer. He studied English and creative writing at Ball State University in Indiana. He then pursued film in grad school at Boston University.
Anderson has a movie in the film festival circuit called “We Could Be Your Parents.” It is a comedy/drama about a woman who won’t have kids until her husband quits smoking. His lead actor is Alex Karpovsky, who stars in the HBO series “Girls.”
Anderson spent this past summer writing in Oregon.
This fall Anderson will teach Film I and Pre-production at Webster University. He will teach students about writing scripts, breaking down scripts for production and storyboarding.
Lindsey Lyner, senior film production major, has Anderson as a teacher this semester.
“He’s a refreshing new perspective who I look forward to working with on my (senior) review,” Lyner said.
Anderson said he is excited about getting the chance to watch student films.
“Selfishly, I like watching films, and I would like to see them (the students) make great films,” Anderson said. “I’d say I like to watch films more than I like to make them.”
Anderson’s appreciation for film has grown over the years, he said. He enjoys watching films he loved as a kid, like “Time Bandits.”
“Time Bandits” was the first movie his parents brought home that inspired him. It’s a film by Terry Gilliam, whom Anderson describes as a visionary.
“It’s a wild sort of action movie about a group of thieves that travel through time to rob people like Napoleon,” Anderson said. “I loved seeing that at a young age — a film that was truly creative, not only story wise, but visually.”
Anderson is happy to be in St. Louis because it’s close to his family in Indiana. He said he is especially glad to be close to his little sister who is about to have a baby girl. Anderson is excited to be an uncle for the first time.
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