MEET THE FILMMAKER: Laerke Drews - LAURA IN ACTION

As we get nearer to the festival, we will be featuring the various filmmakers whose work will be screening throughout the festival.

Introduce Yourself: My name is Laerke Drews, and I am a student of film.

How did you become interested in filmmaking? I had never considered being a filmmaker before I took a class in filmmaking in high school at the age of 18. I had wanted to be a lawyer or a researcher, but when I began working on my fist timid student film project, a whole new world of possibilities seemed to open itself to me. Ever since childhood, I have had a great appreciation of art, but I had never before considered becoming an artist myself. Though I love painting, sculpture and the novel, I always thought that it must be frustrating for the artists that their work is exposed to, and appreciated by, so comparatively few people. But when I made my first film, I realized that films can be art as well. And whereas the other arts, that I love, play a comparatively minor role in most people's lives, film is the most appreciated and most dominant art form today. So, that which made me become interested in filmmaking, is the fact that art is very important to me in my own life, and that by making films, I can create art to myself as well as to an audience, who can actually use and appreciate the art that I create in their everyday lives. That, to me, is very motivating.

Tell us about your inspiration and vision for the film: With 'Laura – in Action', I wanted to create a film in which (1) the protagonist is passive, and (2) a central part of the plot unfolds within the protagonist's mind—all of this without the film ever ceasing to be entertaining to watch.

(1) 'Laura – in Action' tells the story of a passive girl who learns how to act. At a first glance, this premise seems incompatible with an exciting, causal plot, simply because passivity is boring. But passivity is a widespread phenomenon: very many people who seem to be active, actually avoid acting towards their real goals because acting requires that one takes chances and risks. Passivity is thus as widespread as it is harmful, and difficult to rid oneself of—and for this very same reason it is intriguing when someone succeeds in taking action. 'Laura – in Action' is thus an attempt to dramatize the passivity and the happy circumstance that it is possible to act.

(2) The decision to act instead of being passive is a decision that takes place within the mind of a human being. But to show a person who is merely deciding something is boring on film—unless the audience understand exactly what the decision is about. Therefore, I wanted to let the audience have access to Laura's thoughts and feelings. To achieve this, I used the technique of mixing real life action with animation, and because I wanted to communicate Laura's emotions and thoughts clearly, comprehensively and visually, I choose the style of classic cartoons, which traditionally dramatize their stories clearly and visually through physical action. By making Laura a cartoonist, I wanted to make it probable that her thoughts would materialize as cartoons, thereby tying the outer circumstances to the Laura's thoughts and feelings. My intention was thus to create a film where the protagonists' inner life is as concrete, and as visually expressed, as her 'real' life.

What were some of the biggest challenges in making and completing the film? I wish I could say that the only challenges in making the film were the artistic challenges of making the film just right. Luckily there were plenty of such challenges, and lots of wonderful, brain wrecking work had to be done to find the very best solutions in a great many different areas.
However, the greatest challenges unfortunately came from the low budget of the film. But these challenges are inevitable in low budget filmmaking, and while they must be accepted as a fact, they are not important. What's important is the film itself.

In the spirit of Jackson, what's your favorite Western? High Noon (1952), because of its beautifully effective simplicity.

LAURA IN ACTION, writen and directed by Laerke Drews, will screen in Student Voices III at 4:45P, Saturday, June 7th at the Center For the Arts, Studio 4 and Sunday, June 8th at 10:15P at the Center for the Arts, Studio 4.

MEET THE FILMMAKER: Brad Isaacs - HAVE DREAMS, WILL TRAVEL

As we get nearer to the festival, we will be featuring the various filmmakers whose work will be screening throughout the festival.

Introduce Yourself: My name is Brad Isaacs. Woody Allen, Milos Forman and John Schlesinger are the folks whose movies inspired me to direct. I think every director has his/her Cuckoo's Nest or Midnight Cowboy, stories told so powerfully it makes you want to do something of equal influence. Good luck.

Tell us about your inspiration and vision for the film: I wrote my script after taking a five-month road trip. My old dog Duke and I drove through the South, by the many apartments, houses and schools where my childhood was spent. Although I had (and still have) very loving parents, they were young and not ready for parenting at some level. They split when I was a tyke and my youth was spent bouncing back and forth between them and two years at a military academy during my fifth and sixth grades. Anyway, during the car trip the part of my childhood that was rudderless and lonely was fairly overwhelming. So I wrote a story about it and made up the rest.

What were some of the biggest challenges in making and completing the film? You need a lot of serendipity to get a 'small' movie like this made. Then you need even more serendipity during the filming and post process for your movie to be any good. I got some great breaks and some shitty ones, just like everyone else. I look at the final cut now and see lots of things I could've done better. But I also see moments that are truly magical. Most of that credit goes to the cast.

One thing I do know is that with our schedule and budget, the movie wouldn't have had a chance if we didn't have two amazing kids playing the leads, Cayden and AnnaSophia. They understood the story, disappeared into their characters and were brilliant. Any critical or financial success this movie achieves is because of them.

In the spirit of Jackson, what's your favorite Western? Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.

HAVE DREAMS, WILL TRAVEL, written and directed by Brad Isaacs, will screen Friday, June 6th at 4:15P at the Teton Theatre.

MEET THE FILMMAKER: Preston DeFrancis - THE BIG PRODUCTION

As we get nearer to the festival, we will be featuring the various filmmakers whose work will be screening throughout the festival.

Introduce Yourself: Hi there, I’m Preston DeFrancis. I’m originally from Wheeling, West Virginia, but I’ve lived in Los Angeles since I came out to the USC School of Cinematic Arts for my MFA in Film/TV Directing. I’m really excited that the Jackson Hole Film Festival is giving me a chance to visit such a beautiful part of the country.

How did you become interested in filmmaking? For as long as I can remember, watching and making film and television have been what I am most passionate about. As a young child, my favorite books were about movies, and I started taking piano lessons because I wanted to learn to play movie themes. It seemed natural to me to want to be a part of the filmmaking process. Unfortunately, there is virtually no film industry in West Virginia, and I felt that my dream was out of reach. Instead, I went to college to study a technical field. While an undergraduate, I was inspired by film professors and film professionals that I met to pursue filmmaking as a career; this led me to pursue my graduate degree in film.

Tell us about your inspiration and vision for the film: I have always been fascinated by the idea that different people can perceive a single event completely differently. I decided to explore that idea to humorous extremes in THE BIG PRODUCTION. The heightened nature of the comedy gave me the opportunity to allow each character’s personality to color their viewpoint so much that each one tells his or her side of the story as a completely different film genre. I loved the idea of having a single film that contains literally five genres. We were determined to make each genre distinct, each with a unique writing style, lighting scheme, and soundtrack.

What were some of the biggest challenges in making and completing the film? As a young filmmaker, mastering one style is difficult, let alone five. Yet we really tried to make every aspect of each genre true to that genre’s conventions. For instance, we actually shot the Sitcom portion of the film with multiple cameras and added a laugh track. We went so far as to shoot on four entirely different media: 35mm film, Super 16mm film, high definition video, and even standard definition video. Dealing with the different needs of each genre and format was incredibly difficult, but also an incredible learning experience and is, I think, what helps to make the film unique.

In the spirit of Jackson, what's your favorite Western? Clint Eastwood’s revisionist Western Unforgiven has been my favorite since I saw it as a teenager.

THE BIG PRODUCTION, directed by Preston DeFrancis, will screen in Student Voices I at 7:15P, Friday, June 6th at the Pink Garter Theatre and Sunday, June 8th at 9:45P at the Pink Garter Theatre.

MEET THE FILMMAKER: Hart Bochner - JUST ADD WATER

As we get nearer to the festival, we will be featuring the various filmmakers whose work will be screening throughout the festival.

Introduce Yourself: Hart Bochner, writer and director of JUST ADD WATER.

Several years go, I was acting in a film on location in and around Bakersfield, CA. Nearing the end of the schedule, the company packed up and headed two hours east, deep into the isolated, baked Mojave Desert to a dot on the map called Trona. It was, without question, about the strangest place I’d ever seen. I was immediately fascinated by its contrasts: a community surrounded by startling beauty, now in decay amid severe toxic waste.

Trona has been a mining town for over one hundred years, and its people and landscape have paid a heavy toll. Once proud and prosperous, the place is now all but abandoned. What few residents remain are either too nostalgic to leave, prisoners of the welfare state, or, more insidiously, purveyors of Meth. Though I’ve traveled the world, I’d never seen this kind of poverty and bleakness before. And what I found most startling was that it lies less than three hours from Los Angeles.

We only shot a couple of nights in town, but it had firmly been etched into my psyche. How could a place like this exist in America? How could a town be so forgotten? And where was the Superfund Cleanup crew?

Then a few years back, on my way to Death Valley, I revisited Trona, wondering if what I remembered was more imagination than reality. But it was actually worse: more decay, more deadness, more of what I’d been so moved and disturbed by before. Coincidentally, I was at that time mulling over a script idea, something I could sink my teeth into and direct myself. Walking through the abandoned neighborhoods, I let my mind wander. And then it hit me: A love story set in hell, a hopeful-yet-off-kilter romantic comedy, in contrast to everything the eye could see. If along the way it took a look at the social and environmental issues that beset the town, so be it. For my protagonist I envisioned the average Joe, a man who set personal dreams aside to provide for his family. Through events that ultimately upend his life, he would rediscover his purpose, and begin to dream again, for himself and community.

Today’s Trona reflects nothing of its distant hey day. Neighborhood children live and play in rubble. Teen boys, with nothing to do, look for trouble. Many of the girls are pregnant. Gone is America’s first indoor mall. Ditto the Ford Dealership (‘Drive a Little/Save a Lot’), the proud community where the folks in Ridgecrest used to come to shop and dine., Today’s Trona endures fallout from the Manson Gang (who actually lived there), and domination by general anarchy. The one sign of productivity is the looming monolithic Borax plant, droning 24/7 as it spews mucky effluent everywhere, garnering Trona the distinction of having the worst air and water quality in the U.S.

And so, with these notions ruminating in my mind, I headed back to L.A. and started writing. Nine months later I had a script and a meeting with Jersey Films, Danny DeVito’s company. Danny quickly joined our enterprise, and he would become a loyal friend in a lengthy process to make this film.
With financing eventually secured, we suddenly had a scant four weeks to prepare. Since the film was ingrained in my head, I felt this truncated prep was viable. But there was a key issue. Being Canadian, I could’ve headed north of the border and saved some money. As a DGA PAC Committee member, I was hell-bent to shoot locally, supporting our unions and workers. And Trona had everything I needed. It was the only place to shoot this film. Case closed.

When we moved up to location, the residents opened their homes to us. I was careful not to look like we were taking over. One of the benefits of shooting in a near-abandoned town is that you can’t really disturb that much. Whenever possible, we hired residents for production jobs, background, etc. We housed the company twenty-two miles west, in Ridgecrest, a growing naval town (yes, there’s a naval base in the middle of the desert).

On the first day of principal, a little boy, perhaps nine years old, attached himself to the production. From that point on, he became our fourth AD, complete with walkie-talkie. Little Matthew was more than a novelty; he knew the ins and outs of the town and helped us no end. With Matthew on our team, more locals followed, and my producers Robin Bissell and Clifford Werber alerted the caterer to always have plenty of food on hand for anyone who needed a meal. It was the least we could do.

I was well aware of how personally moved I was by my own experience with Trona. What I didn’t know was how the company would react. Had I overestimated my sense of the place? But from the outset, the cast and crew felt similar awe. As time went on, neighbors and the company became one. One of the actor’s and his wife adopted a local abused child. My 1st AD regularly returns, picking up Matthew and his siblings, taking them on jaunts to Disneyland. Others return just because.

That’s the thing about Trona. While we may have made a tiny mark on the town and its people, they clearly made a bigger imprint on us. And while the experience on any given film never ensures a positive outcome, I am so proud that it enriched the lives of those I brought to it.

JUST ADD WATER, written and directed by Hart Bochner, will screen Sunday, June 8th at 5:30P at the Center for the Arts - Studio One.

MEET THE FILMMAKER: Samuele Romano - CAMILLE E MARIUCCIA

As we get nearer to the festival, we will be featuring the various filmmakers whose work will be screening throughout the festival.

Introduce Yourself: I was born in Milan but I now live in London, where I studied at the London Film School. Since graduation, I've worked on different projects, from short films to music videos. At the moment, I spend lots of time walking around my neighbourhood looking for my next story.

How did you become interested in filmmaking? Since I was a teenager, I've always been intrigued by storytelling, and movies seemed to me the simplest way of doing it. Obviously, once I got into it, I realised it was probably tougher.

Tell us about your inspiration and vision for the film: When I started writing the script, I decided to look for a simple story, developing it in a short span, and to focus on its characters. That's also what I kept in mind as I was shooting: being simple and direct.

What were some of the biggest challenges in making and completing the film? Directing a ferret and hiding in the trunk.

In the spirit of Jackson, what's your favorite Western? Once Upon a Time in the West, by Sergio Leone.

CAMILLE E MARIUCCI, written and directed by Samuele Romano, will screen in Student Voices II at 1:45P, Friday, June 6th at the Pink Garter Theatre and Saturday, June 7th at 10:15P at the Pink Garter Theatre.

MEET THE FILMMAKER: Peter Ricq - GLITCH

As we get nearer to the festival, we will be featuring the various filmmakers whose work will be screening throughout the festival.

Introduce Yourself: My name is Peter Ricq, I'm the director of GLITCH. I live in Vancouver but was born and raised in Montreal.

How did you become interested in filmmaking? I became interested in filmmaking at an early age. I watched the same movies like Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, 2001, Ghost busters over and over again, It was just a nice escape from reality. When I knew that I could one day do my own films as a living, I decided that was it.

Tell us about your inspiration and vision for the film: This is a graduate film that I did in my last year in University. I had done comedic films before and so this time I wanted to tackle another genre. I really enjoy science fiction and Phillip K. Dick style suspense stories. I had this story in mind for a while and now I finally had the time and experience to do every scene the way I envisioned it.

What were some of the biggest challenges in making and completing the film? Animation takes a lot of time to do, just drawing it all and hoping to make it on time was challenging. I would work on this film for 6 to 11 hours everyday , even weekends. It wasn't esay and you've got to be dedicated and not easily distracted from all the great parties that you may be missing out on and the girlfriend telling you that you're not spending enough time with her.

In the spirit of Jackson, what's your favorite Western? I haven't seen many but I'd say "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" was fantastic.

GLITCH, directed by Peter Ricq, will screen in Student Voices III at 4:45P, Saturday, June 7th at the Center For the Arts, Studio 4 and Sunday, June 8th at 10:15P at the Center for the Arts, Studio 4.

MEET THE FILMMAKER: Kohl Glass - DER OSTWIND

As we get nearer to the festival, we will be featuring the various filmmakers whose work will be screening throughout the festival.

Introduce Yourself:My name is Kohl Glass and I am a filmmaker from Mesa, Arizona. I studied film at Brigham Young University where I made the award winning short films, The Promethean, and The Fisherman and His Wife. As my final project as a student I wrote and directed Der Ostwind which played at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

How did you become interested in filmmaking? I became interested in becoming a filmmaker once I realized the huge impact movies had on me even as a little child. I didn't know it as I was growing up, but I loved hearing stories and I loved dreaming up stories. Once I recognized that in myself filmmaking seemed like the only choice. The stories I dreamed up the most were about airplanes and their pilots. I was crazy about aviation and still am today. So it is no surprise that given the opportunity I made an aviation film.

Tell us about your inspiration and vision for the film: Der Ostwind is a short film about honor, arch enemies, and redemption set in the skies of WWI. It's everything I love, and I feel so blessed to have been able to make this film.

What were some of the biggest challenges in making and completing the film? Der Ostwind took three years of actual production to complete. When we started we faced a huge learning curve. We knew that we had the capability to make the film, we just didn't know how. Figuring it out was a probably our biggest challenge.

In the spirit of Jackson, what's your favorite Western? On top of being an airplane freak, I'm also a western fan, thanks to my dad. My "Favorite Western" title is actually split three ways between The Good The Bad The Ugly, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, and Lonesome Dove.

DER OSTWIND, directed by Kohl Glass, will screen in Student Voices III at 4:45P, Saturday, June 7th at the Center For the Arts, Studio 4 and Sunday, June 8th at 10:15P at the Center for the Arts, Studio 4.