Jared Stepp talks about his film, Nostalgia

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
I first came up with the idea for Nostalgia about 5 years ago after graduating from the Vancouver Film School. Before leaving to studying film, I culled a bunch of records, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, DVDS, movie ticket stubs, text books, school papers, and toys. As I sorted through many of my possessions, each of them was tied to a specific memory. And that memory brought about a specific time in my life. I could not help but pause each time a new old thing was brought before my eyes and remember. Then I would ponder the "what if's" and "maybe if I's" to try and bring some amusement to the monotonous task upon me. Ultimately it just made the task longer and brought about melancholy. I boxed up the left over things that I was unable to sell or discard because they were too close to my heart or reminded me of a good time.

Upon returning to Milwaukee after graduation, the boxes were still in the basement. I had forgotten all about them but there they were, unchanged. I had traveled 4000 miles, spent significant amounts of time and energy in a different place, and yet, here they were. The same things. The same memories. The same melancholia.

I told this story to the project's co-writer Joel Zawada and to a few of my other friends. They related and told me stories of their own about things they could just not let go because the memory is too great to let go. How a thing is tied so closely to a feeling that they could not let go.

Hearing these stories from other people is when I knew I had a morsel of an idea. After winning Best Film in the Milwaukee 48 Hour Film project 2010, our production team, Ideogram Films was awarded a rental package from North American Camera. We won a week long rental of a High Definition camera package which included a 35mm lens adapter, primes lenses, monitor, and camera support gear. We just needed a story to film.

I felt that we should also award the actors involved in that winning film Cleaning House an opportunity to work with us again and make use of this great prize package. I brought the idea of Nostalgia up to my colleagues again and we decided to go for it.

When I sat down to outline and beat sheet the script, my mother came to mind. I remembered how she would collect knick-knacks and how she was so hesitant to throw anything away. Then I remembered how she would spend hours at the end of each day listening to records and tapes. Tying my mother to the initial concept lead me through extrapolation to personally gain a better understanding of her and why she would spend so much time at the end of her day listening to the music she collected. And ultimately this film is a compassionate message to her.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
I passed my initial draft off the project's co-writer Joel Zawada. He is a very talented script doctor and has remedied many issues for me with scripts and concepts I have developed. He very character and story structure driven and gives honest, direct feedback that cuts right to the heart of the story. That is the best kind of feedback for me because I never take it personally. The criticism is not reflective of my writing or my abilities. It is always about the story at hand. This saves valuable pre-production time.

From the initial script, the story structure was made more concise. We start the film in the antique store instead of having Anita finally get the boxes of Jim's possessions out of the basement where they were stored. We cut out voice overs by Anita from the initial draft because we felt it was too expositional and slowed the story down. We decided we needed to focus more on the physical things of the world and the images rather than dialogue. Finally the antique store owner had a larger role, but we identified that the short film was Anita's journey so that role was diminished

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
Like all films, Nostalgia had a number of production challenges:

Shooting in the first week of November meant that the cast and crew had to battle the chill of a Milwaukee winter settling in. At the time I was based in Austin TX, and the project's Director of Photography was based in Elgin, IL. We had to both independently arrange vacation time from our day jobs, travel to, and stay in Milwaukee.

Our production chose to follow the Hollywood shooting schedule which is roughly shooting Monday-Friday 7am-7pm. We learned that shooting "no" to "low" budget films in this manner was not feasible. A majority of the cast and crew were already preoccupied during the week with jobs that let them pursue their artistic careers, have already scheduled their lives around their children, or were in school studying the artistic careers they wish to pursue. Even planning our shooting schedule months ahead of time does not prevent flu bugs, car trouble, traffic, and other day to day hassles that have become part of our daily routines.

While shooting in Anita's home, which was graciously provided to us by the Rotar family, one of their neighbor's was having the exterior of their home renovated by a construction crew. That lent itself to be a tricky challenge for our production sound and post production sound department.

Having a short film based around a song was a large challenge. The movie was not budgeted to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars in rights securing fees. Our production had a connection to two local Milwaukee musicians, Jeff Robinson and Paul Setzer. We commissioned them with the task of creating a song unique to our story and film. An added challenge for them was to make a song that was catchy and amenable to repeat listenings since it would be heard so often in the film. I admit they did a great job creating a song that catches the tone of the piece as well as one that beckons to be heard again and again.

Lastly while shooting the breaking glass slow motion shot, our film's Producer Taylor Rick was responsible for dropping the glass. We needed to get that right in just one take. We nailed it! Taylor then cleaned up the shattered mess and we wrapped for the day. Early the next morning I learned that a sliver of glass had found its way onto one of Taylor's fingers. When scratching an itch, the glass sliver found a new home under his eyelid! A trip to the eye doctor later and some eye drops saved a worse possible out come.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
The most rewarding thing now that the film is complete is that feeling. Completion. A lot of hard work and time went into pre-production, production, and post production of this film. Once our production staff agreed that this project was the one we were going to produce it was like a charged particle ever surrounding our heads. We needed to make sure the momentum and energy of the project was constant, because if it slowed down or lost that momentum, it would fail to pass on inspiration and attract passion.

So much time was spent at the ends of our days making sure this imaginary story became a reality. Then our days were full making sure this reality was captured. And then finally we are able to share this reality with an audience. Hearing them react and listening to their feedback gives me a great sense of closure to the stresses of project and an opening to the joys the film.

Nostalgia screens on Nov 9th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 7pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Ross Bigley talks about Yellow Hill: The Stranger's Tale.

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
In the late 90's I came across an historical account of the gold rush and one section of it dealt with the Chinese experience during that time. It fascinated me so from there I drew upon my love of Hong Kong films and Sergio Leone westerns to fashion a script with a female "Clint Eastwood"-style protagonist. As luck would have it I worked with Bai Ling on my feature, Petty Cash, and took the opportunity to pitch the idea to her. She loved it and this project was made to raise funds for that feature. But given that we all still felt that this story needed to function as a stand alone piece as well. Bai's idea was to not do a typical teaser with us faking shots from the feature script and that was something that I didn’t find appealing as well. This short piece, in her eyes, was to serve as an introduction to her character. But what story to tell? The Stranger helping a random person wouldn't mean anything. It had to be personal and grab the audience. Executive Producer Cyn Dulay suggested that we take a flashback from the feature script. That way it would tie the two together but could be enjoyed separately. I never intended to elaborate on that flashback so it’s nice to create a backstory for Bai. From there we hammered out story ideas and I put it all together and designed the script to get a taste of Bai's abilities and to wet the audience’s appetites for more. We wanted to try and create a fully developed character in the little amount of time that we had.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
I write so that I can direct. That's the only reason. I'm not the best speller and I have horrendous grammar but I know story construction and your better films are good because of the way those directors told the story. It’s the same thing as telling a joke: The thing that makes a joke funny is how it’s told. That being said I tend to write more visually. Bai told me that she could really see the film as she read it. I plan the whole thing in my head first with every aspect planned out before I start typing. Every action has a reaction and I push that as it helps create conflict. So my scripts are lean and don't they really change much for that final edit.

MIFS: Were there any challenges during production?
Many. When we decided to do this project and I completed the script it seemed to be in a constant state of flux. Glen, Bai and I knew we would do something even if it all fell apart. We'd travel to LA and work on something for investor packets, or she'd fly into Milwaukee again and do a photoshoot of some kind. One thing was certain though. If we did shoot it had to be on location as there wasn't a suitable place near us. Though the whole production team searched it was obvious that it had to be South Dakota's Original 1880's Town. It was a complete western town with a saloon plus The Badlands was only 30 minutes away. And if we carpooled we could bring our own wardrobe, equipment, and actors saving us the costs and hassle of casting there. It was only a 10 hour drive and the actors were commited to this and took time off of work to be a part of this. Some didn't even shave for a few weeks to get authenticity to their characters. Other concerns were our budget because we just didn't have enough to pull this off. Our executive producers had half so we turned to Indie Go Go to raise the other half. Even at that we came up about $2,000 short which not only meant that we couldn't afford a particular actor but our post production process was hurt as well. But we ended up lucking out when Brian Roloff jumped in to help fill out the cast. And when another actor dropped out a week before shooting Tom Reed came aboard to complete the cast. Finally Aurum Design stepped in to help in our post process. So while doing a period film 10 hours from home is challenging it's coming together with the help of many donations and friends.

MIFS: With the film completed what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
We didn't have alot of money to do this and low budget westerns can come across as less than authentic. Sometimes the actors and wardrobe can come across as being too clean. The west was a dirty place. Being less than authentic was something that Bai and I did not want. It would hurt us. After deciding to do this introductory story on The Stranger it was two months of a rushed preproduction schedule then three brutal shoot days with Bai, Glen and myself not really sleeping that whole time. But it was worth it see Bai bring a character I created nearly 15 years ago to life. She's a great collaborator to work with.

Yellow Hill: The Stranger's Tale screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 6:45pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM. It is out of competition during the Juried Selection.

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Nathan Brue on his film, Moon Attic

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
It seems the idea came from somewhere in Space. I recall the concept of a Moon Attic hitting me quite vividly all at once. With a simple story concept, I figured we could focus on creating the visual and sonic impact of the film. It was also my last few months of school and a lot of philosophical, spiritual, and cosmic ideas were floating around. I wrote the script on a morning train ride from Michigan to Chicago, which had a strong influence on shaping the wider story around the core idea of a Moon Attic.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
The central concept and most themes were there from the beginning. The script served as an outline. Without dialogue, we had the freedom to let flow and feel influence our choices during filming and editing. While there was brainstorming every week, a lot of decisions were made in the moment which allowed the production to develop naturally. Revision was key throughout. As the group and production grew, we were able to imagine and realize things far beyond the ideas in the initial script.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
When I originally pitched the idea, the first thing someone asked was how we were going to build a Moon with no budget. I had no idea at the time, but I knew it was something we should and could do. A production designer from our class jumped at the chance to figure it out and did an incredible job. We basically assembled the Moon set in the morning, shot in the afternoon, and tore it down in the evening. We had to get creative and resourceful, using basic materials like sand, paint, and concrete blocks to pull off an impeccable Moon. In many ways that day represents the entire production. Everyone took on personal challenges to bring their passion and creativity to fruition using what we had available to us. Everyone reached within to make this film happen and turn it into something unifying and personal.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
Every time I am able to share our work, it resonates further not only within myself, but with other people who see it. I think it is a piece we as a crew can all be proud of. We spent these months together in order to bring this idea to life and realize an aspect of our dreams. That is extremely meaningful and powerful to me. Now getting to share that energy with others and to see it resonate with them leaves me humbled.

Moon Attic screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 5pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Megan Monday & Brijetta Hall Waller talk about their film, SOLSTICE

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
As friends and artists, we knew we wanted an opportunity to work together on a still-photography based documentary film project. We were looking for something vibrant and energizing to capture as a first project together. Megan had been a long time fan of a Madison, WI based community art project, Procession of the Species. The Procession artists team with a local environmental non-profit, Friends of Starkweather Creek, annually to celebrate the summer solstice with a celebration that features giant puppets, a community inspired biodiversity parade, local music, fire dancing and general revelry. We were drawn to the beauty, community participation and deeper meaning (to many) of this summer Solstice Solstice Festival. We wanted to photograph and edit the film in a manner that would capture the raw energy of this event and also give film audiences the feeling of being vicarious participants themselves.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
The project was originally meant to be a sketch, but grew into a 17 minute film as the participants were interviewed and the subject matter became more dense and fascinating.

MIFS: Where there any challenges during production?
Our post production process was far more challenging than production. We knew we were taking an unconventional approach to this film from the start. Rather than shooting video exclusively, we focused on still photography and still photography animation sequences. Selecting each individual image, editing the photography sequences and seamlessly integrating that footage with the video footage, proved to be incredibly time consuming.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
Sharing the film with the Solstice Festival community was very rewarding. We were able to collaborate on a wonderful gallery show featuring video art and print images from the film alongside puppets from the festival at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison. We premiered the film at the opening reception and the marching band featured in the film joined us to play before the screening. The audience of hundreds of people from the Solstice Festival and local community attended the event and we were thrilled to hear from so many audience members that the film achieved our goal of capturing the unique energy and special experience that so many have at this Festival.

SOLSTICE screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 3:15pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Paul von Stoetzel talks about his film, Viscosity

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
Viscosity was originally a short story written by Jedidiah Ayres who is an acclaimed hardboiled crime writer who I've recently gotten to know. I've been going through all of his work attempting to find something to adapt and Viscosity was perfect even though it's not really a crime story. The film was produced by my company Killing Joke Films for the Twin Cities film competition Z-Fest. The film placed 4th and was awarded a cash prize which was almost as much as we spent on production which we were obviously very pleased with because a short film is usually a money pit. Coming out almost even for a short that I'm proud of is very cool and I'm very fortunate for that.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
The script and final film are almost identical. One of the only major additions is the use of the butterfly knife in the second story about the melon. The actor, Shad Cooper, who I've directed in theatre numerous times, walked in and asked if we could utilize it. Also the Art Director Jane Barnes wanted to make the setting near Valentine's Day which was a wonderfully obscene idea so she ran with it. Otherwise the final edit is quite similar to what I envisioned in the adapted script written by Killing Joke Film's Richard Molby.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
The only major challenge was the long day of principle production. We filmed the majority of the project in 1 day/night so that was a very long period to keep going. Otherwise we had a great time on location except that a speed metal band began to practice in the space above our location during filming, which obviously sucked. Luckily we were almost wrapped in the main location so we were able to shoot around it.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
The most rewarding aspect has been seeing how much the film has affected audiences. I have no interest in working on lukewarm stories. Some folks have found the film offensive for several reasons and many have enjoyed the film and even laughed. The film has played at 7 film festivals and being able to tell the cast and crew that their work is being seen by audiences is really the ultimate payoff. But offending folks tells us we're doing something right as well, so that's just fine by me.

Viscosity screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 3:15pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Hans Montelius talks about his film, Scenen (Act 1 Scene 1)

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
As a writer, you often live in two separate worlds, especially when you’re creating. And I often feel that the world intrude on each other. I just pulled a little on that feeling and expanded on it.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
There were of few different drafts of the screenplay before we started to shoot. Mainly, we made it more and more visual and removed a lot of exposition and dialogue. Then in the editing, we worked a lot on the emotional impact of the film, pacing, imagery etc.

MIFS: Where there any challenges during production?
This was a project with many challenges. We had problems finding the right location, we had a large crew that required coordination, and of course there were the mosquitos.

The pissing scene was originally intended to be in darkness after the sun had set, with only cigarettes to light their faces, but that proved too difficult, so I rewrote the scene as a pissing match.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
I would have to say the look and feel of the film. We’ve shot on Red before, but this time we really managed to get the look we were looking for.

Hans won "Best Film" two years in a row with "Mannen med Kulorna" in 2009 and "Leka med Dockor " in 2010.

Scenen (Act 1 Scene 1) screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 6:45pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Janos Menberg talks about his film, Nach Hause (Back Home)

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
Out of personal interest, I asked myself a couple of questions: How do you perceive the world when having Alzheimer's disease? How do you feel? Which memories do you keep? What do you regret? And, most important, do you still love?

Those questions were crucial to me when developing the film «Nach Hause». I wanted to dive into the mind of an Alzheimer's person. To try to empathize with someone who has a broken memory. And, maybe, in the end, to better understand how we perceive the world.

As a film director, I think that there are things that can only be told with movies. With «Nach Hause», my goal was to make a film that leads the spectator into the inner world of Alzheimer's – a world that is hard to understand and hard to travel to.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
For me, it was important to do a proper research about the topic and to be as truthfully as possible. I wanted the storyline of «Nach Hause» to be shaped quite accurate. So there wasn't much room for improvisation, so I think there wasn't much change from concept to the final edit.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
Due to the extra time I needed for script development, we had an enormous rough schedule while preparing the production of the film. We had to cast, location scout and gather the crew within only three weeks – a hard time for executive producer Rajko Jazbec. But at shooting day one, everything was in place! This only due to the amazing production staff which helped me to make this film. Thank you guys!

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?,br /> It's great to have the US premiere in this nice place called Milwaukee. Merci for that! Another very rewarding thing was the all the wonderful feedback we've got from the people associated with Alzheimer's.

In the end, I think it's a great pleasure not only to make a film for myself, but also to touch other people with it.

Nach Hause (Back Home) screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 5pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Noam A. Osband talks about the film, Searcy County

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from? ,br /> For years, I drove by the Searcy County Livestock Auction and always wanted to see it. It just seemed interesting, and, given the fact it's a very rural area, one quickly exhausts the possibilites of traditional tourist activities. As soon as I finally saw it - I never seemed to be able to tell when it was taking place - I knew I wanted to film it. It was so interesting, a little world unto itself.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
I didnt have a real clear idea of what the project would look like until i started editing it. I knew I liked the footage, but only when editing it did I realize that I had such mesmerizing audio of different kinds. It was a gradual process, and only over the course of editing did it really take form.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
The only real challenge was getting people to not be uncomfortable with my camera. The auctioneer kept pointing me out to people, saying things like, "Hey boys - we got a visitor here today from National Geographic" (i was not from NatGeo). That did not make my job any easier.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
The most rewarding part has been seeing people's different reactions. Searcy County for me is familiar but for most it is not. I thought the film was a comic piece. Not a single person I have shown it to has that reaction. Everyone finds it troubling at best, downright upsetting at worst. I did not mean to make something dystopian, and it's fascinating to see just how differently an audience can read a film.

Searcy County screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 5pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Xeyyam Abdullayev talks about White Blood

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
The idea of the film was based on the real case ahppened before in Azerbaijan. We just have put it to our plot within using the nomadic family.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
There have been some project changes since it started, even from post production. For example, there are some differences at the beginning as well as at the end of the shooting process within putting in some additional changes. But the main idea was kept.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
One of the problems during production was to find an actress who was able to show her breast because of mentality. As well it was some kind of challenge to work with animals; to tame the goat during childbirth wasn't so easy.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
In general, every film production brings positive experience and teaches us a lot. But talking the White Blood (Ag Qan) production, we would say that in contrast to using professional cast we have been worked with non-professional actors and actresses for this time that was a kind of rewarding thing from the whole experience. White Blood screens on Nov 9th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 7pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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John Lindquist talks about his film, Underpass

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
I read about the vast amount of girls that are trafficing victims, I felt I wanned to (in a very simple shortfilm) make the subject presented in a "what would you do?" way. Yet make it not on the nose.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
Well we made it shorter, the girl was harrased a bit longer, but we felt the shorter we kept it, the more intense it would be.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
When we shot, we had rehersed a lot so we could nail it quickly, becouse we knew people would pass by and make us wait for them to pass. But we didn't expect that much people that late, we shot it in five hours (3 hours of shooting and 2 hours of waiting).

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
To do something so quickly. And to get such a good performence out of the guy, he is not and actor. He is an imigrant her who worked as a clerk and I had seen him angry at a customer and I asked if he would play in my film. A few days later we were rehersing.

Underpass screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 6:45pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Kara Mulrooney & Susan Kerns talk about their film, Missed Connections

 

1 MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
The idea for "Missed Connections" came from two seemingly different places: 1, Wanting to shoot in the Gobbler Supper Club, and 2, Wanting to work with posts from missed connections (romantic personal ads online and formerly in your newspaper!) The two seemed pretty disparate until we realized "Wait, it's a musical!" Once we discovered that, the Busby Berkeley inspired dancers became our third major element, and "Missed Connections" the short film was underway.

2 MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
The project didn't stray terribly far from the script, but the dances are what moved around the most in editing. Choreographer Kelly Anderson created at least four individual and somewhat site specific dances for in and outside of the Gobbler, and we loved them all but didn't think we could include the four in our final edit out of concern for the film's length. When we test screened "Missed Connections," though, everyone cried for more dancing, so in the finished film you see almost all of Kelly's work.

3 MIFS:Where there any challenges during production? The main challenges were ones that we created for ourselves in conceiving of this rather big film (you could almost call it a musical): having such a large cast of actors and dancers, and an equally large crew ALL working almost an hour away from home provided a lot of logistical concerns and therefore plenty of coordinating work. Also, shooting in a long closed and expansive historic restaurant made for some extra work in prepping and dressing the set, but everyone (everyone) came together, generously contributing their time, talent, and labor in order to make this film. We'd like to note that the absolutely fabulous (and famous!) Gobbler Supper Club is still for sale, and you can take a virtual tour at http://www.buythegobbler.com/

4 MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
Producing the film was in itself an incredibly rewarding experience - having the support of SO many artists and technicians was truly amazing, and we're still in awe. Screening the film at festivals has also been a real joy - hearing the laughter and the "Aww's" - and we're thrilled to get to screen at the Milwaukee Short Film Fest (in the Milwaukee Art Museum)!

Missed Connections screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 6:45pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Mark G.E. talks about his film, Soul Chamber

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
I had been thinking about how so many people are overcoming the issues of their childhood. I wanted to present it in manner which depicts ultimately overcoming the past and moving forward. I also have long been intrigued with dolls, puppets, automatons, & objectification. How we are used or exploited by others, or allow ourselves to be part of that exploitation. In this film it is unclear whether the puppets are really people or the people are puppets. Maybe this is a film about puppets that are played by people. It really doesn't matter, maybe we are both. I have always enjoyed the silent era of film and knew that I would do this film with that aesthetic. I am not really trying to copy a silent film, as this has other elements, but I do like that it has a hand made, imperfect quality.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit? After I had developed the original concept, I became friends with J. Karl Bogartte, a local surrealist artist. MAM owns a few of his pieces. We wanted to collaborate and this project seemed like the perfect opportunity to incorporate his art into the projected background sets. Bogartte created most of the 'sets.' They are all projections that the actors are standing in front of. Bogartte and I co-wrote the script. I then met Tine Kindermann through John Kruth; she plays the musical saw and makes interesting puppets, as well as incredible dioramas. John invited me out to New York to watch his band play a live soundtrack that he had written to my film The Unfortunate Gift. It was a perfect opportunity for Tine and I to work on the puppet portion of the film. We shot the scenes in her studio which is in a building Edward G. Robinson went to school in. As with most film projects, it is a matter of balancing the vision in our heads with what is actually possible to do. Nick Waraksa did the post production and helped me obtain some of the special effects I was hoping for. This is the closest I have gotten to what I originally imagined and was only possible because of the generosity of the collaborators I met while developing this film.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
Time is always the biggest challenge. People are on limited schedules, We are working as fast as possible, trying to make sure we get every shot, do it in peoples time schedule and still try to do this while being creative.

I keep promising myself that I will take more time to shoot a film, but inevitably I shot all the actors scenes in one day. It would not have been possible without a cast and crew that deeply cared to get it done.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
The talent in this film was incredible to work with. I like to get good people and give them a lot of room to create. Everyone brought more to the table than I expected. My crew was Shannon, Carrie Anne and my wfie, Theresa. We had all worked together for years on our TV show Joy Farm. This was a great chance for us all to work together again. They know what I am looking for and are incredible at being in tune with where I am at and what I need when shooting. The film was a chance to re-connect with talented old friends and make new friendships with very passionate and creative people.

Soul Chamber screens Nov 9th in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM at 7pm.

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Patrick Metcalf talks about his film, Now Plaing.

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
I suppose the inspiration for the film came from my own life. There are times when I daydream, thinking of myself and those around me in different films. I suppose that this comes from being a huge film buff/nerd/fanatic. Loving film is what makes me want to make them. Following that logic, my first film had to have been about film itself.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
We had less than a month for all of our post-production work which, on the positive side, allowed the final edit to be extremely close to the original concept. We didn't have the time to make it in a different way!

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
There were, of course, many challenges during the production ranging from not having army helmets the day before we shot that scene to not being able to actually smoke in our studio. The biggest challenge, though, was being true to the spirit of all of the films that we celebrate in Now Playing. We watched and dissected so many great films so that we might best imitate them, and this put a tremendous strain on the cast and crew. We wanted to be sure that everything stayed true to what we love most: great films.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
There is a scene in which the camera dollys over a shadow and then ends on Kyle (who played Joe) who lights a cigarette. It was a small part of the film, but it was exactly how I had imagined it from the first draft of the script. I got chills as I watched it on the monitor. It was the most surreal and truly exhilarating moment of my life.

Now Playing screens Nov 10th in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM at 5pm

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Patrik Beck talks about Devil's Day Out.

 

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
It came from a bar. During a film makers social gathering, one of my film making cohorts, Linda Cieslik introduced me to a young actor she knew, named Adam Zastrow. Adam had some physical features (big buggy eyes) that were similar to another one of my film cohorts, Michael Denk. I suggested that they should play father and son. Turns out they had previously been cast as father and son, but the roles wound up shifting.

Linda said “you could write something for them” and that was all it took. I mentioned that I always wanted to cast Michael as the devil (you've seen the face, you know why), and Adam could be his son. But what would be the story? My son is in college and has yet to earn his drivers license, for probably that reason the idea pooped out of my mouth that the story would be the devil teaching his reluctant son how to drive a car.

“Great”, Linda said “When do you want to shoot it?”

“Well, I will probably take me till Tuesday to write it, so maybe Thursday?”

If I remember, it took until the following week to get the shoot together because of co-coordinating schedules, locking down a location, and acquiring a convertible. All those things were taken care of by Linda.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
I can't think of one thing that changed. We shot the second draft of the script, which was pretty much the first draft with corrected grammar.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
Good lordy it was cold. It was sunny but windy, so we had to deal with the whole cloudy/not cloudy thing. It was so windy that audio from the boom mic was totally unusable. Lucky we had a back up with tiny H2 digital audio recorder that we stuck in the wheel well that worked better then it had any right to.

The added sting to the boom mic not working is that in several of the shot you can see the reflection of the mic and boom pole in the hood of the car. This took a bit of work to remove in post.

Did I mention it was cold? Michael is an old pro and bragged that he was wearing two pairs of pants. Adam had short sleeves and we threw a blanket on him between takes. It was interesting that when the camera was rolling, my actors were oblivious to the weather and only started shivering after 'cut' was called. Ah, the magic of film making.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
There were a couple of first on this. It was the first time I had an honest to goodness producer for the whole project. Linda took care of so many things that needed to be done, it allowed me to concentrate purely on the creative. This was the smoothest shoot I had ever done.

The most rewarding thing is learning that I can have a team that can knock out a good film and the process can be creative, efficient, and fun. It's all about the casting, in front and behind the camera.

Devil's Day Out Screens Nov 9th in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM at 7pm.

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Marc Kornblatt talks about his film, Old Country Lullaby

 

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
The summer of 2011, I was busy making another short narrative film when my daughter, studying theater in college, asked if I'd make something with her. We hadn't collaborated on anything since we'd painted a mural on our basement wall back when she was in elementary school, so I was delighted by her request. I didn't have a budget or a lot of time, but I did have an empty house that was up for sale, and mixed emotions about giving up that home, where both my daughter and her older brother, had grown up. I also had a melody in my head that I had composed to chant with a Hebrew prayer, and a shared love of singing with my daughter. The story of "Old Country Lullaby," grew from there.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
The story and setting are so modest that the project went pretty much according to my original concept. I had wanted the camera to travel around the empty house, as a way of saying goodbye, but we didn't have a steady-cam or a dolly, and I didn't think a shaky camera would be suitable for the feeling I was trying to create. As a result, we pretty much had three camera set-ups in the house and a more static feel, which still worked.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
The opening sequence called for the most ambitious shots of the movie. As I said, we didn't have any special equipment, besides a slider, to help create movement, so my cameraman sat on the front of a car as I drove him closer to the house where Mira, the young woman who is moving away with her family, is packing up.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
The film not only gave me a chance to act and sing with my daughter, which I loved, it also represented the start of a wonderful collaboration with Randy Lee (cameraman and editor) and Melanie Killingsworth (audio technician). Since then our three-person team has made two documentaries and a music video. Modest as it is, "Old Country Lullaby," has sprung many vital roots.

Old Country Lullaby screens Nov 10th in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM at 5pm.

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Damien Power talks about his film, Peekaboo

Where did the idea of the film come from?
There are a few ideas that I drew on when developing Peekaboo. I’m very interested in fear and its consequences; in panic and in how people react to extreme stress. Fear/panic often leads to situations that I see as pivotal moments, in which actions can never be undone.

Peekaboo is the story of a woman who loses her daughter in a car park and fears that her child has been abducted. Since becoming a parent, I’ve experienced the anxiety that goes along with the joys of having children. Ensuring little kids are safe means managing a constant imagined crisis and I think every parent has experienced the pure panic of losing sight of their child in an unfamiliar place.

I also wanted to explore our fear, as a society, of sexual predators. Though our kids coming into harm at the hands of such a person is statistically highly unlikely, this concern has overwhelmed more prosaic fears. Even as men assume a greater role in the care of their children, many men feel that we can’t engage with a stranger’s child without the possibility of raising suspicion.

How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
Very little. I wrote the script quite quickly over a weekend. And we shot the second draft. The film is pretty faithful to the script. I wish that were always the case.

Were there any challenges during production?
It was a three day shoot with kids on a moving train, and stunts - what could possibly go wrong? Actually it all went pretty smoothly. We were very well prepared, and the kids (Marli and Marisa Bedwell) were great. No children were harmed in the making of the movie!

With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
The most rewarding part of the whole thing is watching the finished film with an audience who gasp and jump in all the right places. I love feeling the tension rise in the room as it plays out. It means I’ve done my job and the film is working.

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Steffen Boseckert talks about his film, Johnny & Die Leichtigkeit

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
The idea is actually a collection of thoughts and observations. It wanted the audience to get into a very certain mood while watching the movie, a mood that can switch from absolute nihilistic calmness to total aggression which is caused by the unhappiness of the protagonist and his need of an outlet for his inner tension because he isn't able to focus on his real aim. I've based the rest of the story and the characters on my protagonist until I was happy enough to go storyboarding.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
We've prepared the shooting pretty well and due to that I've only changed the edit once. It had its lengths in the bar scene so I've shortened that and it had a pretty brutal scene which I dropped because it was not fitting to the character. Finally the movie shrank three minutes but it was worth it! Don't be afraid to kick out scenes if they don't work. The last thing I've changed was the music but because I couldn't clear the rights for one song.

MIFS:Were there any challenges during production?
We had icy temperatures at that time which made it really hard for the actors to do the part in front of the house when they had to make out. When we stopped after each take, they ran inside the house, drank tea and jumped out directly into the acting for the next try. Compliments! That was real commitment. Furthermore we had a budget of 2.500€ which means that nobody paid except travel charges but finally it somehow worked out. Last but not least I was involved in too many things at once. I've planned to concentrate completely on directing like a director should do, but I had to take care of parts of the organization and production as well which made it pretty intense. For the next film I want to direct and that's it.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
I appreciate the goodwill of the crew and the actors so much because they've realized the whole movie without getting anything in exchange. The spirit of the shooting time was great and I would totally do it the same way except the fact that we would have needed a director of production. It was worth so much to be involved in every single part of the movie. Now I have a wide view on producing and directing. As a director, you should be open minded all the time but you should also focus on your idea when it's established once. It's not a good idea to let others open a discussion when you've already made a decision which can easily happen on set. You need to establish your position as the director, but never forget the group spirit! That's the way.

 

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Anthony Presti talks about his film A Pilgrim's Journal

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?

The idea for 'A Pilgrim's Journal' came from an interest in blending two genres: Drama and Comedy. I've always had a special appreciation for films that have told socially or morally challenging stories, but have done so with a great deal of humor. I became very interested in the idea putting our protagonist through a highly dramatic and challenging event, but at the same time being forced into a relatable setting that is ripe with comedy: Thanksgiving dinner with their family. I also wanted to take an extremely provocative situation and tried to present it in both a realistic and objective way.

 

 

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?

The film became slightly less comedic as we got deeper into the editing process. Navigating the balance between drama and comedy was always a challenge, especially given the tragic events our protagonist is wresting with. The script we shot was lighter in tone, but when we were assembling the footage we realized it needed to be a bit more grounded given the circumstances. We also ended up holding certain information from the audience for longer than originally intended. We came to the conclusion that the film's final scene would have much more of an unsettling resonance if the audience was in the dark until the last moments.

MIFS: Were there any challenges during production?
When you have such a limited about of resources you are always tested on the logistics front. Time and money are never on your side. The greatest challenge though would still have to be getting the tone right in the editing room. Making sure the film wasn't getting too light or too dark. You have to service all the characters, not just the protagonist. Always keeping in mind that the supporting characters are also living their lives and having their own experiences, which can sometimes be tonally at odds with the protagonist's story. Keeping all the characters tonally within the same film was the greatest challenge.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?

I was lucky enough on 'Pilgrim' to have a great cast and crew. My favorite part of filmmaking is meeting and working with such a talented and generous group of actors. Nothing is more exciting then watching characters you've only imagined, be brought to life by an exceptional cast. Movies are made in the editing room, but the experience of making the film is when you're rehearsing and shooting with the cast and crew. The days of the shoot are the most stressful because time and money are so limited, but they are also the most rewarding. I want to take one last opportunity to thank such a terrific and generous cast: Tom Reed, Jocelyn Fitz-Gibbon, Brian Miracle and Flora Coker. They all turned in amazing performances!
  

 

A Pilgrim's Journal screens Nov 9th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 5:15pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

 

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David Fain talks about his film Choreography for Plastic Army Men

 

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
I have a lot of toys and one day while looking at a batch of classic green army men I noticed if you took the time to arrange them in the proper order they formed sequences that described dance moves. Simultaneously a favorite band, Pink Martini, was offering up a number of tracks from their latest album to their fan base in a contest to create music videos. One contest rule stood out in my mind, "No violent imagery, please". Somehow it just seemed the right thing to do, to give these warriors a new lease on life where they didn't have to fight anymore. Being inspired (and unemployed) I took to the garage and started sequencing plastic dancers. And filming them.

 MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?

It was always envisioned as a "Dance" piece with plastic injection modeled figures as the dancers. I tried using Cowboys, Indians, Spacemen, etc. I even did a shot with a bevy of April O'Neil (from TMNT) action figures but it seemed that it was too many different types of characters. I did some stuff with frogmen as well. Non of those made the cut. I also tried doing some overheard shots of the army men ala Busby Berkeley but wasn't satisfied with the results. The opening shot was the first shot animated. Much of the rest of the film was created in the editing process rather than just animated in time with the music, although there are several sections that were produced that way.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
Some of the figures are really, really tiny. Like 2 millimeters. That made lighting fairly easy but manipulating something that small was a bit a little difficult. Also my shooting space is in a garage without any air conditioning so here in Southern California it's simply not possible to work in that environment with the addition of hot movie lights during the day. So a good portion of the film was shot after the sun went down and things had a chance to cool off.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
After I put the film online and it got touted by a site called Boing Boing. Then it got picked up by other sites like The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, etc. At it's peak I got something like 50,000 views on my Vimeo page in a 24 hour period. I also get interesting email contacts from all over the world. That is a level of exposure I never thought I would experience.

 

 

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 Choreography for Plastic Army Men screens Saturday Nov 10th at 3:15pm during the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

 

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Lee Rogers talks about his film The Op Shop

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
THE WRITERS MOTHER IN LAW WORKED IN AN OP SHOP "THRIFT STORE" AND SUCH AN ITEM WAS DONATED AND IT TOOK A WHILE UNTIL THE TRUE PURPOSE WAS UNLOCKED! SO OUR STORY IS INSPIRED BY THAT EVENT.

 MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
QUITE IN THAT ORIGINALLY IT STARTED OUT TAKING PLACE OVER 2 DAYS. WE EXTENDED IT TO TAKE PLACE OVER MANY DAYS WITH 3 LADIES ALL UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY IN THEIR OWN WAY...

 MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
IT WAS FILMED IN 1 X 16 HR SHOOT DAY, AND FOR A CAST OF 3 LADIES IN THEIR MID 70'S, THAT WAS NO EASY FEAT - ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING IT WAS SHOT OUT OF SEQUENCE FOR THE SAKE OF TIME EFFICIENCY, BUT THIS MEANT EACH LADY CHANGED OUTFITS ABOUT 12 TIMES DURING THE DAY!

 MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
SEE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES RESPOND TO THE ELDERY CAST AND THEIR WONDERFUL PERFORMANCES

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The Op Shop screens Nov 9th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 7pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Tyler Spindel talks about his film Love and Germophobia

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
It is actually based off an experience I had.

 MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
It stayed pretty consistant.

 MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
It was a really smooth shoot. A lot of great people helped out and donated their time and equipment.

 MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
Being able to watch people laugh at it has been amazing. There's no bigger high for a comedy director than that.

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 Love and Germophobia screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 6:45pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Craig A Knitt talks about his film The Best Present

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
"The Best Present" was inspired by a fabulously fun, foreign film called "Rare Exports" which had a unique look at Father Christmas. I wanted to create my own story that played with the classic concepts of American Christmas. I also wanted to create a film that was heartfelt yet had just the right amount of dark comedy to make it fun and bizarre.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
The final edit of the movie is very close to the way I initially envisioned the film and storyboarding helped in that process. Many filmmakers do not work with storyboards but I find them to be very effective when you are considering the limited time donated by your cast and crew. I particularly enjoy the 'reveal' with the crane shot.

MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
As always, productions run into many difficulties. For me the most difficult aspect of getting my films made is organizing my cast and crew. Some of the shots in the film were shot and performed by myself and a tripod. I also made some strong color choices in pre-production that gave me little trouble in editing. I punched the reds and greens to enhance the holiday feel. I could still spend significant hours experimenting with the color but you have to reach a point where you decide 'that's enough'.

MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
There is great reward in seeing your story actuated! But seeing your film with an audience AND having the audience react in the right places is possibly the greatest reward. Also I don't envision myself EVER growing my beard out that long again and this film is a great way to document just how much of a hobo I had become for that role.

 

The Best Present screens on Nov 10th as part of the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at 6:45pm in the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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Craig A Knitt talks about his film Promises

MIFS: Where did the idea for the film come from?
This film was initially created for a TV reality show that was going to follow Wisconsin-based filmmaking teams as they created short films for competition. I met with my actress, Zarai Perez and my writer, Darren Fulsher in Milwaukee for a brainstorming session where Zarai shared with the initial idea. From there we added layers to the story until we had a basic story. Darren then took the idea and fleshed it out and I took his script and fleshed it out even further. The process was very collaborative and enjoyable.

MIFS: How much did the project change from concept to final edit?
"Promises" was scheduled with a different actor playing the role of the boyfriend. When that actor wasn't there on time we needed to recast the role and Darren jumped at the opportunity. We were also scrambling to find the little girl for the story (which we added to incorporate more people from the TV competition). The visual elements of the film came together in the end but having shot it in Milwaukee I had to depend on Darren for all our locations. He did a fantastic job but it made storyboarding difficult.

 MIFS:Where there any challenges during production?
We had planned on shooting the entire film over the course of an afternoon and certainly could have managed that BUT with late starts and early call times it became obvious that we weren't going to get everything done in one day. Two weeks later we managed to get our final shots but the riverfront was a bit nasty that day.

 MIFS: With the film completed, what has been the most rewarding thing about the whole experience?
My reward on this film is how happy my cast is with the project. We created the best we could within the limitations we had and the folks that helped me make it were pleasantly satisfied. My actress was not satisfied with her performance though even though I think she was absolutely beautiful. Actors, huh?!

Promises screens Saturday Nov 10th at 3:15pm during the 14th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival at the Lubar Auditorium, MAM.

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