Films Gone Wild

Editor’s column/daily commentary welcoming feedback and opinions.

Nicola Rose talks about creating an unusual romance hybrid film in GOODBYE, PETRUSHKA

By Luke Y. Thompson 4 years ago

In the Russian ballet Petrushka, a Punch-like figure pines for a ballerina who rejects him, and gets killed in a duel. The combination of longing and presumed-crazy ambition imbues Nicola Rose’s Goodbye Petrushka, in which impulsive, puppet-making film student Claire (Lizzie Kehoe) impulsively quits school to go to France, where she longs to study more serious puppetry…and the handsome, recently retired figure skater Thibaut (Thomas Vieljeux) she ran into in New York before they both left.

As Claire attempts to navigate a new life as an au pair, she tries to coax Thibaut into making a skating puppet ballet with her. But her culture shock and his girlfriend just might stand in the way.

Nino Memanishvili’s I HAVE NO WINGS: Lake Travis FF 2021 Interview

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, which also includes producer Ketevan Nozadze, we talk about the approach to the film and in this case a particular person chosen as the film’s subject to build a film around. We also discuss the conflict of emotions as a filmmaker to resist the urge to “assist” the subject when they are struggling with money or aid or other kinds of help, as that could damage the integrity of the film itself. We also talk about the parallels between that conflict and the dynamic between producer and director, in terms of knowing when and when not to “intervene”.

Kaye Cleave and James Daggett CATHERINE’S KINDERGARTEN’s — Lake Travis FF 2021 Interview: personal tragedies without it being a therapy session

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talk about the measures both directors took (in concert and separately) to make sure they were making a film and not “filming a therapy session”. They also discuss what it took to figure out what the film was actually about over the course of the filming and editing process. James also discusses a documentary that he keeps coming back to because it still mesmerizes him to this day.

Alex Gavin ‘s THE TURN OF THE SCREW: Lake Travis FF 2021 Interview: the challenges of making a horror film for people who don’t like horror

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talk about making horror movies for people that don’t like horror. We also talk about “using the space” cinematically – in this case shooting a film on a stage (or making us think we are on a stage) and making it interesting, if not frightening, as well as utilizing the sound design to also enhance those efforts. We also discuss the work of Greer Phillips to pull off a performance that had so many challenges to make it all work on so many levels.

Ilir Pristine’s FLORRIE interview at Lake Travis FF 2021 — talks about not spoon feeding audiences and the crime of shooting a black & white film

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talked about trusting the audience and not spoon feeding them plot points and character beats and allowing them to “solve the puzzle”. We also talk about editors saving our lives. And there is the inevitable discussion about the blowback he got for shooting in black and white (Spoiler: One distributor told him to “Go to hell.” And hung up on him.)

Laura Galt, Malibu Taetz, Duncan Putney, Melissa Kirkendall’s : Lake Travis Film Fest 2021 Interview: Shorts #2 – Five shorts directors find what connects us all when we make short films

By John Wildman 5 years ago

This is quite the group of films and filmmakers (from the Lake Travis Film festival) to wrangle into one interview space (four narrative, 0ne narrative/doc hybrid, and one documentary), but it highlights the vast range that short films can demonstrate both as entertainment, in style, ambition, approach…everything really. In the interview, we talked about the question that is always my go-to with shorts filmmakers, and that is “Why did you make a short film, let alone this one?”. We also talk about the discipline that goes into making shorts, due to time constraints, including learning to cut things that we love, but need to lose for the good of the film overall.

Lake Travis Film Fest 2021 Interview: SHORTS #1 women directors talk financing and harmonious sets

By John Wildman 5 years ago

The three shorts screened as part of the 2021 Lake Travis Film Festival and in the interview, we talk about (as I frequently ask shorts filmmakers) why they are bothering making a short film. (Spoiler: we talk about “proof of concept” a lot.) We also talk about the challenges filmmaking-wise specific to being a woman and how to get financing is routinely a bigger hurdle than the actual movie making. They also talk about the value of picking their crew members wisely to foster a supportive set filled with collaborators who point to them as the leader of the project.

Jena Burchick’s MOM & M: Lake Travis Film Festival 2021 Interview: inserting herself and her camera in the middle of a family in order to make a film

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we talked about what it’s like to be in the middle of a family fraught with real world issues and problems, etc. with your camera and yet, not disrupting the flow of life with your presence. Jena also talks about trying to capture what was going on with the child in the room, yet not lose the film’s focus while doing so. She also discusses how and what inspired the film growing from an intended short to the feature-length project it eventually became.

Ana Pasti’s IN BETWEEN, Andrej I. Volkashin’s SNAKE: SEEfest 2021 Interviews — Three short film directors discuss the awesomeness and not-so-awesomeness of directing children

By John Wildman 5 years ago

In the interview, we naturally talk about the challenges and the joys of working with and directing children, including how important it is to “cast” the parents as well as their children. I also have an embarrassing moment where I discover that Ana Pasti actually played the lead in her film and I lamely did not make the connection. We also talk about the filmmakers’ emotional state following the completion of each project and whether they were excited to do the next film or needed to be convinced to do it ever again.