Independent Filmmaker Insights from AZIFF

AZIFF marquee

Phillip and I made a quick trip to Tucson to experience a couple days of the 27th annual Arizona International Film Festival (AZIFF)!

AZ film festival panel

My time at AZIFF kicked off at The Screening Room with a panel of short film directors and actors talking about their craft.

It was moderated by Liam O Mochain (seated at the far left), whose feature film Lost & Found was also screening at the festival.

Here’s an introduction to the rest of the panel and their films, followed by their thoughts on a few recurring topics.

vintage film equipment

Anita Abbasi made Mariah ¡que baile! with her film partner Martin Baena (who couldn’t be at the festival). It’s about a Latina ballet dancer at a crossroads, feeling some of the same tensions Anita felt growing up as an artist.

Anita’s mother is from El Salvador and her father is from Pakistan.

She had always wanted to be a writer, and being “raised by television” drew her to telling stories through visual media.

 

Both Craig Dean Devine and Colleen Donovan were there from the film Levi, a drama that shows a day in the life of two opioid users.

Colleen grew up in the Phoenix area, moving to Los Angeles after high school to pursue her film career.

Craig became interested in film after watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 

The director of Jungmin’s Adult Comics, Kwak Seung-min (곽승민), wasn’t able to fly in from South Korea, but he did prep lead actor Howon Kim to answer to questions on his behalf.

The comedic short is about an artist who draws for popular adult comic books, despite the fact that he has no sexual experience.

 

Sevgi Cacina’s first name means “love” in Turkish. She made her film Ghosted in a class at UCLA. It’s about a woman seeing a therapist to find out how to get rid of a ghost that’s in love with her. “It’s a horror/comedy, like my love life,” she joked.

Her two passions are storytelling and changing the world, even if it’s in a small way, like challenging norms through film.

 

Clay Haskell, director of Last Dance at Johnson’s Barn was a surprise addition to the panel. The title says exactly what the documentary is: a look at the end of a 60-year tradition of dances at the Johnson family’s barn outside of Fargo and its impact on the community.

He runs a film program, teaches, and works on many documentaries each year.

Theater seats

Collaboration

“[Films] are inherently collaborative experiences.”

– Clay Haskell

 

Sevgi used to work with as many different people as possible in order to see their different visions and better understand her own. Now she typically finds herself working with the same group of people.

For example, the lead in Ghosted is someone whose performance she knew she could count on, since they had worked together previously.

 

Craig was a bigger believer in the concept of auteurship when he was younger but has since realized how the different people involved in the filmmaking process can contribute.

“Directing…is just communication with crew and team. It’s about language and how you work with people.” And when you work with the same people over time, you can rely on their expertise.

He’s developed a shorthand in communicating with his focus puller, because they’ve worked together for several years and share a similar aesthetic and approach.

 

Clay agrees that working with more people gives you an insight on how different people think and can lead to more ideas.

“Films are really just an expression of thinking patterns, and the way people see the world.” Since they’re not made by just one person, they’re “inherently collaborative experiences.”

On the other hand, working with new people has its challenges too, since you may not get along with them. When he has a difficult project or tight schedule, Clay would rather count on teammates he’s worked with before.

 

Anita brought up the fact that, because there are so many people involved in making a film, you need to be comfortable relinquishing some control. The actors may move differently or the DP may shoot differently than you expected. The end product may be different than you originally envisioned, while still meeting your goals.

It’s not until you’re actually working on a set – and outside of the film school bubble – that you can see how everything works and can apply what you learn from other people’s successes and mistakes to your own independent filmmaking.

 

Howon always tries to work with people who are easy to communicate with, since actors always have to be collaborators on set.

The focus should be on making the film together – not making money. “The most important part is the passion of the filming…It’s the power of the short film.”

 

Wearing different hats while producing Levi, as well as past work in various aspects of filmmaking (production design, writing, etc.), has helped Colleen better understand how important each person’s job is and how much work it takes.

 

the screening room

Short Films

“Short films are a good place to figure out what your filmmaking identity is.”

– Anita Abbasi 

 

Anita recommends making shorts to see how you work together with your team.

“Short films are a good place to figure out what your filmmaking identity is.” They also force you to plan more, especially if you’re trying to take visual chances, like filming the dance scene in Mariah.

Producing shorts could be your career or a step to other things.

 

Clay likes making shorts. They can be made in less time than features with a very similar artistic payoff and reward.

It depends on the story you’re trying to tell. “The short form is perfect for some stories, and some stories require a longer form.” The longer form takes a longer time and more money. It’s harder to get them done. If you want people to see your work, he says, start with shorts.

 

Craig said an advantage to making short films is that you can call in favors to ask people to be involved for a couple of days. It’s harder to ask them to work for free for several weeks.

Once a short is finished, it can be your calling card to help you get features made.

 

Howon mentioned that, because of commercial films taking over, only a few South Korea theaters show short or independent films.

Other ways to see them there include the web, other film festivals, and even indie film channels.

 

Indie at AZIFF

Funding

“Realize what you have…and make that movie.”

– Craig Dean Devine, paraphrasing Robert Rodriguez

 

Howon pointed out that, instead of relying on sources like government funding or Kickstarter, anyone can just make a short film right now on their phone.

 

Clay, who teaches film studies, is concerned that the democratization of media leads to people making movies about nothing. A film should express something. It’s important for filmmakers to know why they do what they do.

 

Craig and Colleen funded their film by each putting in $1000. The crew worked for free or cheap, and they had connections for getting an ALEXA camera, lenses, and other equipment they needed. They were able to use of her parents’ house in Phoenix and old cars. Her dad even appears in the film!

They really wanted to make something, so they took stock of the resources they had available to them and let that dictate the setting of the film.

 

Anita and Martin didn’t have the same type of connections. They received some funding from Ontario Arts Council. Otherwise, they self-funded the project with their day jobs.

 

Several people mentioned the importance of providing plenty of good food for people helping out on your film. As Sevgi concisely put it: “Feed your crew!”

 

The festival goes through tomorrow (April 29). You can see other filmmaker panels and Q+A sessions on their Facebook page.


I was a guest of Arizona International Film Festival.

Craft More, Waste Less!

With Earth Day coming up, here are some DIY ways to make things you might normally throw out into things you can use!

Plastic bottles into planters

 

 

Glass bottles into…

lamps

birdseed or hummingbird feeders

The bird seed feeder tutorial also has detailed instructions in how to cut a hole in the glass using a diamond bit drill, while the lamp project recommends using a dremel with a tungsten carbide head to make a hole for the cord.

Also, make sure you’re making safe hummingbird nectar without red dye or food coloring.

More glass bottle DIYs on Redbook.

 

Envelopes into journals

You don’t even need to use new envelopes for this – even the ones that arrive with junk mail inside work great!

 


Tins into…

craft supply storage

tiered trays

travel embroidery kit

Depending on what size tin(s) you have, you can store yarn or beads or fancy scissors. Also, check out the craft organization ideas I shared in a previous post.

 

Greeting cards into gift tags

Even though my example is holiday-themed, you can use any kind of card with art you like on it to make gift tags to use year round.

 

Plastic bags into a lunch bag

You can make “plastic yarn” or “plarn” from shopping bags and crochet it into all sorts of things, like a floor mat, tote, jump rope or shower shoes.

 

Coffee sleeve into a flower press

Of course, it’s great if you can opt for reusable coffee cups or sleeves, but, when you can’t, you can at least make the cardboard sleeve part of a craft project.

 

Rotisserie chicken container into a mini greenhouse

This will help hold the moisture in when you’re starting seeds.

 

Bicycle tubes into bracelets

The rubber from bicycle inner tubes can be used as a vegan alternative to black leather.

More bicycle inner tube crafts.

 

Melted chapstick into into lip gloss

If you live in a hot climate (***waves from Arizona***), you’ve probably ended up with melted chapstick or lipstick at some point. And noticed it does not go back to its original state after it cools off. This is a way to  salvage it instead of leaving it stuck inside the tube.

 

Vintage appliances into Little Libraries

How cute is this vintage bread warmer?!

You can find more ideas for setting up a Little Free Library on their site.

 

What are your favorite ways of reusing things instead of throwing them out?

Raspberry and Tangerine #ColorStory

Seven magic mountains

I had been thinking about spring colors, and shades of raspberry pink and tangerine-y orange kept popping up. Even while I was taking in the view of the Colorado River on our last trip to Yuma, a pair of kayaks – one pink and one orange – just happened to float by.

Raspberry peach lemonade

Yuma kayaks

It’s not a color combination I always think of putting together, but a deep orange can look fabulous next to full-on fuchsia.

Since then, I’ve spotted this variations of this delicious duo in art, design, destinations, and DIYs.

 

Vintage Swiss travel poster by Donald BrunRose centerpiece by A Beautiful Mess

Seven magic mountains art installation

 1. Raspberry peach lemonade / The Chunky Chef 2. Kayaks on the Colorado River, Yuma. 3. 1957 Swiss travel poster / Artist: Donald Brun 4. Rose and chocolate centerpiece / A Beautiful Mess 5. “Seven Magic Mountains,” Las Vegas / Artist: Ugo Rondinine

 

Abstract Art by Sarina Diakossalad

Ring made by artist jaime derringer

DIY journal cover

6. “Cool Life” fine art prints / Sarina Daikos 7. Apple and root vegetable salad / Lazy Cat Kitchen 8. Sculptural ring / Jaime Derringer 9. Sew-Along: Journal Cover / Caught on a Whim

 

Mexico Olympics 1968 Design Milk

Necklace

Mumbai

9. Mexico City Olympics branding (1968) / Lance Wyman 10. Wild Poppy desktop wallpaper / Source: Design Milk / Design: Lisa Congdon 11. Thread necklace / Artelia Accesorios, Buenos Aires 12. Mumbai guide (2010) / Design*Sponge / 2015 guide

 

Treat wrappers by Oh Joy

Burano, Venice by josh trefethen

Bougainvillea by Julia Engel

13. Printable treat wrappers  / Oh Joy! 14. Burano, Italy houses / Josh Trefethen Photography 15. Bougainvillea / Julia Engel


 

Microblog Mondays: Write in your own space

Poppy

Poppy

The poppy on our patio bloomed over the weekend, so I thought I’d send out this burst of color, in case you could use some extra warmth in your day.

You’ll just have to imagine the chorus of bird songs that go along with it. They’ve really decided to sing their little hearts out these last few days!

 


Microblog Mondays: Write in your own space

 

Presidential Portraits

President Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley

A new portrait of President Obama was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery last week. It was met with mixed reviews.

Obama portrait unveiled

Critics compared the unconventional painting by Kehinde Wiley to portraits from the White House collection, implying that the new work – and, by extension, Obama himself – was less dignified or presidential than those that came before.

Washington portrait by Stuart

But it’s a flawed comparison. This is not his White House portrait. (Also? Judge presidents by their actions, not by artwork created of them.)

Nixon by Rockwell

There are two collections of portraits that include all (except the most recent) former U.S. Presidents: the 43 paintings in the White House and the more varied collection in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG), which also includes sculptures and photographs.

Gerald Ford by Oliphant

The portraits in the White House are often more formal and official-looking than their NPG counterparts, especially in recent decades, when artwork has been veering away from tradition, widening the gap between the two collections.

Truman, Kennedy, Bush portraits from White House and NPG

Wiley’s painting has been installed in the National Portrait Gallery, where I’m sure it stands out as unique, but not out of place.

President Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley


PS Obama’s portrait has been re-created on a cookie.  

Photos via the White House and National Portrait Gallery.

 

Microblog Mondays: Write in your own space