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“Respect and Appreciate the Mundane Moments” | Brittany Shyne, Seeds
Seeds, courtesy of Sundance Institute. Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why?
The moments I treasure and relish the most were the days that I was able to spend with the elders, many of which passed away. Riding with Carlie as he gathered pecans from hundred year old orchard trees. Belle proudly showing me her varieties of citrus and grapefruit that populated her childhood home. During those long shoot days, those fall fruit trees became a pleasant and delicious recess from the searing Georgia sun. I remember driving with Walter in his worn down black Buick as we discussed the seasonal changes on the farm and how the weather impacted crops each year. On one rare occasion, I traveled downtown with Margaret as she took me out to her to her favorite sandwich shop on Jackson Street.
Working on a film for over nine years, my time melded and blended together. The grandeur of the film is the delicate assemblage of seemingly inconsequential moments that add up something greater. Throughout the duration of this longitudinal project, I found that those routine experiences that don’t necessarily feel significant in the present, become more revelatory with distance and reflection. One of the fondest memories that I have during the creation of Seeds is filming the scene of the older generation of women conversing in the car, which appears several times throughout the film. It was a very long shoot day, and such an ordinary event, but that day became symbolic of the themes in my film. I’d learned to respect and appreciate the mundane moments of their lives, and see how this specific farm in Georgia was such a welcoming communal gathering space. A place of leisure and relaxation even with sounds of farm work teetering in the background, and even in the car, where people found respite from the sun. This particular fall day is emblematic of what I hope to imbue throughout the film—that home and land can offer a place of refuge from the outside world.
See all responses to our annual Sundance Question here.
