Authors — Soheil Rezayazdi
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“The Powers of These Magical Young People”: Directors Keith Fulton and Lou Pepe | The Bad Kids
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? What does a girl-servant of wizards who’s ashamed of her magical powers have to do with a […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Feb 1, 2016 -
“Stories of Their Pain and Personal Struggle”: Director Paddy Breathnach | Viva
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? In terms of hidden motivations or narratives I’d say if they are there they are woven deep […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Feb 1, 2016 -
“A Fantastical Perversion of Pregnancy”: Director Danny Perez | Antibirth
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? It seemed to me that the story was centered around an outsider, someone who lived a destructive […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Feb 1, 2016 -
Cinematographer Steven Holleran on Capturing the Streets of Cleveland in The Land
Cinematographer Steven Holleran has shot more than a dozen shorts since 2011. He makes his Sundance debut with The Land, a film about four skateboarding teenagers in Cleveland. Holleran speaks with Filmmaker below about Cleveland and capturing a city’s essence visually. The Land debuted in the NEXT program at Sundance 2016. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Holleran: The writer and director of The Land, Steven Caple Jr., and I were in the same introductory filmmaker class at USC’s MFA […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Jan 31, 2016 -
“No One Slept for 30 Hours Straight”: DP Siddhartha Nuni on Shooting Brahman Naman
Styled in the vein of American slacker and teen comedies, Brahman Naman is the newest film from Indian indie filmmaker Qaushiq “Q” Mukherjee. DP Siddhartha Nuni shot the film in 23 days in the city of Bangalore. Filmmaker spoke with Nuni about his love of Trainspotting, recreating ’80s-era India and capturing the “confused teenage mind visually.” Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Nuni: The director of the film Q was looking for a cinematographer who had an experience of working under the constraints with which […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Jan 31, 2016 -
“The Limits of Love in Friendship”: Director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte | As You Are
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? I think As You Are from the outside is obviously a story about friendship and love. Specifically […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Jan 31, 2016 -
Ely Dagher on Blending Animation, Photography and Video in Sundance Short Waves ’98
Winner of the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Waves ’98 is the debut film from writer/director/animator Ely Dagher. The film is set in Beirut – Dagher’s hometown – and concerns a young man who becomes isolated from reality. Filmmaker spoke with Dagher about the film’s blend of video footage, still photography and animation. The Sundance Film Festival presented Waves ’98 in 2016 as part of its Animation Spotlight shorts program. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Jan 31, 2016 -
“They Shared Their Vulnerabilities and Unfiltered Selves on Camera”: Director Clay Tweel | Gleason
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? The making of this movie was a huge process of exploration for me. Steve had captured 1,300 […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Jan 31, 2016 -
Cinematographer Richard Henkels on Sundance Doc Author: The JT LeRoy Story
From the director of The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Author: The JT LeRoy Story charts the literary universe created by writer Laura Albert. LeRoy, her literary alter ego, has enraptured and enraged readers since the 1990s. Filmmaker spoke with DP Richard Henkels about he sought to have the documentary “feel like a feature film, not a TV doc.” Author had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Henkels: I was on a […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Jan 31, 2016 -
DP Nick Higgins on the Nearly Eight Hour Documentary O.J.: Made in America
The producers of ESPN’s acclaimed 30-for-30 documentary series deliver a nearly eight-hour opus with O.J.: Made in America. The film was shot by Nick Higgins, a seasoned cinematographer behind more than 30 non-fiction shorts and features. Below, Higgins speaks to the visual ideas of a film that’s 90 percent talking heads. He also discusses shooting “eight hour mega monster marathon interviews,” his love of classical portraits and working with a crew of two. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Higgins: In the […]
by Soheil Rezayazdi on Jan 31, 2016
