Excuse the Intermission
Alex and Max take you on a journey through film with this discussion podcast about movies.
Excuse the Intermission
A Preview to the 2024 Tacoma Film Festival + Filmmaker Interviews with Tommy Heffernan and Dawn Jones-Redstone
Unlock the secrets of indie filmmaking and storytelling through our exclusive preview of the 2024 Tacoma Film Festival. Join us, Alex McCauley and Max Flosberg, as we highlight the festival’s unique collaboration between the Grand Cinema and the Blue Mouse Theater, connected by convenient shuttle services for a seamless cinematic experience. We promise an illuminating journey into must-watch films like "Fish War," a documentary on Indigenous rights, and "Rainier: A Beer Odyssey," a nostalgic nod to quirky local beer commercials, sure to sell out with additional screenings scheduled.
Explore a kaleidoscope of stories with films like "Vines," an eco-horror short hosting a Q&A session with Max, and "I'm Not a Robot," a thought-provoking European comedy. We celebrate diverse voices with "Donut Boy," a dramatic short reflecting the Asian community, and "Wild Dreams," which tackles identity and generational trauma. Our discussions span passionate interviews with filmmakers Don Jones-Redstone and Tommy Heffernan, providing a peek into the creative minds behind these vibrant films.
Peek behind the curtain of the filmmaking process as we dive into the art of crafting short films under tight timelines and budgets. Tommy Heffernan shares his experiences with "Human Resource" and "Turbo Sean," revealing how the pressure of a 48-hour competition can spark creativity. Meanwhile, Dawn Jones-Redstone offers insights on "Feelings Experiment," discussing how the pandemic inspired a comedic exploration of emotional restoration. Together, we celebrate the therapeutic joys of spontaneous creation, advocating for a filmmaking approach that rekindles passion and creativity.
how's it? I'm alex mccauley, and I'm max flosberg and this is excuse the intermission.
Speaker 1:A discussion show surrounding movies ahead. On this episode we will be previewing the 2024 tacoma film festival. This year's festival is poised to be the most unique experience for festival goers and filmmakers alike. In just a moment max and I will let you know the must-see blocks of short films and feature presentations. Also on this episode are conversations with directors Don Jones-Redstone and Tommy Heffernan, who each have short films in this year's festival. We're so excited for this upcoming weekend and the festivities begin right now. On the Special Preview Podcast, we'll see you on the other side of this break. Hi Max. We're back and guess what time of year it is?
Speaker 2:Tacoma Film Festival time.
Speaker 1:And what's so cool about this year's Tacoma Film Festival is it really is a Tacoma Film Festival. We are at the Blue Mouse Theater, along with, of course, the host theater, if you will, the Grand Cinema Really excited for this new wrinkle. Last year, TFF had a few screenings at the Blue Mouse. However, it was still mostly anchored by the Grand and the screenings there.
Speaker 1:This year, however, the blue mouse has really stepped up their involvement and will be showing films throughout the weekend. There's going to be a shuttle service that leaves every 30 minutes back and forth from the blue mouse theater to the grand cinema. It's going to be awesome, so you don't have to worry about I'm just going to be on the shuttle the whole time just party shuttle yeah, yeah, just party shuttling talking to people about movies. That's actually not a bad idea.
Speaker 2:Movie trivia I like it. Bring a mic and a speaker with me. Filmmaker interviews on the bus.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man In the shuttle, why not? Actually, that sounds like a good vlog. Okay, okay, I love it. So, yeah, that's going to be really fun. Late night shorts, of course, late night presentations, feature films, all that good stuff. We're going to get into it here right now and let you know what you can't miss this weekend. First film I want to talk about is one that you and I were lucky enough to see, actually at the Gig Harbor Film Festival a few weeks ago, and that is Fish War.
Speaker 1:Fish War a really impactful documentary here, based in the pacific northwest, that centers around the decade-spanning fight that indigenous people here in the area have been having with the legal systems, going all the way up to the supreme court of the united states, for the right to hunt and fish, to hunt fish, to fish on their own land. And I know, in talking to some of the festival directors, there's going to be a really exciting Q and a after this screening and so that's another one that looking forward to seeing, looking forward to the community coming out supporting it, cause this is one of those films where I mean it's almost like a civil rights, it's like a piece of, like a civil rights movement. It's really, really important. So really looking forward to Fish War.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Fish War was really excellent and it's Indigenous People's Day on. Monday this upcoming week yes, what a better, you know a great way to celebrate the uh that day and celebrate those people and, um, yeah, this is an important movie, uh, something that, like, I wasn't even really, I mean, was not uh aware of at all, and so watching it big impact and the involvement too.
Speaker 1:I mean you had some of the biggest civil rights leaders of the time. There in the 70s and 80s you had film actors. Marlon Brando is featured in this documentary Fighting Alongside People here from the Area, and so a really, really interesting documentary that will be showing at 730 tonight actually Friday night and that'll be at the Grand Cinema and Theater too. So definitely make it out to Fish War if you can. Cinema and theater too. So definitely make it out to Fish War if you can. The next film that we want to talk about is the centerpiece film of the film festival Rainier A Beer, odyssey.
Speaker 2:And an odyssey it has been for this movie to come to screens.
Speaker 1:Yes, that is very true. Multiple screenings throughout the week of this film. However, saturday night is really the night that I think it's going to draw sold out shows across the weekend. So that's really exciting, but some of those, some of those theaters were opened up as like overflow screenings Saturday night, 5 pm, and then again an encore screening at 8 pm. Those will be at the Blue Mouse Theater, and then the Blue Mouse is also hosting a Sunday showing at 2 pm. Those are all sold out, so hopefully you got your tickets early. If not, though, don't fret, because the Grand Cinema, the week following the festival, will still have a couple of screenings there at their theater, as part of just their regular weekly programming.
Speaker 1:But yeah, Isaac, friend of the show, We've had him on here before the Peterson brothers Yep as producers. These are the guys that brought us the ventures documentary a couple of years ago. That was a lot of fun If you were able to watch the city line interview that Isaac and Wade gave um on our little Tacoma local news station here last week.
Speaker 1:You got to see some some clips of of the footage that they're going to show here in the documentary. Just looks like a lot of fun. You know simpler times when beer commercials in the local market at least we're just like off the wall, just super goofy Um. So that's going to be a lot of fun and I think you know should draw. I always like when there's um collectible items on display at the foam festival the ventures had a really good showing in this regard old records, guitars, things of that nature. I can only imagine the memorabilia in the collections that the grand isaac peterson brothers whoever how you know they're going to pull from the community and it's going to be a really fun um environment there at the at the blue mouse before that screening yeah, and just a just such a cool thing that you know those, those three guys who came together and made this film.
Speaker 2:So local so within the Tacoma community um really, really excited to to see this film Cause again. I think they've been working on it for close to 10 years. So, very exciting.
Speaker 1:Uh, the next film, the next two films. Actually really exciting to have these being screened at the Tacoma Film Festival this year. The first one is Paris, texas Classic film Never seen it Blind spot on my filmography.
Speaker 1:A cult classic from director Wim Wenders. Hopefully there's still some tickets available and you can find some time to squeeze into the theater. Then the theater, then this is really exciting. Uh, because charles peterson, local photographer, who is very famous within the world of photography and who worked very closely with nirvana and kirk colbain, so charles peterson excuse me, charles peterson has a display at the tacoma art museum right now and it's all about his work photographing nvana, and one of his favorite films, and one of Kurt Cobain's favorite films, was Paris Texas. Wow, and so, and it kind of makes sense, when you look at Charles's photography, you look at the motifs within Nirvana's music and then you know you having not seen the film, but it's a very um what's the right word to describe? Paris Texas. It's a very emotional movie.
Speaker 1:It's a very desolate movie, though Also um great photographs great photographs, great vistas, but also just like kind of this profound sense of kind of emptiness, loneliness a little bit as well too, um, so I think it pairs really well. Charles peterson will be on site to co-host a q a um afterwards. Well, I guess he will be the one doing the q a um being asked the questions, and so I'm really, really excited for that. This is going to be um the 4k digital restoration, that criterion just released, that's going to be the transfer that is played. So that is going to be just kind of a treat, you know you don't. And there's another film here. Nosferatu is getting a really cool treatment with like a radio head overture throughout the entire film.
Speaker 2:So it's really cool that the grand, I think, is bringing in some old, like repertory screenings of certain films to the festival this year yeah, I think, uh, I think that's a great strategy and and you know especially these, you know criterion-esque or cult classics, you know to get them in front of new eyes too right because they're. I'm sure there's tons of people out there who maybe have missed nosferatu or, uh, paris, texas and what. What would be a better way to watch those movies other than at a film festival on a big screen with a sold out crowd?
Speaker 2:And a Q&A opportunity afterwards too, and a Q&A. Yeah, really fun. That's really cool.
Speaker 1:So Paris Texas will be at the Grand at 4.30 this coming Saturday, so pencil that one in. And then also, I'm so excited for this because not necessarily a repertory screening, but Ghost Cat Anzu which is the latest film from g kids that's amazing so that is a studio ghibli property and it made. This is a 2024 film that made its premiere can film festival wow, it's not a miyazaki film no, it's not a miyazaki film, um, but but it's a.
Speaker 1:It is g kids though studio ghibli property and opened it can and then has played a handful of other festivals. But not very many eyes have been on this film yet, and so it's so cool that tacoma film festival gets kind of the next big japanese animated feature film here that's amazing.
Speaker 2:When is that playing?
Speaker 1:so that'll be at the blue mouse theater on sunday, october 13th. That's a 12 pm showing, so nice little lunch date, yeah, with some 2d animation really cool. Actually too, I was reading about how this film was is shot and then animated. It's actually shot in live action and then rotoscoped over with hand-drawn animation. Wow.
Speaker 1:So it's this unique blend, you think rotoscope and you think of something like Waking Life or Scanner Darkly, some of those experimental Richard Linklater animated projects, but then you also think of the traditional 2D signature hand-drawn Studio Ghibli. Look, I think it's going to be awesome. That's really cool.
Speaker 1:This is going to be really fun that film. So those are some features that we're really excited about being able to see on the big screen. Then we also have some short films. You know that we got to recommend Love the short blocks, right? You as now an accomplished short, an award-winning filmmaker of a short film yourself. Yeah, yeah, you want to take two seconds to talk about your trip down to California actually.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I went down to Hollywood Horror Fest Nightstock was selected for that festival. A lot of fun, really cool to hang out in California, beautiful weather, gosh, movie theaters on every corner down there. I saw so many movies this past weekend, including Saturday Night and A Different man, joker Follet, ado theaters on every corner down there. I saw so many movies this past weekend, including, you know, saturday night and a different man, um, joker folia do. I'm sure we'll talk about those on later episodes, um, but yeah, and then I was. I was honored, uh to receive the uh soho cinema club 2024 best student filmmaker uh award. Uh, at at hollywood horror fest, which uh was, was a great honor and it was really cool. The awards night was very fun. They had a live band. You know about 150 people there. You. You go up, you get a framed uh award, you know certificate and uh, and then give an acceptance speech wild, which was which was uh funny because you know I was. I'm like I'm from washington, I don't know why I said that, but uh, yeah, it was it was pretty cool yeah vampires up here
Speaker 2:um, but yeah, it was really cool that you know. First, first award ever. Uh, hopefully not the last, um, but you know we're we're excited for the next project, so you're one for one first film festival, ever first award, incredible stuff that's very true. Hopefully, hey, you know, and we're still, we're still uh, vying for some other film fests. So hopefully Nightstock continues its run. Amazing Congratulations once again Thank you.
Speaker 1:Happy to let you talk about that on there a little bit, and it's just so cool that it's on your resume now.
Speaker 2:It is. It is very cool. Yes, it is. It's a great feeling.
Speaker 1:It really is All that hard work I was going to say you had a good assistant camera on the film.
Speaker 2:I had an excellent assistant camera, I had an excellent cinematographer and, really honestly, my whole cast and crew and I said this in the acceptance speech that you know it's so funny that like directors or actors even like go up and accept awards when really, I mean, it is such a team project that comes together because of the people you put around you, so very, very exciting and it's cool to get recognized.
Speaker 1:It is funny because I feel like even on the highest levels, you think about athletics, you think about entertainment. You hear these acceptance speeches when someone wins an MVP or a Best Pitcher, and it does seem a bit redundant, right, when folks go up there and just say you know, I wouldn't be anything without da, da, da, da da.
Speaker 2:But it's true, it sounds like it's really true. It's really true. You know, I just had the idea and then I put a good group of people around me and they made that idea a reality.
Speaker 1:Amazing. Well, so did all these other folks. The first short film that we want to talk about and highlight that's going to be playing this weekend at the tacoma film festival is vines. Really cool too, because you actually got to see this down in california yeah, this was playing at hollywood horror fest.
Speaker 2:It played. Did it play at gig harbor?
Speaker 1:we did not see it at gig harbor um, but yeah, very excited to see it.
Speaker 2:Uh, now for a second time. Uh, atoma Film Fest Awesome movie Won a bunch of Practical Effect Awards. That's all I'm going to say about it down in California. So go and check it out and if you love Practical Effects, you're going to dig this film.
Speaker 1:This is a really cool film and it has a little bit of an environmental message behind it. Totally totally, but kind of like how all good horror does yeah you think about the stuff that carpenter was doing in the 80s.
Speaker 2:A lot of that is allegorical horror, horror is some of the best to to dress that, those messages up, uh, and then deliver them to an audience in a just like gross fun way, and this film does have some great effects.
Speaker 1:So Vines is playing as a part of the Pacific Northwest late night short films and those will be at the Blue Mouse Theater on Friday night tonight, and you yourself, max Fosberg, hosting the Q&A after that.
Speaker 2:I believe, I sure am, I will be there.
Speaker 1:That's very cool. The next film on our list is one that I was really excited. We already got a chance to screen this, an international film was really excited that it made it into the Tacoma Film Festival. I'm not a robot.
Speaker 2:So cool. This is a great. Where was it from? Denmark, I think.
Speaker 1:I can't say with full conviction, should know this, yeah, yeah anyway, european production.
Speaker 2:Uh, really, really, I honestly like a very funny premise that then turns, you know, kind of depressing and and and a little like questionable. A little bit of twilight zone in there, um, but like just a just a great idea behind this film, uh, and well acted, um.
Speaker 1:So, yes, please go check this out as well I'm no, not a robot is playing as part of the late night shorts and that is also tonight 10 30, but that'll be at the Grand Cinema Friday night and that will be your Q&A.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I'm hosting the Q&A after that screening Fantastic, so that'll be really fun. The second to last one here. Well, actually, how about let's have you talk about Donut Boy first?
Speaker 2:Donut Boy. Yeah, so this is a thesis film from a student filmmaker who attended USC but I believe is from the Tacoma area, or at least the Washington.
Speaker 1:Yeah, general Washington. This is playing as part of the Pacific Northwest dramatic shorts block.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just a super, super impressive written film. Look the look of it. It's a, it's a boxing film. Uh, what's well acted. Uh, it represents the asian community, um, and even though it's called donut boy, like it there yes, of course donuts are involved, but really it's it's about the. It's almost kind of like this kid is he can take a punch like a donut right, like he can like punches kind of bounce off him. So, um, really really great dramatic short, just like your, your old school dramatic story.
Speaker 1:Um, really really enjoyed watching this film so once again, that'll be part of the pacific northwest dramatic shorts block, as will the last film here that we want to talk about before we get to our interviews. Leading off that block is a film called Wild Dreams, directed by none other than our good friend of the show, derek Nunn Been lucky enough to see this film already. Derek was working very hard on this movie for a long time. See this film already. Derek was working very hard on this movie for a long time, so excited for him and the fact that it gets to lead off this block of films that starts tonight, friday night, at 530 there at the Blue Mouse Theater. Just a really good story. Features Kwabi Amao Forsen, who many people know as Kwabi from the peace bus around Tacoma. Here people know as Kwabi from the peace bus around.
Speaker 1:Tacoma here and I mean it's a great story about kind of, I would say, anybody within. I think the intention and I can't wait to talk to Derek and Kwabi about it but I feel like the intention is for this film to really kind of speak to anybody between the ages of like 15 and, you know, 55, who still may be in the workplace or who has at least been in the workforce and learned how to kind of when do you have to code switch? When do you have to um? When can you be yourself? When do you draw upon um, generational or when? When can generational trauma kind of come into your life? When do you embrace those feelings of things that have happened to you in the past, to your ancestors in the past? How do you let their experiences kind of guide your experiences?
Speaker 1:I don't want to put any words in their mouths, but it's a really powerful film that has limited dialogue but it's saying so much. Oh, very cool. So I I cannot wait to talk to those boys about their work on wild dreams, so that that entire block of films right there I think the Pacific Northwest dramatic shorts. You know such good homegrown talent around here. You know this just as well as anybody really having immersed yourself in in the independent film scene here within the last year or so, cannot wait for those, cannot really wait for the entire weekend. It's just going to be a great time.
Speaker 2:It's. It's one of our favorite weekends of the year and even though you know it is a weekend, right Like in the past, it's been a week.
Speaker 1:One of the other changes, though, that I think we're both looking forward to this year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm super excited because I think it's going to, people are going to be there, they're going to be present. You know, the weekend is it's going to be feel more like a, like a celebration and a party, as opposed to, you know, being stretched out during a week. So so very excited for the Tacoma Film Fest. Um, so very excited, uh, for the Tacoma Film Fest and like, thank you once again to to Wade, to Wendell, to everyone you know, marley, everybody over there, uh at the Grand Cinema, for uh, having us be a part of it. Uh, it's, it's really special to us.
Speaker 1:Absolutely All right. So let's go to our conversations with both Don Jones Redstone and Tommy Heffernan, and then we'll be back to wrap up this episode. Okay, I am now pleased to be joined by Tommy Heffernan, the producer and director of two different films that are in the Tacoma Film Festival A Human Resource and Turbo. Sean. Tommy, thanks for taking a little bit of time to have a chat with us here before the festival.
Speaker 4:No problem. Thanks for reaching out and giving the filmmakers a reason to ramble on the making of these two films.
Speaker 1:So let's start with a human resource. Because this you're a producer on this, so I'm curious how the kind of cast and crew process came to be and how involved were you in that as a producer? Were you the first one in the door? Did you come in a little bit later? What's your relationship to the director?
Speaker 4:kind of a mixed bag there, but if you kind of want to unpack that to the best of your ability, yeah, so basically samudler, the writer and director of the short, uh specifically melanie summer and jake uh, all of us were friends in college and then they moved out to milwaukee where the film was actually shot, um, and I've kind of visited them over the last couple years and like shot you know one or two things a year.
Speaker 4:And this one came at a point where sam decided, hey, you know, I, these 48 hour films that we've been doing, uh, they're a little stressful, like usually we we stick to the 48 hour film competitions because those give us a deadline and like lock us into making something. But he was like I want to make something, uh, more just out of out of scratch, and it kind of. He kind of just came up with this script that he then brought to us, um, sort of inspired by the current workplace that uh, he was at at the time and could tell that he was only going to be there a few months longer with the direction that the studio was going and, yeah, he kind of brought that to us and I felt like we all kind of could relate in different workplaces that we've been at and we just decided to do it.
Speaker 1:So I wonder then what is your kind of personal relationship to corporate America and the, the story that unfolds um in the film there? Is that something that you feel like is going to resonate sort of across the board, because that's not necessarily um for everybody, but I think it. I think everyone can relate in some sense to to what happens in this story and the jargon used and everything else.
Speaker 4:Yeah for sure For me specifically, I spent the last about three years working as a video editor at T-Mobile, which for me I'd been working freelance like shooting, editing, various types of gigs before that, but then that was my first time really having like a corporate nine to five, like in and out every day, every week, every month, every year, and so it definitely, I think, something that I really really relate, something that I really related to in the script was kind of the polish that goes over any negativity or any problems or any sort of crisis in a corporate setting.
Speaker 4:The shining of a turd, if you will yeah, yeah, totally, and sort of the denial of, uh, like allowing employees information until, like, it's absolutely necessary to tell them like, hey, uh, you guys aren't gonna have your jobs and so, right, yeah, that for me, uh was definitely a good in.
Speaker 4:and then also, I, we did have um sort of uh we did have um sort of uh an informal screening of this, uh, like a friend's uh sort of like filmmaker gathering thing uh, earlier, uh, at the start of the year, and it was a lot of people, a lot of other film folk there who just like bring in their films and like showing each other, and a lot of them said that they could relate to this as well and I think for them, I mean, as a freelance filmmaker, you're either like working a corporate job or working freelance, like gig to gig, and sometimes the gigs are corporate gigs and so you know it's I feel like we're very predispositioned to being used and being taken advantage of in certain situations and kind of being treated as disposable perhaps.
Speaker 1:So yeah, Well, I think the script does such a good job of not only kind of conveying the disposable nature of certain job positions and the way people behave upper management versus lower but it also does it with a good sense of humor. Where I found myself and, I think, a lot of folks I'm not sure if you can speak to how many audience reactions you've been able to sort of witness or at least hear back on. But how does the humor seem to be landing for people in there too, Because a lot of it is almost that tongue in cheek or it's so satirical that again so many different people can relate to it. So how's the humor play out for you, you think?
Speaker 4:yeah, we got some good responses at the the small screening we had and I was relieved because you know it's a 15 minute mostly dramatic short about, uh, workplace drama and it's set in a room between two people like it's not the easiest sell.
Speaker 4:And so we realized, like we we want this to be engaging and to have levity so that you know it can not be taking itself too seriously, that it's like a chore to watch.
Speaker 4:But, like you know, can we can kind of wink, wink at the audience and like, uh, be a little bit uh satirical with the humor and yeah, that kind of just also comes from the fact that like our background as a group, um, has almost always been doing comedy stuff. Like, especially in college I was doing a lot of sketch comedy and that's where I met a lot of these people that I've been working with and then, ever since doing the 48 hour films, it it's easy to lean into comedy doing those. But I did enjoy this as sort of a excuse for us to push ourselves to not just exclusively be like a comedy short, like to really like dig in on the characters and the dialogue and like make it grounded and believable, really like dig in on the characters and the dialogue and like, make it grounded and believable, while at the same time, of course, our personality is just allowing the humor to come through. Anyway, like the shot of me, I'm in the first 10 seconds sitting on the couch eating the grilled cheese.
Speaker 4:Oh okay, directing me for that? Yeah, just like it was. It was the direction he was giving me. It was like a porno direction, like yeah really enjoying it more yeah yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:No, I think the short has a great balance, um, between the two. I'm curious when, when you are, when you're producing a script that is so dialogue driven, how, how engaged are you with giving notes? Are you looking at dailies? Are you just kind of trusting the actors and the director to to communicate what's on the page? How do you go about that as a producer?
Speaker 4:yeah, well, so I produced this.
Speaker 4:Sam was writing and directing, uh, but I was also shooting and editing, so I was also the dp while we were shooting, and I think that for me it was nice to kind of like I'm actually used to most of the time, uh, writing and directing as well as then shooting and editing, just like being a jack of all trades.
Speaker 4:But it was nice to be able to sit back and like let Sam and the actors, melanie and summer kind of hash out the dialogue themselves, and it was nice to. We had two days to shoot it, so a lot of the time we limit ourselves to one day of shooting for a short film, so for this we allowed ourselves the time to do a handful of takes and kind of try different things and get really specific with the notes. Um, like, he was definitely specific with the notes, uh, from his end and yeah, and then in the edit too, um, definitely like finding down to the frames, like where to cut or like what reaction to show yes yeah, and and when it's just a short, with two people in a room, it's nice that we could like focus on that more than otherwise a bunch of exterior stuff happening or what have you.
Speaker 1:That's really interesting to hear you say that it it only was a two-day shoot, because the film does something clever where it kind of takes place over these seasons, and I love a movie that has a little title, title cards in it, and so you guys kind of have that as these little scene transitions. So how much of that did you try to? How much of that time gap did you guys try to manipulate with either lighting in the different rooms or the way the different characters maybe would have aged with makeup or different clothing? How much of that was in your mind?
Speaker 4:yeah, I think, makeup I don't recall if we did anything different uh, outfits, I know we kind of like loosely coordinated to seasons and then the main thing was, yeah, kind of the lighting and the set dressing, um, and also, too, I got a shout out, uh, david, our sound editor, and chris, our colorist, because both of them, uh, are guys I know from working at t-mobile and they really, with the color, like emphasize, like I kind of gave the direction of you know, you don't need to, uh, like you don't need to be too strict with the realism of uh, your, your choices with the color, like as long as we have sort of like a warm and then a cool and a really like contrasty, like dim kind of ending. Um, and then david, too, with the sound, uh, I love the detail of like it's really loud and bustling outside in the first scene and then the second scene it's a little bit quieter because you'll hear people, and then the third scene is just like dead side, ghost town so.
Speaker 1:so when you kind of juxtapose the, the of a human resource to Turbo Sean, the other film that I want to talk to you about, I at least kind of feel like there's some connections here between like well and not to be redundant here in my vocabulary, but the human connection is, I feel, like kind of a parallel line there, and then same with this idea of just kind of like living life to the fullest. And what does it mean to have a life outside of either corporate America or whatever you know our Apple watch is telling us our performances for the day, all these different little things is. Is this kind of, as a filmmaker, a theme that you are really interested in, sort of this daily rat race that we're all living in?
Speaker 4:Yeah, you know it's funny, uh, having these two films screen this festival, because I never like thought to draw a comparison between them at all, like I see that is so diametrically opposite, like the three minute comedy sketch kind of short and then the 15 minute drama, uh, but no, you're right, I mean I think that probably is coming through subconsciously.
Speaker 4:But in terms of turbo sean, I also kind of see it as like a self-imposed kind of like obsession that that character is like putting on himself, um, as far as his expectations, and it also kind of like when we were writing that one, um, I kind of, I guess, yeah, I saw it as like a a rat race allegory, but more specifically like sort of the hustle of like trying to make something out of nothing for yourself and for for me, specifically, the idea of, like you know, uh, over the course of my 20s, I think, like pushing myself as a freelance filmmaker, like trying to do all these projects. Um, I mean, within the last, uh, actually five years, I've done at least like five, sometimes six, short films a year, uh, because of the 48 hour competitions, just like, oh, once a date is on the calendar, like I'm doing it.
Speaker 1:And especially you got the sticky note up on the wall like Sean, right, yeah, I might as well.
Speaker 4:Yeah, Right now I'm in between. I just did a competition two weeks ago and now I'm doing the horror Seattle competition this weekend. And it's just like it's it's hard to say no to things. And it's just like it's it's hard to say no to things, but no. In the context of our film, I guess it was just trying to convey that sense of like rushing between it, sort of like when, when you rush to that extent, it becomes a question of like okay, you're getting all these things done, but what is the value of getting all these things done? It's like the quantity starting to eclipse eclipse the quality, quality of your experiences for sure.
Speaker 1:No, I loved, I loved the comedy, nature, but again, digging a little deeper, or at least thinking about it a little deeper, and what? What is this really trying to say? Um, I also, you know you talked about in a human resource that being such a contained set, again, turbo sean, different in in in that sense, did you have to pull any strings to shoot in a hospital, to shoot down the streets of seattle? What was that like?
Speaker 4:so the hospital, actually, uh, that one is. We found it on pure space, which is a useful website which just lists a bunch of, like different types of spaces that people rent out, and this one was the hospital bed, but it was also combined with, uh, an airplane set, just like no kidding off camera, like right behind the camera, um, and I'm going to be posting a behind the scenes video, uh, for this short, uh, the end of the month, where you see all that, um, but yeah, and it's also the, the window, um, on the wall is just a projection, which to me, is very obvious, but maybe, if you're watching it, really quick, I could just go by, look like a real hospital room, but uh, yeah, that was.
Speaker 4:We were probably in and out of there in like two hours, but it was pretty fun.
Speaker 1:That's cool. And then talk a little bit about your relationship with the lead actor from Turbo Sean, because that I can imagine. Per you know, directing your performance like that takes a lot of conversation and and notes, or perhaps maybe not, if it is sort of this similar like sketch comedy, improv background, almost where you're like I just want you to go and I'm going to film everything and we'll make it work in the edit. So what was that like?
Speaker 4:yeah, well, sean, I've been working with uh since 2021, uh, so I shot several things with him before this, uh, and I think the more so I shot several things with him before this, and I think the more that me and him shoot together, the more I'm comfortable asking of him and the more he generously allows us to shoot him doing like the the stuff on the toilet was so funny and he like in the shower too, but like the toilet specifically. Like he he goes for the gag on the toothbrush and like that was when he said cut okay. Like let's grab a garbage can if he's about to throw up. But he was like no, no I did that on
Speaker 4:purpose. I was like, oh nice, you got us dude. Uh, no, he, he's great, and with that short too. It was, uh, I had basically a storyboard that I'd written the night before, so it was. It was that one was for a 48 hour competition. Um, so the Friday night before we shot it, uh, I just put together like I found the music track I wanted and then I cut together like, okay, this shot will take like this amount of time, just like putting text cards into into a storyboard. Um, so within that we were kind of able to improvise a little bit with like how he would uh perform certain things. And, yeah, I thought he once he, I think he once he got the concept he was all in cause. He loves doing the kind of physical comedy and doing, uh, he's looking to get more to some work. So, um, yeah, we, he, he was down for a little action based kind of thing.
Speaker 1:That's very cool, very cool, um, all right. Well, you know, after they played the Tacoma film festival here, I'm curious if other folks around the area aren't able to make it out to Tacoma this upcoming weekend, where else will they be able to find these films in the future? And then kind of any other projects that you might be working on you might be working on.
Speaker 4:Yes, so, uh, human resource. We'll see if that goes online or not. Uh, I think that's up to sam, but turbo sean is available online because it was produced for um, the agbo 48 hour competition. Um, which is the agbo is the production company of the russo brothers and they do like an international big 48 hour filmmaking competition, uh, and then post online and we got an honorable mention in that, which is very cool.
Speaker 4:That is um, thank you, Uh, but so that's online. I'm going to be posting a behind the scenes video, uh, at the end of the month and for all of our other 48 hour films, um, those are posted online at my youtube channel. Uh, tommy is filming, and that's the same handle I have on instagram for more updates on all of the stuff we shoot throughout the year. Uh, we've had a crazy busy year this year actually, so plenty more on the horizon that should be going up online, hopefully, very cool well.
Speaker 1:Good luck in all and all the future endeavors and congratulations on two short films listeners. You can find them during the short film blocks, which are always fantastic at the tacoma film festival, but specifically look for these two during the comedic and dramatic pacific northwest or blocks tommy. Thank you so much for taking the time out to chat with us today.
Speaker 4:Thank you Appreciate it.
Speaker 1:All right, we are now delighted to be joined by Don Jones-Redstone, the director of Feelings Experiment. You can catch Feelings Experiment as a part of the Pacific Northwest Short Film Block that'll air Friday on October 11th, 7.30 pm at the Blue Mouse Theater Dawn. Thank you so much for taking a little bit of time out of your pre-festival schedule to join us on the microphone here.
Speaker 5:Yeah, no, thanks so much. Y'all are my people. If you're movie people, yeah, that's right um, so I want to.
Speaker 1:I want to start you with this before we start um, interpreting the film and putting all sorts of different labels and meanings onto your work here. I'm curious when you first got the germ for this film, or for this story, or to write this script. Finish this sentence for me. I want to make a movie about blank.
Speaker 5:Feelings.
Speaker 1:Very nice. Where did that come from?
Speaker 5:Yeah, Well, I, I had made a feature, I made a feature film in 2021. And that was an intense and long-term experience. And, um, after the pandemic and just everything that happened in the process of making that feature, which I'm extremely proud of, and it also played at Tacoma Film Festival um, I wanted to try something different. Creatively and, I think, in part, also born out of the pandemic, I just found myself imagining the scenario where someone who perhaps was cynical and guarded goes to visit a scientist who helps them restore their capacity to feel again. And I it was inspired by a couple of things, but one of them was all those videos where you see someone learn to, you see someone here for the first time, or see for the first time. You know, they're always like super emotional and you're like, oh, they can see again, they see their parents for the first time. It's so beautiful.
Speaker 5:I always cry and I was just imagining what, what if, instead, someone was feeling for the first time? And what would that be like? And that is coming from the pandemic, absolutely and just like observing the world through our screens, constantly seeing, like you know, devastating things juxtaposed next to you know, funny dog tricks on my phone and like, how do we cope, cope, like how do we, how are we supposed to feel, like, maintain our humanity but also still be able to go about our lives? And then there's a story that becomes wrapped up. In this particular version of it, I actually have a feature script around this story, but it's a little bit different now.
Speaker 3:Wow, Well, so yeah, and you're dealing with when you're dealing with, feelings, right, there's definitely a comedic tone to this film, but I'm kind of wondering. You do dip your toes in some dramatic you know sequences or scenes. How much did the script change over time while you're rewriting and rewriting until production?
Speaker 5:and rewriting until production. It didn't. I think I did this in about the course of maybe three months. I had written something and then I approached some friends. The star of the film, ashley Song, was actually the producer on my feature film. She's a local theater actor here in Portland and many other things, but that was, you know, agreed to be in there. She'd been in a previous short of mine as well and then the scientist is played by my cousin, who was also in my feature film, who flew in from Denver to play that role because I just saw her she's also a theater actor and put the two of them together. And then we kind of workshopped it a little bit and then it evolved more after that. So I didn't spend a ton of time. But that may also be why now, having written the feature which I have spent way more time the story has changed a little bit.
Speaker 1:To kind of piggyback on that, this short film feels like quite the odyssey, although it's roughly a 10 minute runtime, and so, when you're thinking about the pacing for something like this, what were kind of the key moments that you knew you wanted to hit along the way as far as maybe locations or when the story was really going to crescendo emotionally? Because I feel like you did a great job of of kind of structuring it, although it is just this short film and I it's so great to hear you say that you're adapting it into a feature, because I can totally see the bones thank you.
Speaker 5:Um, yeah, I love the chance to talk film with you guys. This is like my favorite thing. Uh, let's see. So I wish that I had like put as much thought into it as I had in the other projects of mine. But part of the idea was like no, we just did that and we took years making something. Let's see what happens if we just, like you know, just do it, just do it. And we did it like very light. They were just like I shot it.
Speaker 5:I hired someone another friend of mine to, like you know, kind of be an assistant and do sound and audio. We were like running around doing everything. It's extremely like DIY, ultra low budget, like that is not what any of my other films look like, and I was just kind of curious about being less precious about it and like trusting the performance, like having, you know, some actors that I knew could like carry their roles and like add something to it, like own the characters and they all did and just to also have fun. The idea of like getting back to like having fun with your friends and just like making something. I think that you know, the act of creation is just like something to be celebrated and I just, I really wanted to get back to that feeling, because when you make a feature, especially as an indie filmmaker, you spend so much time, you know, alone, like writing, uh, and then you start to bring people in, then you go through production and then you're alone again and then, like you, you know all this time, like by myself, like just slogging away. It was like all the details through distribution and just everything, and I I was just like, no, no, let's, let's do something.
Speaker 5:So I wrote a grant and then I approached folks and said, hey, you want to try and do something differently, Like it's, it's, it's going to be fast, we're going to have fun with it, we're going to get paid the grant, you know, but we have to keep it small if we want to get paid decently and that's, yeah, that's what we did and I I feel a little bit sheepish about it because it is so it has this low, low, lower production value than the rest of my stuff. And part of me is like is there, is there enough story there to, like, you know, help people forget about that, or how much does it matter? I didn't. When I first thought about it, I knew about this opening scene where we would see someone experiencing emotion for the first time and then, just like, little bits started to come, and it's really the second half. That kind of changed when the actors came in and I don't want to give anything away.
Speaker 3:So I'll just say that, well, that's amazing and can be, I mean, therapeutic for an artist, right, especially after you know, spending so much time on a feature and then really taking advantage of just like, oh you know what, I am an artist and I can just go out and but fun and quick and with my friends I mean that sounds like a really good mantra to live by after making something hard and big and long to go.
Speaker 5:Do that Would you recommend that for any filmmaker? Yes and no, I think that I mean, I think that's how most people get started right, like you're like, oh, I love filmmaking. And then, as you learn and grow, you know it, it things expand. And you're like, oh, um, prepping for a film doesn't mean this, it means this. And it's like this big process. You know, like you, everything.
Speaker 5:As you learn more and you get excited, I'm gonna do this and this and it just everything keeps growing and expanding and that that's good too. I mean, that's how you grow your skills and that's how your work gets better and better. And I guess what's interesting about this is that you know, the production part was fast, but, like I do have some filmmaking chats, I know, hopefully, how to tell a story, I know about structure, I know about before you, before you know I, so I got to bring all those into play, but it was just a very different style. I guess if you're a little bit disenchanted and you, you've forgotten about what's so great about filmmaking, then yeah, I do recommend it well, I love that because it's almost an allegory for what our lead character goes through.
Speaker 1:Right is, and now this is one. This is a question I've been anxious to ask you because our lead character here does kind of go through this awakening of their emotions. At first I was trying to figure out while watching the film have they been desensitized to just feeling their entire life, or was this like a lost skill and they're trying to learn it back? And so there's a little bit of almost like this human connection mystery that unfolds a little bit throughout the film. We get to see a little bit of a past failed relationship creeps into the film there for a moment. So I'm kind of wondering how much of you as a filmmaker or even just personally, is in and attached to our main character in this film.
Speaker 5:That's a great question. I think that I think the character is a little bit different in the sense that they are an extremely pragmatic person Like they're in the feature. Script is different, but in this script it's two scientists Like I. The idea of, just because she's wearing the lab coat, the suggestion is that she too is also a scientist who maybe just thinks of in a very functional way, and so I think part of it is just her, but I think she is also cynical, and then I think all of that has been made worse by the suggestion of a breakup. Um, and so that you know, it's short films, I don't have as much time to dive into the character, but those are the bits and pieces that I think might be there, that were intended to be there that's great immediate and then I also love, yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:and then I also love too, that and again, not to spoil too much, but it kind of the saving grace of the film, the thing that our character finds is humor, and in so many of these films I feel like it would be easy to perhaps make it be love or make it be something a little bit more sentimental. However, you, you stay pretty grounded with it being humor. Was that something that you knew you wanted to do all along? Is have it kind of end with this, this joyous scene.
Speaker 5:Yes, that was absolutely something that I wanted.
Speaker 5:The other thing about my feature was that it was, you know, it was a drama and there were some heavy scenes, and I did want to like have fun.
Speaker 5:I wanted to do something that that made me laugh, that I wanted to see, yeah, but but but still also talking about some important things, and I think some of that actually comes from a real moment that happened to me where, again, during the pandemic, viewing the world through screens and phones and scrolling, and I found this, I found something that's in the film and I I couldn't stop laughing. I like it was the first time I'd seen it I know it's been around for a long time and I I just saw something silly, ridiculous, and I just started laughing and I kept laughing and I was like trying to tell my wife and like I was like you have to, you know, and I I couldn't stop, and then I just started crying and it made me think about, like, how close those deep you know deep emotions are, and it's like I had opened up something because of how hard I was laughing over something ridiculous.
Speaker 5:But then it it just like went somewhere unexpected and and it became this release and it was just it felt good, you know, to like cry a little bit after just again, like seeing all these like terrible things happening and feeling like helpless and yeah, and just the intensity of you know being at home and you know taking care of our daughter and all the pandemic things. So that's that came from a real moment.
Speaker 3:You know, your film made me chuckle a lot, but there was, there was a moment that, like I almost spit out my water. I laugh was laughing so hard and I don't want to give it away for the listener, but I, I, I immediately asked myself. I was wondering if there was any improvising on set, because I was like, is that written into the script or was that something the actor just kind of did in that moment?
Speaker 5:I think I know what you're talking about and that was written in the script.
Speaker 5:Brilliant about and that was written in the script. Brilliant, if we're talking about yeah, no, there actually wasn't any. When we workshopped it, we did, um, you know, I did make some changes and made sure things worked for them and they, you know, brought a lot to it. But then it was in the script and then we're like, okay, here it is, this is what we're gonna do, and you know the words aren't exact. We did it so quickly again, but, like you know we were, we had our directions for each scene and each character and they, they did it brilliantly, yeah.
Speaker 1:Cool. Well, I just give you a ton of credit for making a film that's so nuanced and execution, for having a runtime of 10 minutes is so precise, because it does have you know, and especially hearing you talk about it more. It does have this feel of a movie coming out of not only the pandemic but, I think, the characters, heavy with these themes of isolation and, you know, lacking that human connection. Yours is so nuanced, so I just I want to congratulate you on that because it's really well done.
Speaker 5:Thank you, thank you so much. I can't, I really can't wait to scan on Friday. I'm going to be there and just to like be in the comedy block, especially because I'm always in the drama. So I'm ready to see everyone's films and laugh along. So yeah, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Of course, yeah, and just one more reminder the short film Feelings Experiment will play during the Pacific Northwest short film comedy block Friday, October 11th at 730 at the Blue Mouse Theater, the historic Blue Mouse Theater in Tacoma, Washington Dawn. Thank you so much for taking the time out to chat with us today.
Speaker 5:I love it, thank you.
Speaker 1:Okay, so that does it for our official TFF preview episode. We are so excited for this weekend at the Tacoma Film Festival, hosted at the Historic Grand Cinema and the Blue Mouse Movie Theater. If you'll be in attendance throughout the week, hey, come say hi to Max and I. We'll be in our typical residency location at the Grand Cinema during most of the festival, that's in the lower lounge area. Come get your tea, get your snacks, get your popcorn and then come on down and watch us interview some filmmakers. We always have a lot of fun doing that. A reminder, too, that passes and single block tickets are still available online at TacomaFilmFestivalcom or at the Grand Cinema's box office. And, of course, be sure to follow us on Letterboxd and Instagram to keep up with not only what we're watching, but also to track our movements this weekend and to get a sneak peek at all the exciting filmmaker interviews that we have lined up. We'll talk to you next time on Excuse the Intermission, where movies still matter.
