So wonderfully done. I often talk about questioning and how it should be done and you did it here, man, and you did it brilliantly. You asked the right questions to get emotional responses. Laughing is so important and I love having that at the end of a piece. All emotions.

People don’t realize that the formula for a documentary is the same as a feature. Characters need to transform so we can grow with them. You did that so beautifully here. You interviewed them as lost souls and then interviewed them as people with hope. This is not easy to do and I don’t know if people realize that. I know I’ve been there. Again, your style is so unique to you. Your cinematography, storytelling, lines, screen direction and editing are great but the most important factor in a documentary is story and you did that and more.

I will give one small critique. After the Dr. at the beginning talks and we move off to Africa, I did get a little lost as to what was happened. It’s like he needed to tell us that he was a part of this organization. I might have missed it because the shot was so intense.

Well told story. I love everything. We are going to do some live shows at Zacuto on different subjects. One subject will be interviewing and the art form of how to formulate questions that get responses that are emotional and not editorial. I want you on that show.

Thank you again. It is a pleasure to watch work like this. ~Steve

Wow, dude, you have got game. I just watched all of your pieces on the advice of my friend Phil Arntz and everything; your lighting, lines, sound design, music, screen direction, acting, direction of talent, angles, DOF, program length, camera movement, title, font, how all of your shots seem to blend (not sure how but they do) are absolutely special! Your whole style is very unique. Don’t change a thing, just keep doing it. I’m going to make you a Zacuto Feature Filmmaker and add “Be Near Me” and “Voices from the Field” to my Steve picks. I’m thinking this might end up in My Top 20 Favorite Videos on the web.

You should be very proud of your work. You are one of the few who can make it in this industry. It’s very rare that I have no advice to give or anything I can critique about your work. Thank you. It was a privilege to view your portfolio. ~Steve

Absolutely wonderful. You asked all of the right questions. The music is perfect, the type font and layout, right on. The edit is what’s really unique, you go from subject to subject without needing any black fades, that’s hard to do, you sometimes used music changes, like the old record player, such a great way to change the subject, it’s just seamless. The lighting, well you are a master of light, let’s start with you know how to use lights when most these days don’t. The roving light and what looks like a lens baby, or extremely blow out foreground objects, was just lovely. It’s like you are a hidden cam with us peering in behind cover, brilliant and I’ve never seen this done before. You showed the couple and what was special about them. We felt their passion. We liked them, thank you for that. The rare part of this documentary is that you had the time to get beautiful images. That is rare, and you should be thankful, usually you are running to get a moment that will pass and could care less what it looks like because a lost moment is worth more then a beautiful image. But you got both. It’s so unusual to see such a beautifully lit documentary. Length perfect. Great whimsy. Love the made in the USA title, that says it all. Smiles at the end are so nice, it leaves you on a high. So Bonny and Clyde. You rock. ~Steve

Gary Says:

“Steve, Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a glowing review. This piece was something I did on my own and convinced everyone to join and try and make something cool free of charge. Jason Koontz the DP on this project started with me as an intern a couple years ago and has really blossomed into a great DP and in fact he shoots many of my shorts. He was running both cameras and sound during this interview!

The “Lens Baby” shots you are referring to were taken by me with a 60D and shot at 60fps and converted to 24fps. I shot most of the handheld shots. I found an vintage MAGNIFYING GLASS that Kenyan had sitting on the shelf and began shooting through it. It caused some wonderful distortions. I used it with an old Nikon 50mm 1.4 which made it feel more like an 85mm.

My initial inspiration for the piece was the “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” sequence from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Not quite Bonnie and Clyde but close!

Thanks again for all your support – it really means a lot and I’m honored to once again be included as one of your “picks”.

Steve Says:

Of course Gary, that’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, “Rain drops keep falling on my head.” What am I nuts? That rotating magnifier effect is awesome! You need to pinch that from Kenyan.

I really enjoyed this film on several levels.  Number one is the story, it was very well thought out with interesting characters and the characters exploration, realization and transformation made this a Hollywood formula type script, which works but with a twist.  The characters are incredibly believable and it proves the old adage that you just can’t come home and you have to move on with your life.  It also proves another point that I talk about often, the four most important features to an excellent Indie film are story, acting, directing and sound.  Good picture quality is not as important as those four elements, but this picture had it all.  The big shocker is that it was shot with a Sony pd150 which in today’s standards is ancient technology and it still looks gorgeous, once again proving that it’s the DP and lighting that make for great cinematography! The fact that May produced, directed, acted and edited this film is pretty incredible; it shows a lot of diversity and talent but coming from the Charters family it’s understood.  Well done May, can’t wait to see your next picture! ~Steve

Written by Shirley Baugher

Steve Says:

The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island is one of the finest short films I’ve seen. Both Key and Basden’s performances are perfect.  Finally, a script that is all about story.  Lots of symbolism, ideology and charm.  In my opinion, the story is really about the pleasures in life people want and what they are they worth.  Both characters are wonderfully crafted in their own way.  They experience this dilemma of fame vs. money and money vs. what it means to us.  This is a concept film delivered in a very short time span. That is hard to do.  It plays like a feature, but is a short film.  So well done.  Congrats to James.  What a wonderful short film.  This is something you should be proud of.  Can’t wait to see your next production.  ~Steve

Awards

The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island has amassed a number of prestigious awards, including:
• 2008 BAFTA Short Films Award Nomination
• Best Overall Film and Best Director, No Spot Short Film Festival New York, 2007
• Best Newcomer Award to Tom Basden at Edinburgh Festival 2007
• Best British Short Film at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007
• Accepted into British Film Council’s Programme of UK Shorts

"If you want to see a superb short film, track down The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island". -Filmcoyote

Imagine that one day, you come upon a box. It is sealed. Curious to discover its contents, you remove the cover only to find layers of tissue inside. You peel the sheets back, one by one—until finally, you reach the bottom and there it is—a gift, beautiful and unexpected. That is what you will find when you watch James Griffiths’ brilliant film, The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.

As with the box, the film’s opening shot is blank. You hear a guitar tuning up in the background and a voice indicating readiness to play. And then, the eponymous Herb McGwyer fills the screen. He is in a boat being rowed to Wallis Island, with his hand trailing in blue water. Above him, the sky is white.  Fittingly, he sings a not-quite familiar, but memorable folk tune: “I am the sky child. I am the white child.” As he nears the island’s shore he sees Charles waiting. The unlayering begins.

Nothing about their first encounter is promising. The hapless Charles, whose face and body are reminiscent of The Poor Soul on the old Jackie Gleason Show, starts to talk and never stops. Herb hands Charles his bags. He drops them in the water. Charles takes Herb and the sodden bags to the house and the unfolding layers play like a cross between a Saturday Night Live sketch and a scene from Pinter’s Homecoming. Charles makes tea for himself, but forgets to offer a cup to Herb. He asks questions that are are met with silence. He answers them himself. He repeats Herb’s name so often we wonder if he is in danger of forgetting it. He solicits personal information. Herb says he is a private person. “Of course you are,” says Charles and repeats the question. Reluctantly, Herb answers.

Then, to Herb’s astonishment, Charles opens a suitcase full of money as payment for a small (fewer than 100 people) concert. There is $500,000 in the case— far too much for a one-off gig. Disconcerted, Herb looks around and sees a bowl of apples, beautifully shot to resemble a Cezanne still-life. “Can I have an apple,” he asks.

“What, would you rather have an apple than the money?” laughs Charles. “Of course not, you bloody mercenary.”  There is a Pinter pause. “Just joking,” he says. “You’ll find I’m a great jokester.”  He hands Herb a packet of money containing 60 dollars. The other $499,940 will come after the concert.

By now, Herb is thoroughly confused. How did this strange man come to have so much money and why is he willing to spend it on a private concert? Charles tells his story, uncovering another layer. He won the lottery—a million dollars, which he blew on wine, women and a monster truck.  The explanation strains credibility.  One day, he came to his senses. Broke, thoroughly ashamed, but undeterred, he played again and improbably, won again. This time, he saved the money, retreated to Wallis Island, bought a house and proceeded to obsess over the career and persona of Herb McGwyer.

But who is the eponymous Herb? Peel back another layer and you find a handsome, urbane, brooding young man who is, in his own words, an unassuming folk singer. He rode the fast track to a successful career. He became famous. He won awards. He bought a boat. In the end, he found that none of it mattered. He was at the mercy of rich leeches that preyed on his talent because they had money. They had no appreciation for or understanding of his music. Disillusioned, he accepted Charles’ invitation to play a “low-key” concert on an obscure island off Wales in the hope of engaging in self-renewal and restoring his joie de vivre.

Charles takes Herb to the concert site and opens up yet another layer. His theater is a pile of pallets by the sea with a barrel facing them. It is an “aha” moment. Herb now understands that the small gig is even smaller than the “less than one hundred” he was led to expect. Ninety-nine smaller, in fact. The only person in the audience is Charles who, oblivious of the reaction he has elicited, starts naming all of the songs he wants Herb to play.   After all, he is paying the piper. Herb explodes, accusing Charles of bringing him to the island on false pretenses.   Herb accuses him of being just another leech with money who probably has never even heard any of Herb’s albums. “Herb McGwyer will not play here tonight,” he shouts as he storms back to the cottage with Charles in tow pleading “Herb, Herb, Herb.”

We are nearing the bottom of the box. The next layer reveals Herb in the bedroom where he discovers an unlikely photograph and an album filled with Herb McGwyer memorabilia.  He finds reviews of his concerts, ticket stubs, and newspaper clippings. It seems that Charles might actually be a two-time lottery winner as well as a besotted fan. He leaves the room with his guitar on his back, having assured himself that Charles is not lurking outside the door. When Charles enters the room, he finds it empty. “Never meet your heroes again,” he murmurs sadly. “It’s LeCarre all over.” The camera pans to the photo Herb saw—Charles with noted British author John LeCarre. Now we know, there really was a time before.

We have reached the penultimate layer. Surprisingly—or perhaps predictably-Herb does play Wallis Island and all of the numbers Charles requested: Raspberry Fair, Sweet Denise, The Sky Child and more. The next morning, he leaves the island with the suitcas —his joie at least partially restored. “And there he goes,” says Charles. “Herb McGwire, the legend, waving.”

Herb opens the suitcase and we discover the gift at the bottom of the box. His guitar and his voice fill the closing shot, “Sixty pounds and three rosy apples, sixty pounds and three rosy apples, sixty pounds and three rosy apples. The film ends as it began: Herb, the boat, the blue water and the white sky. As the credits roll he sings, “I am the sky child, I am the white child.”

Behind the Camera

The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island succeeds on all levels. It is beautifully photographed, the timing is perfect, the acting is award-worthy and the transitions from scene to scene are brilliantly executed. The concert segment is especially effective.  It was shot at night and illuminated only by Charles’ flashlight moving from performer to audience. The Director, James Griffiths, gives us a glimpse of the world he wants us to see it: the world of Charles and the world of Herb. That glimpse has an intensity that does not require violent action. It is merely a look at ma, sitting alone in his island house, obsessing over the music of a popular folk singer, and a disillusioned artist. Both are looking for something to bring meaning to their lives. Griffiths manages to build suspense. Not through a complicated plot line, (there hardly is any plot), but through reflection and the slow to evolve character development of Charles and Herb.  Step by step, Griffiths reveals their intricate emotions and brings us to an understanding of their actions and their motives. Charles and Herb act the way they do because they are who they are and they do what they do because they have to.

Like his film, The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, multi-talented director James Griffiths is a man of many parts. In the first part of his career, Griffiths took First Class Honors in Fine Art.  Soon after that, he moved into directing music videos and commercials.  He then made a short film called Break Point.  The film became the subject of an MTV documentary and was included in Film4’s “Directors to Watch” series. Griffiths directed four episodes of MTV’s Top Buzzer, scripted by Johnny Vaughn and Ed Allen. His 2006 film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, was co-written by its stars Tom Basden and Tim Key and premiered at the Toronto Shorts Festival.  It went on to win top honors at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2007 and received a British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) nomination. That success led to his first feature through Big Talk Pictures, The Flawless Skin of Ugly People. In 2011, he made his television debut directing Free Agents, a hit romantic comedy set in the office of a London talent agency. A US version of the show premiered on NBC in September 2011. Now in the next part of his amazing film life, Griffiths is directing the new hit television series Up All Night on NBC starring Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, and Maya Rudolph. Who knows what’s next for James Griffiths? 

Cast Profiles

In a character-driven film like Herb McGwyer, the actors must be spot-on. Having created Herb and Charles, Tom Basden and Tim Key are one with them. Basden is one of the fastest rising stars in English comedy. In 2007, he won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for his debut show: Tom Basden Won’t Say Anything. That same year, Basden also won the Edinburgh Film Festival Award for Best Short Film with his co-star Tim Key, for his work in The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island. A gifted musician, Basden composed and performed all of the folk songs in Herb McGwyer. Every song could be released on its own merits and each is notable for its chording and melodic choruses.

Tim Key is a highly successful comic actor. In 2009, he won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for his show Slutcracker, a quirky mix of poetry, short films and general ramblings. The show ran for two years at London’s Soho Theater and in Australia. With his off-kilter humor and dead-pan delivery, his stint as a guest poet in Charlie Booker’s Screenwipe, and his panel show We Need Answers, Key stands out among a new wave of poplar “alternative” British comedians.  He acted in and co-wrote The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island and recently starred with Tom Basden in Basden’s play Joseph K, an adaptation of Kafka’s The Trial.  He also stars as Simon in Steve Coogan’s Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge. That show received over a million hits on Youtube in its first few weeks.

Written by Shirley Baugher

Josh, this is a phenomenal piece of work—comparable to a Hollywood feature film! No detail was omitted and the directing, acting, locations, sound, sound design, production design, cinematography, editing, lighting and score were all amazing. This is a movie you’d go to see in a theater. Congrats on creating such a movie. Well done, you and your entire crew! ~Steve

The Butterfly Circus

By the slightest turn of the wheel, we influence the chain of events and thus recast our destiny with new cohorts, circumstances, and discoveries. - Amor Towles

Looking at the title, you might assume that this is a film about a circus sideshow of butterflies, those ethereal creatures that fly from flower to flower leaving behind a lovely memory. You would be wrong…and right. The Butterfly Circus is about beautiful creatures.  Much like the butterfly, these beautiful creatures began their lives as lesser beings who experienced a metamorphosis that revealed their innate beauty and allowed them to fly.

The movie opens with a view of life in the 1930s Depression Era—a procession of cars going down a road, past tar paper shacks and sad-faced people eking out an existence in the dirt of a miserable countryside—maybe Oklahoma, maybe Arkansas, maybe any state where poverty and hopelessness have taken their toll. Inside the cars are members of a traveling troupe called The Butterfly Circus on their way to the next town. When they pass a sign advertising a carnival sideshow, a little boy begs the driver to stop. At first the driver is reluctant, but he relents and they join a rag tag group lured inside by a barker’s enticements. Amid the carousel rides, the cotton candy maker and the games they find the show the crowd has really come to see, a sad assembly of “freaks” sitting behind a tent in lonely silence: the bearded lady, the Siamese twins, the tattooed man (although the number and garishness of his tattoos wouldn’t raise an eyebrow today) and the fat lady. However, the piece de resistance, “a perversion of nature and one whom God himself has turned his back on”, is the limbless man.

At the sight of this pitiful specimen, the gawkers gasp, laugh and pelt him with hard objects as if to show that, despite their own lowly circumstances, they are superior to this “freak”. But one man, the Showman of The Butterfly Circus, does not laugh. He walks up to the creature, takes off his top hat and says, “You are magnificent.” The limbless man, sensing another form of ridicule, spits in the Showman’s face. The barker closes the curtain. When he opens it a short time later, the limbless man is gone.

The scene shifts to another circus where the performers are laughing and dancing in an easy camaraderie. But there is a backstory. Each of them, like the limbless man, was once trapped in a cocoon of hopelessness. The dancer twirling her red chiffon wings was a prostitute thrown out of her house when she became pregnant and was no longer of any use to the madam. The elderly acrobat was a beggar, playing a hand organ on the streets. The world’s strongest man was a bar brawler punching out weaker patrons for the fun of it. When The Showman brought these outcasts together and helped them see the possibilities waiting outside their cocoons, the strong man abandoned his use of brute force and became an inspiration to those who came to admire his power.  The street beggar proved that age does not destroy agility by becoming the oldest master of the flying trapeze and the prostitute reasserted herself as a beautiful dancer and a caring mother. Eventually, the limbless man found his place in the group—not as a sideshow curiosity, but as a performer with a unique ability. His struggle is, perhaps, greater than all the rest—and his triumph the more glorious—because in his incompleteness, he emerges the most complete of all.

Moments

There are moments in this film that touch the heart with their direct simplicity. There is a hauntingly beautiful moment when The Butterfly Circus troupe: a man on stilts, an old acrobat, a dancer, a child, an escape artist, a strong man, and the Showman in his top hat; glides across the landscape in macabre splendor to Timothy Williams’ memorable musical background. It is a moment evocative of Fellini’s 1954 cinematic tour de force La Strada, in which a carnival group of beautiful grotesques embark on a journey presumably searching for the meaning of life. Fellini’s performers: Zampano, the Strong Man, (Anthony Quinn); The Fool, a circus acrobat and clown with the soul of a philosopher (Richard Basehart) and Giuletta Masina as Gelsomina, the wide-eyed waif giving what is widely considered one of the greatest performances in film history–bear a striking resemblance to Weigel’s circus. They walk to a wistful melody line played first by The Fool on a miniature violin and later by Gelsomina on the trumpet.

There are other magical moments: a moment when a black child touches the strong man’s biceps and goes away believing he can become anything he wants, a moment when a crippled boy embraces the limbless man as though he were touching the face of God and a moment when the limbless man emerges from a stream into which he has fallen with the triumphant cry, ”I can swim!”

If Fellini was his muse, Weigel has traveled further down the road and become his own maestro.

The Actors

The cast of this film is first rate. Latino celebrity Eduardo Verastegui (Bella) is debonair and sympathetic as The Showman. Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Fantastic Four—Rise of the Silver Surfer, Hellboy II: the Golden Army, gives a wonderfully understated performance as the escape artist.  Nick Vujicic is magnificent as the limbless man. Vujicic is an international motivational and evangelistic speaker from Australia who was born without arms or legs. He received the Best Actor award for his performance as Will at the 2010 Method Fest Independent Film Festival. He has also written a book about his life called A Ridiculously Good Life (Random House 2010).

The Butterfly Effect

Weigel’s use of the butterfly to symbolize the evolution of his characters is brilliant. Like the circus members, the butterfly is a complex creature. It begins life as an egg and develops into a caterpillar—tiny, tough and one of the strongest insects of its kind. The caterpillar then enters the pupa stage in which it stops eating and spins a cocoon that sticks to a leaf with a glue so hard it cannot be separated. And finally, the miracle!  The caterpillar slips its sticky bonds and emerges a butterfly!

There is another element that makes the butterfly a perfect symbol for this film. We are familiar with the “butterfly effect” in chaos theory which states that a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences at a later state. In other words, the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil can cause tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately set off a tornado in Texas. Weigel’s small masterpiece contains just such a premise. A minute change in the life of each circus member sets off a chain reaction that alters the course of their individual and collective lives and perhaps the lives of those they touch.

Be forewarned that with this film, once is not enough. You will want to see it again, and again, and again. It’s that good! The film has received over 13.5 million views online and is still increasing by around 500,000 hits per month and has been translated into 15 languages. The Butterfly Circus has won numerous awards, including Best Director at the Mammoth Film Festival and the first ever Clint Eastwood Award at the Carmel Art and Film Festival.   The Butterfly Circus is currently in development to become a feature film. To view the short film and to find out more about the feature film go to www.thebutterflycircus.com.

About Joshua Weigel

Joshua grew up in Colorado and developed a passion for movies at a young age. After completing two years of college pursuing a film degree, he shifted his focus to gaining real life experience in the entertainment industry. He moved to Los Angeles in 1998 in order to create meaningful films. He began working as a Production Assistant for the WBTV network and soon moved on to freelance production work. His creativity and eye for design propelled him to a position as Art Director on national commercials with work that included three Super Bowl spots. In 2006, his work won the coveted designation of Best Super Bowl Commercial.

Along the way, Josh directed several multi-award winning short films, culminating with his recent film, The Butterfly Circus. He is married to Rebekah Weigel who co-wrote The Butterfly Circus. Together, they have completed the screenplay for the feature length version of the film and are seeking funding for an independent production. They have three children and live in Los Angeles. Joshua is represented by CAAand Gang Tyre Ramer and Brown. Visit Josh on Facebook and on Twitter.

What They’re Saying

With its superb acting and directing—not to mention its outstanding production value and array of Depression-era props and set pieces—it is no surprise that The Butterfly Circus took the top prize. Rebecca Pahle. -MOVIEMAKER MAGAZINE

Imaginative, beautifully shot…I’m very proud to be giving this award.  -Clint Eastwood

An artist friend of mine called this one of the best short films ever.  Hopped over to YouTube to view it and instantly agreed. Written, produced, and directed by Joshua Weigel, with a strong cast and solid production values, this film got a limited release in 2009 and moved into wider release this year. But most of the flurry around “Butterfly Circus” has been online, that new frontier of indie movie release, where it has been going viral. To date, TBC has reportedly gotten 3 million views. It also won Doorpost Project’s $100,000 grand prize in a 2009 short film competition.  -Patricia Nell Warren

How did the 2010 Oscar nominations for best short film, live action, miss this gem? -DoorPost Project

It’s the week-end, so I figured we could chill a while. Here’s a 2009 short film titled “The Butterfly Circus” that’s a must-see. Directed by Joshua Weigel starrng Doug Jones, Nick Vujicic, and Eduardo Verastegui, this film reminds me of that HBO short-lived series “Carnivale, but “The Butterfly Circus” is more hopeful and beautifully shot. Rama’s Screen

To Check Out The Butterfly Circus at the Naperville Independent Film Festival, click here

Written by Shirley Baugher

La Tangente
(making contact at a single point along a line—touching, but not intersecting; a sudden digression or change of course)

"Very well done, Vince. The cinematography, editing, screen direction, directing, music—everything is excellent. I especially liked the story, which had a nice character arch. Again, well done. Thank you" ~Steve

On the Road

Films about road trips are fascinating to filmmakers and filmgoers alike. Some have even become classics. The most memorable is probably Easy Rider—a 1969 road movie written by Peter Fonda, Terry Southern, and Dennis Hopper.  It tells the story of two bikers (Fonda and Hopper) who travel through the American south and southwest looking for freedom. The film helped spark the New Hollywood phase of filmmaking in the late sixties and was added to the Library of Congress National Registry in 1998.

In 1991, director Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise followed Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) on a road trip to escape their caged and troubled lives. It won instant critical and commercial success worldwide and received six Academy Award nominations. 

Little Miss Sunshine, a 2006 comedy-drama by first-time directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, featured a family embarked on a road trip in an ancient Volkswagen T2 Microbus. Ostensibly, they were traveling to Redondo Beach, California so that Olive (Abigail Breslin) could complete in the “Little Miss Sunshine” beauty contest. In fact, every person on the bus was on a personal quest. Made for $8 million, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and eventually grossed $100.5 million. It was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Perhaps the ultimate road trip film is the just released documentary Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place by Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood. The pair use old footage that Kesey and his “Merry Pranskters” made during a 1964 cross-country trip on a psychedelic-painted International Harvester bus that was wired for sound and had a film camera on board. Kesey, Timothy Leary, Neil Cassady, and the camera crew, shot 40 hours of 16 millimeter film showing a drug-fueled, psychic quest that documented itself as it was happening. Kesey showed all 40 hours of the unedited film a couple of times then put the reels in a barn outside his house in Eugene, Oregon.  The film reels stayed there for 40 years until Gibney and Elwood rescued them.

On the Road Again: La Tangente

And now we have La Tangente, a short road film by French filmmaker, Vincent Vesco. In just twelve minutes, Vesco tells the story of two young people who make contact at a point in their lives when both are wandering—coming from nowhere, going nowhere. They touch and set out on a road trip they assume will be a continuation of their individual freewheeling journeys, only to find that they have experienced a digression. They have changed.

Vesco’s film is timely, sexy, and captivating in every way. The story line follows two levels of narration: that of the present, and that of memories of the past.  In the establishing shots, we see a young woman rising from her bed in a graffiti covered bedroom.  We then flashback to a young man washing his car and offering the young woman a ride to wherever she wants to go. We know nothing about either one of them and they know nothing about each other. They set off on a journey with no plans, no commitments and no direction. At one point, the young man, wonderfully acted by the handsome young French film star, Aurelian Wilk, admires the woman’s life—her ability to laugh, cry and not let herself get bogged down.

Through a series of flashbacks from the bedroom to the road, the couple’s relationship grows. The woman becomes pregnant and they face a dilemma. Can they continue to lead their carefree rock and roll lives, or will they have to assume adult responsibilities and settle down? Throughout the production, the director remained focused on giving his characters a sense of “…well-being, optimism and freshness. They are always conscious of remaining true to their ideals when they are faced with difficult choices.” The young woman, played by Parisian born actress, Sarah Grappin, suggests terminating the pregnancy—saying a child would interfere with her dreams.  She tells the man that “the day you stop dreaming, you’re dead.” The young man sees no reason why they can’t have the child and continue as they are.

One of the outstanding features of this film is the cinematography. As the couple journeys, so does the audience. Through two thousand miles of the French countryside, little hill villages, outdoor cafes in picturesque cities and the streets of Paris, we are there. Vesco says that the success of his shooting is based on precise scouting.  Every camera angle is carefully thought out in relation to the light. He worked with a very precise shooting script and left nothing to chance. Employing a small caravan of 20 people and five vehicles, Vesco and his team were able to move quickly and easily with little equipment and only natural light with the help of a reflector. He chose the super 16mm camera for shooting because of its small size and ease of handling.

Music is another important element of the film. The road music fits perfectly with the couple’s rock ‘n roll demeanor. It is hard, loud and edgy. At one point, we even see a Bob Dylan record sleeve. Interestingly, when they are not riding, the music stops, and dialogue takes over, creating an effective counterbalance between dialogue and music.

La Tangente is a road film in every sense. The characters played out their odyssey on the road and the crew lived like the characters—on the road. More than a film, the work was an adventure, giving the crew the feeling that they, too, were searching for freedom. With its sexy story line, engrossing back and forth time frame and its gorgeous cinematography, La Tangente has caught on. To date, it has played in film festivals worldwide and has won more than 17 jury awards.

About the Director

Vincent Vesco has been assistant director on several feature-length films, TV movies and ads since 1996. He concentrates on directing short films and  documentaries. He has been writing feature-length film scripts since 2003. La Tangente is his second short fiction film. Aiming for more independence, Vesco created a film production company in 2005: Free Band Production.

What They’re Saying on Vimeo.com

Here is a film to keep your eye on. With 17 awards and 68 official selections, “La Tangente”, directed by Vincent Vesco, is a masterpiece of visuals and story. As you watch a relationship unfold between two young souls, you are literally taken along for the ride. Stuning cinematography throughout France, from the Alps to Paris.- Nico van den Berg

There are films that you feel you have to critique because there are so many separate parts that never quite make up a whole.Then, there are films that are so whole to begin with it’s hard to talk about the parts. La Tangente is whole and it works so well for me. The story is convincing, and you’ve managed to condense quite a huge span of time into such a short film. Cinematography was really impressive: great shots, spot on focus, and a nice variety of angles. The camera work never brought attention to itself, and I was kept inside the story the whole time. I thought the actors were good and the characters convincing.- Steven Dempsey

Loved it, Vincent. Great production all around. The acting was first rate, as were the cinematography and editing. It felt like I was along for the ride and knew these people for longer than 12 minutes. – Paul Frederick

Wow! This is great. I particularly loved the first half. It made me want to stay in that world for awhile.- Andrew “Big Show” Blodgett

Just watched it for the second time, so many details in this short film. Loved the fractured timeline. The core of the movie is in the grungy room/bathroom where the young woman becomes aware of her pregnancy, but this setting is broken up and splintered into the narrative without breaking the flow. I also liked how the young man noticed the handkerchief around his companion’s wrist early on, and later, she reveals that she most likely tried to kill herself before in the bathroom. Also liked her comment about not using a condom and then cutting to her staring into the mirror, knowing she’s pregnant. The look, the feel, the flow, the dream dialogue.- J’son

Amazing. Love the introduction sequence and how it goes into the past to narrate how the main characters arrived at the point of the introduction. The transitions between the time…remind me of the movie “Blue Valentine”, which I love. The actors are great in this piece. I really love it.- Joji Asako Hernandez

“Gary, this just confirms what I have always known, that you are a great filmmaker. I have been a fan for a long time. I have admired all of your corporate work and now this! Besides amazing cinematography, which is a given with you, the sound, sound design, lighting, and editing are outstanding. But what I like best about this piece is the story. It has twists and turns but it is complete, and it works. This moves into my top 15 films on the internet. Thanks for sharing it with me in its early stages, and it’s great to see it finished. You rock, dude.”

About the Film

Pizza Verdi is full of surprises. From the establishing shot capturing an African American male (Norm Lewis) carrying a pizza box as he cautiously enters a luxurious New York apartment through ensuing scenes in which the apparent interloper wanders through the apartment occasionally calling out and taking inventory of his surroundings: designer furniture, original art on the walls, an expensive watch left atop a pile of cash on a side table; the viewer is apprehensive and uneasy. Along the way, we make some assumptions which may—or may not—be correct. There is no dialogue, which heightens the suspense and, initially, no sound. When sound becomes part of the film, the familiar aria Caro Nome from Verdi’s Rigoletto, it is so unexpected it literally blows us away.

With Pizza Verdi Nadeau, who is perhaps best known for his documentaries and advertising pieces, takes short dramatic genre to a new level of excellence. His actors are first rate. Marie Zamora is a classically trained singer and dancer. She graduated from the Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris and studied drama at the prestigious Florent Academy. Her credits include Cosette in Les Miserables (Paris), Kate in Kiss Me Kate (Paris) and a concert at the Lyceum Theatre in London.

Norm Lewis is an American Broadway actor and baritone. In 2005 he starred in Two Gentlemen of Verona for New York Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. He played Javert in the 2007 Broadway revival of Les Miserables and again in 2010 in London’s West End. He originated the role of King Triton in the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid.

Alain Boublil, the co-producer of the film, is a musical theatre lyricist, best known for his collaborations with Claude-Michel Schonberg. Together, they created the Broadway smash hits Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. Ben Jacks, the director of photography, is a graduate of the USC Film School and has collaborated with Nadeau on previous projects. The time lapse sequences were captured by assistant cameraman, Jason Koontz. Sean Garnhard, who is responsible for sound design, is a freelance sound designer and re-recording mixer. He has worked in New York and Los Angeles for more than 17 years. Among his best-known projects are the movies Ice Age, Robots, Doubt, Julie & Julia, Hot Rod, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The real star of this film is its writer, director, co-producer, and editor Gary Nadeau. Nadeau studied film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His thesis film, RED won the Gold Medal at the 1994 Student Academy Awards. His first screenplay, Jack (1996), was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starred Robin Williams. This was followed by numerous screenplays and two telefilms for ABC/Disney. He created 30 “branded content” films for Dwell Magazine which feature everything from kitchen and office design to the latest bathroom accessories. In 2010, he filmed singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright as he prepped for his album All Days are Nights: Songs for Lulu. Most recently, Nadeau created 13 short tourism films for Downtown Dubai and NYC agency StrawberryFrog.

Pizza Verdi, which Nadeau describes as a “quintessential New York tale”, is a gem in the filmmaker’s archival crown. New York in all its cultural and architectural diversity becomes the third character of the film. As the characters interact against the ominous Manhattan skyline, we are reminded that “…in New York City, all is not what it may seem.”

Technical Aspects of the Film
Asked why he shot the film in black and white, Nadeau said, “…the apartment had expansive white walls. Because of this, the bold artwork and furniture really popped. I felt they became a distraction. I decided that shooting in black and white would level the playing field and let the viewer focus on the drama at hand. It also allowed me to carve out deep shadows and build a dramatic vibe that really fit the piece”.

Though he used a digital camera to make Pizza Verdi, he does not think that digital serves the narrative differently than film. He prepares and shoots just as he did in his earlier filmmaking days. “Where digital deviates most for me, “he says, “is in the ease of use. I learned to cut film using a Steenbeck and splicer at NYU in the nineties, so I don’t have to tell you how much more liberating digital editing is.” The Canon 5DMK2 reminds him of his experience using film cameras—in the way sound is recorded separately and in the choice of different lenses. And, while the digital camera is lighter and easier to use, he still prefers to mount it on a tripod.
 
Everything about Pizza Verdi is classy and memorable: its up-to-the-minute concept, its perfect location, the killer soundtrack, impeccable acting, and an ending that will blow you away. Nadeau is a filmmaker who gets it and gets it right.
 

Written by Shirley Baugher

"The first thing that struck me about Reverie was Jaro’s screen direction and framing. The young filmmaker (he’s only eighteen) uses the frame beautifully and with wonderful lines. He chose a wide screen format, 2:35:1, which is more difficult to shoot than most people realize. When he cuts, it is interesting to watch the lines of one shot intersect with the lines of the next. I was especially taken with the shot in which the girl is lying in the grass and the boy is photographing her from above. I also liked the shot of the girl eating the peach framed against the angle of the tree. Cutting from the children’s prelude to a kiss to the final shot in the car is very well framed—with a lot of leading space and her at a perfect angle on the edge of the frame," says Steve Weiss.  

"Minne has already developed a consistent style from shot to shot. I’m impressed with the way all of the little sound effects are coordinated into an effective overall sound design. This film has a lot of heart. In a very short period of time, it manages to capture the magic of childhood, the growth of friendship, the development of self-awareness, and the understanding that comes with establishment of a relationship. And it does so through the smiles and facial expressions of two amazing young actors: Jake Hallemeersch and Tuntunna Germonprez.  I must confess, I didn’t look at the title before I watched the film, and I didn’t realize it was a daydream. I was blown away by the ending. But also, mesmerized. Did she or didn’t she realize what had happened to her? Minne doesn’t reveal the secret. Make of it what you will. Jaro Minne, who wrote and directed Reverie, is an 18-year old Belgian filmmaker who is studying audiovisual art at the University College for Fine Arts in Ghent. This is his third short film. By its 16th day on Vimeo, Reverie had already gotten 47,000 hits.  That is impressive. Keep your eyes on this young man. He is a rising star." 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, Jaro Minne’s beautiful little film, Reverie, speaks volumes. In three short minutes, Minne takes an enchanting child on a silent journey of discovery: she meets a boy, they are caught in a daydream (reverie), they are transported through time and place, they experience the joy of childhood friendship, they develop an awareness of what their friendship might become, and they feel the disillusion of awakening—or perhaps, the silent acknowledgement of what will be. And they never say a word.

Reality shows two children in a parking lot: a boy pushing a shopping cart—a girl in a car; their eyes meet, and the girl recognize that something has changed. Filmmakers have a fascination with reverie. In 1948, Hollywood producer David O. Selznik was attracted to a fantasy novel called A Portrait of Jenny, in which a painter meets a mysterious little girl and makes a sketch of her from memory. (The little boy in Reverie takes a photograph of the girl—whose name we never know). The sketch inspires the artist to paint A Portrait of Jenny, and he is caught up in a reverie in which he encounters Jennie at intermittent intervals.

More than sixty years later, Vincent Laforet created a short film Reverie, using a New York background and music by Debussy in which a young man on a sofa imagines a beautiful woman and embarks on a dream-search for her—through the streets of New York, past its harbor, into Central Park, and back to the sofa. They meet, they embrace, they part, and they meet again. Or do they?

Chicago filmmakers Paul Hamilton and Caleb Vinson used a similar theme in their small masterpiece Spiegel im Spiegel, Dream within a Dream, which they set to the music of Arvo Part.

Congratulations to Poppy de Villeneuve!  Poppy is the 8th recipient of our Z-Kudos Award for her work on the short film, Love is Like Life but Longer.  Poppy is a brilliant director and photographer who lives in New York City.  Love is Like Life but Longer is the story of a blind man and a nun who meet while staying at the same hotel.  This film was commissioned by Mondrian SoHo and Morgans Hotel Group and shot at the Mondrian Hotel but you can hardly call it a commercial.  More than anything, the hotel is like a character in the story.   

“The writer and I wanted to tell a story that would jar with what you would usually see in a hotel like the Mondrian.  We wanted to pull you in with unusual characters,” said Poppy.  “They funded the film and I wanted to use the hotel as the main character.  Hotels are such interesting places.   The guests are not at home, yet the rooms serve as a private world for a day, two days, a week. People in transition are interesting, like people at airports.”

All of the elements required for producing an amazing short film are present in Love is Like Life but Longer.  It has a formulaic script, wonderful lighting and great direction.  Furthermore, the screen direction, editing, sound design, art direction, score and acting are all executed at a Hollywood level.  Love is Like Life but Longer is the perfect example of filmmaker collaboration.  Without even one of the individuals involved in the piece’s production, this film would not have live up to its full potential.    

“Lisa Kjerulff, my producer, was crucial in putting the team together, which to me, along with the story and actors is the most important thing…an amazing team,” says Poppy.

Love is Like Life but Longer was produced from start to finish in two weeks.  The entire film was shot in two days, used mostly natural lighting and was funded on an extremely small budget.  This just goes to show that you don’t need a lot of time or a ton of money to make a compelling video.

Poppy is in the process of writing a feature, fiction film about a young woman with her writing partner, Katie Bender.  The two are in Austin working on it now.  That film is scheduled to be shot sometime towards the end of the year.  She is also pitching on commercials and projects through the film company she’s currently signed with: Partizan.
“I’m hoping some fun project will just creep up unexpectedly too, I just want to dive in,” she says.       

Spoken like a true filmmaker. 

For her excellence in short filmmaking and extraordinary collaboration of talents we award Poppy de Villeneuve with $1000 worth of her choice of Zacuto products.  You can see more of her work at www.poppydevilleneuve.com but make sure you watch Love is Like Life but Longer right now.