Sundance Interview 09: Frazer Bradshaw (Everything Strange and New)

[IONCINEMA.com is proud to feature a select group of new and veteran voices as the ones that are showcased and nurtured at the 25th edition of the Sundance Film Festival. This is part of collection of emailer interviews conducted prior to the festival – I would like to thank the filmmakers for their time and the hardworking publicists for making this possible.]

Frazer Bradshaw

Eric Lavallee: Can you discuss the genesis of Everything Strange and New – how did the initial idea come about and how did this become a story you wanted to tell?
Frazer Bradshaw: I was riding the subway one day and I had a cinematic epiphany watching the guy across from me sitting passively while the world flew by, outside. Loud, noisy symphonic music was playing in my head to accompany the scene. That was the beginning. That cinematic moment was about passivity in the face of turbulence, and from there, I had to figure out how to build a film around that scene and that theme. Ultimately, that scene got transferred to a bus, and the music got moved elsewhere, but that was the genesis.

The way I write is very organic, I don’t do treatments or outlines, I just start writing and trust my intuition to guide me to the themes that are pertinent to me, at the time. That process always leads me to a personal story.

EL: After filming other people’s ideas for the past decade, I imagine you were extremely well prepared in your production process – I was wondering what first time mistakes did you avoid?
FB: I think I probably avoided many of the pitfalls that plague first time filmmakers, but I should say that I’ve made quite a few shorts, so I’m only a first time “feature” filmmaker.

One thing that my work experience offered me, was the ability to schedule the film realistically, and to go into the shooting days knowing exactly what I wanted to come away with. When one is new to filmmaking, it’s hard not to want to protect oneself with unnecessary coverage, and it’s hard to conceive of just what can be done in exactly how much time. Consequently, I often find that the director has been over-ambitious, and we’re scrambling to get too much done, neglecting quality and/or cutting needed shots just to make our day. I scheduled the shooting days myself, and scheduled them on the light side. Because I knew just what I needed to get, I shot little coverage and we never had a day longer than eleven hours.

Another thing that being a DP taught me was what it’s like to be a member of the crew, working under a director. I wanted to make damn sure that the crew, who were all my friends, had at least as much fun as I did, and that they felt appreciated. First time directors generally don’t know what their crew is giving them, in terms of effort and experience, and they often ask for too much and show too little appreciation. I know, from personal experience that, the happier the crew, the faster, smoother and better everything goes on set, and ultimately, the better the final film.

EL: You extend a working relationship you had with Jerry (McDaniel) and Beth (Lisick) from a short you made a couple of years back. When you were writing and thinking of your feature did you have them in mind?
FB: I’m a firm believer in working with what you know, because there is a level of intimacy that comes from that. I know and respect Jerry and Beth, both as actors and as people, and I knew what they could bring to a film, so when I started writing Everything Strange and New, I was very much keeping them in mind, while not assuming that they would, necessarily, be both interested and available. Of course, I was very happy that they liked the script and wanted to work with me. They came on before the script was finished, so the last couple of drafts where crafted, knowing that they would in the film.

EL: Since you come from a DOP background, I was wondering what aesthetic decisions did you make prior to shooting?
FB: When I write, I’m writing down a series of visual moments that I’m imagining, often down to the lighting, composition and look. I don’t really think in terms of story, but in terms of what visual moment would fit, where. That approach definitely comes from being a DP, but it’s probably even more informed by the visual art (sculpture, painting, photography) I did before I became interested in film. Going into production, I had a strong idea about how I wanted the film to look. I knew which film stocks and which filters I would use, and I had discussions with the telecine colorist, as well.

The essence of the film medium is captured and reproduced light, and I feel strongly that the message must be informed by the medium. To me, it makes no sense to consider a filmic story without considering the visual elements of the storytelling.

EL: This is a question I rarely get the chance to ask – whose body of work among your cinematographer peers do you appreciate?
FB: Oddly, I don’t have a good answer to that question. I admire a great many cinematographers, but I don’t know that any one stands out, particularly. I’m not a very academic DP, in that I’m not obsessed with the who’s and how’s of the craft. I draw cinematic inspiration from almost every film I see, even if I don’t think it’s good work. And I draw cinematic inspiration from a lot of things that have nothing obvious to do with cinema, as well, be it music, dance, painting, or just watching my 2 year old play. One of my friends was in art school, and said of the college he was attending, “What sort of art school is this, anyway, they don’t even have any classes in botany!” I guess that’s kinda how I feel about too much of cinematography informing cinematography.

EL: If you could name just one – what stands out as your most favorite experience you had during filming?
FB: Well, the obvious one, would be calling wrap on the last day 🙂 There’s also nothing like sitting down to watch the first batch of dailies. But there’s one particular scene in the movie that tends to make people pretty uncomfortable, and after we’d finished shooting it, I turned away from the set to find the make-up artist and the art director looking pale faced. They said, “wow, that was really disturbing,” and I knew that if it was disturbing on the set with all the crew standing around and the actors faking some off-screen action, that we must have nailed it.

EL: Anatomy of a scene: What was the most difficult sequence to film during production?
FB: There are a couple of sex scenes in the film, and shooting sex scenes is about as erotic and fun as being stuck in a tar pit. Luckily, my actors were well prepared and at ease (or so they seemed), but it was still hard for me to direct. As a DP, I’ve shot lots of sex scenes that left everyone from the actors to the director to the crew feeling icky, and I’m happy to say that I was probably the one most uncomfortable on my set.

EL: What was the most challenging aspect of the production?
FB: I imagine that I speak for most directors, when I say this, but some days you just come home from the set thinking that your film is going to suck, that you’re throwing away a tremendous amount of money, that you’ll never get to make another film since, you’re ruining this one, and wondering what it is you’re supposed to be doing, anyway. The most challenging thing about directing, really, is doubting yourself. Sometimes you have to summon a lot of strength just to make it through the shooting day, and sometimes you’re sure that you’re setting yourself up for failure, but getting through that and seeing the final product is really what makes filmmaking so powerful as a personal experience. Of course, other days you leave set knowing you got everything you had hoped for and feeling like a million bucks…

Frazer Bradshaw’s Everything Strange and New receives its world premiere at the 25th edition of the Sundance FIlm Festival on Monday, January 19, at 11:30 am – Library Center Theatre, Park City

Other Screenings include:

Wednesday, January 21, 11:30 pm – Library Center Theatre, Park City
Thursday, January 22, 6:00 pm – Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Saturday, January 24, 3:45 pm – Broadway Centre Cinemas V, SLC