5 Questions with Piano Whitman
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
I first got interested in filmmaking because of my dad. He had a video camera and we’d make short movies that typically starred my dad, mom, AuPairs, and me. I was really interested in the camera my dad would use so around age 6 I started making stop-motion animation films with my dolls. As I got older I would bring a camera to school and document my day, make short films at recess, and create tons of videos at home instead of finishing my school work. I had a tape recorder, so I’d record my voice as a different character and then film myself conversing with that character. I started making music videos in middle school. After high school, I began taking video seriously. I started obsessing over cine cameras and their technology. I couldn’t think about anything other than color, how cameras work, why a shot looks good, etc. Now I’m just constantly creating more projects and learning as I go. I’m inspired by a lot of creative, intelligent people I’ve met along the way. I’m always looking forward to what I can experience next.
2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?
I saw an interesting photo of Dylan, a long time internet friend of mine, on my Facebook feed. I had the thought that her life is really interesting and someone should do a documentary on her. I sent her a message asking her if she’d be interested and she, to my surprise, agreed to it. So I drove up from Virginia to New York every two weeks, with no budget and no clear idea, to record her life from August 2018 to December 2018. I recorded an interview with her every day so I would have her narrating the film even though neither of us really knew what she’d be narrating in the end. It wasn’t until halfway through filming when I found what the documentary was going to focus on.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most, and the least?
The biggest challenge for me was finding a way to film a documentary as one person. Up until the last two trips to New York I recorded the entire thing by myself. Finding a way to make the shots look smooth, have the best audio quality I could, have headphones on while staring into a tiny screen and simultaneously walking through the busy streets of New York was very stressful. I had some pretty weird rigs that may have looked like a weapon or like a children’s art project. The most enjoyable part of the creative process is when I’d get back home with everything safe on my hard drive and I’d open that first shot blown up on my monitor. The sense of gratification of seeing a nice shot that I knew was worth the effort and that I knew would help tell Dylan’s story… that felt really good every time.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I really enjoyed the short film Shelly by Lauren Rothery. It’s about a girl who’s making a documentary observing seahorses. She gets lost in her art and can no longer tell the real world apart from the world she’s created in her film. I connected with the main character in lots of ways, especially how she’s so invested in her art that she becomes “it”. The film is also so beautifully shot and delicately edited. I’ve never felt so lonely watching a piece (in a wonderful way). Overall the film is really well done and I highly recommend it.
5) What’s next for you?
I shot a music video that comes out later this month. It’s pretty neat, Javah (rapper) switches through TV channels and he’s in each program. I’m wanting to do more music videos… odd ones. Something visually absurd and/or aesthetically hypnotizing. Part of me wants to do another documentary… I’ve kind of been toying around with another concept. Moving forward with Woman From Mars, I’d like other filmmakers/ aspiring filmmakers that watch it to feel inspired. I hope artists who feel out of place know they are respected and have a voice in the film community.
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