5 Questions with Thea Lorentzen
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
It took me a while to get into filmmaking! Growing up we didn’t have a TV in the house, so I constantly felt this gaping hole in what I’d seen. This made films extra mysterious and intimidating. I always loved drawing and taking photos and eventually got curious about how to string things together with sound.
2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?
The initial ideas were all visual, as I started wondering what the world would look like in a hundred years. From there, the format came from a desire to simplify the shoot. Taking still images with a flash seemed more appealing than tromping around with outdoor lighting. Improvising with Jenny during the shoot and being elastic to Alex’s music helped transform the scenes and pacing. I wanted the story structure to be loose, like a bag of shells. Ideally each photo could stand alone but have space to breathe or open up.
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?
I was scared to ask people to be in it! Once that was set, shooting was so much fun. It was especially low pressure with a simple camera and no sound. We could be together and letting things happen fluidly. Editing was tricky. Without dialogue or movement, the visuals often needed to be super literal to keep the story moving. It was hard to know what was too obvious or too subtle. Sarah helped advise.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
Sasha Waltz’s Travelogue dance videos from the 90s. I love how the scenes are so simplistic but the way people move makes things feel hyperreal. Three people sit at a drab bar… but magic comes silently and easily.
5) What’s next for you?
I just want to keep making more shorts! And some quarantined drawing.
IG: @thea.lorentzen
Twitter: @Thea_Lorentzen