5 Questions with Bill Kirstein and Anne Hollowday
The elliptical story of two young friends recalling sublime moments of youth while a floating orb hovers over earth, “Common Structure,” is a collaboration between Bill Bill Kirstein and Anne Hollowday. We asked them about the genesis of the project, the film’s central mystery, and what’s next for them…
1) What’s the origin story of this project? What was the original inspiration, and how did it get rolling?
The project began with a conversation about the sublime. We both had a preoccupation with those moments where life feels so immersive, like time is somehow suspended and yet every detail is hyper magnified. We observed that life often gets in the way and prevents us from doing things we want to do. Somehow years pass and doors close and we haven’t even realized. We forget. And we forget the emotion of these things because we don’t do them anymore. So we set out to make a film about all of that. What happens when you let yourself go to that feeling, where does it take you?
2) It’s so scenic. Where is this? Did you have these locations in mind while writing? How long was production?
Thanks! It’s upstate New York. We did have them in mind. Bill shot and directed another short in the area the summer before we shot Common Structure. We filmed for 4 days.
3) Can you talk a bit about your cast? Your actors are great. How did they come to the project, and what was your working process, were there rehearsals, room for improv / adlib?
Rosalie and Bill have worked together many times and we wrote her character with her in mind. Adea was a friend of a friend and when we first met we hit it off.
4) There’s a fair share of mystery, and unanswered questions in the film? Was there more information at some point that you stripped away, or did you construct it as this open-ended?
We had an experimental framework in mind from the outset. The vision was to create a circular narrative, where the story would play out on a continuous cycle and you could enter or exit the film at any point. In post production we experimented a lot and while the looped story was a neat idea, we preferred it in the more succinct format of a linear short.
5) What else are you working on at the moment?
Bill just directed a music video for Alicia Keys. He also works as a cinematographer and just got back from Thailand where he shot a TV pilot. Anne works primarily in commercials and has directed about 10 films already this year. She’s also developing a feature as well as a couple more experimental shorts.
Contact Info:
Instagram: Bill Kirstein: @allmotion | Anne Hollowday: @anneholiday