5 Questions with Kira Bursky
A woman and her 13 year old daughter live in current surveillance and guidance of a prophet in the new short, “Period.,” by Kira Bursky. We asked Bursky how the project began, how she achieved her surreal visuals, and to clarify a couple plot points…
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in movies?
I’ve been making movies my whole life. When I was a kid I was into all forms of art. I drew whimsical mansions for my imaginary creatures, attempted to learn to mime (I got trapped in many oddly shaped invisible boxes), wrote songs with my accordion, etc. Around age 8 I started to learn how to animate using Flash and then stop motion techniques soon after. I discovered around age 12 that filmmaking was a secret way to not have to choose one path in life. Filmmaking was my way of pursuing all forms of art and living a life of magic and adventure. At age 14 I left home to attend Interlochen Arts Academy, a boarding school in Michigan. I was fortunate enough to study film there for 3 years… and I’ve been making films ever since!
2) What’s the origin story of this project? What sparked the idea, and how did you make your first moves to get it rolling?
Around the time I wrote the script I had this obsession with the idea of inducing an out of body experience naturally through meditation. One night, I actually had an experience. For about 1 week after the experience I was living with this life-altering new idea that felt so unquestionable: everything was both simultaneously real and unreal at the same time. It's hard to really describe what this means or felt like through words, but fortunately I had the outlet of filmmaking. Period. was written during that strange week. Many of the scenes and visuals came to me in an oddly natural way. It almost felt like I was channeling some of the scenes and they were rolling out straight from my subconscious with no filters.
To get the ball rolling on the project, I brought two lovely ladies on board as art directors and we immediately jumped into an adventure of figuring out ways to get the production design together within budget!
3) There are many striking images in the film. Can you talk a bit about how you preparation process, in terms of storyboarding or shotlisting, and working with your DP. What were some guiding principles visually?
My DP, Brad Hoover, and I had many conversations about the visual aesthetic. One visual principal we discussed was the feeling that the space had a presence and life of its own. For example, as Selena is lulled into her meditative astral rest, the shot shifts focus from her to the magnet. This reflects her soul beginning to leave her body. Another example would be the POV shots from the 360 camera that constantly monitors Selena. This furthers the feeling that they are never alone.
Another guiding principal was the meaning of colors. Chimere’s isolation chamber is blue. At the start of the film Selena’s room is all white… this is up until she gets her period. Then the room is transformed into all red. The Prophet asserts control over them by assigning color meanings to his own perceptions of the stages of Selena and Chimere’s souls.
4) I’d love to hear about the production of this: How long did it take? How was the general experience like? Any ‘mistakes’ that worked in your benefit, or last minute discoveries come to mind?
From the beginning of the writing process to the final export, I believe the whole process was about 7 or 8 months. From what I remember I spent a couple months in pre-production, 4 days of filming and then many months in post.
I had an incredible time making the film. Getting the sets together in pre-production was a lot of fun… I mean, how can building sheet forts with your friends not be fun?! One crazy time on set: we had to turn over the red room into the white room in about 15 minutes. It was all hands on deck changing out all of the sheets, switching out the furniture, etc. I was shocked that we were able to pull it off so quickly! Thank you, team!
Dan Crisafulli, the actor who plays the Prophet, is a method actor. So as you can imagine… set was sometimes creepy! Ha! I love Dan, and his staying in character between takes and at lunch time totally added to the overall surreal experience of making this film.
The overall aesthetic for the VFX was something that really came together once I actually got into post-production. I had some ideas, but ultimately I ended up having to go on an adventure to figure out the look of the infinite space from the ground up. I did all of the VFX on my own, so at times that part of the process was slightly overwhelming. However, I learned a lot and am grateful for it!
5) I don't know if I completely understood everything about your film, and I'd love to hear some clarification from you. Specifically on who the teenage boy character is, and what he represents in the story? I couldn't tell if he was supposed to be some sort of memory/embodiment from the main characters past (representing an alternate life path she could have taken), or if he was sent by the cult leader for some reason. Or if he was unrelated to both. I was intrigued by it all but I couldn't piece it together fully.
The whole film is essentially a mental breakdown for Chimere, the protagonist. Her sense of reality is degrading. Timelines, character dynamics, identity... it's all crumbling, twisting, blurring together.
Both of your questions are on-point interpretations. There was indeed a boy from her past who had broken her teenage heart. That inner desire to connect and find love is at conflict with her own perception that she is unloveable. It bubbles over when a runaway boy finds his way onto her property - but, alas, is it just a coincidence that he found her? Or did the Prophet send him as a test of her strength to stay true to the rules? Or is she projecting her own suppressed desires into her reality?
She can not suppress her need for human connection anymore. Selena's 13 birthday sparks the suppressed memories of Chimere's alienation as a teenager which sparks the appearance of Charlie in her life. It is possible that she has conjured up the idea of the boy coming into her life because she can no longer cope with her loneliness... but as it is revealed in the end, it's also possible that she was alone the whole time. She can no longer decipher what or who or when is real. She can no longer delineate her internal and external world. Her emotions, fears and desires are painting her "reality."
Bonus Question) Any new projects in the works?
Yes! In two weeks I am directing a dance film. So there is that! Otherwise, the BIG project…: I am working on the screenplay for my first feature film. The film is exploring reality, metaphysics, collective consciousness and magic… feel free to join me down the rabbit hole and stay in the loop by following the adventures on my All Around Artsy Facebook or Instagram page. I send magic and love to all who are reading this now.
Contact Info:
Email: kira@allaroundartsy.com
Website: www.allaroundartsy.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/kiraburskyfilms
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