5 Questions with Eleanore Pienta
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
I’ve always loved characters and how they move through a context. I come to filmmaking by way of performance; I never thought I could “make a film”, but then realized, that is exactly what I have been doing, albeit in a more experimental and solo way. I studied photography and video in college; I’d make up a character and photograph them (a la Cindy Sherman) and then explore them through video. I wouldn’t necessarily have a narrative, I’d essentially improv in front of a camera and then the video would take shape in the edit. So I have been making shorts, free of a script and with just an inkling of an idea, for years.
2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?
In no particular order:
The idea of a woman walking into a store and breaking everything on the display table, after having a pleasant interaction with the shop-person.
Being a competitive walker, unbeknownst to the other “competitors” (i.e. pedestrians) ((the scene that plays every time I hit a sidewalk))
Triumphantly making a dress out of toilet paper before the rain destroys it immediately
These were the three vignettes that kept chirping in my brain and were continuously funny to me. I wanted to challenge myself to write an actual script and have a plan, instead of just improv-ing. I also wanted to give myself the gift of a camera that MOVES with me. And what a gift that was, especially because the woman behind the cambamthankyoumam was Ashley Connor. Not only do I love the frames she finds, she had to be my eyes because we didn’t have any playback, so I relied on her eyes and my own feeling for a lot of it. And I don’t think I could have done that as successfully as I did with Ash because of the inherent trust we both have for each other.
In the end, the short became my twisted love letter to New York.
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?
We shot this puppy in a day, which was WHACK, but had some benefits.
In terms of the creative process, I really love editing and yeah, actually…? I love acting. LOUD AND PROUD baby, LOUD AND PROUD. Deliverables give me the biggest anxiety. DCP UP MY D! Sorry, what format??? How large? How small? Get me out.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I watched Toni Erdmann again recently, directed by Maren Ade, and yeah, that’s my jizz. It’s been my jizz since the moment I first watched it, and it will likely be my jizz til the day I die. If a film [or insert anything] can make me laugh and cry the way that one does, I’m HERE FOR IT. Beautifully acted. Frankly shot. DO NOT MAKE AN AMERICAN VERSION. WE HAVE THE ONLY VERSION WE NEED.
Beanpole by Kantemir Balagov is wonderfully acted and shot and exciting to see a story about how war affected women and explore their survival stories.
I also just re-watched a favorite, Waiting For Guffman directed by Christopher Guest. Hello grounded and committed characters.
5) What’s next for you?
Hoooooboi, who knows really. Have some ideas for film/tv/stage, so am trying to write a bunch. I acted in a couple of projects that will hopefully be coming out this year. Am just trying to make shit. I'm currently knitting a costume for a solo show I have in mind.
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IG: @honeydipmagicstick