5 Questions with Jacob Klemmer ("Amuse Bouche")
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
I feel like I’ve been making films my whole life. When I was around 8 years old I did a video production class at the community TV channel in my hometown, where I first learned how to edit and shoot on mini DV tapes. Ever since then, it’s been a passion and a compulsion.
2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?
The original spark came from scrolling through the Indeed job boards for ‘video editor’ and coming across an ad to be the editor of a mukbang youtube channel. I thought for a while about the process of editing two or three of these videos every week, and used that as a jumping off point to imagine a character driven to extremes through the constant influence of mukbang montage and the slow madness of being inside all day staring at a screen.
When I wrote the first draft, it was a much more straightforward (and much shorter) gross-out body horror thing. But while we were shooting, I kept encouraging Laura and Camilla to draw out their movements and reactions, to pause more and allow more space within the shots. And as a result of doing what felt right, the film evolved into a longer and quieter story about persona and obsession, and the form got more experimental to match it. When I stopped being afraid of a long runtime and started reveling in the slowness, we ended up with something that matches the slower pace and sensual nature of the mukbang videos themselves.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?
The biggest challenge was space. Even with a very small crew, we were all squeezed into my little apartment, and getting good angles in a space like that is tough even without social distancing. It’s an almost mathematical challenge to get the shot you know you need, especially difficult because I wanted to use lenses on the longer side. But all the spatial challenges resulted in a spare and uncomfortably close formal quality that I wouldn’t give up.
The easiest part was filming the mukbang scenes. Camilla had come in with a whole persona ready to go, and I realized quickly that the best way to handle these scenes was just to set up the space and the props and let her run wild with it. It was hard to keep from laughing because it was such a joy to watch.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I recently watched the short films directed by Sky Hopinka, which are now on the Criterion Channel. The way he captures light and colour on digital cameras is gorgeous and revolutionary, and his editing is just as thrilling. My favourites from him are Jáaji Approx. and Fainting Spells, but I’ve loved everything I’ve seen from him. He is one of the most exciting people working in experimental film and I can't wait to watch his feature.
5) What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on an essay film about Montreal, its architecture, and the way Hollywood usually shoots it.
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https://jacobthomasklemmer.weebly.com/ | IG: jakeonthecob