NYC Big Apple Film Festival - Off Track Betty
A New York City story, shot on 16mm film, about love, memory, and what it means to move forward.
Interview with Writer/Director Clayton Dean Smith
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I've lived on the Lower East Side in New York City for a long time, a neighborhood that is undergoing extreme transformation. This film was my way of wrestling with what it's like to have your home change rapidly all around you. It's a story about a woman who realizes she no longer recognizes her neighborhood. Just as she looks forward to an uncertain future she is confronted by a young man with a direct link to her past.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think that everyone has moments in life when we question when it's time to fight for something and hang on, and when it's time to let go and allow things to take their natural course. So my hope is that this story speaks to that tension in all of our lives.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film speaks to the role that memory plays in our lives. Our recollection of the past, and our interpretations of it, actually do have an influence on how we experience our present circumstances. I'm setting out to examine how that works in the life of one person in particular, but we all have powerful memories that shape who we are today.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The screenplay contained the story that you see in the final film, but production took it to a whole new level, because we shot on 16mm film in the neighborhood whose disappearing locations are the center of the story. So there is a kind of documentation that took place that is now part of the identity of the film. Since we wrapped, almost all of the locations you see in the film have been demolished or altered beyond recognition. Only one building remains standing.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Audience members at festivals really respond to the film's way of telling a story without a lot of the over-produced tendencies that a lot of current film indulges, like frenetic camerawork, heavy use of score, and jump cut edits. This film looks back to a different time of filmmaking. Audiences also love the quiet but powerful performances in the film, which I agree with whole-heartedly because our actors are so rich and nuanced and authentic. They also seem to appreciate a sense of longing that I think the use of 16mm film helped to capture. People just respond to film. Digital filters are incredibly sophisticated, but there is nothing like film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I wouldn't say so. If anything, it has been deeply rewarding to hear how much the story resonates with people who are struggling in their own lives with issues of gentrification forcing them to re-evaluate their feelings about where they live.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'm just excited to connect with film lovers and other storytellers, and your site is a wonderful place to foster those connections.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We're in the process still of festival submissions, but it's always challenging to stand out when you don't have a celebrity in your film or more importantly, industry connections, backing or sponsorship. We did this entirely on our own and it has been a lot of fun but immersive work to get people to watch the film. Once they do, they forward it on, so we're hoping that continues. In terms of distribution, something like Vimeo on Demand would seem to make the most sense for a short such as this which is really more of a mini-feature, so we're looking into those options.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I'd be thrilled if the film sparked feelings and conversations about how we care for the places that we live, and to help increase our compassion for people in moments of life-altering decisions about those circumstances.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
When is it right to fight to hold on to something, and when is it time to let go?
Would you like to add anything else?
I'd just love to add that the last film lab in New York City developed our reels a few weeks before they went out of business. So Off Track Betty has ended up being one of the last film projects to be processed in New York--ever. It dovetails in an almost eerie way with the themes of the film of taking stock of what we are losing.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Writer/Director Clayton Dean Smith is developing another short, as well as a feature-length screenplay about ghosts in New York City. Cinematographer Giacomo Belletti just had a film at the LA Film Festival (My First Kiss and the People Involved). Sound Designer Humberto Corte won last year's Leo Award for Sound Design for Grace: The Possession.
Interview: October 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Off Track Betty
A New York City story, shot on 16mm film, about love, memory, and what it means to move forward.
Length: 19 minutes
Director: Clayton Dean Smith
Producer: Clayton Dean Smith, Thomas A. Stark, Liz Ortiz-Mackes
Writer: Clayton Dean Smith
About the writer, director and producer:
Clayton's bio:
Clayton Dean Smith is a New York-based writer-director and an actor whose performances garner critical acclaim (The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time Out NY). He has worked with directors including Neil Jordan, Louis C.K., Steve Buscemi, Michael Showalter, Anne Bogart, Tim van Patten, Don Scardino, and Jim McKay. He lives in East Harlem after 17 years on the Lower East Side. Off Track Betty is his directorial debut.
Key cast: Diane Ciesla, Corwin C. Tuggles, Brooke Sunny Moriber
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): distributors and film festival directors
Funders: Successful crowdfunding campaign
Release date: June 2016 (festival premiere)
Where can I watch it in the next month? Nov 3 screening at NYC's Big Apple Film Festival, and four screenings at the Napa Valley Film Festival (Nov 9-13)
More info:.