Out Of The Bag
A short documentary exploring the ways in which three artists re-appropriate single-use plastic bags and other plastics as their medium to create artworks, with varying intentions: from raising environmental awareness, to expressing the conflict of personal emotions.
Interview with Director Aidan Bradbury-Aranda
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
This film started as a pitch project in one of my producing classes at USC. I read an article about the plastic bag ban in California and it got me thinking about the alternative uses of plastic bags. Art came to mind because I remembered going to a recycled fashion show as a kid back in my home town of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After finding our first artist, Lena Wolek, through a photography professor of mine, I pitched the project as a Senior Thesis film at USC along with my first producer, Lauren Ouellette.
We were lucky enough to be selected as one of five projects to be produced that semester, at which point our second producer, Cookie Walukas, came on board, along with the rest of the crew. These were the circumstances that led me to make the film. In terms of the reason why this film is what it is, my goal was to address the serious topic of plastic pollution in a new and creative way. Instead of focusing on the detriments of the problem, I chose to address the people who are making a positive impact to help find solutions. And one of the most visual and poignant is art.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film because it addresses the important issue of plastic pollution, which everyone in the world should be aware of at this point. But I promise not to depress you and make you lose hope. Quite the opposite, I want this film to inspire you, and let you see the amazing steps that artists are taking to bring attention to this issue.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Each artist in this film has personal reasons for why they create their art. For Lena, her culture shock upon moving to the US from Siberia resonates deeply through the work she creates. With Pam and Dianna, their work is much more based in activism. Being American, they grew up with our consumerist system and were able to act from the inside out. However, notwithstanding differences in upbringing or nationality, we see a universal desire from all of them to bring awareness to a problem through creative and unconventional avenues.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The way I pitched the film initially was as more of a history of the plastic bag, going through its inception, rise, ubiquity, and eventual ban in states like California. The artists were only supposed to appear in the third act. By following the journey of the plastic bag the film was meant to mirror the rise of American Consumerism that developed in the 1950s and has continued ever since. What made me change my mind was the realization - through a variety of conversations with peers and mentors - that the story of American consumerism was one that had been retold too many times at this point. The angle that was interesting and new was the artists. So that is the one we decided to pursue.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback we have received so far has overall been very positive. My favorite thing to hear from audience members who have seen the film is that “they will never think about plastic in the same way ever again”. While this film does take on an uplifting and sometimes humorous tone, it has very clearly left the imprint I want on viewers - to think twice when offered a plastic bag, bottle, cup, or whatever it may be. When I hear my friends saying that they have started refusing plastic bags at stores where they shop, I know that at least part of my message has been conveyed successfully.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback that I think has challenged my point of view is when I have been told that the film romanticizes plastic, and doesn’t go far enough to condemn it. What I have to say to those opinions is that this film is primarily about the artists, and the art they produce, and secondarily an environmentalist film. It was never meant to showcase statistics because it is not that type of film. But I appreciate the conversations that have arisen from disagreements and think that conflicting opinions are always better than no opinions.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
The Out of the Bag team is very honored to be featured on your website. It is always positive to get exposure via print, especially from a source dedicated to promoting stories that matter.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Our film has found a partial distribution deal that allows it to be screened in classrooms around the country and abroad, which is very exciting. However, we are always open to further distribution opportunities. We would appreciate for the film to screen at more mainstream film festivals, so that it can impact more viewers who may not be as acquainted with the subject matter as niche audiences. Finally, we are actively working to continue Out of the Bag as a web series, since there are so many other artists out there dealing with environmental themes who need exposure. Whoever would be interested in collaborating, we would be more than happy to have you.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
On it’s most basic level, we want Out of the Bag to stay with viewers after they have left the theater, so that the next day, next week, next year when they are offered a plastic bag, they at least think twice about whether or not to take it.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
A very open-ended question that I think the film leaves the audience with is, “how can we as human beings change our relationship with plastic?”. The three artists in the film clearly show a creative alternative, however we all need to be more aware of plastic in our day to day lives and take responsibility for the effects it is having on our natural world, as well as our own health.
Would you like to add anything else?
A shout out I always like to give at the end of Q&A’s is to our composers, who, after our discussion about score, took it upon themselves to make all the music, in one way or another, out of plastic. Even the guitar strings were plastic!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
In terms of collaborations, I am currently in the process of developing a feature documentary about billboard painters and muralists in Los Angeles with my producer Cookie Walukas. We also each have other projects in the works - I have a short film that is slated to shoot at the beginning of next year, Cookie and Lauren are producing and coordinating a number of projects, our cinematographer Sara Simons is involved in the music festival scene, and our editor Corey Sherman is developing a webseries and edits at Tastemade.
Interview: September 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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Out of the Bag
A short documentary exploring the ways in which three artists re-appropriate single-use plastic bags and other plastics as their medium to create artworks, with varying intentions: from raising environmental awareness, to expressing the conflict of personal emotions.
Length: 13:41
Director: Aidan Bradbury-Aranda
Producer: Lauren Ouellette, Cookie Walukas
Writer: Aidan Bradbury-Aranda
About the writer, director and producer: Aidan Bradbury-Aranda is a writer/director interested in telling stories, whether documentary or narrative, that cut through audiences’ pretensions and hit them at an emotional core.
Key cast:
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All the above if interested.
Funders:
Made in association with: USC School of Cinematic Arts
Release date: December 2015
Where can I watch it in the next month? Please visit our website outofthebagmovie.com to request a link!