Bushwick Film Festival - The Van Gogh Show
The Van Gogh Show follows the modern day misadventures of Vincent Van Gogh from the mundane to the absurd, with an emphasis on the absurd.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Caitlin Davis
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Rob and I have been friends for twelve years. Originally from North Carolina, we both now live in Brooklyn. Robert Reynolds rose to Internet fame after a Reddit user posted a picture of him riding the G train and compared the Bed-Stuy resident to van Gogh’s renowned self-portrait.
DP Chris Raddatzand I were inspired to expand on the idea of a modern Vincent.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Historically, Vincent Van Gogh is a fascinating character. We try to weave in some historic accuracy, some golden nuggets for the highbrow art crowd. The episodes are typically a minute long, there’s no chance for boredom. Everyone is captivated by the enigma that was Van Gogh, and we’re inviting the audience to explore his temperament in present day NYC.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The vignettes created in the series expose Van Gogh in relatable terms. What if Van Gogh rode the subway? What if he went shopping at Trader Joe’s or used Tinder? What if he made latte art?
As far as anyone knows, he’s just another Bushwick hipster or pretentious artist trying to make ends meet.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We received incredible press after the first episodes were released. We were featured by Huffington Post, Buzzed, Brooklyn Magazine, DNAinfo, My9NJ, aol.com, DailyMail, ArtNetNews, and a slew of international media outlets covering art and pop culture.
The feedback has been positive. People seem delighted by the concept and generally encouraging.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I’ve been surprised by the underdog’s ability to influence pop culture. We made Van Gogh with literally no budget. We have made zero profits. People still stop Rob in the street and say - "Hey! You're Van Gogh!"
We were flagged by youtube early on after receiving so much international viewership. They cut our views in half and put us on a sort of "do not pay" list.
We tagged Jesse Tyler Ferguson in every post sharing Van Gogh Rides The Subway. Next thing you know, the first episode of this Modern Family season revolves around a Van Gogh theme. I think we’re definitely on to something the public wants more of.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I’m certainly hoping for more exposure for the Van Gogh Show. We’d like to be paired with a comedy outlet that helps us do that. We’ve also had several inquiries to produce the show on a larger scale, but we’re still waiting for those pieces to fall into place.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
The Van Gogh show has been an incredible exercise in creating something out of a single spark. With no budget we were able to make a high quality series. I can only imagine what we could do with a little backing and the right resources.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We’d like to #goghviral. Maybe "start a straw hat and severed ear trend".
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What if Van Gogh rode the subway? Then what?
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Caitlin Davis is currently working with Filmbank Entertainment on upcoming series, and developing a comedic feature film with her writing partner, Kaleigh Malloy.
Chris Raddatz is the resident Director of Photography at BRIC Arts Media.
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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The Van Gogh Show
The Van Gogh Show follows the modern day misadventures of Vincent Van Gogh from the mundane to the absurd, with an emphasis on the absurd.
Length: 60 sec.
Director: Caitlin Davis
Director of Photography: Chris Raddatz
About the writer, director and producer:
Caitlin Davis is a director/writer/actor based in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. Caitlin wrote and starred in the independent pilot Missionary Style based on the UCB musical. She has appeared on the NY stage in Karen O's Stop the Virgens!, at Upright Citizens Brigade and Signature Theater in Usual Girls. Caitlin is the creator and director of VanGoghShow.com which has captured the short attention spans of art lovers across the globe.
Key cast: Robert Reynolds, Logan Ford, Franny Civitano, and Marcela DeLuna.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): yes
Release date: 2015
Van Gogh Show is an official selection at the Bushwick Film Festival and will screen on October 1st at 2:40pm.