A man’s injury is a constant reminder of an encounter with a famous Beatle.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Adam Badlotto

Watch Free Fall with John and Yoko here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

The subject of the film is my father, Joseph Badlotto. Ever since I was kid he’d share this story of how he participated in a small art show put on by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. As a result of the art show, he ended up sustaining an injury.

One day my cousin found archival footage of the art show online. Sure enough, there was my dad, breaking his arm on live television with John Lennon. I knew I had to make a documentary now that I had the actual footage in hand.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you’re a fan of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, then you’ll appreciate this unique and intimate story. The film highlights some of the more bizarre artwork the two created together. It’s also just a fun and light hearted story (contrary to my father breaking his arm) that will be sure to garner laughs; even if you aren’t a Beatles fan.

John Lennon attempts to catch the subject of the film, Joseph Badlotto, while wearing a tampon on his head in his performance piece titled “Concept of Flying”.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Given that the story revolves around my father, and it’s a story I heard growing up, it’s very personal to me. It shines a light on one man’s encounter with some of the biggest personality and creative figures in history. There’s a lot of documentation on people like John Lennon and Yoko Ono, but it’s the personal stories and interactions with them that I think are the most interesting.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

The process for making this film was very free flowing and organic. I already knew what the story was going to be about and I had a bullet list of key things I wanted to highlight. But when it came down to interviewing my father, it was conducted very nonchalantly. He lives in another state so I just called him up and spoke to him over the phone. We just had a regular father/son conversation and I recorded the end result. I just allowed his personality to shine through. All the jokes he made during the interview process he came up with on the fly. They ultimately ended up becoming key beats that progressed the film along.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been great, more than I really expected actually. This started out as a personal project I made for myself really, but it’s since played at a lot of great film festivals like the DC Shorts Film Festival and now HollyShorts Film Festival.

Free Fall with John and Yoko - After sustaining his injury, Joseph received a hand written card from Yoko and John. It was titled “A Hole to See the Sky Through”. A hole was punched out from the center of the card.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I was definitely surprised by the feedback. It made me realize that people really enjoy hearing personal stories like this.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I’m really just interested in sharing this story with whoever may find joy in it. Sharing the film with websites like wearemovingstories.com helps get the word out.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Mainly Film Festival directors who would be interested in screening the film and journalists who would be interested in covering the film. It’s a very short film (3 minutes), so trying to sell it isn’t a priority for me. I just want to share it with people.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

John Lennon and Yoko Ono are still prominent figures in our culture today and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. I think it’s important to share these types of intimate stories about them because it sheds a little light on who they are outside of the spotlight and out of the frame of the cameras.

Free Fall with John and Yoko - Yoko Ono peeks out towards the intimate audience during her performance piece.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

There’s definitely going to be mixed opinions regarding how much responsibility John Lennon and Yoko Ono bear for it happening. My dad certainly has his opinion and he expresses that in the film.

Would you like to add anything else?

The entire film was shot and edited on super 8 film. This was the first time I worked with film and I think it really had an impact on how the film turned out. It definitely wouldn’t have been the same if the entire process was digital.

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Right now I am in the middle of creating an untitled animated short film. I’m combining computer generated fx with hand drawn animation using colored pencils. The hand drawn animations are being rotoscoped on top of the computer generated visuals.

The film uses a lot of experimental techniques to convey the story. For example, there is a reason why certain elements are drawn using colored pencils and other elements are purely computer generated. You’ll have to see the film to find out!

August 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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Free Fall with John and Yoko

A man’s injury is a constant reminder of an encounter with a famous Beatle.

Length:

3 min 30 sec

Director:

Adam Badlotto

Producer:

Adam Badlotto

Writer:

Adam Badlotto

About the writer, director and producer:

Director and Visual FX Artist Adam Badlotto's work has been featured on MTV, Ovation TV, Vevo, PBS, Ain't It Cool News, Alt Press and at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He employs experimental techniques utilizing practical and computer generated fx.

Key cast:

Joseph Badlotto - narrator & subject of film

Release date:

September 2015

Where can I watch it in the next month?

Free Fall with John and Yoko plays on Wednesday, August 18th at 12 noon at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California. It’s part of the Doc 2 block at the Holly Shorts Film Festival. Tickets and more info at www.hollyshorts.com.