Slamdance - Future '38
1938’s Peppiest Picture Brings You To The Wonder~World Of 2018!
Interview with Director Jamie Greenberg
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wanted to make a whimsical film, and I particularly wanted to make a film which I myself would still find fun and intriguing over the multiple years it would take to write, direct, and edit a feature. The funnest (is “funnest a word? Not confident “funnest” is a word) premise I could think of was, naturally, a movie about the future. The future is always fun to think about!
However, I realized that at my tiny indie budget level it would not be possible to populate an entire future-world full of elaborately art-directed buildings, cars, wardrobe, props, etc. So I simply looked around at our own world and said “this IS the future, let’s play with that!” And writing the movie from a 1930s perspective accentuated that idea.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film is a colorful, whimsical little adventure that’s different from other movies (both independent and studio) and, I hope, offers a surprising amount of heart beneath the silliness.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I find that themes of time and memory and loss (and memory-loss) seem to run through my work. It’s pretty unintentional— I always seem to notice this after the fact.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
I am happy to say that the script, and the general concept, made it through the process pretty intact. I think this is because of the rough experience I had on my first feature, “Stags.” On this film I naively wrote a script that was WAY too packed, and parts of the story never got shot due to time/budget constraints… and then a huge portion of the film ended up on the cutting room floor, because the film as shot was just too long and too diffuse. As a result of that very difficult experience, for this film I wrote a pretty lean and simple script without much fat. Also the fact that “Future 38" purports to be a 1930’s film meant we could shoot in a very mannered, presentational style that allowed us to move quickly, and thus shoot the entire script in just 15 days.
One difference between script and finished film does come to mind though. My original concept was that the characters act and speak in a classic Hollywood Golden Age style (as they indeed do in the finished film)… but that everything LOOKS strictly modern. The characters would wear clothes straight out of modern everyday life, props would all look perfectly modern, so that there would be a perfect contrast between behavior and appearance.
To some extent this is reflected in the film (modern cards, buildings, phones)… but in some visual elements it was hard to resist adding a retro touch. Thus, wardrobe and props are a wacky mashup of the 1930s and today. I think it works!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Very positive. It has been extremely gratifying.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Something something enhance the art of narrative something something.
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 looking to get distribution for the film! Also we welcome any reviews, interviews, press mentions, etc… anything to get the word out on this scrappy little indie.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like people to enjoy “Future ’38" as a colorful little roller-coaster ride that manages to strike some real emotional chords along its whimsical way. The film is also, of course, a tip of the hat to the wonderful screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s and if we can help raise awareness about those classics then I’d be delighted.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
As Neil DeGrasse Tyson asks in the special introduction, "What did those 1930s film-makers get wrong about our time? More important, what did they get right?"
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We’re going to Slamdance with the film!
Interview: January 2017
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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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Future ’38
Logline:
1938’s Peppiest Picture Brings You To The Wonder~World Of 2018!
Length:
76 minutes
Director:
Jamie Greenberg
Producer:
Joanna Bowzer
Executive Producer:
Jonathan Gray
Writer:
Jamie Greenberg wrote for “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego” (PBS), plus MTV, History Channel, FOX, Nickelodeon & more.
Director:
This is Jamie Greenberg’s second feature. He has directed numerous short films and spent years directing live sketch comedy in NYC.
About the producer:
Joanna Bowzer produces, directs and writes. She’s taken films to 40+ festivals in the past three years and is directing her second feature in 2017.
Key cast:
BETTY GILPIN
NICK WESTRATE
ROBERT JOHN BURKE
ETHAN PHILLIPS
SEAN YOUNG
Special Appearance by NEIL DeGRASSE TYSON
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Buyers, distributors, film fests, journalists
Made in association with:
ProMedia
Big Jack Productions
Where can I see it in the next month?
At SLAMDANCE!
Screening #1: 1/24, 9:00 PM, Ballroom screening room
Screening #2: 1/26, 4:00 PM, Gallery screening room