Garden State Film Festival 2020 – Age of Bryce
Smothered by an adoring, over-protective mom, 12-year-old Bryce Yancy Paul (Bip) is pushed to the brink of pubescent revolution. It’s time to ripen. Bloom. Break the shackles of parental paranoia. It’s the Age of Bryce. Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.
Interview with Writer/Co-Director/Co-Producer Brian Elliott
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thanks! There are two answers to this question. First, I wrote the story because I have vivid memories of being a young teen and, like most kids, feeling the need to break free from what I thought was overprotective parenting. Then I became a parent myself and suddenly noticed I was feeling the same impulse to overprotect my kids as well. It's kind of a ridiculous conundrum - but we all face from one side or the other. How much do we shield and how much do we set free? When you watch the film you'll likely detect which side of the discussion I'm trying to lean toward.
The second answer has to do with my day job. I teach film at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. During the summer we hold production workshops for our students. This involves one or two professors initiating a project and hiring key professionals to serve as department heads for the crew. Then the rest of the crew positions are filled by university students. We've produced six feature films this way over the past fifteen years or so. During this particular summer, we decided to shoot several short films. Age of Bryce is one of those shorts. In addition to myself and co-director David Feagan, we hired Damon Crump as our DP, John Franklin as our Gaffer, and then the rest of the department heads and crew positions were filled by eager students who worked 12-14 hour days in the Texas heat to help us get it done. One of the main values for the students is, it's the best way for them to find out if this is really what they want to do for a living. Some realize they do. Some realize they don't. Either way, we consider it a win - because now they know... rather than discovering it after they've left school and tried to make a go of it. The other key-value, of course, is they're mentored by working professionals who do this for a living, day in and day out. In that way, we endeavor to move beyond the classroom setting and into real-world situations.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Well, hopefully, it's funny. And relatable. And short. And moves along pretty quickly. Rather painless, we hope.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
First, all of us wrestle with the dilemma of risk vs. reward. How much risk is wise risk? When is being safe just being afraid? We're all for carpe diem, but we'd rather it not hurt - at least not too much. Whether you're 8 or 80, you feel this tug of war.
Secondly, we acknowledge that we're definitely in a time when there's plenty to be concerned about in our world. No doubt. But it also seems that sometimes, the anxiety we feel, we're doing it to ourselves by the way we feed and ruminate over the vast array of potentialities and outcomes. Again, how much is too much? We hope the film shines a bit of light into that quandary.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The story is all there in the script but once it began to be interpreted visually, that's when the changes really started coming into play. For example, we realized we needed our lead actress DeAnna to have more lines in order to cover some of the action - so, ace that she is, on the fly she riffed like a seasoned pro. Then in editing, we went from something like an 18-minute rough cut down to our current run time of 9:50. Hopefully, we helped the pace and timing. But we were constantly pondering how long to let an emotion or joke play.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Thankfully the short has been well-received so far. We've played quite a few festivals around the country and some abroad as well. We're definitely grateful for any love the film receives.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Once you see your film with an audience you realize there are always things you'd want to continue to tinker with or change. But at some point, you just have to stop and let it be what it is. I think at times we're surprised by some of the things that get a laugh that we weren't expecting. And at other times I think we're surprised by some of the heartfelt conversations we've had after a screening. Trying to be funny and thoughtful at the same time ain't easy - and I'm in no way saying we cracked it completely. But it's always nice to hear from folks when it's had some resonance for them personally.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Well, we hope more people become aware of the film and therefore have an interest in seeing it. And then, of course, we hope that once they've seen it, it registers for them in some way.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Heck, we'll take 'em all. We love playing festivals because it's where the best conversations happen with audiences, festival directors, volunteers, and fellow filmmakers. We love that. And we always appreciate talking to journalists because we like getting to chat about our work and throwing some attention on some of the brilliant people we get to work with. Otherwise, there's been some discussions regarding launching the film on an online platform at some point. And there's been some discussions about expanding the story out into a longer format -- whether it's a television or web series or a feature -- since the concept seems to offer room for that kind of expansion. We'd be happy to have conversations with producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors -- anyone who might have an interest in any of that - or any other notions that might occur to someone.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We'd like people to laugh. We'd like people to see themselves in the story. And we'd like people to leave pondering a bit about how they're doing in regard to the subjects the film deals with.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How careful is too careful? How much risk is unwise? And how much of the anxiety we feel is a result of us being too plugged in, too attached to the digital stream?
Would you like to add anything else?
Yes. I would like to add that you all are awesome for hosting a site like this. Blessings on your head, and then some!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
David and I both worked on a feature that's being launched called Seven Short Films About (Our) Marriage and another short called My Dinner with Werner. In addition, we're part of another short or two in post and pondering another feature project or two. There's always somethin' - and we're open to suggestions... send 'em our way.
Interview: March 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
Age of Bryce
Smothered by an adoring, over-protective mom, 12-year-old Bryce Yancy Paul (Bip) is pushed to the brink of pubescent revolution. It’s time to ripen. Bloom. Break the shackles of parental paranoia. It’s the Age of Bryce. Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.
Length: 9:50
Director: Brian Elliott & David Feagan
Producer: Brian Elliott & David Feagan
Writer: Brian Elliott
About the writer, director and producer:
This is the first co-directing effort by BRIAN ELLIOTT and DAVID FEAGAN. They've worked together on numerous projects in other capacities and got along so well they decided to jump into Age of Bryce sharing the creative duties. DAVID FEAGAN is a freelance sound person and graphic designer. BRIAN ELLIOTT an independent filmmaker and film professor at Baylor University. he most recently wrote the feature film Blur Circle.
Key cast: DeAnna Toten Beard (Virginia Paul), Major Dodson (Byp - Bryce Yancy Paul)
Looking for: film festival directors, distributors, sales agents, journalists
Facebook: Age of Bryce
Twitter: @brianelliott777
Instagram: @brianelliott777
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: E Train Media, Cogwheel Productions
Funders: Self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? On the weekend of March 28, 2020, Age of Bryce is scheduled to play at The Paramount Theater at the Garden State Film Fest in Asbury Park, NJ, The Museum of the Moving Image at the Queensworld Film Fest in New York and at the Beeston Film Fest in Nottingham, UK.