Palm Springs ShortFest 2019 – Made Public
On the eve of his wedding day, a groom’s cold feet go viral, forcing him and his bride to rely on the court of public opinion to save or destroy their marriage.
Interview with Director/Producer Foster Wilson
Watch Made Public here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
My husband Brian and I were sophomores in college when Facebook first launched in 2004. Over the years, we’ve watched social media evolve from connecting with friends to sharing what you had for breakfast to asking 3,500 Instagram followers if you should or should not move to France. Made Public was born out of our curiosity about why we do this and how far this trend might go. Rather than asking these questions outright, we disguise them in this lighthearted dramedy that hopefully sucks you in and makes you both laugh and cringe along the way.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Made Public is a wild, 14-minute-long ride that is “equally funny, smart and poignant” (thanks Rogue Valley Messenger!), full of delicious humor and even more delicious awkwardness and surprising sincerity. The broad cast of supporting characters and gripping performances from Jeanine Mason and Josh Zuckerman will absolutely knock your socks off. Whether you’re obsessed with social media or you live off the grid in New Mexico, there’s plenty to love about Made Public.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Our film explores the notion of public vs private through the lens of a wedding, asking the questions, Do we need to share everything? Is anything actually sacred anymore? As our universe becomes more connected via technological advances, we’re gradually distancing ourselves from our feelings, our better instincts, and from genuine human interaction. In Made Public, what should be an intimate wedding ceremony -- a couple declaring their love for one another in front of a hundred of their closest friends -- is completely up-ended and made public in this age of social media and oversharing.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script was written in January of 2017 and was read aloud and workshopped for several weeks; much of the work Brian was doing at the time was fine-tuning the supporting characters and finessing the film’s ending. Through collaboration with our lead actors, Jeanine Mason and Josh Zuckerman, Brian did a last-minute dialogue rewrite of the kitchen scene one week before shooting in order to clarify both characters’ perspectives and arguments in this pivotal couple’s sparring match. During our last day of filming, I had an idea to feature some of the supporting actors in the credits in documentary-style interviews, so I tasked Brian with crafting some dialogue for them during our lunch break.
Throughout pre-production, through collaborations with our Director of Photography (Katharine White) and our key designers, we were able to clearly define and elevate each element of the film by infusing their visions and expertise with our own. The icing on the cake was bringing in the team at HTI to compose the original score, which is essential to the long Steadicam shots that are central to the film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Audiences have really responded to the performances, the ensemble cast, the pacing, and the delightful surprises built into the plot of the film. We love to hover outside the theater and listen to audience members debating the ending or discussing the plausibility of the whole scenario. Just last month we were honored with the Audience Award at the Bentonville Film Festival as well as four jury awards, including Best Film and Best Director, at the Vaughan International Film Festival.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Of course, I’m always thrilled when audiences are entertained or inspired by the film, but I was also so tickled to hear that one audience member shared it with his wife (who apparently spends an unhealthy amount of time on social media) and that she loathed the film. It genuinely angered her. While I was shocked at first, I wasn’t at all offended. I think it’s fascinating that a film that some have referred to as a “modern spin on the traditional rom-com” could evoke that kind of feeling in a viewer. In my mind, evoking any feeling at all means that we were successful in what we were aiming to do.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
My goal has always been to be part of and help contribute to a growing film community that is reflective of the world we live in: at least 51% female and comprised of diverse individuals from various backgrounds and ideologies. We Are Moving Stories is precisely that!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Yes to all! In particular, we are seeking journalists to watch, review, and share the film with their readers and audiences around the globe.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
While it’s always lovely to hear when audiences are entertained by the film, I’m particularly pleased when they take away something more from the film. One person wrote us and confessed that they had an unexpected emotional response at the end of the film -- that the message really hit them once all of the humor had died down. And I love that. I love that, for some people, it’s a layered film and a multidimensional experience, in a way.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
As Jeanine’s character Sydney says in the film, “Why? Why would a person just do this to another person?” Why do we share so much of our lives with strangers? And how much is too much to share on social media?
Would you like to add anything else?
You can watch Made Public for free on Vimeo starting June 24! Visit www.madepublicfilm.com for festival news and reviews and more.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Brian and I are currently developing our dark (dark, dark, dark) comedy feature film called Living Will.
Interview: June 2019
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
Made Public
On the eve of his wedding day, a groom’s cold feet go viral, forcing him and his bride to rely on the court of public opinion to save or destroy their marriage.
Length: 14:03
Director: Foster Wilson
Producer: Lola Noh
Writer: Brian Leahy
About the writer, director and producer:
FOSTER WILSON is an award-winning director, filmmaker, and Emergence Award Recipient. Her most recent film, Waffles, has screened at 25+ festivals around the world and garnered eight nominations and four wins, including an Audience Award for Best Short Film. Foster was also one of six filmmakers selected by the Alliance of Women Directors for the first-ever AWD Short Film Initiative; the resulting film, MÍA, premiered at Disney Studios in October 2018. Additional credits: Platypus; Brick & Mopsie; the pilot presentation Love Scenes, LLC; and the web series Gross Anatomy. In development: 5 Stages of Grief (Shift Creative Fund Finalist) and the feature Living Will. Foster is a co-founder of Something Wilde Productions, a member of LA Women’s Film Collective, and a Board Member of the non-profit organization Moms-In-Film. She is repped by Fourth Wall Management. www.fosterwilson.com
BRIAN LEAHY is a writer, editor, director and co-founder of Something Wilde Productions. His writing credits include the web series The Junior League of Super Heroes, which premiered at the Comic-Con Film Festival in San Diego; Waffles, a short film that has screened at 25+ festivals around the globe; Ransom, which he also directed; and 5 Stages of Grief, a SHIFT Creative Fund Finalist. In 2016, Brian wrote and directed a six-part educational video series titled The Noise In Your Head. He is also author of the political satire Sketch and the one-person plays Cranberry and A Night of Dialogue, which he co-produced and performed in New York City. A graduate of NYU and the Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, Brian is repped by Fourth Wall Management.
LOLA NOH has produced numerous music videos and independent short films, including the feature film Banging Lanie; The Gifting Tree, as part of the 2016 Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge; + (Positive); Another Round; On Ice; Monotony, written by Brian Leahy and directed by Foster Wilson; and Best Friend, which earned the Best Film Award and Audience Awareness Campaign Award at the 2017 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
Key cast: Jeanine Mason (Sydney), Josh Zuckerman (Dave)
Looking for: journalists
Facebook: Something Wilde Productions
Twitter: @thefosterwilson
Instagram: @thefosterwilson
Hashtags used: #MadePublic #MadePublicFilm
Website: madepublicfilm.com
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Something Wilde Productions
Funders: Seed & Spark
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Provincetown Film Festival / Provincetown, MA - June 14, June 15, June 16; Palm Springs ShortFest / Palm Springs, CA - June 19th @ 7pm, Woods Hole Film Festival - TBD; VIMEO online release - June 24