The moving drama
Bluebird made quite the stir at Tribeca this year, and its not hard to see why. It looks stunning, has a group of solid performances from faces both old and new at its core, and above all its a top piece of filmmaking. It's another production from SeeThink, the New York Film Production outfit that was behind the likes of King Kelly. The film's Director, Lance Edmands, is a veteran in the Editing department, having worked on the likes of The Wire and the precursor to Lena Dunhams Girls, Tiny Furniture. Bluebird is Lances Feature debut, after directing the self-penned short Vacationland back in 2005. Edmands was kind enough to give me the time to discuss the thought process behind the creation of Bluebird, as well is his production methods as well as the importance of Film Editing and comfortable sneakers. Read on for some wonderful insights into making movies in general as well as Bluebird specifically
Can you give us your breaking-in story? Did you always want to be involved in film? Who or what were you inspirations? I knew I wanted to be involved in making films from the moment I had my first dream. I felt compelled to re-create it with whatever I could get my hands on. I became obsessed with turning this abstract feeling into something concretesomething I could look at. At first maybe it was puppets or cardboard, but when my father bought a VHS player I became drawn to movies. I was born and raised in a small town in Maine, so I figured the only way to get out and learn how to make movies was to go to film school. So I moved to New York City in 2000 to attend NYU. After I finished, I began working as an editor, cutting documentaries, commercials, and features. I began writing Bluebird in my spare time, and when it was accepted into the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2010, I began to think that I could actually get the film made. I brought on all of my talented friends from NYU and other places, many of whom I had been making films with for years. Kyle Martin and Jody Lee Lipes are two of my best friends and they were on board from the start. We were actually able to raise some money, and we began shooting in northern Maine last winter.
You have a lot of Editing Experience from working on the likes of Tiny Furniture, Broken Flowers and The Wire, among others. Did you find your sensibilities from your work in that field crossed over into how you constructed the film? As an editor, I've been able to see projects through from the initial idea to the final screened product, so I had some insight into what elements from the script are essential, and what are more like building blocks for atmosphere and pacing. I felt my editing background helped me on set to concentrate on what I knew was going to end up in the final film, as opposed to on the cutting room floor. But it's still very, very difficult to know for sure. I think only the masters can truly do that.
Where did the idea for Bluebird come from? Its not as easy for the uninitiated to pinpoint where the seed of inspiration for an intimate film like yours could come about- its not a high-concept comedy where anyone could understand its origin. Did you draw from real life experiences when you wrote it? Is this autobiographical in any way? As a filmmaker, Im drawn to environment and atmosphere. To me, the relationship between people and landscape is completely fascinating. This fascination is ultimately what compelled me to explore the mythology of where I grew up. In Maine, the dense forest looms ever present, reminding us that nature is king and we are simply at the mercy of its will. I was drawn to the stark images found in Maines northern-most mill towns: a school bus driving down a country highway, a snowmobile racing across a frozen lake, the old paper mill billowing smoke, logging machines tearing down trees... The atmosphere is terrifying and lonely, yet serene and beautiful at the same time. It was an incredible contradiction and I wanted to make a film with this same multi-layered atmosphere. I like to say that the story developed slowly over time, like a Polaroid. At first it was only abstract shapes, colors, and textures until a complete picture emerged. The kid being forgotten on a school bus was drawn from a childhood memory. It happened to my brotherI thought, what if no one had ever looked for him? Ultimately, it became a film about how people find meaning and connection despite a growing sense of isolation in rural, forgotten America. Its about feeling stranded or trapped in a situation and how that leads to a yearning for transcendence. Sometimes the way we seek that transcendence can be misguided.
A huge part of the film was the pacing- though it was relatively short, it felt a lot more engrossing and time passed by slower. Obviously when you edit a film youre essentially the final person to dictate a films tone and rhythm, but was this something that you were concerned with when making it, or were you more interested in the characters and the plot? I think that films have a heartbeat. I think that it probably beats at different speeds for different filmmakers. I have a very slow pulse. If you checked it when I was asleep, you may think I was dead. Bluebird moves with a deliberate pace, but it moves purposefully. I definitely wanted it to have a slower rhythm that is true to the place where we shot it. I respond best to unbroken performances, because that is how you connect to the authentic movement of a person. You watch how they move, what they do with their hands when nothing is happening. I think you learn a lot by watching. So we tried to do as many long takes as we could. To watch things unfold. So on set I was quite aware that it might end up being four hours long. But then you sharpen it.
To me, Bluebird felt pretty devoid of hope, redemption or love. Was it your intention for the audience to emotionally detach from what was happening to the characters and merely observe as they descended further into misery, almost like viewing a snapshot but not being able to intervene? This is in no way a backhanded compliment, but rather the suggestion that the film works better as a piece of poetry than as an involving human drama Maybe you disagree with my viewpoint? Well, I dont think its devoid of hope. It has as much hope as the real world does, which is to say, not muchbut as much as the characters can buy into. At the end, there are still a lot of questions to be answered, but I do think these two families have taken a stepgranted, a very small stepbut theyve made a movement toward facing these challenges together, as families. But yes, I agree that its a macro view. Youre not asked to directly identify with one character or position. Its about the situation as a whole more than any one persons experience of it. My hope is that the film is an enveloping, cinematic experience. I want to transport people to a place that theyve never been, both emotionally and geographically. While the film has a gripping story that drives the film in a narrative way, Id also like audiences to find meaning in the environment, tone, and world weve created. Theres a rich secondary layer that is equally as satisfying as the story itself. I think a film works best when its telegraphing its ideas through light and sound in an almost subconscious way, like a dream.
As someone with a background in editing, you again might agree with me when I think that you are ultimately responsible for how an actors performance comes across on screen- one frame can make or break a subtlety an actor may have introduced in a monologue, for example. How did you direct your actors such as John Slattery and Louisa Krause? Did you find they had vastly different techniques you had to manage? We got a pretty incredible cast. Some of the actors are going to be recognizable to film goers, such as Amy Morton, one of the best stage actors of her generation, alongside veteran film and TV talent like John Slattery and Margo Martindale. But we also have younger, hugely talented actors that are going to be new to people, like Adam Driver, Emily Meade and Louisa Krause. Plus, we even cast some roles locally in Maine to get some truly authentic faces. Every single person works a little differently and comes from a different background, so you develop a language together.
Whats the status of Bluebird at the moment? It was a big hit in Tribeca, so can we expect a limited release or would it be available soon on VOD? We dont have a date set, but our hope is that it will be widely available digitally, and also available in a theatrical setting in certain places as well.
Coming from an independent background, what are your opinions on the state of Cinema in general at the moment- the overbearing foreign markets, the reliance on tentpole franchises, the saturation of 3D, etc? Thats a pretty significant question, one that I can only really answer in part. I think peoples tastes are ever evolving and I dont give much importance to the business side of things. It doesn't change what I do. It takes a lot of money to get peoples attention. I think if you slow down and just focus on doing what you love, people will eventually find their way to it.
What advice, if any, would you give to any aspiring or struggling filmmakers out there, looking to break in on any level and make their mark? Wear comfortable sneakers. Once I started doing that, I became much less cranky on set.
So, whats next for you? Would you like to write and direct again? Do you have any upcoming projects in development? Im developing a few different projects at the moment. There is an original screenplay as well as some adaptations in the works.