Maya Deren's Influence

I first saw "Meshes of the Afternoon" (1943), Maya Deren's first and most remarkable experimental film, during a workshop with James Reckseidler and I was instantly drawn to her mythopoetic approach. I would like to call her work surrealist, but it was a term that she eschewed over her preferred descriptions of avant-garde or ritualistic.

Meshes Of The Afternoon

Maya Deren was born in Kiev in 1917 as Eleanora Derenkowsky. In 1922, the threat of anti-Semitism in the Ukraine caused the Derenkowsky family to flee to the United States where they Anglicized their surname to Deren. (Having recently worked on an article about Stanislavski, Vakhtangov and the Habima, and researched many Jewish artists in New York City in the first half of the twentieth century who had emigrated from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union—all of whom displayed such dedication and innovation—I found this part of her story quite fascinating.)

Deren's education ranged from journalism to political science to symbolist poetry, and she also showed a marked interest in dance, anthropology and the theory of relativity. (I rather like the fact that her list is so similar to mine.) Naturally, all of these interests informed her work in unique and unusual ways. It was in collaboration with filmmaker Alexander Hammid, whom she eventually married, that Deren produced "Meshes of the Afternoon". It was during this time that she decided to focus on film (and change her name to Maya).

Deren wrote and directed several experimental films, but it is in her writing that her status as an innovator in film production and film theory is truly apparent. I am particularly interested in the paper that she presented at a Cinema 16 Symposium in 1953, entitled "Poetry and the Film." In this paper, she argued that film works on two axes: the horizontal—including narrative, character and action—and the vertical—characterized by the more ephemeral elements of mood, tone and rhythm. I don't know about you, but when I read this explanation, it was as if a light bulb had turned on over my head. I suddenly understood that my short films focus primarily on the vertical axis: mood, tone and rhythm.

So it is the understanding of that vertical axis that Maya Deren provided for my film, a gift that I expect will continue to influence my future work.

Coda Trailer

ImagineNATIVE is the first film festival that has asked for a trailer of my short film, so I decided to throw a little something together. I wanted there to be the sound of a heartbeat throughout the trailer (maybe even instead of the music) but I had some technical difficulties with the sound when I exported from Final Cut. (I'm still getting to know all of the extra programs that one gets with Final Cut Studio.) So alas, no heartbeat. But if you would like to watch the end result, here it is:

WILDsound Feedback

So "Coda" had its screening in Toronto last weekend. My friend was nice enough to take notes on her Blackberry, so I got to hear most of the feedback right away even though I couldn't attend the screening. But now the feedback has been posted online, so I figured I should share it here:


I'm particularly pleased by the European gentleman's comments. He obviously got everything I hoped for out of the film. And he gave me a great little tag line for this film: "Sometimes one appreciates the beauty of life only when close to death."

Hmm, I think I might look for some European festivals to submit to...

WILDsound Feedback Film Festival

When I started my filmmaker's page on MySpace a couple of years ago, one of the first "friends" I made was WILDsound Film Festival. I was intrigued by the concept: have your film screened at a monthly festival and then get feedback both by industry professionals and audience members. And if you can't be there for the screening, they'll send you a DVD of that feedback. So I was glad that I finally had something to submit to them. They've accepted "Coda" and it's going to be screened on Saturday, August 23rd at the National Film Board Cinema in Toronto. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend but Jeanette Lee, a musician friend of mine (who I've actually known since high school!), lives in Toronto and she'll be attending the festival in my stead. So maybe I'll get to find out what doesn't get included in the feedback DVD!

Great Northern Arts Festival

I just got back from Inuvik where I attended the Great Northern Arts Festival. The visual art at that festival is amazing (I'll be talking about that on Limes with Orange in the next few days). I was fortunate to have an opportunity to show both "Coda in G Minor" and "Persephone" in a screening with "Whipped," the film produced at the festival's film workshop in 2007 and a few other films, including a couple by my father. One that was made before I was born and one that he made recently. Seeing "Nothing to Fear," the film my dad made while he was in grad school, I realize that it's not just filmmakers like Deco Dawson and Maya Deren who influenced "Coda"... part of my influence was definitely genetic!

Unfortunately, there was no film workshop at the festival this year as Dennis Allen, the Yellowknife filmmaker who organized the workshop previously, was occupied with the launch of his CD "Wayward Son." But if he organizes another workshop for the 2009 festival, I think it might be fun to head up north again and take it.

Fear No Film Festival

"Coda in G Minor" has been accepted into the Fear No Film Festival, part of the Utah Arts Festival. The tantalizing nearness of the festival to the Sundance Institute (where the June labs will be in session) makes me want to travel to it, but I just can't really justify the time or expense at the moment. (And there's not exactly enough time to apply for a travel grant, but maybe next time.) So if anyone attending the festival happens to stop by this blog, let me know how it's going!

Emma Claire Miller

I first met Emma Claire Miller when I was casting for my 16mm Film School project, "No Time Like the Present." I'd held auditions all day and had videotaped each of them with the assistance of my cousin, with whom I was discussing each of the actors after their auditions. It was all going smoothly… until we blew a fuse. (I hadn't taken my electrics course yet; that's my story and I'm sticking to it.) We managed to figure out a way to get enough light to keep taping… then the camera battery died… and then my cousin had to leave to start his job…

INT. CSIF SOFA CINEMA - LATE AFTERNOON

A woman sits in a dim room, no camera, all alone, with one last audition. She'd seen some good auditions and some talented actors but hadn't had any clouds parting, ray of sunshine moments saying 'here is the lead for your film'. She isn't defeated but her body language indicates that she doesn't expect anything to change anytime soon.

Enter Emma Claire Miller.

DIRECTOR (V.O.)
She has a fun personality. I can picture her as Jane (although the hair's a little too glamorous). Ooh, listen to her read; her voice is perfect for the voice over.

The director pauses as she considers the irony of talking about voice overs within a voice over. Then her attention goes back to the audition as she puts Emma Claire through a series of Sonia Moore improv exercises that had weirded out many an actor that day. But not this one.

DIRECTOR (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Frack, this grrl's got some mad improv skills!

Cue the clouds and the choir.

FADE TO BLACK.

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I'll admit that I had a few moments of doubt about my judgement before we started production, simply because that was the ONLY audition that I didn't have on tape and that was the ONLY audition that no one else had seen. You can imagine how relieved I was on production day when I realized that my gut instincts had been right on the money.

So when I had the idea for "Coda in G Minor," I knew exactly who I wanted to cast. Fortunately for me, Emma Claire was willing and able and so production began.

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ABOUT EMMA CLAIRE MILLER

Emma Claire Miller is an actress living and working in Calgary, Alberta. After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre at the University of Victoria, Emma Claire spent nine months performing as part of the Chemainus Theatre Festival before moving to Alberta. Since arriving in Calgary almost two years ago, she has performed with many different companies in the city, including The Shakespeare Company, Alberta Theatre Projects and, most recently, Quest Theatre. Emma Claire is a co-creator and Artistic Associate of Sandbox Children's Theatre, currently touring an educational based show around Southern Alberta (http://www.sandboxtheatre.ca/). An avid improv artist, she has had the chance to play with both Loose Moose and the Kinkonauts. Earlier this year, Emma Claire was selected as one of the Devon Stars of the Future, highlighting emerging artists in the ATP season. She has had the pleasure of working with Cara on a couple of different pieces, and loves the opportunity to explore with new artists in every medium.