"BITTERBRUSH"-
producer SU KIM.
Director EMELIE MAHDAVIAN.
July 12, 2022.
46 Minutes.
In this YouTube video entitled "Bitterbrush" two women filmmakers are interviewed about living on a ranch in rural Idaho. They discuss pre-production work, the importance of audio, equipment used for recording, editing, and the funding process. The filmmakers also touch on topics such as seasonal work in rural America and the dangers of horse-breaking, while also sharing their experience with physical and post-production and creative freedom in crafting the film. Finally, the documentary is available on VOD and other platforms like Amazon Prime and Apple TV Plus.
00:00:00 In this section of the video, Chuck Braverman introduces two guests, producer Su Kim and director Emily Mahdavian, who discuss their new film called Bitterbrush. Emily explains that she was living in a remote cabin in rural Idaho when she got involved in the project, and Su talks about her background as a post-production supervisor and how she became involved in producing films. They also briefly discuss their work on other films, including the critically acclaimed Hale County This Morning, This Evening.
00:05:00 In this section, two women filmmakers are interviewed about their project called "Bitterbrush," a documentary film about two women living on a ranch in rural Idaho. Emily Thomas, the director, wanted to make a film that explored the transformative experience of living close to the land and with women. She met Holland at a neighbor's house and was struck by her wit, interesting personality, and excellent job skills. Su the producer, was fascinated by the idea of documenting female friendship in a male-dominated world and wanted to learn more about the western lifestyle. Both filmmakers had a background in documentary filmmaking and were curious about exploring new topics. Before filming started, they spent time getting to know each other and their subjects.
00:10:00 In this section, the filmmaker discusses how a film that appears observational is usually not completely unstructured, but rather, it is planned to some extent. The filmmaker explains that they did not just hang around waiting for something interesting to happen, but instead did a lot of pre-production work to have a clear idea of what they wanted to capture. The film deals with our relationship to the land, the state of family farms, and the characters' personal concerns. This planning created room for allowing certain moments to emerge and be adjusted if needed, but it was not an entirely unstructured process. Finally, the interviewer asks about a dolly shot in the film, which took a long time to set up, and the filmmaker discusses how the shot was captured.
00:15:00 In this section, the filmmakers discuss the technical aspects of shooting on horseback, including using a small gimbal to stabilize the camera, as well as the stunning shot that was captured. They also mention the surprise of one of the characters announcing their pregnancy, a topic that was relatable to the filmmakers as co-director, Emily's, pregnancy coincided with the making of the film. Additionally, the filmmakers share how they achieved high-quality sound recording despite the crew being far away by using wireless microphones and a device called Zach's cams.
00:20:00 In this section, the conversation is about the equipment used for recording audio during the documentary production. The Zaxcom ZFR 300 is mentioned as recording straight onto its own pack even though it cannot transmit, which is useful when there are long distances between the crew and the subjects. The importance of audio is highlighted, and sometimes there are surprises during post-production where the audio enriches the scene. The director talks about the low shooting ratio and the unpredictable aspects that were hoped for, such as snow to mark the end of the season. Finally, the possibility of using GoPros for alternate perspectives is discussed but ultimately not purSud.
00:25:00 In this section, the director mentions the process of editing and how it is not recommended for a director to edit their own films. She admits to making a first pass of the edit and then bringing in a feature scripted type editor, Curtis Clayton, to refine certain subtleties adding some fiction sensibilities of characterization. When it comes to the music used, she reveals her preference to edit without any distractions from music to help her find the perfect cut, only bringing it in once she is happy with her editing. The director also spoke about how they got the financing for the film, including partnering with Synetic and Magnolia for distribution.
00:30:00 In this section, the filmmakers discuss the funding process for their documentary, Bitterbrush. They received initial support from the Catapult Film Fund for pre-production and research and development, and were able to keep costs low in the beginning to work with freedom. They later applied for additional funding and obtained support from Concordia and Wavelength. The filmmakers finished the film during the pandemic, navigating a remote workflow for post-production. They also touch on the budget for the film, which was low and included cinching in the belt in ways that may have impacted the quality of the film, but allowed for the freedom to experiment and craft something special.
00:35:00 In this section, the filmmakers discuss their experience with physical and post-production and how it allowed them to plan things in a way that cost a lot less than the traditional way of doing things. They also talk about the creative freedom they had in making the film and how it was an expression of an idea rather than being attached to movie stars or a massive social isSu impact campaign. The director talks about shooting the film by herself with a Panasonic EVA camera and relying on the sound to be taken care of by the self-regulating Zax's mics. The conversation then shifts to the difficulties of shooting alone and getting the muscle memory right, especially if the director is only occasionally picking up the camera. They also discuss the horse-breaking sequence in the film and how time was compressed cinematographically during the scene.
00:40:00 In this section, the conversation discusses the training process of horses and how it can be portrayed as brutal from an outsider's perspective. The documentary team wanted to show the real work that went into training a wild horse and the dangers that the women faced while doing so. The stakes are high as the relationship between the horse and the person could go wrong, leading to potential injuries for both parties. The documentary is now available on VOD and other platforms like Amazon Prime and Apple TV Plus.
00:45:00 In this section, the speakers briefly touch on the topic of seasonal work in rural America, acknowledging that it may not persist in the long term. They conclude the section by thanking Chuck and the audience.
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