IT’S ALL ABOUT HEART – FILMMAKER CHRIS TEVEBAUGH TAKES ON HOLLYWOOD
Back in early June I received a note from an ambitious undergrad filmmaker from The University of South Carolina. It said, simply:
“As someone who loves film noir, I appreciate what you’re doing; I made a film noir myself, and maybe you’d appreciate what I’m doing.”
The message was followed by a series of Vimeo film shorts that convinced me he not only has passion for the art of film, but also the talent and intention to back it up. As an avid supporter of the Palm Springs International Film Society’s outreach programs, and because I believe we desperately need more funding allocated toward the development of the arts in our schools, I welcome the opportunity to share with you the unique perspective of one young filmmaker who has managed to beat the odds by grabbing the attention of a Hollywood cinematographer and film crew for his first feature film effort.
His name is Chris Tevebaugh; the film is “Honor The Father,” and what follows is my conversation with him about what it’s like to succeed as a filmmaker when you’re 2500 miles from Hollywood…
GH: Chris, what first got you interested in film? Were there any particular directors, filmmakers, or films that inspired you?
CT: I love films, but architecture is the seed that got me into films.
The limitation of architecture is that a building cannot be experienced in a photograph because the experience of the location cannot be replicated. Furthermore, architecture cannot influence culture the way films do since it cannot be absorbed on a massive scale. That is why I turned to films.
From the perspective of architecture, what is the perfect way to experience a building? Say a single room in a house is never used; did you get the full effect? What time of day and what season should one explore this particular museum? What is the truest way to enter an airport, the front door or the jet way? These questions facilitate audience participation. By that, I mean that no singular experience is correct. The definitive experience is one part the art itself and one part how the audience adds themselves into its absorption. It is only through active participation, through this absorption, that architecture fulfills its value.
When it comes to facilitating a message through a film, I never want to tell my audience exactly what to think or feel. Instead, I want to create a situation whereas my audience can conceivably see my world. Just like in architecture, some of the audience’s experience should be left for them to fill themselves. This is their participation. I don’t want to indoctrinate, but instead facilitate emotions and provoke thought. The audience must arrive at their own conclusions.
I take my movie influences from Werner Herzog, Darren Aronofsky, and Lars von Trier.
GH: You’ve told me you are currently working on a half narrative/half musical with what sounds like a Hollywood team behind you. Can you tell me a little bit about this production?
CT: Yes, my film is called Honor the Father, a period musical piece. The movie will be submitted to film festivals all over the world throughout 2014. The short follows Roman Cyprus through his consciousness as he relives the brightest and darkest days of his life. Set in 1937 and 1956. He's split with the guilt of murdering his wife and the self perceived righteousness of doing so. What is the true health of his soul and how he will manage to live with his mistakes?
Every time I start pre-production on my films, I compile a dozen or so dream crew members and usually get three or four. Not this time. My film has the full dream crew filling out every position. We even managed to snag LA cinematographer Pierce Cook! In order to make this film, everyone had to make sacrifices. But the story’s power has draw people everywhere who are jumping at the opportunity. Today, I'm picking up new crew members on a weekly basis. Just last week, a visual effects artist from AMC asked to do the credits for our movie. Hell yes you may!
The story itself had been conceived as a piece analyzing sex inequality, dogmatic beliefs, guilt and honesty. We have already recorded brilliant music for our musical numbers and The Fire Tonight is scoring the film. Everything is phenomenal; however, to make this happen we need a little more in our budget. We are launching a Kickstarter fundraising campaign in mid August to give us the money we need. Check out the link to our Facebook page to be kept in the loop on that and SoundCloud to hear the beginning part of our film’s story.
GH: How would you describe the film scene in South Carolina, and do you feel it’s more challenging for a young filmmaker to get noticed there than it would be perhaps for someone living in LA or New York?
GH: As an artist, I’ve had the opportunity to communicate with many fellow artists, some famous, some just starting out, about the “creative process,” from brilliance to writer’s block. Can you describe your frame of mind when you come up with the ideas for your films, and do you create better in a solitary environment or draw more inspiration from group efforts?
CT: Writer’s block is the mind failing at finding a solution to a particular question. When a solution emerges, it’s not the result of some creative magic, but rather of bad ideas forcing good ones to surface. One shouldn’t expect to solve any given problem outright. Just pull thoughts out of your brain, and then critique them against the problem at hand. When critiqued, even bad ideas can become the road map to success. I submit that writer’s block is a self imposed phenomenon conjured up by unrealistic expectations of the creative process.
GH: It has been claimed filmmakers in America lag behind other countries in terms of documentary filmmaking, because of the availability of government subsidies for the arts available in other countries. Do you consider yourself to be a documentary filmmaker (I’m referring to your short “Runaway Runway”), and do you feel American culture places enough emphasis on the arts in general?
CT: I love documentaries, but conceptually I don't make "documentaries". I treat every story like a narrative, even Runaway Runway.
Runaway Runway: The Flower the Squid and the Apology from Christopher Tevebaugh on Vimeo.
Art only works when you tell the story that exists in your heart at the time of its creation. During the Runaway Runway documentary, I had just ruined an important friendship in my personal life. With that mistake, the story I had been following about a recycling fashion show became a metaphor. How could someone who recently deemed himself garbage find personal value again? I believed that this approach would personally connect an audience to a subject that is otherwise tired and overdone in the world of documentaries. Not telling the story in my heart would have added Runaway Runway to the list of “documentaries” about recycling that has no chance to impact an audience.
America does lag behind as far as funding goes, but no country has enough funding. I try to think about it from an investor’s perspective. One hundred people want my entire small sum of money. I can’t just give my money away to anyone because there is a good chance I’ll get a “documentary” and not a real story and how bad that would be if one of those hundred people had a real story within them.
Governments care overly protective of these budgets and then they receive crap, European documentaries tend to tell their stories more like narrative and they’re better for it. If we in America produce better movies and art with real heart we may find ourselves with accesses to more funding. With regards to my upcoming film, "Honor the Father", the same passion that drove me in Runaway Runway will be essential. I'm telling the story of Roman putting his soul on trial after destroying his family.
GH: Your short “Sazerac” was really clever. You captured the elements of film noir amazingly well and on such a small budget! One of my favorite films is Hitchcock’s adapted play, “Rope,” shot on a single set and with next to no editing. In these days of blockbuster films, phenomenal special effects, and limitless funds, is it still possible to create a great film on a small budget, and what differentiates a good from a great film?
CT: Sazerac is special to me because it was my first time as a director. I wrote the script with my producer and camera man in about thirty minutes. It was shot and completed for under 100 dollars. The movie turned out solid, but I'm never content. I need to make much better things.
A great film can definitely be made on a small budget, but that depends on the film itself. To make a movie isn't to only make a story; it's to facilitate a story that already exists somewhere in the audience. What they all need is heart, because the difference between a good movie and a great movie is just that, heart. That’s what makes a movie become alive. Hoop Dreams (1994) is a great example of a movie that achieves this. It gives us a structure and we are guided to create our own personal meaning. The message of story is something we as the audience create ourselves. Audience participation is the seed of giving art life.
GH: What types of projects would you hope to see yourself working on in the next 10 years?
CT: I enjoy changing genres to challenge myself. I’ve had a dream project that I’ve been crafting based off an earlier work, Dr. Sphincter's Feast of Souls. In comedic fashion, the project chronicles the obsession of a evil doctor trying to reanimate corpses.
Feast of Souls (Horror) from Christopher Tevebaugh on Vimeo.
I want to make a horror comedy that can be enjoyed for what it is on the surface or if you want something more, for having heart below the surface. Also, I seek out projects that allow me to collaborate with new and exciting people. Anyone can email me if they have a pitch. ChrisTevebaugh@gmail.com
GH: Are there any dark horse films that might not be on everyone’s radar at the moment that you’d like to call our attention to?
CT: I could name you films all day, but that's such a safe thing to do. I'd rather take a risk and name a film that's not out yet. The film is called Warrior Road, a South Carolina based production that will hit the film festival circuits soon. It has an old school feel and could be perceived to be a bit risky in today’s fast paced market. The film is able to say a lot through space and acting rather than through dialogue. I have my eye on this one, look out for it.
GH: Most artists who share their creativity as a profession have specific audiences they hope to reach. What types of audiences, if any, are you creating your films for, and what is the most important impression you want people to come away with after viewing one of your films?
CT: For my new film, Honor the Father, I’m aiming to reach fellow filmmakers. A short film that travels the film festival circuit doesn't have much chance at affecting culture, but it can affect those filmmakers that, in turn, can affect culture in mass. I want those filmmakers to know that a story like Honor the Father, a story that has a strong message, isn't a scary thing to sell an audience. I'm tired of watered down scripts or movies that aren't pushed to their full potential because some guy in a suit thinks a ridiculous thought, like for instance, that a female lead won't sell.
