FILMMAKER INTERVIEW: COLIN FOSTER, WRITER AND CO-DIRECTOR OF “MAN WITH A BOLEX MOVIE CAMERA”
By Zander Sirlin
Colin Foster is the writer and co-director of the short film, “Man with a Bolex Movie Camera.” Foster is one of a number of local filmmakers being represented in the DC Shorts Film Festival. The film was shot in Chevy Chase using several students and graduates of American University.
Named after Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera, “Man with a Bolex Movie Camera” follows a young couple trying to make a sex tape using a Bolex, an ancient 16mm camera that must be continuously winded up. The making of the sex tape is humorously complicated by both the obsolete camera and the man’s devotion to quality filmmaking.
As a finalist in last year’s DC Shorts Screenplay Competition, Foster got to see his screenplay for “Man with a Bolex Movie Camera” performed by local actors in a live reading. The subsequent short film has toured with the CineKink film festival in New York City and Las Vegas and it was named an Honorable Mention at the Rochester International Film Festival.
What first got you interested in film?
I feel like there are so many different answers I could give to this question. In the end though I think the best answer is that I just always loved movies. When I was a kid I watched them so much my parents were actually concerned about it to the extent that they decided to limit the amount of time I could spend in front of the television. The obsession continued on into adulthood and when I was looking into going to graduate school it occurred to me that maybe I should apply to a few film programs, and so I did. I got accepted, and here I am today.
Is there a real story that inspired the making of the film?
HAHA! When you see the film this question will make you chuckle…
But sadly, no. I would love to say that I once tried to make a sex tape using a Bolex, or even that I knew someone who tried, but it would be a lie. “Man with a Bolex Movie Camera” actually just began as an offhand joke. Myself and several friends were shooting a project for a class on a Bolex and it was the first time any of us had shot on film. It was difficult to say the least and so I made a joke about how dedicated pornographers must have been back in the day to put up with everything necessary in order to make a film look nice. It snowballed from there and eventually became this film.
How would you describe your background in film? What education or experience do you have in filmmaking?
This past spring I received my MFA in Film and Electronic Media from American University. While in school over the past three years I’ve worked on a lot of student productions and a few professional ones. At this point I would say that I’m a relatively well informed novice. What I mean by that is that I’ve studied film from a production and theoretical standpoint, but I haven’t worked professionally long enough to consider myself truly knowledgeable about how movies are made in the real world.
What advice do you have for students interested in attending the same school?
You’d better want to make movies that try to make a difference in the world because AU’s motto is “make media that matters”. I don’t think that it’s a bad motto to have but if you want to make a movie like Stranger than Paradise or The Royal Tenenbaums then AU might not be the best place for you.
How would you describe the DC film scene?
DC has a small but vibrant filmmaking community. Most of the work being done here is on documentaries.
How has being where you are from impacted your film or filmmaking?
Well, if we’re talking about DC then I would say it has impacted me very little. If we’re talking about where I’m from originally, which is Rochester, NY, I would say it has impacted me vastly. Rochester is home to Eastman Kodak. The company was founded in Rochester back in the day by George Eastman and his presence in the city is difficult to ignore. Almost every university in Rochester has an Eastman building that he donated and his home, a vast mansion in downtown Rochester reminiscent of Gatsby’s home in Fitzgerald’s famous novel, is now a museum. Every child of Rochester takes at least one field trip there at some time or another and the result is that Rochester is a city that LOVES good films. The Eastman house has a theater attached to it that screens old movies several times a week (most recently I saw the old Howard Hawks classic, Bringing Up Baby there). In addition, Rochester is a town that loves independent film and so as a result, the films that I love most are art house films and independent cinema.
Who or what do you cite as major inspirations for your work?
In the case of “Man with a Bolex Movie Camera” I would say that it is directly inspired by the screwball comedies of the 30′s and 40′s (Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, It Happened One Night, etc…). When I look at all of my work mixed together, I would say that it is mostly a combination of screwball comedy and French new wave. I’m a sucker for two things, a) a good story, and b) a filmmaker who sees it as their job to push their medium to the edge. Alain Resnais, Federico Fellini, and Jim Jarmusch are three prime examples of what can happen when good story meets experimentation and they’re my heroes because of it.
How would you describe your filmmaking process?
I’m not really sure yet. Maybe I haven’t made enough films to truly know what works for me and what doesn’t? I do believe very strongly in the Hitchcockian method of complete and absolute preparation. Of course when you’re shooting a happy accident will occur here and there and there should be freedom to see what might come of it but the greatest directors are those who have a vision and who strive to make that vision come to life. I believe that without preparation I would fail to execute any sort of vision and hence any film I make will suffer as a result.
What technology/programs did you use to make your film?
We shot on a Sony EX-1 with a Letus lens adapter and we edited on Final Cut Pro.
What was your film’s budget? How was it financed?
The film costed about $500 and it came out of our own pockets and the pockets of our friends (as I’m saying this I’m slightly dumbfounded that we made it for such little money, the next film I made cost $6,000 and now I consider that to be incredibly cheap).
Did you make the film for anyone in particular? What audience did you have in mind?
I suppose I made it for filmmakers more than anyone else but I like to think that most anyone can enjoy it. We tried really hard to answer questions that non-film people would have by making the character of Chrissy a novice on the subject and having her set up Ryan with crucial questions such as “what is a light meter?”
Do you have any advice for aspiring filmmakers?
Making movies is incredibly hard but because of this difficulty it is also very rewarding. My biggest piece of advice would be to start small. Very small. A teacher once told me that and I thought I understood him but in reality it went right over my head. The best films are often the most simple ones, both in terms of concept and production. If I offer any more advice I will be overstepping my boundary because I still consider myself to be a beginner as a filmmaker.
Where can readers view your work and learn more about you?
Soon I will take one step closer to professionalism and have a website (this will be happening VERY soon. The ball is already rolling and the site should go live within the next few weeks). Until then I would suggest checking out my vimeo page: http://vimeo.com/user4939679
You could also check out my co-director’s website: http://jasonfraley.org/
His name is Jason Fraley and he is amazingly talented.
“Man with a Bolex Movie Camera” is playing with eight other great short films in DC Shorts Showcase #16.