Entrelacés en Bleu, 18min., Canada
Directed by Tayler Gladue
3 strangers struggle to find where they fit in a world that demands too much from them. Little do they realize how impactful and connected their lives actually are.
Get to know the filmmaker:
- What motivated you to make this film?
As a small Indie filmmaker I Calgary, we are often constrained by physical and economic factors when deciding to make a film. Due to low budgets most of the crew and cast usually get played very little, this causes the filmmaker to decide to cut aspects of the script, shoot in a location they do not want and have an ever increasingly production process.
I was tired of watching short films that you could tell scenes were cut, they had few locations and for most of them you could tell they were filmed in a day or two.
For me this drastically impacte4d the story of the film in certain cases, and I thought to myself, what if we shot a short like a feature?
Keep relatively the same budget as a short but plan it out so we could use all the locations we wanted, all the cast we wanted and the crew.
I am a member of a very diverse art community and I thought, what if we treat this film like a residency? Have a group of artists who would not normally work together, create a film by solving the problems the others couldn’t?
It’s kind of a love letter to Jean-Luc Godard, what if a bunch of artsy friends run around the city with camera, a mic and some beautiful people and capture what happens. This was the inception of Entrelaces en Bleu.
- From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
The film took from conception to release 1 year and 4 months. I know that seems a long time for a short film, however from the get-go I had decided that we need to make sure we capture the right moments. I was frustrated with overall concept of short filmmaking here in my hometown. Often you would only shoot over a weekend and on a shoestring budget, and you could often tell by the quality of the product shown.
For me, I wanted to make sure I had the right cast, the right locations and the right crew to shoot the scenes I had envisioned. So, with that in mind we made a long form schedule to accommodate everyone’s schedule. This had a secondary benefit you often do get on low budget short films; I had time to personally work with the cast and crew to truly make sure they had grasped my vision. It was a luxury most short films don’t consider, however that is why I wanted to change that.
- How would you describe your film in two words!?
Avant-garde
4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film
I think the biggest obstacle I faced was convincing the people involved to trust the process. It’s so foreign for a short indie film to have such a long time to work on the film, this was a good thing, but we often found ourselves drifting, especially in post, having never worked with an actual band who gave us their music and a composer was intimidating but exhilarating as well.
- There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Having been able to be a part of every step of this film was thrilling, I’m a producer by trade, but I was excited to try directing. Being able to work one on one with the cast and crew and express my vision to them and direction of the film was one of the highlights for me. I can only hope the cast and crew felt the same…
- When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I was a Chef in my previous life before covid, and when covid happened, I made the decision to follow a real passion I have had since a child. After covid I enrolled in film school and learned very quickly my abilities of chef, organization, planning and execution were transferable into the role as a producer.
- What film have you seen the most times in your life?
That’s a tough one… I would have to say my go to is usually the Birdcage, but I have to admit I watch gremlins way to often to be normal.
- In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
Unfortunately, the person I would have love to is no longer with us, but if I could even just pick John Waters brain over a beer, that would be amazing!
- You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Yes, I use film freeway for all my projects. I find it incredibly helpful, especially when finding the right festival fit of my film.
- What is your favorite meal?
Ceasar Salad. I have a personal recipe that I used in all my restaurants that I absolutely love. Everyone else seems to like it to.
- What is next for you? A new film?
Currently I have a few film in development and pre-production. As well as a few docs.
After the experience of working with all the amazing artists, musicians, painters and creatives who helped bring Blue to life, we have also decided to start a art group here in Calgary to help promote independent artists and their creative projects.
