Past Filmmakers

Edison Midgett
The Lure of the Dream

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?
The Lure of the Dream is based in large part on the writings of Carl Jung and grew out of collaboration with X Factor, a contemporary dance company, with choreography Valerie Midgett. Although the film was intended to be exhibited as part of a 20-minute live performance, the shorter sequences were also designed to stand on their own as small experimental video works.

2. How long did the production process take?
The entire shooting schedule was less than 1 hour in the studio and about 30 minutes on the top of a very cold North Carolina mountain in March. Valerie had already created the specific phrases with the dancers in the studio.

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?
We scouted a great location with incredible vistas on the Blue Ridge Parkway and were at first disappointed that the entire area had become socked in with fog. This actually turned out to be in our favor as it created an extremely surreal mood. To make matters worse, the temperature was below 30 degrees. So the dancers would throw off their down jackets and go through the paces, immediately jumping into shoes and coats at the first yell of “cut”. All of this after carrying a dining room table and chairs over a cow pasture at dawn.

4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?
I really enjoyed the location of the shoot. Shoots are always frantic, but the sheer beauty of the western North Carolina mountains was very inspiring. I have also exhibited several still images from this shoot and will have a show of them in Asheville, NC at the Pura Vida Gallery in September.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?
For me the work is about moments, snapshots from the unconscious that we live with either from past memories or déjà vu, which most people can identify with. I tried to take chances with the editing and I hope viewers will appreciate that.

6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?
The live performances have gone very well, considering the problems of projecting video in a performance space. People have told me they were very moved by the work and thought it a very poetic piece.  Sitting in the audience, I overhead someone behind me say that was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The theatrical live performance is of course a different work than this sequence and cannot be reproduced on videotape. Overall, I have gotten only positive feedback.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?
Watch films. Make films. Make lots of them. This is an age of opportunity for filmmakers. Hard drive space is cheap and you can green light your own projects. Don't wait around for grants and funding from other sources, buy or borrow a digital camera and computer and start making as many films as you can. Also do not neglect the sound—always have a separate sound person with professional gear. I once told a friend that I had heard that sound was 51 % of the experience. He said he had heard that it was 75 %. There is no substitute for good sound and bad sound is very hard to fix, even digitally. Eventually, invest in a small light package and use it on every shoot. In short, learn by experience.

8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on?
I am presently finishing a collaboration with Spoken Word artists and editing a documentary of the audition project titled Monologue both of which were shot in NY City.

9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in NC?

The film industry in North Carolina is alive and well. I know several low-budget and no-budget independent filmmakers who continue to make interesting work.

I do wish they had shot Cold Mountain here as a shot in the arm for the industry, but understand the financial considerations. I think the state should have done more to woo them, however, as it would have translated into much more income for the tourist and film industry. Still, it is gratifying to know Robert Redford shot in western North Carolina last year.