Past Filmmakers

Joe Bowers
one thousand and one 4:31

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?

one thousand and one was conceived as a way to come to terms with the loss of a close friend. It occurred to me during the grieving process that feelings of loss like the one I was experiencing were the fault of the human experience of time as a singular, directed, continuous phenomenon: If we could experience time as multiple or simultaneous or even just episodic than no one would ever have to feel they had lost anything. This reasoning is absurd, of course, but when I reflect on it  I can still feel echoes of both sadness and a sort of melancholy comfort.  Making the film was a way for me to celebrate this mix of humor, sadness, and release.

2. How long did the production process take?

The film was produced in a bit less than six weeks, more than half of which was devoted to the preparation of concept materials or formal and technical experimental footage that was not included in the final cut of the film.

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?

The film was shot with a cheap digital still camera that had a timer but no remote control. Since I was the easiest model to schedule for shooting (particularly for concept and experimental footage), I shot most of the movie by slowly and gently setting the timer so that I didn't accidentally disturb the framing, then running around to the other side of the camera and diving into a chair at top speed, and then trying to look natural and relaxed before the camera snapped the picture. It turned out to be an efficient method of getting the shots I needed, but I felt pretty silly the whole time.

4. What was your favorite memory from creating the film?

Probably the running back and forth between the camera and the chair, and feeling silly about it.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?

Try not to have too many expectations about audience reaction. I just hope people will feel like watching the film was a few minutes well spent.

6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?

Honestly, before sending the film to UNC-TV the only people who saw the film were my friends and classmates. Their  reactions were polite and loving appreciation, gentle critique, and the occasional expression of surprise that I played the accordion.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?

As a beginner myself, I'm not sure I'm qualified to give general advice, but I can say what went right making this short. At every step of the way I made sure that keeping costs low  and speed of production high was a top priority. I felt if I could do something quickly and cheaply, then I could take risks and throw things away.  A lot more footage went into the trash than into the final movie, but at six weeks and (literally) zero dollars I don't think that any of it was wasted.

8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on.

I would really like to try integrating video into some sort of rich interactive experience. The current state of the art with this sort of thing is pretty awkward, with lots of jolting transitions from video to rich interaction and back. I would like to experiment with some more elegant ways to leverage the different dimensions of experience at the same time.

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

There is a lot of opportunity for investment in the North Carolina film industry right now. North Carolina has a broad range of breathtaking locations and a strong community of innovative film and media artists and professionals.