Short films have taken off lately, especially since the Youtube revolution. What does it take to make a short film, is it just running around with a camera or is there more to it than that. Sometimes a good short is born with a low budget and a passion for film making and other times it takes a lot of time and preparation. This year’s 2012 short films are intriguing and span many thematic elements, from war, to abortion, monastic life, poverty and even Zombies! That’s right, Zombies!

Filmmaker, Zombie enthusiast (Check out Living Dead Lock Up) and JP2 Team member had the chance to talk with some of our filmmakers about their short films that will be screened on Saturday November 10th, 2012 at the JP2 International Film Festival. Don’t forget to PURCHASE TICKETS for this event as space is limited! The other films being screened that are not interviewed here are Chris Casaburi’s “Choices” and Charles Kinnane’s “Child 31″.

SET APART – Directed by James Penco

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF):How would you pitch your movie to an audience? 

James Penco (Director): “Set Apart” is a documentary portrait of four monks and the Benedictine community they live with in Mission, British Columbia, Canada. I really wanted to let the beauty and wisdom of monastic life speak for itself, and to do this in a way so that not just Catholics could understand it, but hopefully any ordinary secular person could. So the film is really about the decision these four men made to become monks, how they felt a call, why they chose to listen to that call, and most importantly, the gifts they have found since following it.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): In your opinion, how does your film fit into the 2012 theme, REVELATION. This question applies to the film itself as well as its production process. 

James Penco (Director): I think “Set Apart” is a “Revelation” of sorts because many people think that being a monk must be a miserable way to live your life. They’re thinking of all that the monks have to give up– money, material possessions, marriage, sex, and children, and so on. But then encountering the spiritual depth and richness of their lives, and seeing the joy and peace they have that comes through even on film, is a bit of a shock, to find that these monks, who have none of the things our society holds most dear, actually have something that the rest of us are lacking. We think they have far less than us, and we realize that they, paradoxically, have so much more.

I think the biggest singular revelation of the film for audiences has been its explanation of celibacy. I’ve had many completely non-religious people come up to me after watching the film telling me how beautiful and thought-provoking it was for them to hear that celibacy wasn’t about rejecting sexuality but embracing it even more deeply at a spiritual level. It’s another revelatory paradox that these celibate monks have more wisdom and insight into human sexuality than our sex-happy modern culture.

I was the only Catholic on our film crew- I brought with me an atheist, an agnostic, and a Protestant Christian- and every one of us was deeply moved by the monastic environment. From a production standpoint, it was by far the most peaceful film set I have ever been on! I think the biggest revelation for my crew was just to see the beauty of Catholicism when it is lived out to its fullest. Speaking for myself, I have never felt the presence of God so deeply as I have at the monastery. It truly is an extraordinary place.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): How did you hear about the festival? 

James Penco (Director): I found out the festival about a year ago. Knowing that there are so many subcultural film festivals out there, I was wondering what sort of Christian and Catholic festival existed in North America. That led me pretty quickly to finding out about the JPII Festival.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): What special permission did you have to use to be allowed this much access? 

James Penco (Director): The Abbot of the monastery was very gracious with us. He spent about a month praying and discussing with the community before coming to the decision of letting us film there. I said that what I was most interested in filming would be 3 or 4 interviews as well as the liturgical prayer of the monks in the chapel. When we got to the monastery, they took very good care of us. When something interesting would be happening that day (for instance, oiling the bells in the bell tower) one of the monks would ask us if we wanted to film it. Of course, we said yes! So we really just took what was given to us each day, and the monks were very generous.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): What did you shoot with and what lenses did you use to get some beautiful shots? 

James Penco (Director): We shot the film on two Canon 60D cameras, which are rather inexpensive DSLR cameras, with four different lenses. I am very happy that we got such amazing-looking footage out of them, and I have to credit my cinematographer, Devan Scott, for that. We were also incredibly graced with the weather- we were only at the monastery for three days to shoot, but all four seasons showed up in those three days so you really get a sense for the year-round natural beauty of the monastic grounds.
HARVEST - Directed by Reid Carrescia

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): How would you pitch your movie to an audience?

Reid Carrescia (Director): It’s ultimately about one man’s journey towards belief. The story follows a farmhand who questions his fatalistic outlook amidst the strange prophetic events occurring around him.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): In your opinion, how does your film fit into the 2012 theme, REVELATION. This question applies to the film itself as well as its production process.

Reid Carrescia (Director): For one, the main plot point in the film could be considered the start of the tribulation as described in the Book of Revelation. A great deal of inspiration came from Matthew 24, which refers to the future. In a couple of cases, the characters’ dialog is pretty much verbatim from this chapter, like in the case where the drunk at the bar exclaims, “the moon shall be darkened, the sun shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven”.

But besides Revelation itself, the film also suggests the other side of the term ‘revelation’—that is, one of discovery and new beginnings. After witnessing the prophecies and recognizing what they mean, the farmhand abandons his fatalistic perspective and finds his own belief. Though the ending of the film is left slightly ambiguous in terms of what happens, the main character ultimately goes through regeneration when the truth is unveiled to him.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): How did you hear about the festival?

Reid Carrescia (Director): I got sick a few months ago and couldn’t do much for about two weeks, so I used time wisely and browsed the web for festivals in which Harvest would be a good fit. It was kind of a blessing in disguise, because it forced me to take time off and focus on what was important, realizing that getting my work out there is good thing to do. So when I found out about JP2 and their theme for 2012, I had to enter.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): You had some incredible photography.  What cameras did you use and was it mostly natural light?

Reid Carrescia (Director): Thanks. My goal with Harvest was to ‘show, don’t tell’. I really aimed to communicate the majority of the film solely through visuals.

We shot most of the film on the RED ONE with Canon lenses and used Canon DSLRs for most of the B-roll shots. I had my good friend BJ Downs behind the camera for the principal photography, and we worked close together to do a lot with very little.

Yes, natural light was used for the majority of exteriors, occasionally bouncing sunlight onto the talent’s face. I knew the time of day would play a big role in the cinematography and the feel of the film so I organized the shooting times around the most appropriate lighting for each scene. The interiors were lit with a few tungsten halogens with diffusion and Chinese lanterns. The color grade helped tie together the overall look.

I acquired a good portion of the exterior/B-roll shots while driving to and from college, because I just happened to have a camera in the car. When driving to dinner one night, there were these huge flocks of geese landing in a field alongside the road. So my girlfriend and I stop and set up the camera, and all of a sudden, she casually walks onto the field and scares hundreds of birds into the shot. I almost didn’t get it, but the whole thing was pretty awesome. It was the perfect visual metaphor to end the film. I give all the credit to her on that one.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): What software did you use to edit your short?

Reid Carrescia (Director): I used Final Cut Pro 7 and Premiere Pro for the edit, REDCINE-X for the color, and Pro Tools for the soundtrack. And a good amount of coffee, too.

ALWAYS COME HOME - Directed by Meagan Flynn

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): How would you pitch your movie to an audience?

Meagan Flynn (Director): ALWAYS COME HOME is a Christian family short that show us even in our darkest times we are reached out to and comforted. At it’s simplest form it holds true the statement “When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.” I don’t believe God causes bad things to happen or allows those we love to die, but he does provide hope and comfort in the times we need him most. As my pastor says “The worst thing is never the last thing.” which is what the story of Christ teaches us. I wanted a simple story that would hopefully uplift the audience when it was over. I wanted it to be accessible for all ages and thus showed it through a little girl’s eyes.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): In your opinion, how does your film fit into the 2012 theme, REVELATION. This question applies to the film itself as well as its production process.

Meagan Flynn (Director): I believe ALWAYS COME HOME greatly embodies this year’s theme. The unveiling of comfort is the revelation in this story. God finds us in our darkest times and often reveals inner strength we did not know we had and sends us reassurance in ways we do not expect. Revelation to me is having one’s eyes opened often in an unexpected way as Franny’s mother does. Franny’s belief and faith in things is unwavering, but she provides her sight and understanding to her mother.

The creation of this film was also a revelation for me personally. I had produced and acted for years and had just started directing, but this piece was the first thing I had ever written and directed simultaneously. The fact that the Arts Council of KC believed in it enough to accept my request for an Inspiration Grant was a huge boost to me. This piece showed me that I can take on the writer/director role and succeed. I have since written and directed two more shorts in the last year. I felt uplifted and encouraged by the entire experience and it helped convince me continue on this journey as a filmmaker.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): How did you hear about the festival?

Meagan Flynn (Director): I was researching Christian film fests that would showcase the values I was trying to present in the piece. John Paul II caught my attention in a Google search and I was impressed with the mission and message of the festival. I submitted that same week and had my fingers crossed we’d be accepted.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): This was a personal family story, did someone in the production lose a relative in combat?

Meagan Flynn (Director): During college I witnessed someone very close to me lose their younger brother in Afghanistan in the earliest stages of combat after 9/11. He was a brave young Marine who was adored by his family, friends and colleagues. Witnessing the grief they went through was a defining moment in my life. If you have never stood at a graveside and heard a 21 gun salute, and seen a folded American flag presented to a grieving mother, I assure you it will haunt you for the rest of your life. Particularly in this case with one so young and full of spirit who had barely begun to live. I was determined from that point on to never take a moment or individual in my life for even a second. As the year’s have gone on and I have experienced more loss in my own life I have often reflected on the love and heroism of that family and drawn strength from that. In creating this film I thought a lot about what kind of signs would give me strength and reassurance after losing a loved one this way. It was very important to me that we were respectful of the subject matter and that the military aspect was handled extremely accurately.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): Was it intentional to not see a father in the family photo?  Was that a statement?

Meagan Flynn (Director): I don’t know that it was a conscious choice in the beginning, but as I worked on the piece to me there was something even more profound to me about a loss where the son was the only man in the family and a father figure in addition to brother for the little girl. I didn’t create a back story for what may have happened to the father, if he passed away or left at some point, but I also thought it really spoke to the strength and faith of Franny’s mother that she would be able to carry on as a single mother and then to carry on in faith after the loss of her son. It wasn’t a statement per se, but I felt that the family of three really made the loss all that more poignant.

I hope people enjoy the film. I also have to give an immense shout out to my director of photography Shaun, composer Ryan, editors Andy and Brandon, producer Pamela and the entire cast and crew, without whose talents this wouldn’t have been possible. You were all wonderful to work with and your trust in me is so appreciated. I hope people will stay all the way through the credits and note each name in the list. They all deserve it! Again we are honored to screen with you and hope you enjoy the film! Blessings!

ZOMBIES VS. JESUS - Directed by Rob Kaczmark

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): How would you pitch your movie to an audience? 

Rob Kaczmark (Director): I would say Zombies vs Jesus is a great movie to get the conversation started with a youthful person who may not completely “get” the Eucharist and why it is so important in our daily lives.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): In your opinion, how does your film fit into the 2012 theme, REVELATION. This question applies to the film itself as well as its production process. 

Rob Kaczmark (Director): Well both of our films, To Be Born and Zombies vs Jesus are films that we hope to leave the viewer with something new, something that may have not thought of before they watched it.. sort of a Revelation.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): How did you hear about the festival?

Rob Kaczmark (Director): I first heard about it from Sr. Helena Burns and then seen a lot buzz about it on Facebook.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): What did you use to shoot all that great POV footage on the bike?  A Go Pro maybe? 

Rob Kaczmark (Director): We shoot all the POV stuff on a Canon 5D mark II with a 16-35mm lens. The camera was mounted on a motorcycle helmet by a custom rig made out of Zacuto parts. We considered using a GoPro but the image quality wasn’t up to par of what we wanted.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): Which movies and video games inspired you?  I definitely saw some ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘Left 4 Dead’ influence.

Rob Kaczmark (Director): I am a huge Sam Raimi fan, so Evil Dead I and II and of course Army of Darkness played a huge role in inspiration for me. I really like the Resident Evil video game series as well. However, we had limitation on this film from the producers, in that we had to keep the gore to a minimum, which was a bit of a let down because I love me some gore. I understand the reasoning for it. They didn’t want it too gory so that it would turn people off, but I wish we could have given it a Walking Dead look.

Mario Xavier (JP2IFF): You had some impressive shots did you have access to Steadicam and a jib? 

Rob Kaczmark (Director):