What was the starting point or the initial idea for this film?
I had been making a film portrait (Rear Projection: Molly Parker) in Los Angeles in 2006 using traditional 35mm rear projection. I am interested in this quite old fashioned process whereby a silent filmed world is placed behind actors in a studio to suggest (usually) that the actors are on location. What I have been drawn to is the process' inherent flatness (which in many respects contradicts its 'reality effect') and I have the feeling that when cinema began to use rear projection widely, film became 'joined' the other visual arts and became properly modern In order to make my film I hired the Hansard family, who for 60 years have specialised in rear projection. It was while working with the Hansards that I decided to make a portrait of their (anecdotal) lives and experiences as the technical facilitators of cinematic backstories (literally, the images they projected in the background of more than 800 Hollywood films ).
Most of your work is presented in an installation. Why did you choose for the single screen format in this case? Is it important to show your work as well on a film festival like the IFFR?
I show films that are, more or less, appropriate for the spaces where they are seen. So for galleries and museums this usually means that my films are short, silent and looped. But I am interested in everything film can do, so I understand Backstory - a documentary but also a portrait - to be just another aspect of my work. Because it is long(er) and because it has sound it is more appropriate for cinematic screenings (and not for galleries) and therefore it makes sense that it be shown in festivals such as IFFR.
Can you share an important/funny/moving/surprising anecdote of the making-of this film with us?
All of the rear projected films (what are called ‘plates’ in the industry) are shot on 35mm. The foreground in the studio was shot with RED 4K. Initially I had thought I would shoot the whole thing on 35mm but this proved to be far too expensive for me so I was persuaded to shoot digital in the studio. I had already shot a couple of films using the RED camera so I knew more or less what to expect from it. What i did not expect, and was completely surprised by was the combination effect of using 35mm film with 4k. The flatness of the filmed images in the background together with the rich digitally rendered images of the speaking subjects produced almost a three dimensional effect. It was a perfect accident and for me it just served to highlight the inherent montage effect of rear projection,
What do you do when not making films?
I am the co-editorial director of Afterall Journal (a journal of contemporary art) and the co-director and editor of Afterall Books. This publishing/editorial work is like a hobby and it allows me the opportunity to work on and about other people's work. But mainly I work on my films, preparing, writing, making tests and spending as much time as possible looking for locations.
What would you like to say to your audience before seeing your film?
I am not sure I would say anything except to thank all the people who have helped to make the film possible.
What project(s) are you working on this year? Could you please tell us something about your future projects?
I am just now completing two films for the Berlinale; I am also making a film for the Warsaw Opera (May 2010); and I am shooting a film next month in the Italian Alps for an exhibition I am having in Italy later this year. Finally, I am currently adapting a short story for a feature film that I hope to make next year.