Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: The Square Root
Genre: Surrealist Drama
Date: 2020
Director: Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern
Producer: Patty Ann Dillon, Chris Blunk, Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern
Writer: Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern
Cinematographer: Jeremy Osbern, Matt Jacobson
Editor: Name
Composer: Name
Production Company: Gunnpark Entertainment, Through A Glass Productions, IgnitionFX
Budget: numerals
Financing: The producers self-financed
Shooting Format: RED + 16mm Film
Screening Format: 4K DCP
World Premiere: Cinequest Film Festival
Awards: 60+ awards or nominations (Since March 2020).
Website
indieactivity: What is your series about?
Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern: The Square Root is a short-form episodic series that explores memory and the small moments that make us who we are. Each chapter focuses on a different character, and each episode takes place during that split second before a character makes the decision that will change their lives forever.
Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern: The Square Root initially debuted to an early select group of subscribers on New Years. The series was the first to offer subscriptions through Kickstarter. Shortly afterwards, the series began its festival run in March, right as the world was shutting down due to COVID. As a result, many of the festivals that we had been planning on being able to attend in person shifted to online and virtual ceremonies, and it has been an interesting experience to take part in that transition. The plus side is that previously, we would have to choose a few festivals throughout the year to go to in person, but now we can attend most of them, and it’s been a lot of fun to be able to take part in three or four different festivals taking place all around the world in the same week.
Development & Financing?
Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern: The Square Root started with the idea of taking a traditional family drama storyline and turning it into something more fast-paced and laced with surreal imagery. From that initial spark, we wrote the first several episodes, with each episode focusing on a different character in the evolving storyline. We shot the first three episodes as well as an additional VR360 episode. The producers self-financed, with a little help from the money raised on Kickstarter through selling subscriptions to watch the finished product.
Production?
Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern: We filmed on location in Kansas in one week during the early summer. We flew in three of our lead actors from Los Angeles (Alexandra Goodman, Ian Stark, and Joseph Anderson), and we had a short window of time to shoot everything, so we had to plan out every day to the minute. Producer Chris Blunk worked with us, breaking down the budgets and helping to schedule out the days, and the Patty Ann Dillon was the onset producer and helped to make sure everything went smoothly. This series is very visual and production designer Andreina Byrne and art director Alex McGettrick pulled off a massive undertaking in a short amount of time.
There were shots that might feature in the end product for only a few seconds that would take most of the day to film, like an overhead shot in which the scene was dressed with hundreds of practical photocopies strewn all over the ground and the actor. We had a small but dedicated crew, and we all had a great time making it. The cinematography was always going to be key to pulling off the feel of the overall narrative, and co-creator Jeremy Osbern served as cinematographer alongside his longtime collaborator Matt Jacobson (the two of them both shot the Sundance film The Only Good Indian for Academy Award-winner Kevin Willmott), and the final result has received numerous awards, including a nod from this year’s Daytime Emmys.
The craziest thing that happened was a tornado literally touched down in our area while we were filming and was coming directly towards our location. It dissipated before it reached us, but it was definitely a first for our California actress, who had never been near one before. It actually destroyed our location for the next day. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but we had to scramble to find a new location at the last minute. That is definitely not something that most productions encounter!
Festival Preparation & Strategy?
Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern: We started our festival run at Cinequest, but the festival shut down due to COVID as we were about to board a plane to fly into San Francisco. Since then, it feels like we’ve been in at least one festival (sometimes multiple) every week. It’s been great to see the warm reception to this little project that could, and every craft that went into making it has been recognized with at least one award or nomination.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
Misti Boland, Jeremy Osbern: The biggest advice to offer is just if you have a story to tell, tell it! Make it within your means and get it out into the world. Every time you make something, it helps to make you a better storyteller, so just keep telling stories, and be passionate about the stories you tell.
Tell us what you think of The Square Root What do you think of it? Genre? More genre? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook or Instagram! Or join me on Twitter.
Follow Misti Boland on Social Media
Website
IMDb
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Follow Jeremy Osbern on Social Media
Website
IMDb
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
MORE STORIES FOR YOU
