An Industry Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: Birdwatching
Genre: narrative/experimental short film
Length of film: 10 mins
Date: October 2020
Director: Samantha Soule
Producer: Lovell Holder, Daniel Talbott, Addie Johnson Talbott, Samantha Soule
Executive & Creative Producer: NA
Writer: Daniel Talbott
Cinematographer: Rob Whittlesey
Editor: Samantha Soule
Composer: David Gonzalez
Production Company: NA
Budget: 2k
Financing: Self-produced
Shooting Format: 4k
Screening Format: 4k
World Premiere: Hudson Valley Film Festival
Awards: NA
Website: NA
The Official Trailer for Birdwatching
Watch Trailer for Birdwatching with Sharon Washington & Amanda Seyfried directed by Samantha Soule
A Short Biography of Samantha Soule
Samantha Soule is an American actress. She is known for her role in the Netflix series Godless, as well as Nurse Jackie, The Blacklist, The Queen’s Gambit and Tales of the City. Samantha also appears in the Martin Scorsese film The Irishman. She is also known for her roles in Broadway plays, including Dinner at Eight, and Off-Broadway performances, which include The Other Thing and Killers and Other Family. As a film director, her movies, include Midday Black Midnight Blue, for which she also co-wrote the screenplay.
The Samantha Soule Interview
indieactivity: What is your film about?
Samantha Soule (SS): Our short film is about finding connection at the end of life, which allows each of us all a moment of pause, reflection which may be what is needed to help us cross over from one stage of existence into the next.
Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
Samantha Soule (SS): Birdwatching has only really just begun to be screened! It’s played at HollyShorts, Hudson Valley Film Festival and Vail, with upcoming screenings booked at SCAD Film Festival.
Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Samantha Soule (SS): This is a placeholder text, that indicates that the content for this template must be placed between this block, to allow the article to hold a firm structure and also kill time for the writer or editor.
This is a placeholder text for the interview question?
Samantha Soule (SS): The film is an experimental/experiential/environmental poem. It’s an exploration into quite and internal reflection and the potential for that internal reflection to be shared with another. What if, in the moment where we dissolve back into nature.. earth or stream or sky… our inner most selves could be heard and held by another? A hand to hold. Another soul to recognize us. A moment to sit with someone and treasure the tiny things that make life, life… would it give us permission to let go?
In those last moments of life, it’s not always a loved one that holds our hand- but sometimes, someone we only meet at this juncture. A nurse. A stranger on the bus or plane. A fireman.
Particularly in these current times, when so many have not been able to be with loved ones at the end, we wanted to make a film honoring the elegant beauty and tenderness in can happen between strangers. How we meet in the stream of things and recognize each other.
Development & Financing?
Samantha Soule (SS): The script for this short was originally written as a short play. When the pandemic shut down theaters the script felt like a lovely way to embrace transition and evolution. It is, at its core about being brave enough to let go of who we were and step forward into the unknown. We chose to make this as simply and bare bones as we could. We filmed with no crew and no funders. The team itself brought together collaborators and we were incredibly lucky to have Tunnel Post and Private Island to help us in the finishing!
Production?
Samantha Soule (SS): Daniel and I are long time collaborators. We met a million years ago as classmates at Juilliard. Green and raw and terrified. We have grown up together, built a company together, built an extended family together. Daniel and I are long held touchstones for one another and being on opposite sides of the country this past year was deeply strange. We decided to make this short as a way to bridge that distance.
The production grew out of our long history of “begged, borrowed and stolen” indie theater making. Instead of trying to raise funding, we embraced what we had available. Sharon and Amanda are my neighbors in upstate NY. Our cinematographer is my father (luckily he is also an extremely talented life long documentary filmmaker and owns a camera!) We used that camera and lenses he owned. We had one LAV. A boom which I held. We filmed over two afternoons… one of which rained unexpectedly and gave us some of my most favorite unplanned moments! We recorded much of the audio in VO so we could work around having no crew. No sound team. No dolly or track…
It was a gentle adventure. We embraced the moments and the places around us to attempt something new. It my first film. I taught myself to edit in order to cut it. As unfamiliar and new as the whole experience was it was also lovely and simple all at once and I am so grateful to all those who have come on board since we filmed to help share it!
Lovell Holder and Addie Talbott joined as a producers. David Gonzalez came on board to craft music. The talented and generous souls at Tunnel Post and Private Island Sound helped us bring it all together. I am eternally grateful to them all!
Festival Preparation & Strategy?
SS: It’s so difficult to strategize for a festival run with a short film aside from casting a wide net, but I think some of the reasoning we employed was as follows: consider festivals where members of the team have had work screen previously; consider festivals that specifically spotlight elements of your project, either in terms of who is behind or in front of the camera, or in terms of location or content; consider festivals that are held in a spot you’re excited to potentially visit. All these factors can lead you toward a successful festival run.
Ultimately though, the most important thing was that the film be seen by people for whom it would be meaningful or who might provide potential opportunities to create work on a bigger platform. We have been very lucky that our short did just that, and thanks to someone connecting specifically with the short, Daniel and I have now co-directed our first feature, Midday Black Midnight Blue, which will be out next year. Thus, by that measure of success, crafting this little project has already exceeded every expectation.
The Release?
SS: We sent our little bird flying out into the world, and we waited to hear who wanted it to nest with them for a little while. Now that we’ve partnered with some wonderful festivals, we’re exploring our options for wider distribution so that more people have access to the project.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
SS: I think the largest lesson I learned in the making of this was that there is nothing but to try. That you can learn more than you knew in shorter amounts of time than you think. That you can make movies for no money. That people will help you. That it’s worth trying, even when you feel you don’t know what you’re doing. You will grow and learn and it’s always worth it!
Tell us what you think of the Case Study for Birdwatching. What do you think of it? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook. Or join me on Twitter.
Follow Samantha Soule on Social Media
Website
IMDb
LinkedIn
Instagram
Vimeo
MORE STORIES FOR YOU
