I Can See You

Last year, I had the pleasure of sitting with filmmaker, Graham Reznick at Yaffa Cafe. I think we had some sangria or maybe that was just me drinking the sangria. Anyhow, I enjoyed his surreal-esque film, I Can See You and was excited to interview* (Ellen Donbeck wrote the article) an artist who dually honed technical and creative mastery.

Reznick and I met again — through email — to catch up and learn what he’s been up to since we last convened.

CARLOS DETRES: I have to be honest with you. Your interview was my first ever, which is why I brought that Book of Questions along in case I got stuck. It was a fun chat at that cafe and you were beginning to get a lot of press for your film. What was that feeling like?

Our interview last year came at a very big time for me. My film I Can See You had taken a long time to gain traction, and so finally having a NYC theatrical release and getting a lot of positive press was very exciting and fulfilling.

GRAHAM REZNICK: Last we spoke, your film, I Can See You, had finished its screening run. What has happened since?

The first big thing that happened was that the film found a distributor- Kino International, who have put out tons of classic masterpieces and modern indie films. It’s a great home for I Can See You . Since Glass Eye Pix, the production company, had initially planned on releasing the DVD ourselves, I had already put a lot of work into compiling a really feature-packed disc. Tons of extras, commentary, easter eggs, and my 3D short film The Viewer (plus glasses!). I even designed most of the menus, which are all in line with the experience of the film. Kino let us keep most of this for their release, with some minor tweaks to fit their template, and the result is a disc I’m super proud of.

I’ve also been spending a lot of time writing and developing new projects, as well as working as a sound designer on several Glass Eye Pix films, including Satan Hates You, Bitter Feast, Stake Land, and Ti West’s upcoming film The Innkeepers (his followup to The House of The Devil), on which I just did some second unit directing and will eventually be sound designing.

CD: Your film is now available on DVD. Are you satisfied with its reception?I’m really happy that anyone who hears about the film and is curious is now able to check it out – it’s available on Netflix and Amazon, and I’ve heard rumors that it’s been spotted in a few video stores for sale and rental, around the country. Netflix reviews are funny – most of them seem to be from people who are probably not the target audience for the film and don’t even finish watching it. But then there’s a strong contingent of reviews from people who get what the film is, and respond to it really positively. It’s definitely not a film for everyone, and I’m glad that it’s distribution allows it to find the eyeballs of willing recipients.

GR: Can we expect a new film in the near future?

I’ve been developing a feature project for a while which utilizes stereoscopic 3D in a way that I first explored in my short film The Viewer. It’s about experience – both the subjective experience of the character, and the engaged experience of the viewer of the film. The feature project is sort of an adaptation of the short, structurally, but it’s got a completely different plot. I’m very excited about the prospects and capabilities of 3D as a tool for both artistic and entertainment purposes – so far there hasn’t been a whole lot of cross over in the mainstream (though there’s been a lot of great entertainment). I think as it catches on and becomes more commonplace we’ll be seeing a lot more well utilized / artistically utilized 3D cinema. I’m very excited about the possibilities of this in regards to my new project, and I’m trying to get it made very soon.

Although I interviewed Graham Reznick, it was Ellen Donbeck who wrote the review for his film, I Can See You.

It was the same month The Whiskey Dregs began as an online arts and literary magazine. Before then I’d never been invited to do anything on behalf of any publication. Mostly I did what every other writer does — sit alone, at a desk in front of the plastic surface of a keyboard. But then Ellen Donbeck got a lead from an artist she had interviewed and suddenly I was sitting below KGB Bar in an independent movie theater, wearing a pair of 3D sunglasses at the invitation of the film’s director, Graham Reznick.

Ellen was one of our first writers, if not our very first. I had met her at an old haunt in Astoria called Sparrow. She was on hiatus from her work as a playwright and we’d sit at the bar and discuss art and literature. Later, she emailed me a few of her poems. I was impressed with Ellen’s poetry, which were stark, honest depictions of her life. Her work was wound when necessary and then unbound when the splattering juices of her world soaked the pages. When The Whiskey Dregs was looking for contributing writers, she immediately began to work. So, then, in that small theater, we sat side-by-side, accompanied by our significant others, awaiting the show.

The director’s careful articulation of love and violence was depicted in his surreal horror film, I Can See You. I sat in the chair, my blood rushing to my head because I was watching the work of an artist who spoke a similar vernacular as I. The surrealists believed, as I believe, that life should be analyzed like a dream and our life, therefore, would serve a greater purpose when expressed through art in Freudian fashion. Nevermind that the famed psychiatrist thought poorly of these libertines. But then, there it was, whether Reznick acknowledged the dead artists or not, were these interpretive scenes of subtle horror and the psychedelic morphing of imagery.

I sat in that uncomfortable seat, wondering what the next year would bring. Who would I meet? Where would The Whiskey Dregs be in a year? How would this dream be analyzed?

Like most worthwhile things in New York City, I first happened upon the People’s Improv Theatre by word of mouth. I heard they had free improv shows on Wednesday nights, so I took my boyfriend and sister to check it out.

After passing the place a couple times, under scaffolding we finally found a bright read door that lead to a staircase filed with photos and flyers about anything and everything theatrical. As we entered the lobby, the house staff gave us each a card to save a seat for the next show, which started in twenty minutes. We took the card, grabbed a beer from the bar and had a seat in the lobby where couches and chairs were filled with people hanging out and laughing.

Immediately we all noticed that it felt like we were in a living room, a family living room and everybody was related, except us. It wasn’t unfriendly, everyone was smiling and welcoming, but it seemed as though a bar full of regulars. We must have looked like newbie’s, because a gentleman came up to us, who I later learned was founder and owner Ali Farahnakian, smiled and asked us if we wanted to sneak into the current show going on while we waited. He led us through the side door and we fell straight into a small stage room, on the stage two actors were standing on chairs screaming and the audience was laughing in hysterics. Not too long after we settled into our seats, we were laughing with them. These guys are funny! The show was raw, wild, and smart. Everyone on stage was so comfortable with each other and they looked like they were having a blast. As the show ended, the actors bowed, the audience clapped and cheered, and I realized we have found some place really special. Since my first show at the PIT, I’ve been back several times, and brought friends who have also become regulars to their Wednesday night shows.

I really wanted to learn more about the inner workings of the PIT, so I emailed the address given on the website, expecting to probably hear nothing back only to find only a few minutes later a message from the owner himself saying I could come by anytime and he’d love to help me out. This was my first insight as to what makes the PIT so special, Ali Farahnakian is a truly kind hearted individual that loves to help others.

I met up with him at the PIT early on a Wednesday evening before their apparently popular free evening of improv began. First I noticed that girls were having some sort of bake sale in the lobby this time, selling chocolates and cookies they had made. “A lot of great people work here,” he tells me. Farahnakian, who has been a teacher for almost twenty years, first became involved in improv in college. He watched every episode of Saturday Night Live, which inspired him to do sketches with his fraternity. He went on to become a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, studied at Improv Olympic, became a Second City actor, a writer for SNL, a writer for Law and Order, and a long list of television and film credits. So what inspired this man to open a tiny theatre like the PIT?

He simply wanted to do something different. “I didn’t want to be just another cog in something that was already moving.” Farahnakian describes himself as a teacher who is a small business owner. The PIT, now seven years old, is not only a performance space but also an improv and writing workshop where Farahnakian and other teachers hold a variety of classes he has hired along the way, some of them once his own students. Teaching is his passion and favorite thing about the PIT. “If you’re a teacher, you have that piece inside of you. Above all I want to leave places and people better than I found them.” He admits he loves teaching others how to play make believe and how when we are young that ability comes so naturally to us, along the way we lose it. “The PIT is full of people that simply like to play make believe.” I mention the oblivious family feeling when you enter the theatre. Farahnakian agrees and explains, “People usually have three places in their life,” he holds up three fingers and continues, “ Where they live, where they work, and that third place. To a lot of people, the PIT is that third place.”

Along with the classes, Farahnakian goes to business’s both corporate and private to work with staff, using improv as an ice breaking and team building tool. “I would love to bring improve to the world. Improv cuts through all the bullshit. It builds leadership and a better understanding of self; nobody is trying to be cool. I encourage people to do it, watch it, and study it. It will benefit your life.” This mentality is one of the reasons he makes a point to make sure the PIT has free shows and opportunities for individuals who can’t finically afford to take improv classes. “Do what you want to do! You want to own a business, start a magazine, start a theatre, do it! Money is not the only tool. And what it is – it is just that, a tool. Like thousands of others as well.” Leaving people better than he has found them, Farahnakian makes it a point to allow the PIT to change and become different, better, or mold to those who devote so much time to it. He doesn’t like to micromanage. Farahnakian says he thinks it’s important to say yes more than you say no, or say yes until you have to say no. Mentioning the girls outside with the cookies, “I said sure girls, sell your sweeties. Why not? Have you tasted them, they are really good!”

Inspired by “the man in blue who sweeps the streets” Farahnakian says he thinks it’s important to work hard with the hand you are dealt and again help whoever you can along the way. Farahnakian’s newest project, SIMPLE STUDIOS, located down the street from the PIT is a new rehearsal space that will collaborate both with and separately from the PIT. Excited to see what this rehearsal space grows into, Farahnakian is thankful for everything but also stops to mention that you can spend a lifetime building something and it can fall in one day so he keeps working to make it great and enjoy every laughing moment. As the interview concludes, he walks me out, buys me a cookie and asks if I would like a tour of the new rehearsal space. He shows me a few paint strips and asks me which color I think he should paint the wall. I point to one, he nods, smiles, and says, “and I like to surround myself with creative people.” I laughed and thought again about how special the PIT was and how lucky the people who call it “that third place” are to have Farahnakian, who will always work hard to make it better and better every day.

You can catch a show any evening at 154 W. 29^th street. Check out http://www.thepit-nyc.com/index.html for information about classes and performances

Anger towards your footing, your best
My load seems lighter than yours
From Your side
Waves heavy on my insides
Steady on my mind

Pull, push, and prod
Evaporation takes hold
I grab tight to the particles
For the morning after
Hoping I will no longer wake
In the anxiety of the present
Where you hold me like love

Your inconstistacy mimics your thoughts
Your words
The bullshit is intriguing
For it’s incredible
That you’re admired for it
Nothing special
I’ve seen the same in pool side bitches
And top ten hits

My belly full
The mind screams for air
Surrounded by yellow and pink roses
All black in my head

Take me back to the color wheel
When colors where true
And lacked decieveing pigments of gray
Take me back to a life unchanged
Make this my redemption day

Anima Anonima @ Public Assembly

As I entered the home and studio of Brooklyn based band Anima Anonima, I was greeted with welcoming smiles, a beer, and homemade chips and salsa – and when I say homemade I mean chipotle peppers grown in their very own backyard. Hell yeah.

As we began to chat, I couldn’t stop thinking about the lack of pretension in the room. Humble and so damn likeable, Anima Anonima not only made this incredible album Mechanic Organic but they are three of the most genuinely sincere people I have ever met.

This ambient electronic trio is made up of singer songwriter Heidi Sabertooth, Dj fungus, and jazz influenced percussionist Tim Bulkley. All members’ play a multitude of instruments to create their unique sound including drums, electronic beats, turntables, guitar, trumpet, keys, bass, and melodica. If that wasn’t enough, the band would like to learn and use as many instruments as possible; constantly evolving their improvisational creations. The band’s studio – also home to two of anima members – is also house to their musical conceptions. Members admit, they feel inspired and are constantly thinking of new ideas and sounds for the group. However, the band, whose name appropriately means “anonymous spirit”, truly creates their sound in the studio by simply feeling each other’s energy – which really what makes this band so special.

fungus + Heidi Sabertooth

Living in Brooklyn has made huge contributions to that. “We have lived in Williamsburg for about 10 years now. It’s a place of faded industry, chain-link fences, now covered with vines – new art and music bubbling over the concrete. The Domino Sugar factory and the bridge – these mechanical sounds overlap and, at times, it can transform into a forest or an ocean. It just seeps into you – this landscape. The band’s latest effort, Mechanic Organic is a reflection of this intersection of old and new, the natural and the man-made, the digital and the analog, the mechanic and the organic,” Heidi explains. Their concept musically revolves around this idea of being truthful and going with their first instinct. Even when the band mastered the album, they resisted the urge to tweak and fix, they left it alone and didn’t attempt to make it something different. Compromising their original intent and this sound they created together was the last thing they wanted to do. Heidi continues by saying that, “It stems from an idea that when thought, art and action are done in the spirit of anonymity. The result is the most true, most pure expression of life. It can be exciting, it can be scary, but usually it is true to our inner animal.”

Surprisingly, the album is neither chaotic nor invasive. It’s pleasant, thought provoking, and hip. The melodies are strong and the multitude of instrumentation is mesmerizing in its amalgamation. It’s no wonder Anima Anonima has been collecting a following of fans eager to see them live. I asked the band if playing live, recreating this improvisational energy based on its creation, was difficult to replicate. The members agreed that it’s different but when the three of them get together it comes out and becomes its own thing. As well as enjoying seeing how others are reacting to this sound they have created in the privacy of their studio. I think in listening to this really remarkable album you’ll agree Anima Anonima has not only created this sweet treat for our ears but a pretty cool concept that you take something that is truly beautiful and simple, leave it alone, don’t try to perfect it, love it for what it is, and share it with everyone.

You can catch Anima Anonima Saturday, July 18, 8pm at ‘Matchless’ (557 Manhattan Ave. Greenpoint Bklyn – www.barmatchless.com)

Where you breathe calm, holding
My hand
Where you sit, relaxed
Breathing deeply
Transfering tension
In smoke streaming fingertips
Staring in my direction

Noise,
The noise that has no
Hourly Pay for
Seconds are truthful
And beautiful
None of changes anything
But this

This thought that lingers
And grows
Digging my thumbs into my thighs
I laugh, as the universe restrains me
And demands that I move forward

Raved by the New York Times, as a film that “heralds a splendid new filmmaker with one eye on genre mechanics, one eye on avant-garde conceits and a third eye in transcendental weirdness”, I Can See You takes the audience through the extraordinary vision of a young filmmaker who reinterprets the genre of intelligent horror films.

I’ll begin by mentioning that Reznick did not only direct I Can See You, but he also wrote, co-produced, designed the sound, edited, and created many of the startling visual effects, as well co-scoring the film with talented composer, Jeff Grace. With the guidance of indie filmmaking luminary, Larry Fessenden, the producer of I Can See You (and also appears in the film), as well as a litany of support from childhood friend and director, Ti West (film, House of the Devil, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival this past spring), to the cast and crew of Waverly Films, Graham Reznick completed this tour de force in a reasonable three years.

Like most horror films, Reznick keeps the plot thick and thin all at once, emotional and mysterious.  Reznick explains his creation began”… I was starting to learn about Buddhism and meditation around the time I started writing [I Can See You] and the idea of introspection and breaking things down to the core; looking through all of the fuzz and the noise to what was deep in there. It was a huge part of the movie for me but not necessarily in an overt way. A lot of the imagery has to do with this obsession I have with esoteric imagery and occult imagery. When you see occult or Masonic imagery it has a strange, strange power. When you see an eye on top of a pyramid, you’re like, “What the fuck is that?”

The film is a significant chapter of abstract realism in the realm of film. Reznick, an NYU graduate, calls his work a “psychedelic campfire” but also quick to point out “psychedelic” as its root Latin meaning of “mind manifest”, saying, “I feel that’s what happens at the end of the film. The mind of one of the characters [Ben] was made mind manifest on screen.” He describes his film “…about 3 guys of an upstart ad agency who go into the woods to brand a product that has questionable ethical practices.”

Reznick’s film is a different kind of art that has moved into a new phase of relatively unfamiliar territory.  The film is collaborative in its creativity from the paintings used in the background, gorgeous shots, and eerie soundtrack. The filmmaker connects the scenes with shots of buildings, bugs, and trees branches blowing in the wind, stationary objects against vast landscapes; each scene tied together with beautifully detailed shots, giving the illusion of flipping through a series of photographs, the lighting impeccable, each picture more breathtaking and beautiful than the last. But make no mistake, these shots are not beautiful distractions, including the finely directed sex scene, which was so hot in its climax but also isn’t gratuitous. In fact, it’s a tender and elegant touch of  directing and lighting that complement a fight sequence that occurs later on, drawing together both scenes as bookends for dramatic changes in the story and emphasizing the poetic nature of this filmmaker’s vision.

The cinematography and direction is emotional, connecting with the characters’ evocations as they develop in this abstract realist horror film. You neither love nor hate any of the characters; you understand their actions because he puts you in their insecurities and emotional investments, as well as supplying a well-paced tone, increasing intensity when most appropriate. There’s a scene, in the film, in which the lead character takes off his glasses and attempts a conversation with a girl he has affection for. His lack of actual focus leads to an awkward conversation. Due to camera trickery, you see the girl as an unfocused blob through the eyes of the main character (Ben), and you can’t help but feel empathy toward his character.  I wanted to jump through the screen and give him back his glasses to save him from embarrassment.  In this film particularly you’re along for that ride and simultaneously, you can’t stop thinking and questioning if things are as they really appear to be.

The last fifteen minutes are a climactic, psychologically and viscerally horrific amalgamation of sequences that will keep your last bubble of breath lodged in your trachea.

We will keep you posted on all of Graham Reznick’s future screenings and projects. Updates for the release of I Can See You can be found on its official website.

 

 

Jeremy Earhart

Simply said, Jeremy Earhart is a flat sculpture artist. He’s an
artist with no horizon. It’s hard to distinguish Earhart’s daily life
from his art where they collide in his Brooklyn studio apartment. When
I first walked into Earhart’s home I was blown away by the space.
Creatively, it’s an artist dream with the amount of room and storage.
Equally, it’s also a child’s dream to play hide and seek inside.  Two
levels, the apartment has maybe 8 rooms and little crevices, filled
with materials, tools, and 4×8 size sculptures. In this creative
wonderland it is very apparent how involved he is in his art. Earhart
truly sleeps, works, and eats around his creations.

A graduate from Memphis College of Art as a painter, his original work
consists mostly of printmaking and painting. “I’m still a decorative
painter, but it’s crept into thinking about other ways to manipulate
space.” Now 7 years of working with Plexiglas, it is the foundation of
what makes this artist so unique. Earhart’s interest in art began in
his hometown of St. James, Missouri by having an art teacher in high
school that simply knew what she was talking about. Earhart credits
his teacher Barbara Bryan with the utmost respect. “I didn’t struggle
in art school and I saw a lot of people who did, she made all the
resources available to us.” His understanding of materials and
creative work ethic in school allowed him the freedom and time to
develop his current medium.

These sculpture installations began as he was painting atmospheric
paintings and applying drifts of color using Plexiglas, putting ink in
the cracks and creating lines. Experimenting with materials
constantly, his work is not only incredibly involved but extremely
labor intensive. Initially, Earhart’s pieces are a process he admits
is very deliberate and thought out. Before the physical labor aspect,
a lot of time is spent researching his subject matter and theme. He
reads a lot. Once he has his overall concept he makes thumbnail
sketches on Mylar plastic, which he sees as a smaller version of his
work. Using several hand power tools, he traces the image onto the
Plexiglas, cutting and buffing to create the final shape. “It’s not a
very forgiving material,” the artist explains. It’s seems from
beginning to end he’s emotionally and physically invested in every
aspect of not only the final product but also the entire creative
process. “I like materials so much, I can’t choose just one.”

As an observer, Earhart’s flat sculptures are extremely entertaining.
The size, colors, and shapes are wild and intoxicating. But there’s
truth and meaning to it all too. His last gallery theme ‘patriotism’
included cannons, wings, stars, stripes, and other shapes and lines
familiar to images used on the dollar bill. When I asked the artist
about the giant “angel wings”, he reminded me that’s what I saw,
others may see a bird and he likes that his work is open to your own
interpretations. “It is flashy, but there’s meaning. It can’t be all
show. There has to be a layer of concept for me to want to make it. I
don’t want to spell everything out; I want it to be open-ended. It’s
interesting to see someone else’s take.”

Earhart admits seeing people’s reactions to the sculptures and
controlling an environment is fun to do. With the amount of work he
puts into each piece, he describes the work very personally. However,
ultimately he sees his work out and open in the public eye. “It’s so
dramatic, your in your world, than you place it out in public,” says
the artist who’s newest work is said to be a little heavier in
painting and hopefully adding more materials to his Plexiglas
foundation. “You make something and it kind of sticks. The Plexiglas
just stuck and now it’s more about form and shapes of the glass.” His
work is displayed in a bar on Washington st. in Tribeca called
“Entwine” and the Brooklyn based band “Free Time” has used his pieces
in their live shows. We will keep you posted on the artist upcoming
galleries and shows.

You can see more of Jeremy Earhart’s work at
http://goffrosenthal.squarespace.com/artists.