Joe Swanberg

Joe Swanberg.

Joe Swanberg is primarily a writer, director, and producer, most recently working on Easy (2016) for Netflix. I want to use his work as an example to work from, especially with it falling into the 'mumblecore' movement.
When we pitched our idea, Joe Swanberg was mentioned as feedback for us to look into. I've found his work inspiring and wanted to break down why, and how it might affect my work.

Easy

Easy, made for Netflix, is an anthology show revolving around the ups and downs of relationships. Joe's way of working on the show was very interesting to me. Speaking to NPR, he revealed that he didn't use a script, instead, he wrote an outline of the scene, and then let his actors improvise. They worked through each scene in this way. "I always felt: wow, it'd be really interesting if these characters just spoke for themselves."
He also filmed each episode in 4 days at a time. This revealed to me just how much can get done, even on bigger productions that don't have scripts to work from.
As pointed out by Stuart Heritage in The Guardian, something I've really loved about Easy is the way it has a facade of one topic, to then hone in on the real issue right towards the end. This gives a more 'real' and 'relatable' feel, addressing a lack of communication in relationships. For example, the second episode. It dresses itself as being about a lesbian couple discussing veganism and the new girlfriend trying it for the first time. However, it later reveals that it was really about how people tend to front to the other just to impress them, even if it's not really what they're like.
"Easy is a small series about small stories told quietly," which is exactly what I hope to achieve with High Tide.

Writing

In terms of writing, particularly for Easy, Swanberg does write a script in the traditional sense. As mentioned, he writes an outline of the scene and then runs through that with his actors.
Although this is something I wouldn't necessarily take on for this project, the idea of only planning the scenes themselves is very interesting to me. Although it has an element of risk involved, it opens up a load of opportunity for the direction of the script as well as the dialogue. Action can be tailored directly to the scene in the moment, and awkward silences generate realism. In my script, I have aimed to create moments of awkward silence within the script itself, however, myself and the director will be pushing for improvisation from the actors in the hopes of making something that comes across as more real. My concern is that anything scripted will be taken too literally.

Producing

When Joe first started out, he was making movies with $5,000-$10,000 budgets and so couldn't afford very well-known actors. He was mostly working with friends and people who didn't have much on-screen experience. "We were really learning to make movies together, and I always felt that that improvised, low-key process allowed those non-actors to give really amazing performances." 

Mumblecore

The term 'mumblecore' emerged in 2005, coined by sound mixer Eric Masunaga at the South by Southwest film festival, referring to the 'performance-based films by young quasi-idealists" (Andrew Bujalski in IndieWIRE). BFI goes onto explain that the word encompasses low-budget films with very low production value and "a self-conscious interest in the everyday trials and tribulations of young Americans struggling to come to terms with the often dispiriting realities of adulthood". It also addresses the fact that anyone anywhere with enough gumption can go out and make a movie now. It very much holds the title for the films with little-to-no value in terms of technology, but a lot of heart.

My interpretation of mumblecore reminds me of my key inspiration being Somerstown (have I mentioned it enough yet?). Although not all mumblecore films are script-less, there is a definite theme of emphasis on improvisation. I also admire the association with films about 20-somethings discovering adulthood, because obviously this is something I can relate to. I think High Tide will fit into this subgenre. Reason being, myself and the director want to push an emphasis on improvisation where possible, although we've limited ourselves on that just to ensure we can maintain some control over the action and development of the story. It also has similarities to the second episode of Easy in a way. It starts as though it's about Martin and his struggle coming back to reality, however, it's really about Rob and his trials with his dad, having to balance his own life as well as almost taking responsibility for his dad's.

How he affected my work

My research into these topics has opened my eyes to the possibilities of improvisation, as well as having a place to belong in the world of filmmaking. This is my first known encounter with mumblecore, but now knowing how it has been defined and made its own place in TV gives me more confidence in my preferred style of both writing, producing, and directing. This will give me the confidence to let the script go a bit during production and see how the actors interpret the film themselves, aside from how I've imagined it. I need to learn to loosen the reigns on my projects because I get worried that it will fail and not make sense at the end. Knowing I can do this with trust and confidence in the project itself will help a lot thanks to the inspiration from Joe's work.