Hotter Up Close Film Spotlight
Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Hotter Up Close directed by Leland Montgomery.
What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?
The title of the film is Hotter Up Close. We went back and forth with several different titles before we landed there. I think one of the reasons that we settled where we did was because the title is not only a line from the movie, but it also works as a metaphor.
It’s a little like a painting. From a distance, you get a general sense of the whole picture, but it’s only when you investigate closer that you see all the fine details that make it what it is. The community that we are portraying in the film can sometimes be generalized as one thing, superficial, but it’s when you dig deeper that you see people for who they truly are.
Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.
The short was originally imagined as a web series. This was when Chris and I were both on the verge of turning 30. In the gay community, especially, turning 30 is a sign that you’re officially old.
As that birthday approached, we both began to discuss how we felt like we were waiting for our lives to begin professionally… even though we were on the verge of losing our “youth.”
We concluded that this was a particularly potent time to try and make something that spoke to that space.
Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?
I would say the biggest inspirations for this film were Bridesmaids and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Chris is currently on Sunday company at the Groundlings and so Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, and Melissa McCarthy are all huge inspirations.
Those films are both great at absurdity with real, human emotions in a delightful way, and that’s what we wanted to do with our movie.
What is the goal of the film for you?
For us, the goal was to create something joyous. Coming out of years of gloom and doom, we wanted to create an escape for people and allow them to laugh. It’s like an exhale of relief. Also, normalizing underrepresented groups in film was an important mission.
What has the journey been like getting the film into production?
Getting this film into production was… not easy. The last two and a half years have felt deeply traumatic on a national scale. On a personal level, the quarantine made it nearly impossible to make anything. When the vaccine came out and cases started to taper off, we began to think about the prospect of shooting something again.
We started pre-production right after the vaccines brought the cases down, but our principal photography occurred during the height of delta. Which was also at the height of summer. We were contending not just with a pandemic, but also with large scenes, multiple extras, and height that averaged around 100 degrees a day.
When we wrapped it felt like a miracle. During the editing process, however, we would need to go back and grab pickups.
As our pickup date approached, it became more and more clear that on top of what we had to do to manage delta in the summer… we would have to do the same to manage omicron.
Truly the saving grace of the production was our amazing cast and crew. They were so patient, so flexible and so dedicated. Without them, this would have been impossible.
One thing you learned from this project?
It takes a village of dedicated, talented people to make a movie. This would not have been possible without the generosity of dozens of folks. What this process taught us was, that if you make something from the heart, the right people will want to be a part of it.
From the minute we started our first pre-production meeting, it became clear that this process was going to be fast-moving and intense. We needed to learn how to lean in our trust our instincts.
From the minute we started planning the shoot, the journey was such a fast-moving machine with many decisions needing to be made we had to learn how to lean in and trust our guts.
One of the biggest takeaways is that the folks helming any artistic project need to be confident in their choices. Comedy is more difficult when you overthink it. Trusting that everyone can and will do their jobs at the height of their ability was one of the biggest takeaways for us.
How can folks find you and your film online?
We’re currently in the midst of our festival run right now – so it’s not available online. But we hope to have distribution by the time we finish with festivals!
Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?
Develop your voice and pay attention to what you find interesting, dramatic, funny, and emotionally investing. This business and the act of making a movie is so difficult with massive amounts of rejection, but if you hold onto your specific point of view, it will act as a north star when the waters start to get choppy. As cliche as it may sound, there is no one else like you. No one sees things the way you do and sticking to your sensibility is a gift that you give to the rest of the world.
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