When Everything’s Gone Film Spotlight
Today’s film spotlight focuses on the feature film When Everything’s Gone.
What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?
Our film is called ‘When Everything’s Gone’. It was suggested by one of our executive producers, Matt Giroveanu, during a pre-production meeting and it just captured the essence of the film really well, so we decided to call it that. We had a more ambiguous title that wasn’t quite working and the moment he said “When Everything’s Gone” we all just saw it and could see the movie more clearly.
Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.
Our story is about a man who believes he’s the last person alive after a worldwide pandemic (I wrote the first draft of the script in 2014 so the actual pandemic definitely felt like a very weird coincidence) as our main character wanders in search of other survivors he encounters a family and is taken in and together they confront both their future and pasts as they navigate this new world together.
The film originated from being out in the woods near my parent’s house and realizing how easily we could create a story about people who are alone in this environment and from there it just turned into a writing exercise, using the location that I had available to me and crafting this story that fits with in that world. It grew in scope over time, but everything was built from elements we had available to us to tell our story.
Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?
The film is definitely inspired by lots of great filmmakers and their work. We wanted to give the film a look of cinematographers like Emmanuel Lubezki or Roger Deakins, focusing on natural light as much as possible, we were inspired by Christopher Nolan, especially in the edit of the film to craft something that was non-linear and visceral and we pulled from greats like Spielberg, trying to let scenes play out with some longer takes and really making choices for our shots and camera movement much like does when he plans a shoot. I also took lots of inspiration from the films of Denis Villeneuve not just for look, but for writing and pacing. There was originally a 2 and half hour cut of the film that was paced much like a Blade Runner 2049, ultimately cutting the film to our current 112 minutes was the right call, but much of that feeling inspired by Villeneuve remains in many aspects of the film for me.
What is the goal of the film for you?
‘When Everything’s Gone’ tells the story of loss and how we deal with it, how we get stuck in it, or can ultimately find strength as we move on from it. I think especially in times like we just went through a film like this speaks to how we as people are constantly in need of connection to each other and how the desire to connect can drive us and how the loss of those connections can haunt us if we let it. I hope people see this film and feel that the journey of the four characters and the messages in the world they’ve come to inhabit is one they can ultimately relate to in one way or another.
What has the journey been like getting the film into production?
I was developing film concepts with one of our executive producers Andrew Bernard, and this was a script that we ultimately felt we could do for little to no money under the right circumstances. After we were happy with the script, we created a trailer to try and raise some funds, and unfortunately, that first attempt didn’t quite work like we had hoped. I continued to push to make the film and eventually, after a year or so of searching for collaborators, I had met our director of photography William Kaufman and he loved the visuals from our trailer and he signed on. From there we met other producers, and I ended up being able to partner with my co-director Jeff Stewart and together we worked to shoot the film starting in 2016 shooting the “flash back” scenes and then we reunited to finish the film in 2017-2018. Through the years working on it we all built a strong production team and to this day they are close friends and collaborators.
One thing you learned from this project?
I learned the value of a good team and how much you can learn from one another while making a room. I tried to keep an open mind and collaborate as much as possible with everyone involved in this film and I think that by opening myself up to suggestions, good or bad, it really helped us create a film we are all extremely proud of.
How can folks find you and your film online?
Our film is currently available to buy or rent on digital on Amazon prime video and iTunes and can also be found on the Random Media website. There should be a DVD coming soon on Amazon and Randommedia.com as well. You can find me on Instagram @AlexAlessi as well as the film @Wegfilm, plus my co-director Jeff Stewart is on Instagram @mindfirexl.
Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?
If you have a story to tell, and you believe in it, don’t be afraid to put it out there and make it however you can. The film community is a great one and if you can find people that believe in your story and your vision for it you can truly accomplish anything. All that being said, just remember that at the end of the day this is your film and it’s up to you to finish it. I carried all the weight I could as a writer, producer, director and editor on this project, when the budget isn’t there, that’s when you really have to go to work, learn everything you can to make sure your movie can be seen and show your collaborators that they were right to believe in your film.
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