I Am the Wanderer Film Spotlight
Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film I Am the Wanderer directed by Philip Brocklehurst.
What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?
The title of my film is I am the Wanderer, inspired by the classic 1961 song The Wanderer by Dion.
Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.
The first question is a little tricky as the story to I am the Wanderer has a lot of mystique surrounding it, purposely so. The reason and backstory to the nameless main character, aptly named The Wanderer, and the mysterious, almost angelic figure, known only as the Beautiful Woman, who he sees periodicallythroughout the film are both vague and clear at the same time; the audience are free to put all the pieces together and interpret the film anyway they wish. But I can say this about the basic core of the story; it’s about a young man living rough in a park while he tries in vain to get away from something, but there’s a part of him which is holding him back that could spell either his demise or salvation.
And as for the origin of my film, it was originally a screenplay written by Bradford N. Smith. The mystique surrounding the lonesome Wanderer and the benevolent Beautiful Woman who watches over him, like a guardian angel, was the same as in the final film. The big difference was the location, which was set on a desert highway and saw the Wanderer walking down the long, open road during the day as he tries desperately to hitch a ride while his rations, which consists of nothing but a PEZ dispenser and a bottle of water, slowly dwindles during his journey. At night, while camping under the stars, the Wanderer repeatedly has dreams of a Beautiful Woman who frequently reassures him that “Everything will be alright,”, and soon spots her now and then, like an apparition during the daytime, all leading to the final moments where, like in the final film, his fate could end in his demise or salvation.
Naturally, as the film was shot in the UK, the location had to undergo a huge change; among a few other alterations during the shoot and editing process, but at its heart, it’s faithful to the structure of Bradford’s screenplay.
Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?
For the film’s tone, I would say that I was most definitely inspired by surrealist and avant-garde filmmakers like Luis Bunel and Toshio Matsumoto, whose work helped me to give the film a dream-like, mesmerizing quality as it seems like the Wanderer is in a dream within a dream.
Now, for the film’s visual look, I was inspired by filmmakers like Lars von Trier (who revolutionized the rough filmmaking technique known as Dogma 95) and Alan Clarke, a British director whose work often had a raw, minimalist, and documentary-like feel, such as Contact, a 1985 TV movie he made for the BBC about a platoon of paratroopers on border patrol in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The fly on the wall, documentary style in Contact, as well as the performances, is so raw and down to earth, many at the time actually believed it was real footage of British soldiers engaged in conflict against the I.R.A.. That kind of raw, realistic visual look and lowkey feel to the acting with no overly dramatic performances is what I wanted to make the struggle and sorrow of the Wanderer come through as organically as possible.
What is the goal of the film for you?
I’d say the goal of the film is to take the audience on a mysterious, strange, and also beautiful journey; and also to have them thinking about the film long after seeing it as they assemble their own interpretation of the Wanderer’s plight and outcome.
What has the journey been like getting the film into production?
It’s certainly been a struggle. Making the film independently with my own money, which wasn’t a lot, meant the budget was extremely tight. Only the bare essentials like a camera, and food and drink for the cast, could be purchased for the shoot. Any money leftover was given to the composer, Stephan Ortlepp, to compose the soundtrack. There was no crew on the shoot; I had to be director, cinematographer, etc on the film. Wanting to avoid the film having pretentious overtones with my name credited for the numerous roles, I adopted the pseudonyms Solomon Bennet (for producer) and Brad Fletcher (for cinematographer); and for those who have a love for Italian westerns like I do, the names Solomon Bennet and Brad Fletcher are a nod to the main characters Solomon ‘Beauregard’ Bennet and Dr. Brad “Brett” Fletcher, portrayed by the late great actors Tomas Milian and Gian Maria Volontè, respectively, in Sergio Sollima’s 1967 spaghetti western Faccia a faccia (Face to Face).
Another challenge was the limited use of locations, and the guerilla approach to making the film, which thankfully didn’t cause us too many problems; with the exception of a mugging incident on the last day of shooting in the park. Nothing was stolen, but I did receive a concussion that lasted about a week and a half when one of the assailants struck me in the head twice.
But despite the issues and limitations behind the scenes, the shoot went smoothly enough and I managed to get the footage I needed to have a beginning, middle, and an ending for the film.
In the end, the journey may have been rough, in more ways than one, but it was rewarding to overcome the adversity thrown at me and come through with a completed film.
One thing you learned from this project?
To go with the flow and expect that although I can have a film planned out and visualized in my head, it may not go 100% according to plan for a whole multitude of reasons; but that’s ok; it can be worked around during the shoot and fixed up in post if necessary.
How can folks find you and your film online?
Folks can find me on YouTube where I upload most of my indie projects – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt7ZJj7YNiXvCtRNcmmdIaw
And likewise, they can find I am the Wanderer on YouTube too – https://youtu.be/jJJKvM2q_W4
Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?
Never give up, and always persevere. It can be discouraging, and sometimes frightening, if the shoot is rough and things aren’t going the way you want it, but don’t lose heart, keep at it and do your very best. The film might not be turning out as you envisioned during the shoot, but that can change during post-production when the footage can be experimented with to make it closer to your original vision or to turn it into an entirely new vision you didn’t plan on going into the project. Be flexible, like rubber.
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