Filmmaker Q&A: Todd Tinkham on This Bus, Every Day
October 13th, 2008Tell me about your film.
“This Bus, Every Day” is a short film about the meaning our memories can bring to our lives. It’s also about our perceptions, especially of the people around us every day, whose stories we may never know, but who carry the history of their lives deep inside them.
Why should people see it?
People who have seen this film often say that it has touched them deeply, and that it has opened their eyes to the hidden pains and experiences of others around them.
What led you to make this film?
I was traveling on public transportation, and took a good look around me. I looked at faces and gazed into eyes. I realized that everyone on that bus, the students, the elderly, the homeless, and me, all had amazing thoughts and cherished memories deep inside of them. I thought, “What if I could look even deeper and actually see some of these stories?” This film was the result.
What were some of the greatest challenges you faced in making this film?
Although I had already written, directed and edited over a dozen short films, I was not very experienced with actually using a professional-level video camera. So I had to experiment quite a bit to get the look I wanted. No post-production visual effects were used to give this film its unique look. That was all done while shooting.
What do you hope an audience gets from your film?
I’d hope that people who see my film come away with an awareness that everyone around them, at every moment, has within them a rich and fascinating inner life, no matter what their outer circumstances.
What do you get from your film?
This film always gives me a renewed awareness of the inherent value of everyone in he world.
This Bus, Every day
Tell me about your Director of Photography and what they added to the film.
I was the DP for this film. It was one of my first attempts at shooting. A lot of the beauty of this film comes from my lack of formal education, an education that might have told me “that’s not the correct way to do it.” Without that sort of limitation, I am free to experiment and discover while I shoot.
What format (film, video, hi-def) and camera did you use and why did you choose the format and camera?
I borrowed a friend’s Sony Z1U one day and shot the film in 1080I 60 in one day. I had no idea what those numbers (1080I 60) meant at the time. That’s what the camera was set on when I got it.
If you had a choice, would you use that camera again?
Yes.
What other festivals is your film appearing in?
* 2008 Kent Film Festival, Kent, CT, USA- March
* 2008 Gold Lion Film Festival, Swaziland, Africa- Upcoming
* 2008 SNOB Film Festival, Concord, NH- Upcoming
* 2008 Long Island International Film Expo, LI, NY- April
* 2008 Estes Park Film Festival, Estes Park, CO- Sept
* 2008 Secret City Film Festival, Oak Ridge, TN- Upcoming
What was your goal when you decided to make the film?
To express my ideas clearly and creatively, in a way that would be moving and memorable.
How much did it cost to make the film?
$0
What are you working on now, or next?
I began shooting a trilogy of quirky short films this summer. The first, AMERICAN SHORT, has just recently been completed and sent off to festivals. The second, AMERICAN SAINTS, is currently in post-production. A third, film AMERICAN SAVIOR, is in pre-production.
What are your three favorite films?
LONE STAR, John Sayles
The Spirit Of The Beehive, Victor Erice
A Cigar At The Beach, a short film by Stephen Keep Mills
Many of our users are just starting out; what advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Surround yourself with people who know much more than you about filmmaking. Encourage them to bring their best to the shoot every day. Listen, learn, and show amazing and honest gratitude.
Have you placed your films online and do you think it’s a good outlet for young filmmakers to get exposure?
Some of my films are available for viewing online. Sure, it’s a good way to get exposure. But it is just one of many. And, like all of them, the web has it’s share of drawbacks. One being that most of the big and better festivals do not want films that are available online.
Did you go to film school?
No.
What are some other films you have made?
I made my first short film, AND THEN THERE WERE NUN in 2005. It screened at more than 30 film festivals including the Vienna International Short Film Festival (Austria). Since then, I’ve completed a dozen short films that have screened at over 250 film festivals around the world. My films have also won a number of awards.
In 2007, I was awarded the FOUNDERS AWARD FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING from Keith McDaniel at the Secret City Film Festival in Oak Ridge, TN.
My film LOST & FOUND (2007) won BEST SHORT FILM at the 2008 Kent Film Festival in Kent, CT.
My film, SADIE TURNS SEVEN (2006) was my first “family” film. It has screened at over 70 film festivals on 5 continents, including the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Staten Island Film Festival, the Tiburon International Film Festival, the San Francisco International Children’s Film Festival, the Gold Lion Film Festival (Africa), the Heart Of Gold International Film Festival (Australia), the Tirana International FF (Albania), the Swansea Bay Film Festival (UK), the Flicks International Film Festival For Young People (Canada) and the Short Film Festival of India.
My film, ALEXA, (2007) will screen at the 2009 SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL in Park City, UT. ALEXA won SLAMDANCE’S Anarchy Online Competition in April 2008, and will compete for the Global Anarchy Award at next year’s SLAMDANCE.
http://www.slamdance.com/videos/products/07-12.html
Which filmmakers have most influenced your work?
John Sayles, Abbas Kirostrami, Victor Erice, Werner Herzog, Fassbinder,
What’s you motto?
Forget perfection. Be certain enough to move forward. Then, move forward.
This Bus, Every Day is screening at the 2008 Secret City Film Festival on Saturday, October 11th in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
For more information on the Secret City Film Festival, visit:
http://www.secretcityfilmfestival.com/index.htm
For more information on Todd Tinkham, visit: