CONTACT, at its very core, is a film about process. As a documentarian, it has been one of the driving forces of my work and always unlocks a new way of thinking about ideas and themes that my films take on. I am deeply intrigued by how others transform sometimes mundane tasks into raw creative opportunities. I carried the ethos of "You don't get to product without process" with me throughout the creation of this film, and as an extension of that, I wanted to share some of my process with you. If you are an artist, finding this and it ignites even a tiny spark, that is enough. This is also an opportunity to put your mind in the right space when CONTACT comes to a theater near you :)
I'll break this down into two parts: the sonic influences and the visual. But as in most things, they often overlap, and that is part of what makes it all work. Let's get into it.
1. Autechre
I have been a big fan of Autechre for a while, but finally getting to see them live was a whole other beast. At this point, I was deep into the editorial and sound design phase, experimenting with etherealizer and distortion pedals to manipulate samples captured during filming to create parts of the score in the film. Autechre was instrumental and occupied a ton of cerebral real estate at this time in my life and heavily influenced the approach to creating sound for the film. I really cling to the textural and alien nature of the sounds they are able to create and used that as a catalyst to create my own sounds in a mechanical and sometimes post-apocalyptic world of CONTACT
2. OM + SLEEP
It's no surprise that the link between the two, being Al Cisneros on bass, is what made this essential listening during the edit process. As you bask in the doom and fuzz, hypnosis sets in as your body involuntarily rocks in place as you join the cult of the nomadic weed priests. The ability to create such a HUGE sound was incredibly inspiring and made me constantly ask the mixers if we could make it louder, bigger, uglier. CONTACT has moments that would make Al proud, but is countered by quiet moments of reflection and introspection, which I also borrowed from OM.
3. BRUIT
BRUIT = Noise. I found this band, and I'm grateful I did. I heard this set as I was approaching the final cut of CONTACT, and it was a litmus test for how sonically dynamic my score could be. The blend of instrumentation, samples + looping, and raw power really created a transcendent platform to create art to. They have a very "cinematic" feel to their compositions, and the magnitude of their sound makes it easy to dream big.
4. HONORABLE MENTIONS ( ROTHKO, HKFY)
What do these two have in common? Nothing. That's why they are on this list. One serves as a counterpoint to the other. Making films is emotionally taxing, financially unreasonable, and often overwhelmingly lonely. All of those feelings go somewhere, and these two represent the high highs and the low lows, and the beauty and carnage in all of it. Music is always my companion in filmmaking and a reminder that you are indeed not alone, keep going.
VIDEO TIME!!!
Etnies FORWARD
FORWARD by Dave Parrick is the ultimate reference for me, and it was cemented into my young, dumb teenage brain. It is one of my fondest memories and showed me life by bike outside of our little town. I wanted to road trip, see new spots, and document everything. It was the formation of a new chapter and the ultimate blend of music, travel, and the most progressive riding of the time, and it still holds up today. The blend of Super8, VHS, and mini DV formats was the Bible for my approach to CONTACT. The film we shot is real film; the VHS effects are practical (more on that next post), and we kept the film as grounded and tactile as we could with what we had.
2. ARCHITECTON
My film has nothing in common with this masterpiece, but once something gets under your skin, there is no way of avoiding its influence. Subversion, optical illusions, and magnitude all work to create a stunning film here.
3. Alien (1979)
A masterclass on immersive world-building, blending aural and visual elements to create sheer terror. This is as good as it gets for me and is constant reference material. CONTACT has elements and homages to several sci-fi films, but most of them probably find their way back to this film. I’m a nerd, and I love this shit.
That’s it for now. Thank you for stopping by and making it to the end of this thing. I'm really excited to bring this thing to you all. Stay tuned. Here are some frames to wet your whistle.