Filmmaker’s Statement

On ‘IFHY’ we had the opportunity to take some of Sabi Pictures’ evolving principles and experiment with them. Myself, Marion and John met on two occasions to discuss character and story. They came with an idea, a very specific scene. I came with a scenario that helped put their scene (which became our ending) within a context. The pairing of the two “half-ideas” formed a structured whole. During our second meeting, John and Marion worked through possible motivation and objectives for their characters. I sat back and listened, taking note of what aspects of this story and their characters were the most compelling and appealing to them.

Character was explored and discussed until the story emerged. No actual screenplay was written, no storyboards drawn up – the experiment was to see what would happen if we instilled “radical collaboration” to the extent that the actors, director, sound and camera were mindfully attentive to the present moment; improvising to serve the story, allowing the scenes to evolve organically by following them to their natural conclusion.

To unify the form of this piece with its improvised content, the camerawork needed to read as equally spontaneous as the actors’ performances. A key technique to infuse a unique visual aesthetic resulted in the momentary misframings and over-corrections we were looking for – like a panicked cameraman struggling to keep up with the unfolding story. We made use of existing and supplemented color palettes to contrast the appearance of each character’s world – Carol’s being more balanced but lacking in intensity, and Ron’s being largely out of balance and over the top.

‘IFHY’ is a small film about unremarkable people. It has garnered much praise and I am humbled by the kind words our audience has used to describe it.