And we are accepted as at the Mill Valley Film Festival – our hometown screening will happen Oct. 5 and 8th!!
After a career 30 years as a Film Festival programmer I am more attuned to looking at docs and finding inspiration in the mostly true stories they tell…I would rather get lost in the visuals of a film or following a compelling story that reveals something totally unexpected.
Now in the trenches of the making of a film, I wonder if civilian movie goers understand what actually happens. I pose the question now because as we approach ‘picture lock’ I am aware of what the audience will not know. No one will know about the debates between…the makers: the director, editor, composer, story consultant and producer all creative people sitting together conferring, reviewing, deleting and constant reshaping the story from the four years of planned interviews, the joy of discovering amazing archival footage and spontaneous moments that are miracles.
So I have also learned to welcome the miracles!
There were little miracles that went into the making of the film, like the chance contact with a fellow filmmaker, Vicki Abeles who tipped me off that Dr. Sally Shaywitz of Yale University would be speaking in San Francisco. She is the leading authority on dyslexia and creativity. Within minutes of my email of introduction, Dr. Shaywitz called and agreed to participate in the doc about a Dyslexic artist.
Why, because after Dr. Shaywitz viewed Jerry’s sculpture on his website: jerrybarrish.com she was excited that his art confirmed her theory that the special brain wiring that causes reading challenges for dyslexics, can also provide gifts. Out-of-the-box thinking, creativity, empathy and compassion are attributes of dyslexics.
Other miracles? The enthusiastic reception of Laurence Kardish, former Film Curator at the New York Museum of Art to being interviewed for the film. He was the guy who championed Jerry’s first film, DAN’S MOTEL that he selected for New Directors New Films in 1982.
Filming in Berlin at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival with the hopes that when Jerry goes to a German filmmaker dinner that director Wim Wenders would show up…he did!! And we filmed Jerry and Wim chatting with each other.
More miracles…having the perfect morning light for William Farley to shoot the Pacific Ocean in front of Pacifica, the town where Jerry lives.
Producer/Director Mark Kitchell helping us secure archival footage from his Academy Award nominatedfilm Berkeley in the 60’s. Mark and I were ‘hall mates’ when we both had offices at the Fantasy Films building in the 80’s and 90’s.
Archivist Blanche Chase finding the right archive for all the rest of the political 60’s footage and negotiating an affordable price..
Finding a method for telling a life story that engages, creates drama and is not a mere promotional reel was achieved by April…but the money ran out…at the moment where the creativity and drive is most needed. Our story was so compelling that the length grew from 54 to 72 mintes. More time means more money
Yipes…and major expenses were incurred when we decided to go for an original composition, by local musician and composer Beth Custer. But the music has given the film the right amount of humor and gravitas that makes the viewing experience transformational. Thank you Beth!!
And as we moved towards the finishing line with scheduled sound mix and color correction we feel the excitement of having told an important story about the nature of the yearnings of the soul to find meaning in life by making art.
It has been a journey for me to work with great creative people on both sides of the camera to know more about the creative process…and mostly what I have learned is that it is a gift.
I will keep you posted on the next stops for our film…looking ahead my hope is that the film will find it’s next miracle and be selected at one of the top film festivals in the world, Berlin!
The Story of the title…
Objects of Desire, came from the fertile brain of Director, William Farley. And it works, metaphorically as we observe Jerry obsessive search for the discarded detritus of our society. I also had a chance with a title Jerry Barrish, Found. A simple way to say so much about a found objects artist who found his calling in mid life.
But, Objects of Desire is also the name of popular porn websites selling all types aids to sexual pleasure…
And so here is the list of other possibilities created by Jerry and Nancy:
Note: without editing or judgment
Nancy said, “When I read the entire list to Jerry - we both thought "DREAMING OUTLOUD" really resonated. I've always said that Jerry isn't afraid to dream out loud.”
Intuitive Eye
Intuitive Life
Intuitive Journey
Art of Intuition
Life of Intuition
Make them Laugh, Make them Cry
Laughter and Tears
No Help, No Mentors
I Don't know How I got Here
Don't Know How I Got Here
How Did I Get Here?
Without a Net
Purpose and Repurpose
Strange Tales
Stories of the Flawed
Flawed Souls
Flawed People
Broken Souls
Broken and Remade
Fractured Images
Fractured Beings
Repurposed
There's Got to be Something Out There to Be
There's Got to be Something Out There
Got to Be Something Out There
Seems to be Something
Something Out There
Something To Be
Something Made
Becoming Something
Scrounge
Scrounger or The Scrounger
Scrounger's Way
Lucky Scrounger
Luck of a Scrounger
Life of a Scrounger
Life of Scrounging
Valuable Salvage
Scavenge
Found Scavenge
Found Scrounge
Found Objects
Art of Found Objects
Art of Assemblage
Assembled Life
An Assembled Life
Assembled Journey
Artistic Assembled Journey
His Assembled Journey
Scavenge Hunt
Scavenger's Way
Scavenger's Life
Scavenger's Story
Handmade Stories
Handmade Tales
Made by Hand
Hand of the Artist
Artistic Hands
Artistic Life
On Stage
Three Acts
Repurposed
Full of Purpose
Full of Potential
Proven Potential
Potential Purpose
Creative Potential
Another Way
Another Path
Another Route
Found Way
Found Path
Found and Refound
Lost and Refound
Lost and Found
Freight and Salvage
(something to rhyme with) Salvage
Valuable Salvage
Salvage and Rescue
Salvage of Value
Worthy Salvage
Worthy Rescue
Worthy Repurpose
Worthy Purpose
Lucky Purpose
Self Made
Desirable Objects
Plastic Dreams
Plastic Powers of Imagination
Power of Imagination
Power of Plastic
Power of Objects
Dream Power
Power of Dreaming
Not Afraid to Dream
Dreaming Out loud
Plastic Dream(s)
Plastique Dreams
Plastique
Bronze and Plastic
Plastic and Bronze
Without a Plan
Lucky Guy
Oh Lucky Guy
Interesting Journey
Some Kind of Journey
Serendipity
Right Place at Right Time
Lucky Location
Assemblage
Assembled refuse
Discarded and found
Jerrish
Bearish on Barrish
Bearish Tale
Lucky Tales
Lucky Trash
Tales from the Trash
Tails and Tales
Trails, Tails and Tales
Don't Perish in Jail
Jibberish
Art of Bail
Art and Bail
Art, Bail, Cinema
Art, Bail, Film
Bail, Film, Art
Art and Film
Tales
Telling Tales
Singular Tales
Making Stuff
Something Out There To Be
Something from Nothing
Rhymes with Perish
Search and Rescue
Flotsam
Flotsam and Setsam
Jetsam and Flotsam
Flotsam Journey
Flotsam Path
Life of Flotsam
Lagan (or Ligan)
Derelict Life
Derelict Cargo
Derelict Journey
Derelict
His Way
Seems to be Worthy
Worthy Purpose
Worthy (re)Purpose
Found and Worthy
Lucky Find
Fortunately Found
None of them were right…and then our editor, Richard Levien struck on Plastic Man, my friend Stuart Rickey came up with Plastic Plastik with Plastik meaning sculpture in German. And then writer Robert Anbian chimed in with “ the artful life and now we have: Plastic Man; the artful life of Jerry Ross Barrish..
Come join us on Sunday Oct. 5 at 2:30 in Mill Valley at the Sequoia Theatre for our world premiere and Enjoy the film!
Janis