Super 8mm, death traps, and family memories at Sundance: An Interview with James Gannon
In 1971 Jack and Betty were hit by a train while on a trip to Cape May, NJ, and survived. 50 years later they return to the "scene of the crime" to discuss what happened that fateful September morning. Shot entirely on Kodak Super 8 film, DEERWOODS DEATHTRAP explores the deadly accident and the conflicting memories surrounding it.
About the director:
James P. Gannon is a director living in Brooklyn, NY. He has directed 10 short films, jumping between narrative and documentary. His films have screened at multiple festivals across the world including Sundance, SXSW, and Slamdance. His films have been selected as Vimeo staff picks, been featured on Short of the Week, NoBudge, and RogerEbert.com. He is currently in pre-production for his first feature film, HARDPAN, about a demolition derby driver who gets stranded in the desert with only a case of beer to survive on.
Tell us about you and your background in filmmaking.
I'm pretty much a self-taught filmmaker. I took a few classes my first semester of community college and was just not into the vibe. Everyone was making really cheesy Kevin Smith rip-off shorts and it just wasn't for me. So I ended up switching my focus to fine arts but never was able to let go of the desire to make films. So I ended up abandoning my degree, moved to NYC and worked at a Cafe while trying to make short movies on the side and make connections. Eventually, I was able to work freelance in video production and save money to make a few shorts over the years.
Deerwood Deathtrap is a film about a horrific event, but it's also a humorous at times. How did you strike the balance between these two tones?
I knew I wanted some sort of levity to the film because I'm not interested in doing something too heavy. My parents are funny in a way that they aren't aware of, which is perfect...but I never knew what they were going to do or say. So the trick was just making them feel comfortable enough to be themselves while I was filming. So I took on all of the interviews with them completely by myself, running two cameras, sound and setting up lighting. It's not the easiest way to work and it was really hard at times, but it was the only way to capture them completely as themselves. I knew I was going to have the horrific elements, that was baked in, but it was just waiting for the funny moments to happen while filming and then expand upon those so we had enough for the edit. My editor (Jason Tippet) really has a knack for finding humor in the idiosyncrasies of characters, so he brought a lot to table.
In the film, you interview your own family. What was that like?
Interviewing my family is really not difficult for me at all. If anything it's easier than interviewing a stranger in the sense that I don't feel bad telling them to restate an answer with context or being 100% transparent with what answer I am fishing for and how I want it said. Having said that, this is the 3rd movie I have made with my parents so over time it's become very easy to just sit down and talk to them while a camera is running.
Why was it important to shoot this on Super 8mm?
There are a million reasons I could give. The timeless vibe of it, the texture of the film gives the viewing just a hint more of engagement because it looks different than what they are used to. But in the end, I just love the format and I don't feel that it gets used enough for things like this. To me, shooting on film just makes it feel special and like an artifact. It gives me the same feeling I get when I look at old 35mm photos of my family from the 70's and 80's... it's a time capsule, it’s edged in something organic as opposed to 1's and 0's making an image.
You incorporate slide film in a really interesting way. Tell us about that process.
Yeah, I had all of these old slides that I knew were super important to the story. Because without some sort of evidence of the crash...the story loses some weight to it and that's all I had, the slides. So I could have easily scanned them and just placed them in the film as stills but I wanted everything to feel organic and cohesive. So I decided I wanted to actually film the slides with Super 8 and found that viewer on Etsy and loved the way the motor moved the slides in and out. It was the perfect way to use them in a way that felt different.
This premiered at Sundance—the pie in the sky for indie filmmakers. How did it feel to get accepted in one of the most prestigious festivals in the world?
Getting accepted to Sundance was completely unexpected. I've submitted to the festival like 10 times over the last 12 years and never got in. My previous film shot on super 8 (Betty Feeds the Animals) I thought for sure would be the one that got accepted to Sundance and when it didn't I just sorta made peace with the fact that it would probably never happen for me. But you can't not submit to Sundance when you are doing a festival run...you need to submit just to know. So yeah, I was very surprised and excited to get in. I've heard people say that they didn't get in until their 8th or 9th film submission and that kinda always gave me a little bit of hope and it seems to have played out that way for me as well.
Where is Deerwood Deathtrap playing next?
Up next is NJ Super 8 film festival, followed by Big Sky Documentary film festival and then a few I can't really name yet, unfortunately. But by the first week of March, the cat should be out of the bag.
How can we keep up with your work?
I supposed my Instagram account and my website are the best ways to keep up with what I am up to. As of right now, I'm working on getting funding for my feature which would be shot on super 16 out in the desert.
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