From Experimental Filmmaking to Starting a Film Festival
Alumni Spotlight: the Betschart Brothers
“I get so disappointed with people who say storytelling is their driving force in making films — we tell stories in many art forms, so why choose moving images?”
Ryan and Tyler Betschart, the Betschart Brothers, are 3-time alumni of Slamdance’s Experimental Shorts program and have been programmers of the festival since 2016. In 2015, along with co-founder Rachel Nakawatase, they created the San Diego Underground Film Festival — a fun and fresh festival that highlights experimental film of all genres and mediums as well as local music acts and expanded cinema.
As 3-time alum of the Slamdance Experimental Shorts program, could you talk a bit about your festival films and what drives you to make films the way you do?
Ryan Betschart: The two most important things for me when choosing to work in motion pictures are time and format. I get so disappointed with people who say storytelling is their driving force in making films — we tell stories in many art forms, so why choose moving images??
Tyler Betschart: I’ve recently started comparing the making of our films to making a cardboard submarine; the more imagination you use as a viewer/participant, the more you’ll get out of it. I feel that acknowledging the material invites the viewer to get to a more personable level quicker. You can see the clunkiness and know that this was made with love and honesty — like a child’s drawing of their fat dog. They drew the dog because they love it, and drew it fat because that’s how they see it. I think this clearly demonstrates my point.
“I’ve always been proud that I can show a film of mine to smarties and dummies and they can both get on the same page.”
Ryan: In the 3 films we’ve played at Slamdance, Pudding is shot on 16mm film, which I cut on a flatbed by hand to the point of making time physical — holding feet of film and wrapping it around my neck in order to hold for the next splice.
Tyler: The kids are clearly not actors. The hands coming from the chest demand attention by their juxtaposition to the kids. Hopefully, you’re down for the ride.
Ryan: We shot Cup of Stars on 16mm time-lapse, but then edited it digitally to the point of making time visual — allowing the viewer to see an entire night smeared into a few minutes.
Tyler: Cup of Stars is all connected through one title card, and then the viewer has to find the narrative through the edit of sound over image.
Ryan: Girl Becomes Snow was shot on VHS to the point of making time emotional — playing on the home movie medium of our youth to evoke memory and its eventual deterioration.
Tyler: Girl Becomes Snow is one shot for 7 or so minutes. You can hear our breathing, our footsteps and the clank of the lens cap swinging; all things that are generally considered “no nos” but that we kept in because it made the piece more tangible and give it a feeling that would be unattainable in a cleanly-produced film.
Ryan: Not every film needs to be so exact with its ideas on time, but it’s worth filmmakers taking some consideration into what their choice of medium is saying about their process.
Tyler: We make “rules” and scenarios that allow us to still be surprised by the outcome, while still achieving our objective. “Here is some cardboard, paper plates and some paint; now make a submarine”
“We want our audience to rethink curation, to rethink narrative, to rethink avant-garde. Is a 7-second Instagram video worthy of a contemporary art institution’s praise?”
What led you to start your own film festival —the San Diego Underground?
Ryan: SDUFF formally started in 2015, a year before we were brought into the Slamdance family. Fests like Slamdance are so few and far between, so we felt that a wild genre-defying festival that combined avant-garde museum-quality work side-by-side with silly, weird narratives was needed in Southern California. Tyler and I had graduated from CalArts and co-founder Rachel Nakawatase had just graduated from UCLA. We wanted to use these degrees for something — expanding access to work from artists of different styles and backgrounds. What makes SDUFF (and Slamdance!) great year after year is the level of expertise in programming. Mega-educated, currently-practicing artists spending quality time analyzing every work submitted not only makes SDUFF and Slamdance valuable for accepted films, but also helps to shine a spotlight on films that might get overlooked by festivals who use “movie fans” as their screeners.
Tyler: We grew up in San Diego and it doesn’t have a very relevant art scene. We are too invested in the art and history of film to allow people who are nowhere near as qualified as us to deem what is “good” there. *Drops mic*
You have also been programming with Slamdance for a couple years. How do the fests differ, and how has being a part of the behind-the-scenes of these festivals influenced your filmmaking?
Ryan: SDUFF and Slamdance attract different types of film submissions, with some crossover. Watching so many films (over a thousand a year) is really excellent for expanding my own artistic practice and awareness in regards to trends in filmmaking, and seeing why a film works or what doesn’t work. A film that played at SDUFF or Slamdance in 2016, might not do so well in 2018, and vice versa. Things change, awareness grows — remember when Godard said (though he attributed it to Griffith) “All you need to make a film is a girl and a gun.” That’s always been a problematic statement, but imagine the type of “film bro” who would say that today. Yikes!
“I’ve learned to make shorter films.”
Tyler: Before we knew about Slamdance, we possessed the same demand and respect for quality films that truly experiment with film/video and may not have high budgets — ideas that Slamdance was founded on. But once we became part of “the Slamdance family,” we felt validated in our quest and were inspired by the warmhearted Slamdance team members and filmmakers to pursue that kind of environment.
There have been several occasions where I’ve said, “If Slamdance won’t play us, nobody will.” I’m not sure if that has anything to do with influencing my filmmaking, but it’s definitely given me needed perspective on my filmmaking.
Rachel Nakawatase: I am actually programming for Slamdance this year for the first time and am really excited since Slam’s submissions seem so different from what I see at SDUFF. In regards to the influence on my own filmmaking — I’ve learned to make shorter films.
What are your goals for SDUFF, what kinds of films are you looking for and what do you want it to provide for the community? How do these goals align with your own filmmaking?
Ryan: For SDUFF, we want to see the filmmaker thinking. Whether it’s a crisp Hollywood narrative or a super minimal experimental film, we just want to see ideas. We want our audience to rethink curation (we play all different types of films back to back in the same blocks); to rethink narrative; to rethink avant-garde. Is a 7-second Instagram video worthy of a contemporary art institution’s praise? We want our audience to rethink the role of the curator and hold them responsible for what they put onto the screen. We want other film festivals to see what we are doing and note what works for them, and what doesn’t work for them and why. We also want to include more performance and live elements to films and film festival experiences to expand and rethink our role as art event.
In my own film making I like when people notice how much thought is placed in my choices regarding montage, sound, duration. Often I will play little games within my films and wonder if people will notice.
Tyler: I think SDUFF shines curatively through our ability to find honest films, films that you can see genuine thought behind and acceptance of who they are and what they’ve made as a filmmaker. Our willingness to look past categories such as “narrative” or “animation” when programming, turns a block of short films into an experience and not just a list. I believe that this process helps outsiders view and absorb difficult material without being talked down to, and welcomes people to view certain content that they normally are not exposed to.
I think connecting to people is the most important part of filmmaking. I’ve always been proud that I can show a film of mine to smarties and dummies and they can both get on the same page.
Rachel: Maybe not a goal, but my favorite part of the festival process is organizing blocks around an idea rather than by genre or medium (ie. experimental, animation, narrative). It gives me so much life when the films and filmmakers are all so different, but their films compliment and strengthen each other. Then, naming the blocks something cute and fun! It makes the party so much better! (“Narrative shorts block 2” is not so cute or fun :\ )
“If something is funny at the expense of someone else, is it really funny? And beyond comedy — are films that tackle big issues just using those issues to get play? Is the filmmaker the right person to handle their chosen topic?”
Could you talk more about the nuts and bolts of starting a film festival? What is the process like?
Ryan: Imagine throwing a family reunion in Las Vegas. Find a venue, get money from the family to help rent it out, organize plane tickets from all over the world, mark the times and dates everyone is coming in, make cute merch for everyone to be happy with. It’s as fun and stressful as having both your cool cousins from Hawaii fly out and your mean great-uncles who are critical of you and tell you how much you failed at this reunion.
What advice would you give to people who are interested in starting their own festival now?
Ryan: Find a lawyer who specializes in not-for-profit work and make sure everything is in writing at all times for everything. A few times we have taken a friend’s word and that has come back to haunt us. Using Filmfreeway gets way more results than using Withoutabox. This year we had 700 submissions on Filmfreeway without advertising, and 100 submissions on Withoutabox. Don’t have mixers. Don’t invite industry out. Having panels is a waste of time. Replace all the time and energy you would put into appealing to the status quo with time and energy into booking live performances by artists and musicians. Way more people will be into a cool performative art piece or music act than a panel discussing the latest changes in cameras or software. Use film Q&A time to discuss ethics, politics, and gender issues instead of having a panel on them. It makes screenings way more interesting and holds both programmers and filmmakers accountable for what is being projected.
Has it been worth the time and effort?
Ryan: Almost. It’s similar to making a film — you work day and night, get no sleep, put lots of sweat and tears into a few minutes that people will, at worst, not notice and, at best, say “Hey, that was nice!”
What should future festival founders be wary of before treading into these waters? What do you get out of the experience?
Be wary that there is a lot of responsibility in your choices — which film makers you support says a lot about you as a festival. Film programming is a very political act and should be taken seriously, even when and especially when you deal with comedy. If something is funny at the expense of someone else, is it really funny? And beyond comedy — are films that tackle big issues just using those issues to get play? Is the filmmaker the right person to handle their chosen topic? Will the film play well with the other films you’ve programmed? There are so many questions you need to ask yourself all the time. So if you are interested in being critical of yourself and others at all times, maybe you’ve found your calling! Welcome! What you’ll get from being a festival programmer, or from starting your own festival, is the knowledge that you were in fact critical and thoughtful at every juncture. The effort to be critical and thoughtful is what is missing from most major companies. Being thoughtful and critical while operating your own organization is an act of rebellion and a way to make even the smallest difference.
What are some of the exciting acts and films festival-goers can look forward to at this year’s SDUFF?
Ryan: Friday August 24th 7PM — We have short films by Slamdance alumni Tipper Newton, Noah Engel, Benjamin Whatley, and former Slamdance Festival Manager Clementine Leger! Right after that block, we have a magic lantern performance by Melissa Ferrari with music by the amazing Sam Gurry. Later on in the evening, shorts by alumni Wally Chung and Alex Italics. We have a new installation by Jeanette Bonds which is a sequel of sorts to her fog laser show for Slamdance’s 2018 DIG (which she premiered at SDUFF in 2017!) The rest of the weekend is packed — come out and see!
San Diego Underground Film Festival is an artist-led festival that offers San Diego a nurturing alternative to the mainstream media by promoting experimentation in video, film, and audio based mediums.
The upcoming edition of the San Diego Underground Film Festival runs from August 23–26, 2018. For more information, visit their website at sdundergroundarts.org
Interview conducted by Adele Han Li. Content has been lightly edited for clarity.
