“LOVEBYRD - Wanna Die Before You Do” By Dustie Carter
“I Wanna Die Before You” is essentially a short road film shot on super 8mm about two lovers on the run from the law. One of them is bleeding out in the rear seat while the other drives riddled with guilt for allowing this to happen. You get a glimpse into their relationship and its tender moments through a series of fanciful reveries.
Be sure to check out Dustie’s statement on his film below!
Credits
Starring - Jenna Mcdonald & Mckenzie Moser
Music - LOVEBYRD
Producer - Stolen Sun
Studio - Bruton Stroube
Director - Dustie Carter
Directory of Photography - Mike Dalton
1st AC - Jesse Bader
Gaffer - Tim Hawn
BBE/Key Grip - Ethan Waddell
Post House - BSS Outpost
Editor - Sam Baiamonte
Colorist - Brian Singler
Beyond the Short
This concept immediately resonated with the band and I. The story and song share a kindred tone and once we added the visuals you can sense the harmony. It’s hard to imagine one existed without the other.
From the beginning, we knew how important the look would be to meld with the tone of the song. I knew it had to be shot on film but would go back and forth questioning it due to my lack of experience with it. After talking with Mike (DP) we decide to go for it and shoot on super 8. The film gave us the look and texture we needed, but also set the tone onset. I found it allowed me to present with the actors since I didn’t have a monitor or playback. I also had to stay connected with the story and think about the edit to be efficient since film is precious. We would do a lot more rehearsal before rolling and move on once we felt we had the take, unlike digital where you might roll early on rehearsal and shoot a few safeties. This forced me to use trust my gut as a director.
Shoot on film was one aspect of the look and feel, but we also want to create a visual language with the light and set pieces. This story taking place on the road needed a specific look. We decided to use rear projection to capture a more vintage tone that would pair with the film. Mike would keep the lightning realistic, but augment it with color contrast in the driving scenes. For the memory/flashback scenes, anything was game. Some of the scenes needed to be surreal while others more down to earth. Mike did an incredible job keeping within the perimeters of our visual vocabulary while pushing its boundaries when necessary.
For the post I know I can always count on Sam Baiamonte. He always finds a way to keep with the original script, but provide a fresh perspective and additional layers. Since we shot on film we kept the coverage deliberate. In the edit, Sam was able to take the limited coverage and find unique and interesting ways to tell the story.
Amid Covid-19 and following CDC guidelines this project lived or died by its collaboration. With the band out of Germany and unable to attend here in the States and post done from afar, there had to be a level of trust for everyone.
“LOVEBYRD - Wanna Die Before You Do” was submitted to us by Dustie Carter. Have a film of your own you’d like us to check out? Click here!