“Death” by Christian Meola
Beyond the Short Official Premiere
Rather than tell a story about a character passing away through a conventional narrative structure, Death presents several scenes in consecutive order that convey the larger effect of a young man death on the world he left behind. Although he has passed, we see reminders of him in his roadside memorial, flowers at his grave, and in the empty space of his office desk. Death is an assemblage of moments that convey the friction between life moving forward and the lingering feeling, or presence, of a life that was lived.
FROM THE DIRECTOR:
“My approach to making "Death" was similar to my previous film "Violence" (also published on BTS). It's exciting to tackle a broad, commonly-explored subject and then create a film that doesn't actually depict it in the way people might expect. Instead of a narrative where we witness someone passing away or focus on a person's grief after a loss, "Death" is a culmination of moments that create an energy that lingers in the environments a person used to occupy. The idea that this energy could be serene and even comforting as opposed to bleak, numbing, or depressing, was what kept inspiring me as I made this piece. The idea of the sun's warm glow softly shining down on a roadside memorial, like a presence from beyond reaching down from the universe and placing a hand on my shoulder, makes the idea of accepting fatality a little easier.”
-Christian Meola
CREDITS:
Featuring:
Daniel Mutis/ @mutanoman, Alexandra Mann/ @third_mann, Jordee Kopanski/ @jordeekopanski, Susej Esqueda, Tony Magdaleno, and Daniel Parra
Writer & Director// Christian Meola/ @christianrmeola
Producer//Julia Hughes
Director of Photography//Nicola Newton/ @nicola___newton
Production Designer//Nicole Machon/ @nicolemachon
Editor//Jake Hammond
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