If you are in the mood for a dreamy, haze infused love story that rivals even the most classic romance stories in under ten minutes, look no further than Joshua Shultz’s first film, BOWIE FASHION FILM Joshua collaborated with the brand BOWIE to bring some of their favorite pieces to life and the pieces got more than just life, they got sandy beaches full of flowers, green lush fields and a star studded vehicle with model Amanda Smith and actor Edwin Hodge. Says director Joshua Shultz on the concept of the film,
“For me the concept was love. We have all given ourselves completely to someone and opened ourselves up and have then been hurt or crushed. Yet, we still continue to search for love. In this film I wanted the girl to show up and go on a journey through a beautiful forest, down memory lane and, after remembering pleasure moments, have the mystery of her adventure and her own doubts come to the reassurance that the guy does loves her.”
We sat down with director Josh Shultz and stars Edwin Hodge and Amanda Smith to talk about the process of making the film.
JOSHUA SHULTZ
Was this your first film? What was production like for you?
This was my first time directing a film. I was fortunate to get Caleb Thorne as a Producer on this project. He really went out of his way to make things go right to make this film become a reality! It was a learning experience and took a lot of pushing and staying motivated, and I had an amazing team there to keep me going. Production was challenging but fun!! Some days were very hard. After the second day of filming I could barely walk because we hiked so much and carried so much equipment. I am happy I pushed through it all no matter the challenges that came our way, and I learned much because of it. I can’t wait to start production on my next film!
What are you working on next?
I am directing another Fashion Film, one more complicated and with dialogue. It is set in the 1950s and has more characters. I have already signed one actress and am in pre-production on the project. I am very excited to be working with Koko from LADYGUNN on making this film!
How did the collaboration with Bowie come about?
I was lucky enough to have celebrity stylist Sophia Banks Coloma style the film and went over the story with her and the looks I wanted and she brought Bowie aboard and it turned out to be the perfect fit! Love Bowie’s dresses!
Was this based on a true story?
I based it on love. I thought of some examples of things we do for love. Some people work out and put a lot of time into looking their best for that special someone they may one day fall in love with. Songs are written about love, and endless stories. The first thing I thought of when I wanted to do a story for a Fashion Film was to come up with a simple idea as an underlining concept. For me it was love.
What was the location?
We shot in 4 different locations: the green screen shots in The Dream Factory LA Studio, the stars time-lapse in Red Rock Canyon, the city time-lapse in the Hollywood Hills and the forest shots in the Angeles National Forest.
How many hours did it take to get those flowers in the sand?
We first we had the florist and her assistant hike 20 minutes to the location. They spent 2 hours placing each flower in the sand just right for the last shot.
The credits are so beautiful tell us about who you worked with on editing.
The Art Director was amazing and found us a great artist who was working on the Man of Steel credits and was kind enough to come and do our credits. It was very exciting! To make the letters in the film, the Art Director took paper and soaked it in Hennessy then baked it overnight. For the credits we scanned the letter in and used it as the background. The art direction was really amazing on this project!
Tell us about the music score.
I was fortunate enough to work with Julian Cisneros, a film composer who lives near me. We spent a long time on the score and he really listened to what I wanted. We worked together until we got the music for the film just right. He did a great job on the film!
EDWIN HODGE
What’s the most romantic thing you ever did for a girl?
The most romantic thing I’ve ever done for a girl is to lie to her. It was my ex girlfriend’s prom and I kept telling her I couldn’t make it because I was working on a film at the same time as her prom. I kept the lie going for a week and a half while making plans to fly down there to surprise her. The smile on her face was definitely worth the lie and the punch I received before my hug. It’s not super romantic, but it’s a moment I’ll never forget.
What is the production difference in shooting a short film vs. a feature?
I really see no difference. Work is work for me. We can state the obvious. The crews are smaller, there’s less dialogue, and the work day is less tasking. All in all my primary focus is to help make a great piece of visual art. Whether it’s a short film or feature, I attack them the same way.
What was the shoot like?
I had a great time working on this film. Josh and I have been friends for awhile, so there was a natural chemistry that we carried over from our friendship. Meeting Amanda was great. She has one of the coolest personalities. The cast and crew became friends really fast, so the transition into a work environment was easy. I think because we all had fun, we were able to collectively help Josh with his vision.
AMANDA SMITH
What was it like acting in a love story?
Just another day at the office =)
Are you a romantic?
I can be. I’m a well-rounded person, and everyone I meet is different so I act accordingly. I haven’t found that special someone yet.
What was the shoot like?
The shoot was great. Great team, great locations, it went very smoothly both days we were shooting
What was it like running in that Bowie dress?
Difficult. The dress was so long it kept getting In the way of me walking and almost tripping me, but I was being filmed so had to try and play it off. Also for the outdoor shots all the sticks were catching it so I had that working against me also. Definitely difficult, but not impossible. I’m very happy with how everything turned out.
Did you get to keep the dress?
No =P
Do you have other acting aspirations?
Yes. I know I can’t model forever so I am very interested in both music and acting, and try to work with both as much as I can so that when I’m ready to transition I’ve got some experience under my belt =)
For more behind the scenes on the BOWIE FASHION FILM go here.
