Staff Pick Award for Palm Springs ShortFest 2022: "Meantime" by Michael T Workman |

I'm fed up with waiting.

Aren't you,

For the world to be improved

Beautiful and sweet?

HTML0 Let's take this knife

and split the world in two

Find out what it worms are eating

At the edges.

--Langston Hughes "Good Morning, Revolution: Uncollected social Protest Writings

This year's recipient of the Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs Shortfest 2022 will be "Meantime" written by Michael T Workman. Michael set up a camera at the home of his father Tim in order to create a "deeply personal investigation of the past and work, guilt, and the attempt to preserve the joy of." Actually, that's what the logline reads. The appeal of the film is the fact that it's not really about this vague portrayal of human sentiment. "Meantime" focuses an eye on the product of negatives that devastate in the United States: capitalism, poor labor practices, insufficient care for people from mental illness, and the reality that the American rule of thumb that states "pull your self up with your bootstraps" is a physically impossible undertaking. The film outlines the many ways in which people in the United States fails to fully provide for their citizens throughout their entire life from birth to death. According to Michael is a very lyrical style in the Q&A "

   "It isn't obvious, but I'm convinced that the primary focus of the film is the inhumanity of capitalism. ...My dad is a product of a system that views people as "human resources" an idea that is dehumanizing those who don't conform to the strict rules of labor exploitation. "

In its production, as dark as the depressing Montana winter that it takes place is set in "Meantime" is a film about people who are injured but grew into gentle and compassionate individuals.

We requested Michael some questions concerning the making of this special family photo and were awed by his warm and thoughtful responses. The following extracts of our conversations with Michael.

Inspiring:

   "The inspiration for the movie was born out of an experience when I helped my father digitize his home video recordings. When I watched them, I was able to feel this profoundly emotion-filled moments in the minutes my dad recorded. The most memorable moments weren't birthdays, Christmas events or weddings, but the ones that were the most touching. These were moments when my relatives were together, in anticipation of something significant to happen and just having a conversation, or even joking. It was the moments I could see those I had known through different life stages, and my appreciation of their lives was starting to grow. I've never been a fan making a personal film however looking back at the film and seeing that I was in Montana inspired me to produce the documentary. . "

His tips on filming family:

   "Working with your loved ones can be a challenge. Knowing when to turn off the camera and be there was the greatest difficulty. At the conclusion of this day dad and I had completed recording. My camera seems to be fine simply hiding behind my camera at present. The best advice I can give filmmakers who work with children is to think about when and what events you're planning to record and later use the plan to establish a time limit. Don't record everything every day but don't keep track of what's going on. Think through what you want to record and let the camera roll. After you're done, are done. There are things that you didn't notice, which is fine. It is essential to create a situation in which the photographs you take are more likely to captivating and deep. Shut off your camera and get back to enjoying your day-to-day routine . "

On his family's reaction to the film

   "My relatives have all watched the film. I played it for my mother after I was done and it was the most emotional viewing experience that I've had. Because the film is so personal to me I was swept through waves of feeling completely numb to it and times of intense emotions. As I was watching the film with my mom, tiny subtleties in the film made me burst into crying uncontrollably. This is a testimony to the fact that the viewpoint of those you are viewing a film with can dramatically alter your experience the film. The experience was healing for both of us  She also learned about the viewpoint of my father which she could not see in the moment.

   The most nervous I was regarding showing this video to my father. We planned to share our experience, but it was not the best time to do so and he decided to take his time and watch it on his own. After he phoned me back, and told I had seen it and was heartbroken, I cried. I was told something in similar to "Mike I saw your film and it's an excellent film and I'll likely never again see it." The primary source of his stress was not what the film showed but the sensation that he was watching himself in the film , as and hearing his voice, which was the most traumatic (for myself , too). ). "

On challenges faced:

   "The toughest part of the making of this film was establishing separation between myself and the movie. My opinion is that this is one of the biggest issues with personal projects, and this is the one that happens the most often is that it fails. The personal films are often emotional for the director, however they aren't to the viewers. I attempted to steer clear of this situation at any possible cost, and also to distance myself from the film as if it were an outsider who didn't even know me personally. Since I was the director the film, it became a problem that lasted for a long time. I overcame this by having many trusted people near me who provided me with truthful and constructive critique . "

The things he'd want us to take into account while watching the movie:

   "It isn't apparent, but I think that the focus of this film is the inhumanity that capitalism has created. That is, in the end, the root of my father's battle to live an enjoyable and secure existence. While abuse may have been the trigger for his struggle, absence of aid to recover from the trauma is a matter of societal norms and not an individual failure. My father is part of the culture of seeing the human being in the form of "human resources" which takes away the humanity of people who cannot integrate into an unjust system that exploits labour.

   Capitalist systems offer workers two choices working or working in the streets. Though this doesn't appear explicitly in the film, it's an under-ground premise of the story. If the people who lived in my dad's circumstance were able to access healthy mental and physical wellbeing, housing and food and didn't need to justify their humanity through being in horrible conditions, they could lead happy and secure lives in which they could recover from their trauma.

   The crucial detail on the title of the film is that my father's stroke was triggered through the onset of a panic attack in his work because the company was trying to maximize profit through understaffing its facility which he worked. It was clear that this was an ongoing issue for him when I was creating the film when I realized that the pressure of job stress more than stress from being pregnant was what contributed to my father's mental disorder in the early years of my life.

   Also, I hoping that the film will inspire viewers to treasure the time they spend with their dear family members and discuss difficulties and suffering in a warm and welcoming setting. In the end, the heart of this movie is caring for parents by being able to understand their humanity and appreciating how much the time they've got . "

Michael's suggestions to budding film makers:

   "I often inform my students to remain a professional to retain their enthusiasm for making movies. At every step it is to be a battle in this business to force you into the middle of the road to make you a person who is a tool. They'll attempt to take your joy out of the process and put up artificially high stakes to make some of the worst material. Anyone who's worked at a major advertising company knows this. I'd advise you to take actions that will make you be happy, even if your wage-labor job doesn't. Keep trying making your own films or hobbies that make you feel as if you're an artist. If you're a part of Sundance and you've lost enthusiasm for filmmaking, what's your purpose in doing this ? "

What's next?

   "I'm developing a feature-length documentary concept that will consist of an observational, character-driven narrative film located in the town of mining Montana. The idea is still being developed in its early stage of development, and I'm not able to say about it right moment.

   I'm currently writing an article about those working in jobs that they realize is completely useless. If you're in the market for a job similar to this, do not hesitate to contact me and email me. We are currently hiring . "

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