Staff Pick Premiere: "Charlotte" by Zach Dorn |

In this week's Staff Pick Premiere, forgotten folk singer Lena Black discovers her fifty-year-old track "Charlotte" was remade into an instant pop sensation. Set in the aftermath of the release of the album the filmmaker Zach Dorn explores how the effect of the smash hit is felt by Lena and her daughter Diane as well as her grandchild who is 11 years old, Eli.

In a letter written to the pop star, Lena writes: "There is more to it than forgetting, and that is being misunderstood." The theme of misunderstanding is interspersed throughout the film as the newly discovered triumph exposes past hurts. Through a collection of fragmented conversation - including Lena's letter Lena Diane's telephone call and Eli's tape recording Dorn creates a touching picture of a family beginning to connect with each other by way of music.

In response to questions about his unique structure for the film, Dorn said: "I loved the conceit of exploring these connections but never seeing the members of the family meet. In presenting the narrative through isolated monologues, I wanted the story to feel that each character had developed their own version of the tune. The story is split by generations, geography and emotional divide However, I would like to believe that, something at the core of their anxieties ends up converging into the same tune."

This is a tune that's familiar to viewers who've experienced the separation of their families. However "Charlotte" is different in comparison to other family-oriented dramas we've shared on the . Hand-made puppets and stop motion animation Dorn takes us inside their lives, stories as well as their imaginations to create an incredibly moving journey.

     Before the publication, we approached Dorn to get more information about his motivations for the publication the style and design. Watch the interview below to learn more details about "Charlotte. "

A film based on its origins:

"In 2019 I made an animated show about the world's largest sponge and the TV program Gilmore Girls. When I was looking for small items in the faux flower section in Michael's Craft Shop Carly Rae's cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" was played through the loudspeaker. The song is extremely upbeat an amazing bubbly track which is unusual considering the original version was mournful and complicated. This was an amazing feeling as I loved the Carly Rae cover so much. To me, the famous version, even though it's more fake, was nonetheless full of emotions which Joni Mitchell's version was. I was both embarrassed and dismayed over this notion, however, I kept imagining Carly Rae Jepsen as well as Joni Mitchell's version of "Both Sides Now" in conversation. That conversation would eventually become the script of "Charlotte ."

 In making the script

"I developed the original version of "Charlotte" in the form of a radio show, a sort of an Joe Frank voyeuristic drama, which was set in miniature landscapes without any puppets. I composed the lyrics through the viewpoint of eight characters, who were involved in relationships with one another, either professionally or personally and centered around the song "Charlotte." When I took the time to become acquainted with the characters Diane and Eli were deemed to be the most fascinating they were, so I included them in the mix along with Lena and pop star T.Y.M. As soon as I realized that, it was the perfect time to invest an enormous amount of time trying to find out ways to get their stories interspersed."

on the collaboration in music:

"When I composed "Charlotte," I always thought of the singer Jenna Caravello in mind. While I was writing the song's lyrics, I recorded some fictional Rolling Stone interviews, including Lena Black and some of faux diary entries. In light of that information, Jenna wrote the folk tune.

     Jenna's tune was sent to Zhenya Golikova, whom I had a connection via the internet. In the year 2020 Zhenya recorded these vocal notes I had written to a friend, funny and sad songs about marshmallows , cats and missing people who live in other nation. After that, Zhenya turned my tunes into stunning ballads. Her work has this early Magnetic Fields feel, as if it was composed by the ocean by the horny sea mammal.. Jenna's track got sent over to Zhenya, and she came back with the version for pop one week after. . "

In the talk-show segment

"So numerous female folk singers throughout the 60s and 70s were largely ignored. Artist like Vashti Bunyan, Karen Dalton, Linda Perrhacs and The Roches were largely ignored or put in categories such like "freak folk" and not considered in the same way as their male counterparts. The paradox is interesting, in which folk music has been attributed to the modernist ideals yet is entangled in a particular sort of gender-based misogyny that is not spoken about.

     While thinking about these artists , I couldn't think of Lena now in her career. To stay relevant, her career would require participation in the 70s Laurel Canyon lifestyle, party with the appropriate individuals, take appropriate drug, as well as live in a society that was created and run by males. It's not likely that she'd feel up to the idea. Maybe due to maternal role, or perhaps she'd be able to comprehend the entire issue. It's hard to say. It was just her sadness that was spread over an entire lifetime of grieving for her profession. What will happen to her anger? What will happen to her sorrow? how does it affect her relationships and with her son? As I thought about these questions, I attempted to compose the interactions between Lena and Sam as a prelude to the bond she has with her daughter. "

On developing his unique visual style:

     "In my 20s, and into my early 20s, I was trained to be an actor. Yet, I did not do particularly well in doing the job. I am missing an eighth of my brain , which I think has led to a real inability to perceive spatial space. It was a bit of a stretch to think about building or manipulating something with three dimensions was not feasible. This was why I had the opportunity to be involved in Toy Theater, a type of art form that was very popular during the late 19th century in England. I first began making miniature dioramas by using Acrylics and matte boards, like pop-up books, as well as manipulated live-projecting cameras within them and told tales of my landlord or my the dead dog.

     I am obsessed with details of things, whether it's the barcode printed on the bag of Doritos, or the form of an McDonald's Happy Meal box. Perhaps because I don't have an intellectual capacity, I'm not able to cut straight lines or make anything realistically - thus I'm little bit of confused by the breakdown of objects and awe.

For the creation of the puppets I worked with stop motion animators Oliver Levine and Lily Windsor for a rough and tactile appearance that would fit with the movie's hand-painted environment. Since I made the film during the period that was under lockdown, we travelled a across the country, Lily from Chicago, mailing small boxes of llamas, and Oliver making head-sculpts and leaving them at my door Burbank . ">

Step 2:

     "Currently, I am independently creating a documentary about the CGI Livia Soprano from the third season of The Sopranos, as well as this genetic mutation called BRCA2. I was born in an Italian American family filled with diverse customs and personalities However, at the close of my 20s the BRCA2 caused a disruption to the familial connections because of the premature loss of family members.

     In the year 2020 I was watching The Sopranos for the first time. The show was as if I was having a conversation with my family. In the present I'm making a documentary that recreates the home movie with stop-motion footage and examine Livia Soprano's performance that she performed posthumously in within the context of my personal experience dealing with grieving . "

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