Ask an Alum: Virtual Reality Architect Jason Drakeford
Before Virtual Reality (VR) was a Sundance submission category or upcoming Playstation edition, it was on display at the Atlanta Film Festival. The World Premiere of INTERRUPTURE, a short VR film co-directed by Thomas Nybo and Jason Drakeford, was a highlight at our biggest party of the festival week—a multimedia film and music event called Sound + Vision. Attendees waited their turn to be transported into the true story escape of two 11-year-old girls from Syria.
Since building a seasoned track record of art direction and video production for the likes of Showtime, Adult Swim, New York Times, MTV and MailChimp, Jason works freelance for the American Museum of Natural History (read on for a peek at his upcoming video!), speaks on VR filmmaking, and continues to produce his own independent work. We talked with Jason on how he fell into ATLFF, the innovation behind his other favorite genre, and what Atlanta means to him as a creative.
JASON DRAKEFORD AT THE 2016 SOUND + VISION WORLD PREMIERE OF INTERRUPTURE
Q: How did you first hear about the Atlanta Film Festival?
A: Videodrome! The best place for a filmmaker to hang out and devour great cinema in Atlanta.
Q: What did your ATLFF screening accomplish for you as a filmmaker, if anything?
A: It opened up more opportunities in meeting fellow filmmakers and established me further as a VR director. It also opened my eyes to see how people reacted to our film - one woman was crying after she took the headset off.
Q: Why did you submit your film to ATLFF?
A: I've been to previous ATLFF events, watching incredible curated films and meeting people I look up to and have established collaborations with, so it was a no-brainer.
Q: Since our community met you as a VR guy, clue us in on your other favorite genres to work with.
A: I absolutely love to create physical manifestations of my films, specifically in projection-mapping. While in New York I worked under Tony Oursler, a projection-artist and shot a music video with him and David Bowie, and ever since then I've been itching to create more in that medium. I think there is a natural connection to virtual reality and projection-mapping that no one has really explored yet.
Q: Okay, everyone's favorite question—what are you working on now?
A: Currently I'm directing a new VR film series with The American Museum of Natural History. Also continuing to create the space series "Out There" with The New York Times (we just wrapped our 17th episode) as well as independently producing a documentary on the life of Shigeko Kubota, as a followup from my previous film profiling Ken Jacobs. I'll also be at the Adobe MAX conference this fall talking about VR filmmaking, behind-the-scenes making-of and best practices while producing immersive stories.
Q: What part of Atlanta (or place in Atlanta) serves as your most reliable arts incubator?
A: Grant Park, mainly because of the combination of the Elevator Factory and Octane Coffee. Great people and random encounters for collaboration.
Q: If you were an Atlanta neighborhood. Which would you be?
A: Cabbagetown... during Chomp and Stomp.
Q: What sets Atlanta apart for you as a creative home?
A: After 5 years in New York, coming back to Atlanta (my hometown), creating work here has had a much more relaxed, meditative process than being in NYC. I think projects have the space to breathe, and other "backburner" film ideas have time to marinate into solid ideas instead of forcing them into a specific outlet. There's a great talent base that's growing with the film industry as well down here that's very exciting.
Our 2017 festival will expand our VR program, and we're always looking for compelling, boundary-pushing intergenre work. Sound familiar? Send us your stuff and join the family.
Ask an Alum: Danielle Deadwyler, a.k.a. Elevate ATL's Didi Xio
Catch up with the ever-versatile championess of Atlanta to learn more about where to find her work this weekend and what sets Atlanta apart as an arts home.
Continuing our Ask an Alum series, we talked with ATLFF-selected filmmaker and actress Danielle Deadwyler about what makes Atlanta home, what she has coming up (hint: go to Elevate ATL!) and why she submitted to the festival. Currently showcased in the International Terminal in the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport as part of the Atlanta Film Society's Airport Shorts Program version 3.0 with her short film Su:Per:He:Ro:In:Uh, Deadwyler is the first recipient of the Living Walls Laura Patricia Calle Grant with her project BUST IT OPEN—a multimedia arts installation that champions black feminism.
Q: ATLFF knows you primarily as an actress and narrative short filmmaker. What other genres do you like to work with?
A: I work in dance, experimental video/film, theatre, voiceover, poetry and hiphop (I go by didi xio too)...as well as film and TV. I'm willing and open and invested in being malleable and collaborative. I invite myself to play in all fields.
Q: What sets Atlanta apart for you as a creative home?
A: Atlanta is home first. That's what sets it apart. You know something, or a place, inside out, then it shifts as Atlanta is right now, and you have to relearn it, or learn as you go. And yet that place still holds history, memory all over you...that is a creative flux right there. It's a place still morphing...other cities are fixed...Atlanta is creatively taking shape, and can be shaped by artists who are present.Q: Why did you submit your films to ATLFF?
A: I submitted to ATLFF to gain connection. To reveal work at home. To be a part of a significant festival that could support me with access to information, education, and like minds.Q: What part of Atlanta (or place in Atlanta) serves as your most reliable or impactful arts incubator?
A: I can't say one place or one part of Atlanta has been most reliable for incubating my arts growth. There have always been multiple hoods and places serving my growth simultaneously. Whether I'm in Little five doing theatre or experimental work, or on Broad St of late performing with Dux or showing performance art work, or downtown learning at C4, or performing at the Southwest Arts Center, or being nurtured as an emerging artist at Spelman's Museum...Atlanta as a whole has invested in the present form of art that I am producing or collaborating to create.Q: Okay, everyone's favorite question—what are you working on now?
A: I'm currently preparing to present a public performance art multimedia work at ELEVATE ATLANTA Friday October 14. Come check it out! I'm traveling 3.8 miles from the old Club Nikki on Metropolitan Pkwy (old Stewart Ave) to Broad St and Mitchell St, where the ELEVATE event will be held.Q: If you were an Atlanta neighborhood. which would you be?
A: I'd have to be Capital View...its the neighborhood that birthed me.
We love our filmmakers. We love Atlanta. And there's no such thing as too much of either. Submit your work(s) in any of twelve categories before prices rise with the late deadline—October 28th. Catch Danielle and her work this weekend at Elevate ATL! You'll also find ATLFS-supported works from Josephine Figueroa and the Digital Good Times crew.
Ask an Alum: Atlanta's Alex Orr
We talked to three-time #ATLFF alum Alex Orr about his first ATLFF experience and an upcoming project.
In recognition of our final month of submissions for the 2017 ATLFF (!!!), we're catching up with some of the local alumni who continue to make great things in Atlanta and beyond. This week we say hello to three-time alumnus Alex Orr of Fake Wood Wallpaper Films. He's produced the polarizing #ATLFF 2016 selection and nationwide festival darling THE ARBALEST, FX's new smash hit Atlanta, and Easy—a new Netflix Original Series directed by Joe Swanberg (DRINKING BUDDIES, DIGGING FOR FIRE).
ALEX ORR STARS IN HIS SELF-DIRECTED, SELF-WRITTEN FEATURE "A IS FOR ALEX"
Q: How did you first hear about the Atlanta Film Festival?
A: I was in Film School at GSU and it was at the Hollywood 24 way on the north side of town. It was my intro to truly indie cinema. The first film I saw was a feature called Santa Smokes, the filmmaker was out front of the theatre jawing at people to go see his film.
Q: Why did you submit your films to ATLFF?
A: I live here and like to hang at the festival and see other filmmakers I know and meet new ones. It's great. I still work with people I've met at ATLFF through the years.
Q: Okay, everyone's favorite question—what are you working on now?
A: A Christmas Special for Adult Swim. It will be out...this Christmas time.
Q: What sets Atlanta apart for you as a creative home?
A: I lived in LA for 4 years and made more indie projects my first year back in Atlanta than the whole time i was in LA. There's a lot less of the pretension and false promises to sort through in the South.
Q: If you were an Atlanta neighborhood. which would you be?
A: I would be Buckhead because I think I'm better than you, but I'm really just another redneck with a spray tan.
Want to join our alumni family or to see your work screened at the 41st Atlanta Film Festival? Submit before prices go up on October 28th. Already an alum? Have two cents to give about art in Atlanta or an upcoming project we can mention? Email us to be considered for the Q&A.
The Call for Entries for the 2017 Atlanta Film Festival is now open!
Submit your film or screenplay for 2017 Atlanta Film Festival consideration today! Earlybird deadline is June 30th!
From March 24 to April 2, 2017, we will be celebrating our 41th anniversary and we are looking to you to help us make it our best yet.
Last year, we received over 4,700 film submissions from more than 120 countries across all 6 populated continents (sorry, Antarctica). Out of nearly 200 films that play the Atlanta Film Festival each year, roughly 80% of those come from submissions! In programming next year's festival, we are looking for groundbreaking works in narrative and documentary features and short films, animations, experimental films, puppetry films, music videos, virtual reality films and episodic pilots. We are pleased to have Pivot as our documentary film sponsor for 2017.
We received nearly 600 screenplay submissions last year, making for our most competitive Screenplay Competition since its inception in 2008. We are looking for innovative and compelling storytelling, for characters that surprise and challenge you, for words that pop off the page, and for narratives that twist and turn like a country back road. This year we’re accepting both feature scripts and pilot scripts; you’re more than welcome to submit in both categories.
Films and screenplays must comply with category requirements and filmmakers must complete the process and payment to be considered for ATLFF '17. Have questions? Check out our Film Submissions FAQ and our Screenplay Submissions FAQ.