GRTV Shorts - "Recycling Lies"

Up next on GRTV Shorts - "Recycling Lies" from writer/director (and former GRTV intern!) Raquel Bordin. Her short film has already screened at multiple festivals and recenlty won the award for Best Short Film at the Chiaroscuro International Film Series after its screening at the UICA. Bordin's short film is set to begin airing on GRTV Shorts starting this weekend and she was awesome enough to answer our Top 10 filmmaker questions about the making of her project.


Q1: What is "Recycling Lies"?
Raquel Bordin:   Recycling Lies is a short comedy about a socially challenged couple who go to great lengths to avoid having dinner with a relative.


Q2: How did you get your start? What influences you as a filmmaker?
In Brazil, I grew up watching American films and television shows. I always wondered about the people behind the scenes, working together to create stories that could reach people all over the world. I could not think of a more inspiring job! So I worked on getting a scholarship to study in the US, and it was at Grand Valley State University where I got my start in film. I am very influenced by real people, real life interactions. Everywhere, within everyone there is always a story to be told.


Q3: Where did the idea for this film come from? How did the project start?
I come from a big family where there has always been a Sunday lunch or a birthday party that I felt obligated to go to. I'm sure we all have experienced not wanting to meet up with a relative before. It's so commonplace that we don't even give it a second thought, but I wanted to question it. I love reflecting on the peculiarities of everyday life, and decided I should make a movie that would allow the audience to look at a familiar situation with a fresh pair of eyes.

Q4: Who was your team? How was it working with your crew & cast?
I was very lucky to have such dedicated, skilled and supportive peers who worked diligently on this film, making Recycling Lies even better than I could have possibly imagined! Our 3 shooting days went by very smoothly: everyone was so organized and professional that we never went over the schedule! That's all thanks to my wonderful cast, including my producer Bobby Nielsen, script supervisor and editor Mitchell Schieber, director of photography Sean Mouton, first assistant director Claire Pincumbe and art director Macey Madias. I was also lucky to find such talented and committed actors, such as Mariea Luisa Macavei, Chaz Bratton, and Tonya Hawkins. I'm incredibly grateful to every single person that contributed to this project.


Q5: What camera did you use? What software/hardware was used to edit?
The camera was a Sony A7s. We used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit it.


Q6: How long was the process of making this film? 
Shooting took 3 days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), editing took about another month, but I worked on the script for about 3 months before all of that.


Q8: What was the biggest challenge you & your team had? 
Shooting in small locations, such as the elevator and the stairs was particularly challenging. Setting up the lights and fitting the whole cast and crew in such a narrow area was not the easiest job and took some time.  

Q9: What did you learn through the making of this project that you would share as a lesson to another filmmaker? 
I learned how important it is to find the perfect shooting location. All our indoor scenes were set in the same building, which saved us a lot of time and stress. All our equipment was left in the apartment overnight and we barely wasted any time setting up. I worked on several other films where we constantly had to move around from location to location, setting up and putting everything away each time. It makes the crew exhausted, and it is not a good way to manage your time. I would have needed maybe two more weekends to finish shooting Recycling Lies if the elevator, the stairs and the hallway had been in different buildings. You also have to keep in my mind people's availability. How often will your entire cast and crew be available on those shooting days and will that coincide with the availability of the location? It's a lot easier if you start by finding a very convenient location.