At Workhouse we like to think that three things make the world go ’round: love, friendship, and family. In light of the holiday season, a time when many of us are surrounded by all of these things, we asked some of our directors to reflect on what they mean to them.  We revel in the beauty, laughter, and fun these essential parts of life bring forward with abundance, but it’s important to acknowledge that the road isn’t always easy and is often very complicated. Our directors have all brilliantly used story to explore some of the ways they resonate, both wonderful and complicated, in all of us.

This holiday season, we’re excited to turn to these simple things. They’re the rocks that keep us centered, the memories that help us persevere, and the people we turn to in times of need. Matty Brown, Keith Rivers, and Salazar have each shared their perspectives on love, friendship, and family, which we’ll in turn share with you over the next three weeks We hope you enjoy the way their films illuminate these parts of life.

We’ll start off with Matty Brown’s take on love, which is now a Vimeo Staff Pick:

TANGENTS by MATTY BROWN

MATTY ON LOVE

Editor – What is your definition of love?

Matty Brown – Love is like a roller coaster to me. It’s an intense, thrilling, unpredictable ride of life we are strapped down to, with somebody to share the ups and downs with. Even if the roller coaster makes them sick, goes through darkness, and flips them in all directions, they hold onto that thrill and want it to never stop.

E – How does your piece evoke your definition of love?

MB – My film metaphorically, and literally, shows the roller coaster of love as it begins to spin out of control when we get lost in a married couple’s minds battling out who’s right and what’s what. We spiral down into the resentments, the exaggerated thoughts of each other and flip from one tangent to the next much like a roller coaster throwing us around with sudden jolts and chaos.

E – Can you elaborate on your directing style and how it informed your piece?

MB – I have a naturally frenetic directing style that is perfect for going into the fragmented memories of a person’s mind. The movement, a quicker and quicker pace that builds and builds, and we get claustrophobic; the shots become more experimental to make it feel surreal and disjointed. I wanted to slow my jarring, fast-paced style a bit to focus on the narrative mad intimacy of Becky and Charlie a bit more. It was a nice challenge to tone it down a bit and let their energy lead the way.

E – Thoughts on love and the holidays?

MB – For the holidays, I feel like the best thing you can do is GIVE. The best way to show love is by giving your energy, your affection, and your time to others that miss that connection of feeling from others. My goal every holiday season is to be generous in every way I can to others, and look for the ones who need that warmth the most.

CREDITS
Written, Directed, and Edited by Matty Brown
Production Company: Workhouse Creative
Producer: Lindsay Martin
Cinematographer: Ed David
Original Music: Reid Willis
Production Designer: Darcey Zoller