Hello everyone!
My name is Jack Parker, and I am an 18 year old filmmaker from Southern California. A few months back, I submitted my first true short film to this site- https://filmlocal.com/local-
I just finished post-production on my new surreal short film “The Puppet Man”. I don’t want to get too much into the synopsis since most of it is left to interpretation. However, I would love to share what inspired me to take on this project. Two books I have been reading.
The first book is “Room to Dream” – David Lynch’s unique biography. I’ve learned so much about filmmaking from the lessons presented. Also, delving into the mind of the king of dreams has opened my eyes to what film can truly become. However most importantly, I’ve followed along with the book and revisited every David Lynch film. This has been a huge influence on “The Puppet Man”. Hopefully, it doesn’t come across as too much of a “Lynchian” copy. I only have the utmost respect for everything he has done, and can’t wait to see what else Lynch creates.
The second book that has inspired me is “Inventing the Movies”. The biggest reason for influence is the acceptance of smart phones for filming short films. I challenged myself to only use my iPhone and edit on iMovie for this project– something everyone has access to. I don’t believe you are a filmmaker because you have the gear, I believe you are a filmmaker because you want to tell your story no matter the equipment. It was quite a fun challenge and very rewarding in the end. You quickly learn to adapt to the conditions, and these restraints lead to some beautiful techniques that may not happen with different gear. For example… One of the last shots of the film, I stuck my phone to the glass in my car and clicked record as I drove in my neighborhood. I thought of this idea when I was in my car driving to work, and if I didn’t think of using my iPhone at that moment I may have lost the shot. There isn’t any way I could have put my other camera against the glass like I did with my iPhone in that moment… Especially since I didn’t have it. The iPhone leads to more spontaneity.
This has been a fun process, and it has opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities in film. I hope you enjoy the short film, and I would love feedback.
Thanks again,
Jack Parker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jomlpQwFi9s&t=43s
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