Five Inspirations is a series in which we ask directors to share five things that shaped and informed their work. The series Love Me, Click Me: Films by Eugene Kotlyarenko is now showing in most countries.
The mini-retrospective of my work currently showing on MUBI has allowed me to reflect on the early days of my filmmaking journey and the people and work that inspired me along the way.
INSPIRATION #1
Directing the Film: Film Directors on Their Art (1976) by Eric Sherman
Directing the Film was a book my brother got me on my 13th birthday. Comprised of interviews with seminal directors, it's organized according to the filmmaking process (from conception to writing, casting/crewing, shooting, editing, marketing, release, depression, and repeat). My key takeaway was that there's no right or wrong way to make a movie. Artists figure out their own path and methods. I've returned to it many times over the years.
INSPIRATION #2
Working with Agnès Varda
A few months after I moved out to LA, a city where I had no social or professional connections, I was lucky enough to find myself as a PA on the Venice segment of Agnès Varda's The Beaches of Agnès (2008). Watching how Agnès motivated the crew with her creativity and work ethic was beyond inspiring. At the wrap party, I saw her sitting alone and gathered the courage to ask a few questions about Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962). We wound up talking about movies all night. The next morning Agnès called and asked me to assist her on a DIY bare-bones shoot! Those few days helping her capture poetry hidden in plain sight is something I'll always cherish and return to, especially in the moments when filmmaking feels Sisyphean.
INSPIRATION #3
Film Programs at the Bing
Between 2007 and 2011, the Leo S. Bing Theater at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was a beacon of cinephilia for me and helped balance out the inanity and disinterest of the Hollywood machine. I saw many of my soon-to-be favorites there, including Edward Yang's That Day, on the Beach (1983), Donald Cammell's Wild Side (1996), Fritz Lang's Rancho Notorious (1952), and many more. Most influentially, I couldn't deny the overwhelming power of the Béla Tarr retrospective and how the long-take method reflected the rhythms of human behavior more intensely. I attempted to combine this durational approach with maximalist screen aesthetics to fashion the language of 0s & 1s.
INSPIRATION #4
Jon Rafman's Kool-Aid Man In Second Life (2008 - 2011)
When I first saw Jon Rafman's machinima-flaneur masterpiece Kool-Aid Man in Second Life, I felt a kinship with him and several other artists who were using the architecture of the internet to comment on the way it was changing life and creativity. I especially related to Jon, who saw the potential for cinematic storytelling in the recesses of these unconsidered technologies. I even felt inspired to take it a step further, by using the platforms and searches and apps that didn't have a built-in cinematic language (like the visuals in Second Life) to be the building blocks for a movie.
INSPIRATION #5
Kate Lyn Sheil
Kate Lyn Sheil was the first person I met who not only loved movies the way I did, but who was making them too. Meeting Kate at the 2010 Maryland Film Festival transformed my relatively isolated existence into something more adventurous and communal. We've made two movies together so far: A Wonderful Cloud (2015) and Skydiver (2010). As a central figure of American independent cinema for the last fifteen years, Kate has applied her easy charm and deep pathos to all types of films and series. It’s always a privilege to catch up with her, whether it be IRL or on the big screen.