Meanwhile
An Interactive Non-linear Film, 22 mins, 2006
(David Clark, Jeff Howard, Chris Mendis, Shelley Simmons)
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Jean-Luc Godard once said that a film must have a beginning, middle and an end but not necessarily in that order. MEANWHILE explores new ways to detour from the well-trodden path of narrative by giving the viewer a choice as to which direction in time they want to move through the story. The nine scenes in this screwball comedy can be seen in any order; each path revealing the intricate interconnectivity of the characters follies, obsessions, and ambitions.
This project explores a variety of ways in which the film might be seen. In a festival screening situation the DVD will automatically create a random order for the nine scenes, although each screening will be different. On the website the viewer is given a choice at the end of each scene as to which direction to go in the timeline: forward, backwards, or meanwhile. On the iPod each scene is downloaded separately and then set on ‘shuffle’. We have conceived of this new form as a ‘Shuffle Film’ where the narrative works in congress with the limited interactive features of today’s media delivery platforms.
MEANWHILE is the screwball, day in the life story following the parallel story lines of four characters; ALEX (Rick Grayson), who is trying to work a coke deal to get him out of the hole, his girlfriend FIONA (Claire Reid), who is upset about the death of Alex’s dog, MARCIA, Fiona’s long lost sister who has entered Alex’s life in a surprising way, and finally DENNIS SUGARMAN (Lou Israel) a cross-dressing politician on the stump.
MEANWHILE was produced as a prototype at the Canadian Film Centre as part of the Interactive Arts and Entertainment Programme.
SCREENINGS
2008
Cinema Tous Ecrans, Genève, Switzerland.
2007
FILE2007, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
2006
Hybrid Media, CFC Prototype Launch, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, Canada.
26th Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax.
Vertex, McLuhan Festival of the Future, Toronto, Canada.
AWARDS
Reflet d’Or for Best Interactive Multimedia Fiction, Cinema Tous Ecrans, Genève, Switzerland, 2009.
CREDITS
Cast
ALEX Rick Grayson
MARCIA Jennifer Lieberman
FIONA Claire Reid
DENNIS SUGARMAN Lou Israel
SYLVIA RUMBALL Lou Israel
DRY CLEANER Joan Kivanda
PET CLINIC RECEPTIONIST McKinnley Prince
MAX Darryl Gold
RADIO VOICE Gordon Vickman
Crew
WRITTEN BY
David Clark, Jeff Howard, Chris Mendis, Shelley Simmons
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY Joshua Allen
ART DIRECTION BY Kristin Trethewey
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Juliana Conceicao
EDITED BY Jeff Howard
MUSIC BY Jeff Toyne
PRODUCED BY Shelley Simmons
DIRECTED BY David Clark
SOUND RECORDING Jeff Howard
CAMERA ASSISTANT John Dellaporta
GAFFER Bobby Bulat
BEST BOY Matt Davey
PRODUCTION STILLS Quinto Gairdino
MAKE UP Aminah Ahmad, Clarrisa Magalhaes
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Petra Strasek, Clarrisa Magalhaes
CATERING Caitlin Erskine-Smith
William F. White, Toronto
Canadian Film Centre – Film and Television Program
National Rentals
Produced through the facilities Habitat New Media Lab
Telus Interactive Arts and Entertainment Program
2005 – 2006