WRITTEN & Directed BY Joe Quartararo
PRODUCED by Thomas D White
Seeking constructive criticism, a couple shares their poetry with each other. But it turns into a condescending competition of who’s the better poet.
about the film
ON PURPLE was a Semi-Finalist at the past edition of our very own Kino London Short Film Festival. It’s also played at the New York Short Film Festival and online with Film Shortage and Short Films Matter.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Joe Quartararo is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and graduate of the film program at the School of Visual Arts. He has been making films professionally through his production company Lakhota Film for over a decade. Joe grew up on Long Island and before going to film school worked as a truck driver, delivering furniture and granite while pursuing filmmaking. His films focus on social class and ambition.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH joe
Welcome to our Short of the Week series. Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
I am a Brooklyn based filmmaker. I have worked, and continue to work in the film industry both in production and adjacent in presentation. Whether it is handling film, 70mm, 35mm and now Vista Vision, or shooting film both digital and analog formats. I am always interested in helping others create and produce their work, in addition to my own creative pursuits. I've been fortunate to be part of a great collective of filmmakers and crew members in NYC, who helped produce "On Purple," as well as many others projects.
Tell us about the genesis of On Purple. Where did the idea come from and how did you develop that idea into the short that's now made its way out into the world?
The idea for On Purple, came from wanting to explore the idea of indirect communication and the dysfunction of relationships. Poetry felt like a fitting device for the characters to use to build off of and illustrate the marital discord without being too heavy handed.
What were some of the main obstacles you experienced when making On Purple and how did you overcome them?
Many of the obstacles we would've incurred on this shoot were mitigated by the technical strengths and expertise of the cast & crew we were very fortunate to have. We shot the interiors of this film in one 10hr day with exteriors shot the morning after for a few hours. The amount of material we were able to cover in a single day of shooting without compromising setups & script is uncommon, and that's coming from experience. Because of their collective preparedness and professionalism we were able to maximize the effect of the film.
The score does a really good job elevating and supporting the film, as well as set the tone. Can you tell us a bit about the process of working with your composer on this?
Really glad you asked that question. I was very happy to have connected with Sam Carey, to compose the music for this film. While editing the film, I felt strongly that we would need an original composition to help elevate the material and Sam excelled at capturing the tone of the piece. He developed a musical contrast for the individual poets, to shed light on the subtext of their characters and importantly guide the viewer. Whereas one poet was erratic and angry, the other was elegant and grand. The associated instrumentation was a deliberate mixture of piano, violin and electronics that said a lot about the ebb and flow of their relationship. I had a great collaboration with Sam on this project, I think we both understood that music could help with detailing that mysterious, cryptic and unspoken thing between the two dueling poets.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences and some of the festival circuit highlights and/or online release.
We are screening in person in New York next week, and have had multiple online releases (Film Shortage, Short Films Matter, and now Kino). Online releases have been very helpful in that you can reach such a wide audience quickly, although we are excited about screening in person next week, so we can meet and engage with New York filmmakers & producers.
What advice or hacks would you give to other short filmmakers?
Write within your means, write from experience and what you know. If you are passionate about making films, then be around the process of filmmaking as much as you can be. It will not only make you learn to be a better filmmaker, but it will introduce you to the network of people you will need to collaborate with. It truly is a group effort to make a film. Be positive, helpful and resourceful and your film will be better for it.
