The 5th Chelsea Film Festival (CFF) opened last week with a host of filmmakers and actors in attendance for the black tie festivities.
Featuring 90 films from 26 countries, the fast-growing, highly popular weekend film festival with a focus on social change kicked off with champagne flowing at the Loews on 34th and a viewing of “Half Brothers.”
The opening night film is about two brothers from different fathers. The low-key poet and high-energy entrepreneur meet for the first time at a mountain retreat with their respective mates.
Photo by Yulia Nar for Chelsea Film Festival / © All Rights Reserved
The cast features a diverse range of personalities played by actors from Switzerland, where it was filmed, as well as Ireland and the U.S. The director, Christoph Lehmann, hails from Germany.
Shot with a low budget like most of the independent films at the festival, it took some creative work on the part of the director just to get the feature-length movie made. And the challenges started even before filming, Lehmann told the audience during a Q&A following the movie.
Photo by Yulia Nar for Chelsea Film Festival / © All Rights Reserved
Photo by Yulia Nar for Chelsea Film Festival / © All Rights Reserved
Show me the chemistry and the money
Even though the actors didn’t film their auditions in the same country, they were edited together in advance of filming for a trailer to get financing. It showed a lack of chemistry between the two of them, said Lehmann, so they had to be recast.
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Once financing was secured, which took about six months, a large chunk of the budget was spent filming the awe-inspiring Swiss Alps where this drama/comedy (dramedy) takes place. The mountains were seemingly made to be showcased on the big screen as the film opened with sweeping scenes that dropped the viewer right into the destination.
It’s no surprise with that setting that the movie took the top award for cinematography (Olaf Klein). It also won for Best Supporting Actress (Alicia Gerrard) and Best Supporting Actor (Matthew Smiley).
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They were ready for their close-up
Close-ups of the actors helped balance the budget splurges on location shots. A tip Lehmann shared: “Close-ups are a secret for low budgets,” he said. They are cheaper to film, and you can’t always afford multiple camera angles, he explained.
Some scenes had to be shot from several angles though, like a fight scene between the bros after some heavy disclosures. On that particular day, the weather wasn’t cooperating, but the film had to stay on track due to budget constraints, so they filmed anyway.
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In retrospect, Lehmann said, the gloomy weather worked quite well for the scene, which was moody and darker than the rest of the film. They key is to be flexible, he said. You can make plans, but may have to adjust based on weather or other circumstances, especially in a location like the Alps where weather can change quickly.
More improvisation was necessary when one actor got altitude sickness during a shoot in an ice cave and was unable to remember his lines, a casualty of filming at heights like these. The setting also required more hand-held cameras, as trucks and dollies were not an option in the rugged terrain.
How to reduce a $1 million budget
How did they get it made and at what cost? Hard cash raised was about $200,000, though it really cost closer to a million to make, said Lehmann. How did he make up the shortfall?
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He had heard through the grapevine that Saas-Fee, Switzerland, was in the market to be featured in a film to help tourism efforts and he negotiated with the picturesque Swiss village known as the Pearl of the Alps, for rooms and meals for 30 actors and crew for six weeks so they could shoot the film.
It’s not uncommon for destinations that want some tourist attention to target filmmakers for exposure, said one insider at the film festival. Locations have been known to buy booths at the Cannes Film Festival and are willing to offer a sweet deal to directors that want to make their location famous.
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Product placement like the $10K watch sported by the more successful brother helped. And Lehmann’s former career as a commercial director also funded the effort.
A lot of the cash budget was spent shooting and editing the breathtaking scenery. Overhead shots were filmed with the help of drones of course, using a Sony F55, 4K digital camera.
The Swiss Alps in Saas-Tee offered the perfect backdrop for this unusual story about relationships and compatibility
To avoid spoiling the plot—but hint at the hijinks that ensue—let’s put it this way: the hills were alive with the sound of giggles on one side of the mountain and gongs back at the chateau.
And it’s a wrap
Lehmann said he took a break after shooting before finalizing the film. He felt he had to take a step back after the intense experience of filming on location with a limited staff. That and low budget films don’t have all the resources of the big film houses so he did some editing and worked in management for a year or so before tackling the project again with fresh eyes. He also went back to the location a second time to get more scenic footage. All told it was two years before finishing the film this past summer, he said.
After the movie was showcased, the party moved to the Rose Hill Restaurant where cast and crew of upcoming movies mingled in anticipation of the lineup of films and panels including one on women’s issues with feminist Gloria Steinem and a documentary on climate change featuring Leonardo DiCaprio.
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The film festival, now in it’s fifth year, has grown steadily under the guidance of actresses Ingrid Jean-Baptiste and her mother Sonia Jean-Baptiste, who created the platform to highlight the short films, documentaries and features of filmmakers, producers and actors.
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“It was the best year yet,” said Ingrid Jean-Baptiste. “I am immensely proud of my team for putting together such a great festival. We hope to continue to grow this international platform for indie filmmakers around the world.”
