Review Fix chats with Low Director Daniel Bogran, who lets us know what inspired this unique piece of film and what’s next for him.
Review Fix: How difficult was this film to put together?
Daniel Bogran: This was pretty difficult to put together because I’d never done anything like it before. I’d made goofy school project videos with friends and all that in the past but this was different. This was my first time working with a crew or professional actors. It was the first time I produced anything or had anything resembling a budget. It was a trial-by-fire but that was the idea. I needed to experience what it was like to actually make a film.
Review Fix: What films have inspired it the most?
Bogran: There were a lot of different films and filmmakers that I was basically trying to rip-off. I was partially going for a mini-mosaic thing with the characters, like Altman and PTA. At the same time, there’s a lot of 70’s stuff that influenced it. I looked at movies like ‘Le Samourai’ and ‘Taxi Driver’. We even ended up using an old 70s Nikkor lens to achieve a particular look. It’s not the sharpest image but I loved the look we got.
Review Fix: What have you learned about yourself through this entire process?
Bogran: I’ve learned to have more patience. I think it’s really a necessity for directing because it can be a very tedious process sometimes but you have to be okay with that because the alternative is letting your emotions get the best of you or making a bad film. You can have all the mood-swings you want during the writing but I think it’s probably best to switch gears when it comes to directing.
Review Fix: What was the feeling like on set?
Bogran: It was great. I was initially nervous but once we got going it actually went pretty smoothly. It was also an incredible feeling seeing something that was in my head at one point suddenly being acted out in front of me. It’s hard to put into words just how strange and great a feeling that is.
Review Fix: Why is the topic of this film important today to you?
Bogran: Honestly, I usually don’t know what I’m doing when I’m writing and it’s only later that things kind of make a little sense to me or start to add up to something I think is interesting. And that’s just the stuff that came out, so I guess it must be important to me. I’m not sure if that answers the question.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Bogran: ‘Low’ just started its festival run so hopefully that continues going well. As for me, I just finished my first feature film script and I’m about to start writing another. I’m definitely looking forward to going back to writing.
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