Sitting down with…JAN-DAVID BOLT
To craft a story without a single line of dialogue is an unique filmmaking approach that harkens back to the earliest days of cinema, but it is also an approach that could be seen as trite or overdone, especially when it is employed as a gimmick that the entire film is centred around. But to make a dialogue-less film that blends shades of absurdist comedy, cosmic horror and incisive social commentary is a display of sheer ingenuity that set Jan-David Bolt, winner of the 2023 Casarotto Ramsay Directing Award, apart from the rest.
Titled “Phlegm”, the six minutes short film is tension-packed, whilst somehow featuring nothing but scenes of a man (played by Pascal Ulli) unwillingly stepping on snails. Yet it approaches unworldly horror as the man becomes increasingly snail-like with each crackle of snail shell, and the “snail appearing on shoe” condition is revealed in the final scene to be contagious.
The short film is rich with meaning: From the commentary on capitalist society with the business district setting, or the existentialist anxiety when the man looks up to the sky to seek an explanation for his plight, to the Covid-19 analogy when the plight begins to spread.
Jan-David is quick to point out, however, that there is never one true interpretation of Phlegm.
“In my understanding, art has to be multi-dimensional. My films tend to be open to different interpretations, as it is only then, that they truly become meaningful art,” said Jan-David, when I sat down with him for this week’s interview.
Credit: Actor Pascal Ulli in “Phlegm”, directed by Jan-David Bolt and shot by Rokas Šydeikis
He explained how, using iconic images, such as snails and business shoes, he plays and subverts audience expectations, creating intrigue and tension.
When the film opens with a focused shot of a crawling snail, questions fill the audience’s mind. Is the snail going to be crushed? Surely with the stampede of business shoes in the backdrop, it is bound to be crushed! But, the shot has been lingering on it for so long now, maybe it will…And then, crunch! The audience’s hopes are quickly dashed.
But just as impressive as Jan-David’s manipulation of expectations is how he went about creating props. The snails and the slimy residue that are found on the protagonist’s shoes are made from a concoction of kombucha, mustard and aloe vera. Each gut-wrenching crunch of the shells are created from the crushing of eggshells and walnuts. The first detailed shot of the snail is the only VFX used throughout the entire short film, based on an actual snail the production team caught (and later released) in the woods. And to help the actors act more “snail-like”, he fashioned skateboards out of miniature wheels and taped them to their chests.
The effort and filmmaking intricacies extend beyond ingenious prop and sound design. Throughout the short film, what was immediately evident was the attention and care placed into camerawork, with slow, deliberate panning shots and detailed close ups that amply creates a story in the absence of dialogue. This complex camerawork could only be achieved because Jan-David and his team have already rehearsed the entire shoot twice on a stage, with Jan-David himself acting out the role of the protagonist, while his friend and cameraman, Rokas Šydeikis, tried out different camera angles.
“This complex camerawork could only be achieved because Jan-David and his team have already rehearsed the entire shoot twice on a stage”
“Using this process, we experimented and decided which shots we wanted to keep. And this extra attention to camerawork is because of the relative simplicity of the movie. It is just a man in the middle of a square, stepping on snails afterall, so to tell a visually rich story, we have to use complex camerawork.” he explained.
Once it was finally time to shoot on the set, he was able to effortlessly direct the 30 or so crew members because everything had been choreographed previously. The on-set directing again, showed his resourcefulness in the face of the ongoing pandemic, as he directed from the 12th story of an office building with the help of walkie-talkies.
With such a delightful film that is abound with meaning and open to such varying interpretations, I was immediately compelled to discover what his inspirations were and the origins of the premise.
“I stepped on a rain worm once,” he replied.
Stunned, I asked him if there was more to the story.
“I stepped on the rain worm, cursed and then basically looked up to the sky and cursed at God. I mean, what is this? I didn’t want to step on the poor creature, but now he’s dead and for no apparent reason?”
From there, he visualised a dialogue between a man and a snail. The man loses faith in the higher power because of the incident and questions his reality as he converses with the snail. Then, Jan-David realises that he could do the entire story without any dialogue and then taking inspiration from other things that were happening in his life, created Phlegm.
Because the film was shot during the Covid-19 lockdown, he initially struggled to recruit crew members. He even got his parents to play extras as he could not find enough people to fill the roles. In spite of the challenges, he persevered and made do with what he had and was able to create this award-winning masterpiece.
His advice to aspiring filmmakers and others competing in film festivals, is to first of all, be funny and original.
“While social realism is all the rage nowadays, it is important to be funny, first and foremost. Do not underestimate the intelligence it takes to be funny. Only then can you make genuine and sincere films.” he said.
He also stressed on the importance of reading more books, an advice which he acknowledged is clichéd, but simply cannot be overstated in the age of social media.
“Work with friends, and also get feedback from random people, people outside from film schools. They will likely have far more valuable advice from the people that you usually interact with.” he added.
For Phlegm, he had received responses from people that came from all over the world, even an angry email from someone who was upset about the number of snails “killed” in the film.
“If someone gets really angry, if you have elicited an emotional response, then your film has accomplished something valuable.”
He goes on to explain that in a time where everyone is craving for positive feedback, it is important to also value the negative ones, as even the most nasty criticisms tell you something about your film.
Jan-David's current project is an ambitious 5 episode anthology that explores all aspects of society. He is also writing a book, stressing on the importance for filmmakers to explore other mediums of storytelling.
The Watersprite team wish Jan-David all the best in his future endeavors, and hope to see even weirder, absurd and angry email-inducing projects from him!
Jan-David Bolt, winner of the 2023 2023 Casarotto Ramsay Directing Award, director and storyteller. Credit: Jan-David Bolt
Written by Jefferson Lin
