Staff Pick Award for Palm Springs ShortFest 2022: "Meantime" by Michael T Workman |

 I'm tired with waiting.

 Aren't you,

 In order for the world to improve

 Beautiful and sweet?

 Let us take the knife

 and cut the globe in two-

 Check out what the worms consume

 At the edge.

--Langston Hughes "Good Morning, Revolution: Uncollected Social Protest Writings

This year's winner for the Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs Shortfest 2022 will be "Meantime" by Michael T Workman. Michael planted a camera in his Dad Tim's house to make a "deeply personal examination of memories and guilt, work, and the attempt to preserve the fleeting." In fact, this is what the logline reads. The beauty of this film is the fact that it isn't truly about these vague descriptions of human sentiment. "Meantime" focuses a magnifying glass on the product of negatives that devastate in the United States: capitalism, poor labor practices, insufficient support for those who suffer with mental illness and the fact that the American principle that says "pull your self up with the bootstraps" is an physically impossible undertaking. The movie explains the various ways in which people in the United States fails to fully take care of its people all the way from birth until death. In the words of Michael says in a lyrical way in the Q&A "

 "It isn't evident, but I am convinced that the focus of this film is the cruelty of capitalism. ...My dad is a product of a system that views people as "human resources," an ideology which dehumanizes people who do not fit into a strict regime of labor exploitation. "

In its production, as sombre as the bleak Montana winter its set in, "Meantime" is a movie about souls that were wounded but nonetheless grew into kind and loving people.

We asked Michael some questions about the creation of this personal family photo and were awed by his thoughtful and warm responses. Check out the following excerpts of the conversation we had with Michael.

 Inspiring:

 "The idea for the film was a result of my experience when I helped my father digitize his home videos. As I watched them I had these profoundly emotional moment in the tiny little moments my father captured. The most memorable moments were not birthdays, christmas parties or weddings which were most touching. It was the moments where my family members were in the middle, waiting for something important to happen and just talking, arguing or joking. These were the times I could see those I had known through different stages of their lives, and my understanding of their experience was beginning to grow. I've always been anti-the idea of creating personal film, however looking back at the footage and discovering that I was back in Montana inspired me to produce this documentary. ."

 His tips on filming family:

 "Working with your loved ones can be a challenge. Knowing when to turn off the camera to just be there was the greatest challenge. At the conclusion of the day, my father and I had finished recording. It seems like I'm fine simply hiding behind my camera at present. My tip for filmmakers working with families is to plan the times and events where you're planning to record and then use it to set a limit. You shouldn't film everything all the time, and don't follow what's going on. Think through what you want to capture and let the camera roll. Once you're done, you are finished. There will be things you miss and that's fine. It's crucial to set up a situation in which the images you capture have a higher likelihood of being deep and compelling. Turn off your camera, and start enjoying your daily life ."

 On his family's reaction to the film

 "My family members have watched the movie. I played it for my mother after I was done and it was by far the most emotional viewing experience I've ever had. Because this film is personal to me, I went through waves of feeling completely numb to it and moments of profound emotion. As I was watching the film with my mom, tiny subtleties in the film brought me to tears uncontrollably. It's a testament to that the perspective of your audience viewing a film with can deeply change the experience of the film. The experience was healing for both of us , and she learned more about the perspective of my father that she was unable to see at the time.

 I was the most anxious about showing this to my father. We planned to share the experience but it wasn't the right time, so he decided to go watch it independently. The moment he called me back and informed me that he'd watched it, my heart sank. He told me something along the similar to "Mike I saw your film, and it's an excellent film and I'll probably never see it again." The primary source of stress for him was not the vulnerability of what the film revealed, it was the experience of watching him in the film as well as hearing his own voice, which was the most unsettling (for me , too). )."

 On challenges faced:

 "The most difficult part of creating this film was creating distance between myself and the movie. This is my opinion as the main issue with personal projects, and the area the most frequently, it doesn't work. Personal films can be emotional for the creator however not to the viewers. I tried to stay clear of the situation at all cost and to try and distance myself from the film and consider it to be someone who doesn't know myself. Since I was the director it was an ongoing problem. I overcame this by having many trusted people close to me, who provided me with truthful and constructive criticism ."

 The things he'd like us to take into consideration when viewing the film:

 "It may not be obvious, but I believe that the subject of this documentary is the inhumanity of capitalism. This is, in the end, the root of my father's struggles to live an enjoyable and secure life. Though abuse might have been the trigger for his struggle, absence of help to heal of that experience is an issue of societal norms and not a personal failure. My father is part of a culture that sees people as "human resources" an approach that takes away the humanity of those who are unable to be incorporated into an arbitrary system that exploits labor.

 The capitalist system gives the working class two options: work or work on the streets. Although this isn't explicitly stated in the film, it is the subterranean foundation of the story. If people in my dad's circumstance had access to good physical and mental health as well as housing and food without having to justify their humanity through working in terrible conditions They could lead happy and secure lives in which they could heal their trauma.

 The crucial detail on the titles of the film is that my father's stroke was triggered through a panic attack while at workplace because the firm was trying to maximize profit through understaffing the facility in which he was employed. I realized this was an ongoing issue for him when I was making the film after I realized the stress of work more than stress from having an unborn child was what contributed to my father's mental illness in the early years of my life.

 It is also my hope that this film encourages viewers to cherish the moments they get with their beloved families and talk about trauma and hardship in a compassionate and open atmosphere. Ultimately the emotional core of this movie is caring for our parents through being able to understand them as human beings and appreciating the amount of time they have ."

 Michael's advice to aspiring filmmakers:

 "I often inform my students to be a fighter to keep their enthusiasm for making movies. At every step it is a struggle for this industry to make you go through the middle of the road and turn you into someone who's tools. They'll try to take the enjoyment out and set up artificially high stakes in order to make some of the most sloppy material. Anyone who's been for a major advertising company will understand this. I would advise you to do things that make you feel excited even if your wage-labor job doesn't. Make sure you continue to create your own film or hobbies that make you feel like an artist. If you're a part of Sundance and you've lost interest in filmmaking What's the point of doing this ?"

 What's next?

 "I'm working on a feature-length documentary idea which will comprise an observational character-driven woven-narrative film located in the mining town of Montana. The idea is still in the initial stages of its development and I'm not able to say about it right now.

 I'm currently working on a story about people who have work that they realize is completely unproductive. If you have a job such as this, do not hesitate to contact me and email me. The company is currently recruiting ."