- 11 hours ago
Director-producer Paul Levatino and his directors of photography Jeremy Ward and Zack Tzourtzouklis sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and revealed how a short film about the popular Dallas soul/R&B group 'Bastards of Soul' became an accidental tribute to its charismatic lead singer, Chadwick Murray.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Thank you, gentlemen, for being here.
00:09And I know you've already unveiled the film a few weeks ago.
00:11How does it feel to have this piece of art in the world for people to enjoy?
00:15Yeah, it feels really good.
00:17It's surreal a little bit because you work on something so long
00:20and then you see it come together and you never know if it's finished or not.
00:23And then when you see it finished, it feels really good
00:26and it makes you feel complete for sure.
00:28Good. That's a good feeling.
00:30I'm glad you have that feeling.
00:31So a common thread among documentary filmmakers whom I speak to
00:36is the idea that the project you set out to make
00:39is often not the project that is the final product.
00:42And I would say this project represents that to an immense degree.
00:47So, Paul, tell us what was the project you intended to make?
00:50And certainly, if you can characterize how that shifted,
00:54as we see in the film, obviously we know how it shifted.
00:56But what was your intention with this piece?
01:00I guess our intention in the beginning was just to capture the bands
01:03because we all love the music.
01:07And I talked these guys in.
01:08I was like, just listen to the music.
01:10We've got to capture them.
01:11When we went into the studio to film them,
01:15we were all coming out of COVID and a lockdown.
01:18It's a tough time for anyone trying to make anything.
01:20Yeah, absolutely.
01:21And we discussed that.
01:23We were like, can we be together in a tight studio and not get sick?
01:26And what about Chadwick?
01:28He had diabetes.
01:29And we had to think about those things.
01:30Of course.
01:31And I'm glad you took those precautions.
01:32Right.
01:33It's very important.
01:33But, you know, at that point, we went in and we were really,
01:38I was kind of thinking we were going to create maybe a five,
01:42like a 10-minute piece about the making of the album.
01:45And that's what it's going to be.
01:46Your intention was to distribute this on YouTube and get fans engaged
01:50and push it out in social.
01:51Yeah.
01:52And that was what we did with The End in Mind.
01:56And then what happened after, you know, it was heartbreaking,
02:01but there was a moment there when I had found out
02:05and I just had this flash in my head where I just saw a film.
02:11And at that point, I knew I had to make it.
02:14And Zach and Jeremy were already on board at that point.
02:16So you were already sort of communally making this promotion piece,
02:20essentially.
02:21Okay.
02:21And Zach and Jeremy, when you were hired and agreed to make this film,
02:26I guess promotional piece,
02:27what were your inspirations in terms of look and feel?
02:31I think about a lot of the films that I love that are centered on musicians,
02:34whether it's the Metallica documentary, which I absolutely love,
02:37the Wilco doc, Give Me a Shelter, some of the classics.
02:40Were there tonal references and even look and feel references
02:43that you were trying to, I guess, channel,
02:47even if it was just this, quote, promotional piece,
02:50because it still looks beautiful?
02:54Anyone can start.
02:56Paul sent us a lot of references for sure.
02:58Do you remember?
02:59Yeah, I think the first thing we started was just watching them live
03:02and filming them live the first time.
03:05Maybe hold the mic a little bit closer up.
03:06I'm sorry.
03:07That's okay.
03:07I just want to make sure to hear it.
03:08We did them live a few times before we got into this.
03:12We'd already filmed a couple of music videos with the guys,
03:15and there was already kind of a chemistry and understanding
03:18of what they do live.
03:20And what is distinct to you about what they did live
03:23that made this, or I guess, give it a different flavor?
03:26Because this band is not like other bands.
03:28100% peer connection.
03:31They just reached out and connected with every single person
03:34in the audience.
03:35Chadwick's energy on stage.
03:36Okay, so as a frontman, you felt like he had something very unique.
03:39For sure.
03:40Okay.
03:41And do you think that was something that was easily translated
03:44to the screen?
03:44Because it's hard, you know, when you're around a magnetic person
03:47like that, it's hard to really bring that to the screen,
03:50even though you feel it in the room.
03:51How were you trying to, I guess, channel that
03:54in terms of his performance?
03:55So in the studio for me, I did a lot of handheld,
04:01really getting the camera up in his face, if you notice that,
04:04very raw, because I felt like that's what most accurately
04:08captured what I was feeling at the time.
04:11The intimacy.
04:12Being there, the intimacy, exactly.
04:14And did he, and he's obviously a showman,
04:16but were there moments where he felt like,
04:18God, I don't know if I deserve this kind of treatment,
04:21because he's a very humble man, obviously.
04:22But did you have to talk him in to just be yourself and let us
04:27gather this footage of you?
04:29I think it took, I mean, it took two years of filming the band
04:32in intimate settings.
04:33That's a long time.
04:34Yeah.
04:34So we were up in the rehearsal rooms.
04:38We were at the studio.
04:39We were filming them in all kinds of settings,
04:42and they got so used to us being there that they were able to just let go.
04:47How long did that take for them to feel as comfortable where you're a fly
04:51on the wall and they could just do their thing without thinking,
04:53oh boy, Paul's watching.
04:55I think when we rolled into the studio,
04:57they were very comfortable, because at that point,
04:59they were just used to us being there.
05:01And we were kind of looked at as part of the band.
05:04Okay.
05:05That's the ultimate compliment, right?
05:07Now, was anything off limits?
05:08Were there any boundaries that were set early on?
05:11It's like, you can capture this, but we really don't want to do that.
05:13We really don't want you to maybe go on this sort of personal life stuff.
05:17No, I mean, I think we were really capturing a band.
05:23We all loved Chadwick, and he stood out,
05:26but we weren't capturing Chadwick's story.
05:29We were capturing a band.
05:30You didn't know you were capturing his story at that point.
05:32Right.
05:33And I had a personal relationship with Chadwick,
05:35but we all loved him very much.
05:38And I think it was just a moment of time
05:41where we didn't know what was going to happen.
05:43And, you know, it's kind of like the quote that we put at the very top of the film.
05:48Our executive producer, Susie Batiste, you know, told me right before we finished it,
05:54she said, you need to sum it up.
05:55You need to tell people what it really means, this film, why you did it,
05:59and what the message is.
06:01And the message to me was, you know, don't wait for tomorrow.
06:06Like, it's not, it may never come.
06:09So do, if you're an artist and a creator,
06:11you've got to really put yourself into it.
06:14And just don't waste your time here.
06:19And how do you think Chadwick saw himself in terms of the scope of your film?
06:23Was he a humble guy and sort of like, no, no, no, I don't want this to be about me.
06:27Was he, how did he navigate that?
06:29Because anyone I've spoken to has had their life documented.
06:32This is not a natural experience.
06:33Well, I mean, I knew him really well, but I think, I think Chadwick,
06:40Chadwick was just very grateful and humble for the moment.
06:44He was always the guy who held the rhythm section down in the band.
06:48And there's something to be said about a rhythm section.
06:52But, you know, when you have a band,
06:54it's much different than just having an artist who paints a painting.
06:59Like my mother, you know.
07:01Where is your mother, by the way?
07:02She's right over here.
07:03Thanks, Mom.
07:04Thank you, Mom.
07:05You must be very proud.
07:06She's an incredible artist.
07:08She's nodding.
07:09And when you, when you, when you paint something and you really get into it,
07:12you're expressing yourself.
07:13But there's something that, that crosses over when you're in a band.
07:18And that's when collaboration happens.
07:21And there's struggle.
07:22You saw struggle in the film.
07:24Chadwick didn't know if he wanted to sing the song a certain way that Chad wanted him to sing.
07:28And, you know, there was this, this push and pull.
07:31But, you know, when those people paint their layers of creativity on top of it,
07:36you get something in the end that's not completely you.
07:39It's something special that comes together.
07:41And I think, to me, that was the collaboration on this film with these two filmmakers here.
07:48These, these two guys right here.
07:50We, we all put our touch on it.
07:53Absolutely.
07:54It feels like a very ego-free piece, which I think we can all agree is quite a stunning achievement.
08:00When you're dealing with creative people, documenting a band, also working together.
08:04This is hard.
08:05This is really hard work.
08:07What do you think lent itself most to that vibe being created in the studio?
08:11But also after hours, as you're going through the footage, you're starting to edit.
08:15What, who set the tone for that vibe, I guess?
08:18I don't know.
08:19All the blurry shots were my shot.
08:21Was that you trying to be an artiste?
08:24I was trying to be an artiste.
08:25I see.
08:26Okay.
08:26I was holding the camera.
08:28Yeah.
08:29I mean, these guys are amazing.
08:32They've taught me how to film.
08:34So I would just say that you tell them that.
08:39I think we just had a shared goal of what we wanted to do.
08:42So, you know, it wasn't about what any one person was contributing themselves.
08:46Yeah.
08:47It was just trying to make the best thing we could.
08:49And then that started in the studio before we even knew that this was going to be a feature-length film, right?
08:54And Jeremy, I'm curious with other pieces you've worked on or just other work in general.
08:58How important is it to you to be a fan of the artist?
09:02Because I think I could see pros and cons to both, right?
09:04If you feel a sort of subjective love for your subject, that can be a little tricky.
09:09But you also have to care.
09:11So tell me how that sort of informs your process.
09:14Yeah.
09:14I would definitely, with especially Bastard specifically, there was definitely a connection to their music right from the word go.
09:22And that upped the enthusiasm, which made me want to get involved even more and just consistently show up and be there with the camera in the hand, ready to shoot whatever they did.
09:33And it was just such a privilege to be in the room with creatives in general.
09:38And just they allowed us the access to watch them create and record.
09:43What surprised you about watching that process?
09:48Because watching artists make something can often be quite boring.
09:52It's a very, I've been on many sets of TV and film shoots.
09:56My God, it's painstaking.
09:58It really is a miracle that anything gets made.
10:00And similarly with making an album.
10:02What did you learn about the creative process of watching the band make its album?
10:08Yeah, I mean, I've been around music a lot.
10:10So it was not a new process for me specifically.
10:14I just wanted to kind of capture as much footage as possible because we all, everyone in the room knew something special was happening.
10:23And it was evident from the music.
10:26And I think all of us just kind of wanted to capture every possible shot we could.
10:30I love that.
10:32So let's go to September 2021 and tragic events of that time period, losing Chadwick.
10:38What do you remember feeling first after the shock, after that onset of grief, wondering how can we go on?
10:48And I'm assuming, should we go on?
10:50So, Paul, tell me about that process for you.
10:53I think it was very cloudy for me.
10:56I didn't think that we, I felt the loss that I felt was I had all this incredible footage and the story ended.
11:08And I didn't know how to finish it.
11:11Every time I watched it, it was too painful.
11:14It's still too painful.
11:17Understandable.
11:17But I think, you know, eventually I let go.
11:21I let Zach dig into it.
11:25You know, Jeremy and I, we spoke about the process and we thought Zach was, you know, he's an incredible editor.
11:31He's really brought it to life.
11:33There's, you cannot create an incredible film without an incredible editor.
11:38You just can't.
11:39You can shoot the best thing.
11:40But he spent a lot of time really just going through it.
11:45And I remember one day I was working and he called me and he said, I think we have a story.
11:50We have a story here.
11:51And then it all started to come together.
11:54And what was the story that you felt watching the footage?
11:58What was something that emerged for you that you didn't realize you had?
12:02I think it was at its core, this story of.
12:07And so when we went into the studio with them, we thought this was their first studio session back to normal.
12:13Right.
12:14And what it ended up being was their last studio session together.
12:17Those are two very different things to shoot.
12:19Right.
12:20And almost had you known it was the last, your approach would have been different.
12:24The camera work would have been different.
12:25Everything would have been different.
12:27Right.
12:27But what was interesting about it was the way Chadwick speaks in the film is he's talking about how everything is coming together in his life, how everything is happening in this moment.
12:40Feels very hopeful, very grateful.
12:42Yes.
12:43And it was just a really interesting moment to capture, I thought, where he was on the precipice of much more.
12:51But he had also, he found the love of his life.
12:54He was married.
12:55He was the front man of this band.
12:56Everything was coming together.
12:57Expecting his first child.
12:58Expecting his first child.
13:00These things that he wanted.
13:01So he did reach those things.
13:03And so I just saw this story of all that coming together before that tragic loss.
13:10It's sort of like all the struggle that takes place and then all the hopes and dreams coalescing at once.
13:14That's how I felt watching it, which I think is beautiful.
13:17And we all know, any of us who's tried to do anything, the minute you feel like, oh, my God, I'm doing the thing that I always dreamed of.
13:24That's what I felt watching the movie.
13:26And I think you captured that very beautifully.
13:30Generally speaking, I know it's probably hard to sum this up in basic English, but what does this project mean to you?
13:36And what are you most proud of, Paul?
13:38I guess I'm most proud of, that's a heavy question.
13:48I know, that's why I asked it.
13:50I'm putting you to the test.
13:51This question was not given to me before.
13:53That's the idea, yes.
13:55I know you're very equipped to answer it.
13:56You know, I believe that this project, if you sum it up, is a beautiful story that anybody could relate to, especially an artist.
14:08And I love telling those stories.
14:10When we decided to do the documentary, I really realized that the style that I would like to do, and that's why I decided to start 737 Films, was to really tell those artist stories, fly on the wall, unscripted.
14:28Maybe artists who otherwise wouldn't have their stories captured.
14:31Exactly, yeah.
14:31I think there's the sense of...
14:32The voice of the underdog.
14:33Right, and whose story deserves to be shared and told, and I think that's what equalizes that with this film.
14:39I agree.
14:41And gentlemen, what are you proudest of when you see the film?
14:44I'm sure it's painful to watch because it's also hard to watch work.
14:46You've toiled over for many years, and footage you have seen probably countless times.
14:51But when you watch this, what sticks out as something that you just will take with you to the next project as a win?
15:00Yeah, just kind of, I think one of my favorite lines was the, didn't Rick Rubin, Matt Pence, when he said that these moments are important to...
15:09To immortalize the recording process, it doesn't matter.
15:12And I think the prioritization of the arts is always something that is a kind of undercurrent of my own personal life, and that's what I definitely connected with when he said it.
15:21Lovely.
15:21So before we close, I do want to acknowledge there are some special guests in the room tonight.
15:27Chadwick's wife, Hannah, is here.
15:29Hannah, can you please stand up or just let us acknowledge you?
15:32Thank you so much for being here.
15:35Yes, thank you.
15:36Thank you for sharing your story.
15:38And we're just, this room is filled with love for you, and we just want to say thank you.
15:42And the legacy is intact, and we're so happy that the story has been told.
15:47So I appreciate your honesty and openness.
15:50Is there anyone else you want to give a shout-out to, as long as you have the mic?
15:54I mean, all of you here, thank you for taking your time and watching this film.
15:59My team, I really appreciate everybody.
16:03Elizabeth over there on her phone, like, working away, and Henry over there.
16:07A lot of people go into making anything.
16:09Bob and Sean, and there's all kinds of people in here that have helped me, and I really appreciate it.
16:15I do have two friends over here, JB, sitting next to Michael.
16:21JB, where are you?
16:23There he is, in the hat.
16:25These two guys, the first film I ever really worked on, ever, and I had a very small role, was Before the Music Dies.
16:34It was a film that premiered here in Austin.
16:37So I feel coming 20 years later back to premiere my first documentary, it's full circle.
16:45It's still meant to be.
16:46Yeah.
16:47Well, we want to thank you for being here and sharing your film with us.
16:50Congratulations.
16:51The beautiful legacy and testament to Chadwick and the band.
16:54And thank you for taking the time, and I know this isn't easy to do this, but we really appreciate you being here.
16:59Thank you so much.
17:01It's a great.
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