Interview: Bret Hoy (Director of "Dither: The D.I.Y. Sound")
First of all, tell me who the people behind “Dither: The DIY Sound” are.
Sam Geneser and I are the directors on the project, Ben Clayton was the cam op and colorist, David Mudd did the animations and Kaitlyn Manlove was the sound engineer.
Tell me a little bit about how the Dither-project got going.
Dither started as an idea in Sam’s head. He had the idea to make a documentary about Punk Rock and the DIY ethic. When we initially started talking about working on the film together we started highlighting potential people to interview and the big ones were people like Ian Mackaye and Jacob Bannon, however, we knew of others out there that were living the lifestyle. Mark Sarich of the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center was an incredible help focusing the story that we were trying to tell. From that interview with Mark, show footage of Native and other bands in Chicago and also some archival footage, we put together a 5 minute promo of what we were trying to say with the film and things took off from there.
How come you picked DIY as a subject for the film? What is it about DIY culture that you wanted to put a spotligt on when you made this film?
Well, it’s important to note that we didn’t start off so focused on DIY as it’s portrayed in the film. As the audience learns when they watch the film, we learned more about DIY as we went. Unlike many other (more prepared) documentarians, we didn’t quite know the specific story until it started forming in front of us. The common threads that linked these people across the United States weren’t cherry picked or fished for. They were just there. I think that’s one of the most exciting thing about the film.
You relied on donations to make Dither happen. How was that whole experience? Seeing people contributing cash to support an idea you have must be awesome.
It still boggles my mind that so many people out there had enough trust in us to put in even 5 bucks. It was a pretty surreal experience knowing that so many people out there were inspired by the story. It truly is a story that needs to be told and I think the promo video we made resonated with not only those within the DIY community, but also people who admire those living an honest lifestyle.
I watched the film two nights ago (when it went free, I’m a cheap bastard) and I liked it a lot. I think you’ve managed to get a great group of people in the film. How did you go about the progress of deciding who to interview?
It was sort of the spread shot method. At first we just interviewed the people we knew, and then we interviewed the people that were referenced by those people, and so on. There were a variety of people that we wished we could’ve talked to, but limited time and resources inhibited us.
Getting people like Ian McKaye and Jacob Bannon aboard must have been awesome. How did you hook up with them?
One of the great things about the DIY community is how willing everyone was to chime in. It took time to get in touch with these guys, but once we got on the phone with them, they were totally open to helping in whatever way they could. These aren’t guys sitting behind a big desk in an office building. They honestly care about what they’re doing and the community they’re a part of.
How cool was it to hang out at the Dischord House and the Deathwish building?
Very cool. You’d walk around and be like, “Hey, I know that band. And that one. And that one. And they’re great too.”
Also, seeing the ground floor of Dischord and Deathwish really humbles you because you see how DIY it really is. When listening to music in your own home it’s easy to imagine some big warehouse, but when you’re there you see how personal it is and the effort that the people put forth to get their art form to you.
What are your own experiences of DIY culture and in what way, besides this film, are/have you been a part of it?
Most of my DIY experience comes from the creation of the film. Everyone involved in the production had differing levels of involvement, and that’s another reason why this film is compelling. As I said before, we learned as we went. What is so great is that we WERE funded. People were always great to us and when it was released we’ve been accepted from so far and wide. That’s the validation that the story needed and it’s what we experienced, which is the story we work to tell in the film. So in that way, making Dither was a DIY experience in itself.
What was the first screening like? Good turnout?
It was exciting, but incredibly nerve-wracking. You can’t ever predict the odd glitches that develop during the first screening. Luckily, it went off with out any major hitches and then we were able to go back and fix what we needed to for our DVD and VOD release. The turnout was really great. Packed auditorium actually, but there were also multiple films playing that night. I think a lot of people weren’t prepared for Jacob Bannon and his neck tattoos, but he turned out the be the crowd favorite. Funny how that happens.
Who should watch Dither and why?
It’s important to remember that Dither isn’t just a story about DIY Punk. It’s a story about people who have worked their entire lives against the grain because they felt morally obligated to do so. Living an honest life is something that everyone can and should get behind. When the entertainment industry is so flooded with impersonal and manufactured content, the DIY story and lifestyle is incredibly important. It’s a story that everyone should at least be exposed to.
What did you learn from making this film?
Apart from taking the ultimate crash course in documentary filmmaking we learned that the way you go about creating art or expressing yourself is just as important as the art and the expression itself. It’s an unbelievably important concept to grasp.
You got an award, right?
Since we were all college students when we created this film, and we were working in coordination with a university, we were entered into the national BEA conference for documentaries. We won second place in that competition. It’s good have your work recognized, but having fans in Australia, Germany, Italy, Brazil, etc. contact you about wanting to see your film is really the exciting part.
As filmmakers, what’s the plan? Will you continue working on films together in the future? Do you have new projects planned?
We’ve tried to keep in contact over the past couple years. We’ve certainly spread across the US, but Sam, Ben and I are all still in the Midwest. Sam and I have discussed a couple music video projects and a documentary but nothing solid. I’m currently working with Mark Sarich on another short doc about El Sistema, which is an organization that helps under privileged youth learn orchestral music. There’s some really inspiring stuff going on at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center.
Links & Further Information:
Watch “Dither: The DIY Sound” for free:
Hit the link below. Click “$1 Buy Movie”, then underneath post code click, “Use Code.”
Enter the coupon code: DITHER. You’ll need enter your e-mail address as well.
http://ditherthediysound.vhx.tv/
More info on the project can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/ditherthediysound
Watch “Dither: The DIY Sound” for free:
Hit the link below. Click “$1 Buy Movie”, then underneath post code click, “Use Code.”
Enter the coupon code: DITHER. You’ll need enter your e-mail address as well.
http://ditherthediysound.vhx.tv/
More info on the project can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/ditherthediysound
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