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Your new movie A
Toasted Day - in a few words, what is it about?
After
getting up in the morning, a man is confronted with dramatic facts that
throws him off course. He tries to come to terms with this emotional power,
although feelings and actions go completely different paths in this
situation, as it can certainly happen in life.
What
were your sources of inspiration when writing A
Toasted Day?
There
are three films that inspired me to make this film very much:
Vivre
sa Vie (My Life to Live), directed by Jean-Luc Godard (1962).
La
Maman et la Putain (The Mother and the Whore), directed by Jean
Eustache (1973).
Oh
Boy (A Coffee in Berlin), directed by Jan-Ole Gerster (2012).
All
of these mentioned titles are black and white films and especially with
the last two the protagonist is accompanied through the day. Sometimes the
films show scenes that last for minutes in which not much happens. The
moment is simply captured. I
was particularly impressed by The Mother and the Whore with a
running time of almost 220 minutes and I began to dream of making such a
film, but
since I lacked concrete ideas, I let this dream slowly mature in the
background of my head. Of
course, A
Toasted Day
cannot be compared with any of the films
mentioned and it was also clear to me that I would never even come close
to these great directors. But
that was never my goal either.
You've chosen to stylistically go
back to the early days of filmmaking - black and white, no on-screen
sound, piano score - with A
Toasted Day. Now was this a conscious decision from early on or
did that style only develop during planning or even shooting your film?
The
film was planned that way from the start. Even before I wrote the story,
it was clear to me that it should be a black and white film with
incidental musical. I
am of the opinion that even today there is nothing more aesthetic than
black and white recordings, even if this stylistic device is of course not
applicable and useful for every film. Only
the form of the background music was left open to me. I'm not a musician
and I didn't know what would work. That's why I entrusted this
post-production task to the experienced musician Claudius Mach, who then
composed this beautiful music especially for this film.
Narratively,
A Toasted Day moves
along on more than just one time level, with the audience left in the dark
for most of the film as to the actual sequence of events - so what was the
idea behind that, and how easy or hard was it not to lose the plot making
your film that way?
The
structure of the film was fixed right from the start, i.e. already with
the idea, and maybe that's why the implementation from shooting to editing
was quite easy for me. However,
there was still the risk of losing the plot or even overloading it, and
originally I had planned more pictures. For example, a guitar player on a
park bench singing a melancholy song. Fortunately, I realized myself that
that was too much and that it wouldn't add any value to the story. My
biggest concern was and is that the viewer cannot understand the
storylines. The viewer may initially only have one chance to do so if the
film is shown at a festival, for example.
What can you tell us about your
overall directorial approach to your story at hand? I
wanted to make a film with infinitely long images in which the audience
can also let themselves be carried away. The already mentioned film The
Mother and the Whore was my role model. Ultimately,
however, I also realized that I'm not the great filmmaker who can manage a
work of several hours and expect the viewer to do it. So
I tried to concentrate on developing a story that justified someone
walking long distances in nature. From
the beginning, there should be beautiful, aesthetic pictures. At
some point I realized that something dramatic had to happen and something
had to build up around it - and suddenly the story was written.
You
also play the lead in A
Toasted Day - so what can you tell us about your character, what
did you draw upon to bring him to life, and did you write him with
yourself in mind from the get-go?
It
became clear to me as I was writing that I would take on this role myself.
I have seen myself go these ways and have also seen what clothes have to
be worn. "Why
not?" I thought to myself, after all it saves me the search for an
actor.
You
learn very little about the film character Tom in the film, but you can
perhaps guess from the clothes and the surroundings that he wandered
through that he basically had a satisfied life. Of
course there isn't much to be seen of satisfaction in the situation in the
film, and I tried to play Tom as emotionless as possible. It has helped me
to draw on my own experiences with severe depression.
Do talk about the rest
of your cast, and why exactly these people? Let's
start with the role of Severine, which unfortunately had to be re-cast
because the original actress got pregnant - and luckily Swaantje Wilts,
known from the TV show The Biggest Loser 2020, contacted me because
of an appeal. I
didn't have a specific type for the role in mind, but didn't necessarily
want to fulfill the typical role clichés, and since I already knew
Swaantje, I knew that she was reliable, which unfortunately is not always
a given in the industry.
Michael
Brandt was the dream cast for me. He is a multi-faceted actor and has had
many small roles in German TV and cinema productions. He probably had his
best-known role in the film Magical Mystery. It
was important to me that there was someone sitting in the forest who was
authentic and who could be seen to be there often. I'm
almost sorry that I burned up Michael for this little scene and I'm all
the more grateful for it.
I
definitely want to mention Jan Stern behind the camera. Most of the time I
was standing in front of the camera myself and couldn't judge what the
picture looked like. Here I could completely rely on Jan, and that's why it
was particularly important to me to work with Jan on this film as well.
A few words
about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere?
The
film was shot on two days of shooting, which were a few months apart due
to Corona. The
outdoor shots all took place on the first day, and since
everything was planned very well, we made very good progress. Perhaps that
was also because I forgot to take all the production notes with me and
only had fragments on my smartphone. We
were out and about in a forest for many hours in mostly good weather and
had enough time, something that is not taken for granted during a shoot. The
mood was correspondingly good. Even when a bird shit on my nose and the
worst ricocheted off my jacket. Unfortunately the camera wasn't running
when this unspeakable happened. But there is a recording in which the
consequences are eliminated. Fortunately,
it's a black and white film, so it's not that noticeable.
The
atmosphere on both days of shooting was very relaxed, which was perhaps
also due to the fact that there are no hierarchies with me and everyone
can, but doesn't, have to contribute. I
also try to plan every shoot down to the last detail and this structure
has proven to be very useful.
The
$64-question of course, where can your movie be seen?
The
film was submitted to a few festivals - mostly in Europe - and I am
confident that it will be shown at some festivals later this year. So
keep your eyes open.
I
don't know how the film will go on later, but
I could imagine a physical release, possibly with more short films of
mine, if a label can be found. In
no case should the film just disappear in a drawer.
Anything
you can tell us about audience or critical reception of A
Toasted Day?
Unfortunately,
I can't tell you anything here at the moment. The
film was already in the Official Selection at several festivals, but
I'm not sure if anyone has actually seen this film. As
I said in the previous question, the film will hopefully also be shown at
German festivals, where I will at least have the chance to go there and
receive reactions and criticism in person. Awards
are flattering, but it's much more important to me that my film is
actually seen.
Any future projects you'd like to
share?
As
a director, I have nothing concrete planned at the moment, and I would like
to take a lot of time for another film, so I think that another film by me
can only be expected in three to four years. In
addition, further collaborations as an actor with Juval Marlon [Juval
Marlon interview - click here] and René
Wiesner [René Wiesner
interview - click here] are planned for this year, and with René Wiesner I have already
shot some things successfully this year.
What got you into filmmaking to begin with, and
did you receive any formal training on the subject?
Unfortunately,
I discovered the film business, be it in front of or behind the camera,
very late, so it seems too late for an apprenticeship. In the film
business, unfortunately, you are very old when it comes to training. In
short: no, I have no training. I
just felt like making a film and started trying it out. Fortunately,
anyone today can try to make a film with their digital camera or
smartphone. This opportunity fascinated me and I've tried different things
that often didn't turn out really well, but gave me the chance to further develop myself.
Going
through your filmography, you seem to have filled many positions in front
of and behind the camera - so what do you enjoy the most, what could you
do without?
Because
I've tried different things for myself, there are different positions
behind the camera, which I still find manageable and which are mostly not
that important to me. First
and foremost, I see myself as an actor and occasionally as a director.
Acting is my passion, I really enjoy doing that.
I
would love to do without e-castings. That doesn't suit me so well and I
prefer castings on site. I have real people in front of me and I can call
up my performance much better. Unfortunately,
the type of casting is not negotiable.
What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to A Toasted Day,
in whatever position?
Before A Toasted Day
I was mostly on the road as an actor and extra. There
were also smaller projects as a director, which I now see as my personal
education.
Being an extra brings in a bit of money, you get to know great and interesting
people and you have a little experience in the film world, but mostly
achieve nothing. To
put it in the words of Klaus Kinski: “I only do it for the money”.
I am all
the more proud of my acting successes, I have now worked with
Marian Dora, René Wiesner and Juval Marlon, and there will definitely be a
lot more to see of me in the future, but I also hope that I will still get
the opportunity outside of that to be able to play undergrounds.
How would you describe yourself as
a director?
Structured,
prudent and balanced. Thanks
to my well-structured way of working, I avoid film mistakes as much as
possible, which I actually didn't manage with A Toasted Day, and
since I usually know my actors beforehand, I also know what I can expect
them to do. But then I also demand to do what is reasonable. I'm
basically a quiet person and I've met real asshole directors myself. It's
important to me that everyone feels as comfortable as possible on set. For
me it starts with the catering offered, and I try to be as patient as
possible with everyone. Fortunately, my patience has never been exhausted
to the limit.
Filmmakers, actors, whoever else who inspire
you?
The
filmmaker who inspires me is probably not even known to many, perhaps also
because he is very withdrawn. We
are talking about Henna Peschel. He taught himself everything and is
responsible for the almost forgotten cult film series Rollo Aller!,
and he also worked as a cameraman for Klaus Lemke in two films. Henna
shows me that you can be successful as an autodidact, even if not everyone
knows you.
As
an actor, Jürgen Vogel is a very clear role model for me. It feels like
he has acted in 1,000 films, everyone knows him and yet it is often only
with great difficulty that you can only list three film titles with him. He
plays in larger productions because of the money, so that he can then also
allow himself to shoot for smaller independent projects. I have rarely met
someone who is so open and friendly with everyone on the set.
Your favourite movies?
If
I had to answer this question once a year, my answer would always be a bit
different, because my priorities keep changing and even if I'm not really
a big film expert myself, I keep discovering new films for me. I'll
limit myself to three films that are more or less a snapshot:
Into
the Wild -
I am simply enthusiastic about the history and above all the courage of
the "Alexander Supertramp".
Oh Boy -
Simply a good and entertaining film with great pictures. It should also be
considered that it is “only” the thesis of the director Jan-Ole
Gerster. What a great debut.
Frank -
This film is probably seen as very controversial. Apart from the fact that
I actually like the music, I find the idea of creating a new personality
for yourself very interesting.
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... and of
course, films you really deplore?
I
successfully delete the films that I really regret watching from my memory.
Your/your movie's
website, social media, whatever else?
If
you are interested in my projects or even me, go to:
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Wischnauski
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/joerg.wischnauski/
Homepage:
joerg-wischnauski.jimdofree.com
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I
would like to thank you for the opportunity to do this interview and the
attention it paid. Thanks
for the interview!
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