Mudder's Hands is a short film by Film and Television – Business (FTVB) graduate Clint Butler that highlights the life of Rosalind O'Driscoll, Clint's mother. Rosalind takes viewers through her traditional Newfoundland raisin bread recipe while also sharing flashbacks of her past along with what she faces now living with arthritis.
Q. WHAT INSPIRED MUDDER'S HANDS & WHAT WAS YOUR VISION BEHIND IT?
Many stories discussed our senior population's vulnerability when the pandemic first happened. Many were isolated from their loved ones. My mother is in her seventies and lives in Newfoundland. I live in Toronto. Air travel was closed. I couldn't get to her, and I missed her very much.
While in school, she sent me care packages of homemade raisin bread because she knows how much I love it. In fact, the last time she came to visit me, I asked her to teach me how to make it. She had learned to bake when she was a child, and like many women of her generation, the recipe exists only in her head. We spent the entire afternoon laughing and baking bread together. I was so caught up in the experience I neglected to record the measurements.
Then the pandemic happened. Her arthritis worsened to the point where she now walks with a cane. Her two oldest siblings, one of whom has since passed away, had been diagnosed with serious illnesses. So, when we were brainstorming projects in school, I had a lightbulb moment. Time felt fleeting, and I just longed to be with her.
I developed the film as a time capsule, both personally and culturally, with a triptych of themes: memories of youth from days gone by, the pains of aging – specifically arthritis in my mother's hands (hence the title), and the preservation and sharing of a traditional recipe.
Q. WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE OF PRODUCING AND DIRECTING THE FILM?
I loved it. The creative control. The detailed planning and problem-solving. I loved seeing my mother come to life on camera. She enjoyed it so much; I'm proud to have created this for her and the family.
The entire process was like a crash course in film school but also a way to put my knowledge from the program to work in real-time. At the end of the day, I have a product that I am extremely proud of that will help open doors to fund my next film. Funders require you to have proof of independently produced work before they consider you for future projects.
Whenever possible, shoot multi-camera and get as much visual coverage as possible. And be sure to build contingency into your budget because, as was the case with me, you may end up with other creative solutions or ideas as the process unfolds. You have conversations with the crew that can lead you somewhere you never considered. That extra money can help take your project to the next level.
I would also say be patient. Be VERY patient. It takes time. Step away from it and come back to it. Also, the detailing and final touches in post (sound mixing, scoring, and titles) are really exciting.
Q. WHAT DO YOU HOPE VIEWERS CAN TAKE AWAY FROM WATCHING?
Aside from the nostalgia, joy, and folly of my mom's recipe, the two things I would hope an audience would take away are one: the great value inherent in our seniors, their stories, and their inner child - which never really goes away, no matter how old you are. And two: the drawing of attention to those living with arthritis and the daily struggles they face. Arthritis isn't just an "old person's" disease, though it can be quite crippling for seniors. Arthritis affects so many Canadians in so many ways. Despite seeing my mother laugh and champion through it, I want to think that the film helps draw some empathy, understanding, and appreciation.
Q. WHAT FESTIVALS HAS MUDDER'S HANDS SCREENED AT SO FAR?
So far, the film has premiered at the THIRD ACTion Film Festival in Calgary, one of a few film festivals geared specifically for seniors or those in their "third act" of life. As luck should have it, I was engaged in a performance contract in Calgary. I was able to attend the screening and participate as a guest speaker as a result. The following weekend, four days after her seventy-fifth birthday, my mother, her siblings, and friends attended the second screening at the Nickel Independent Film Festival in St. John's, Newfoundland. Both of these festivals were strategic goals of mine. June was a very special month.
We have since been selected to screen at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival in Vermont later this summer. The Festival has a very special award for the winner of best score. I had the privilege of having Emmy-nominated composer Virginia Kilbertus create original music for my film, so we're thrilled to have our US Premiere there in August.
We’ve also screened or have been programmed at the following festivals: Women Over 50 Film Festival (England); Montreal Independent Film Festival (nominated for Best Short Documentary and Composer of the Season); and FIN Atlantic International Film Festival (Halifax) - as well as their kids festival, which - similar to the Nickel Road Show - will screen at various theatres across the Atlantic region.
There are still lots more festivals to hear from over the next few months.
Q. WHAT LED YOU TO THE FILM & TELEVISION – BUSINESS PROGRAM AT CENTENNIAL?
I enrolled in the FTVB Program in September of 2020 as a "pandemic pivot." I had been an actor for twenty years. When all theatres in the country went dark, I was meditating on how to stay visible, continue to create, and potentially work in another capacity in the entertainment industry, but remotely and safely. I had previously completed a bachelor of business administration and had studied documentary production in the early 2000s.
I also had coordination experience and had always been interested in the idea of producing but was intimidated by it. So, when a friend was contemplating enrolling in the Children's Media program, I did some investigating of my own. I thought, why not seize the opportunity to demystify the producer's process, develop some other skills and open some doors to alternate employment opportunities in the industry. I'd been sitting on some creative ideas for years and thought, if I don't do this now, I never will.
Q. WHAT ARE SOME KEY LESSONS FROM THE PROGRAM YOU USE IN YOUR CAREER TODAY?
There were many nuggets of information and skills I walked away from the program with. From short film budgeting to writing television pitch decks and synopses, how to attract the funding or financing you need, which avenues to explore, and the organization and documentation required.
The program really takes care in walking you through the various phases of producing a project so you can map out a timeline, from development to production to post to distribution. It's been really helpful for me. Jeannette Loakman inspired me by saying that as a producer, if you believe in your project, you'll find a way and do it. And I did.
Two of the biggest things the program afforded me were a boost in confidence and a sense of community. Chanda Chevannes - one of the best teachers I have ever had - bolstered my confidence in myself and my lived experience. The program is so fast and detailed that you can't possibly digest everything (everywhere) all at once. That's a life lesson in and of itself. I hadn't been to school in years and was feeling so much pressure, given that my previous career path literally had the lights turned out on it. But you don't need to know all the answers.
So much of the learning is in the doing, and I cannot measure the wealth of information and resources I have in my instructors and classmates. We still chat often, and if we are ever presented with a problem or need advice, we know who to call upon, which is truly invaluable. I made dear friendships, including with Karen Shopsowitz, who not only mentored me with Mudder's Hands but eventually offered to edit the film and came on board as a producer. I am so grateful to her.
Q. ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD ABOUT THE FTVB PROGRAM?
This program is unique and really provides students with an edge. Most people I had the pleasure of doing the program with have been hired for internships and professional careers within the industry. Through revamping my resume and working as a production assistant, I have since been freelancing within the art department of web series and on commercials, something I never would have considered before. It's been eye-opening and very rewarding.
The other thing is that people generally and genuinely want to help you. They want to see you succeed and enjoy having a stake in your success, with the mindset that your success may be theirs one day and vice versa. Stay curious. Say yes. Meet people and talk about your work and what inspires you. Find a way and do the thing. Just don't put it all on your credit card. *wink*
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Clint is currently working on a short documentary, developing a series idea with two friends from the FTVB program, and working on an idea and pitch materials for a documentary feature. And now that the theatre lights are back on he has been invited to join the North American tour of the Broadway musical, Come From Away, where he will perform from September through May. Clint also just was recently awarded his first artist grant to shoot his second documentary film in Vancouver next year!
Congratulations, Clint, on such phenomenal work, and we wish you continued success in your career.
Article by: Alexandra Few
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