Student filmmaker Owen Summers
In 15 years, only three student films from Sonoma Valley High School have been chosen to be part of the Sonoma Valley International Film Festival. One of those is from senior Owen Summers, whose film “The Magic Beans” was selected to be in the Festival this year. The Sun sat down with Owen this week to ask about his film.
How did you get the idea for this film?
I was looking through old fairy tale collections at home and thought it would be fun to do a new take on a familiar story. It would give me a chance to develop my own style of storytelling with a fable everyone knows. Also, I wanted to write my own music for the film. My friend Owen Barrett and I collaborated on the score and that was a lot of fun – it made the film 100% original, except for the theme of Jack and the Beanstalk.
How did you do the claymation? Doesn’t it take a lot of time?
Claymation is very time consuming. The film took about three months, working an hour or two every day during the week and more on weekends. I made both the sets and characters, and had to film all the sequences that take place on a certain set at once, because they are difficult to recreate, especially when I’m just working on a table in the garage. Each tiny movement requires adjustments. I had to mentally plan out what each character would be doing at which speed and make sure everything else in the shot was in sync. To establish the film’s humorous tone, I used clay to create raised eyebrows, smirks, expressions of surprise, and so on. The medium of clay is a lot about suggestion but very carefully engineered “suggestion.”
Have you done claymation before?
Yes. My first claymation film was “Spare Parts,” set to the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends,” about a guy (a head actually) that lost his body. He gets put back together with the help of two junk yard salvage guys — who are slugs — and he finds love in the end. After that I made a tribute to one of my favorite musician/songwriters Mac Demarco set to his song “Junkies.” The film is about a kid (another slug) who leaves home to get away from his fighting, drug-addicted parents in search of a happier life. Just a few days ago I finished my newest claymation film, a music video for my band The Radio Fliers’ new song “Ladylike.”
Why did this medium appeal to you? What drew you to it?
I grew up on Aardman Studios’ films like “Wallace and Grommet” and “Chicken Run” as well as “South Park” and “Spongebob.” I like the aesthetic and humor of these films, and I wanted to make one myself. Claymation was something I could set up at home. My video arts teacher Peter Hansen loaned me the equipment I needed. Also, I like being able to see the “hand of the maker” in artwork in a world where everything is so digital and clean but sometimes lacks character and appeal.
How did you feel when you were chosen to be in the Film Festival?
Very excited. It was extremely rewarding to know that others responded to my film and what I find attractive about claymation.
Can you characterize your film? How do you see it, feel about it?
My films are quirky. I use simple characters to communicate complex social situations and emotions. I am attracted to the Spongebob aesthetic — surreal and colorful. I wanted to stay away from heavy drama, heavy dialogue, teenage attempts to be deep that end up confusing the audience. I don’t take myself too seriously. I hope people will laugh and feel good when they see my films and hopefully enjoy the music.
–Interview by Sarah Ford
