Arly Jover: UPEND - "it all started with a dream"

Arly Jover: UPEND – “it all started with a dream”

Arly Jover and Blake Worrell have made several award winning short films shot on smartphones.

Arly is an actor and dancer known for her roles in major films like Blade, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Empire of the Wolves.

Her husband Blake is a writer, actor and director known for his work on Dissolution (2017), Mixed Emotions (2017) and The Weird Sisters (2016).

Their newest short film UPEND is about a father who falls into an adventure in search of his son. He ends up in the most unsuspected places, but will anyone believe him? UPEND is one of these films that haunt you with only one viewing and we wanted to know more.

Interview with Blake and Arly

What is the story behind your film?

Arly Jover: I’ll let Blake answer this one. The story is his. But if I recall well, it all started with a dream…

Blake Worrell: Actually it’s ours due to the fact my wife has brought many good ideas to the story. And yes, it did start with an image I had in a dream. Actually it was that state you are in right before falling asleep. It gave me chills, so I recorded it on my voice recorder to later work on it the following days. Being that the story is largely about multi-dimensional worlds, I can go into a very deep explanation of how it works.

Instead, I decided to focus more on the perspectives of a particular event in that world. A young boy who went mysteriously missing and his father who found out how, and followed him throughout the levels of reality and in turn ended up back where he started – but not exactly.

The short answer: Father ends up in the wrong dimension in search for his son, and the closest person to him has a hard time believing him.

What were the steps which led you to make it?

Blake:  Well, I was a bit hesitant, but I really liked the challenge of trying to tell an intricate story in such a short time. I knew I needed some very difficult shots and it would take a lot of planning.

First off, I worked on the script. I wanted it to be tight, so I must have rewritten it about 15 times or so and went over some cold reads about 10 times. During that process I drew out images I wanted to have and various ways I could accomplish them. I planned everything that would be happening for the next 8 months from flying overseas. Where I got the planet shots to getting my shoulder surgery, where we shot the hospital scene.

There is a lot of material that didn’t make the cut.

Why did you choose a smartphone to film with and what other equipment did you use?

Arly Jover: We didn’t really choose the smartphone, it kinda chose us.

Blake: We work on other bigger projects and have access to many cameras, but it’s big and clunky and attracts a lot of attention. And to be perfectly honest, we just haven’t had the time to get one. And since the phones do a great job on their own – it’s been good enough.

I mean, as a passionate film maker, I’m working all the time – even when I’m not working.

Arly Jover: He’s constantly shooting where ever we go.

Blake: You can never have enough B-Roll, and sometimes we just improvise and do things on the spot. The more one practices at their craft, the better they get.

How much did you know about filmmaking before you made this film?

Arly: I’ve been in the business for 20 years – mostly in front of the camera – so, “learning by doing”. And it comes a time when you don’t want to just wait for others “desire”. A time when you yourself want to make things happen and see your own stories come to life. So you put your knowledge to work. You use everything you learned over the years.

Blake: I worked with Roger Corman for many years. My speciality has always been in post-production. But since around 2009 or so, I started to get in front of the camera.

What did you like about filming with a phone? What were the downsides, if any?

Blake: I love how no one ever thinks you’re shooting a film. Some people go all out with a crew, but I prefer to keep it super minimal.

Being an award winning sound designer, I know what it takes to get good sound and therefore I have the confidence to go out shooting alone with the actors.  From a distance, it looks like a couple people hanging out and someone posting an Instagram story.

I’m not about showing off. I like to be as discreet as possible when shooting outside. If there is any downside, it’s that smartphone cameras haven’t really nailed the night shooting. Shooting an inside bar scene or midnight on Hollywood blvd. scene takes a lot of lights (laughs) and I don’t like attracting attention at that time in that particular street.

Arly: Shooting anywhere, any time, no limits set by others than yourself, if you wish to set those limits.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the production?

Arly: The hospital scene. Blake had just had his surgery. He was taking pain killers so he was a little foggy. The day before we had no idea if he was going to be alone in a room or not, and we didn’t even get to see the room until the day he had the surgery. The next day we were already shooting. We had to work with what we had, even if “our” room of choice would have looked completely different.

Has making the film changed your life in any way?

Blake: Definitely. I now have people all around the world contacting me and asking me for my advice. I’ve been in the smartphone filmmaking industry since the iPhone 4s, because it was one of the first phones to shoot in 1080p, which was and still is the standard for film and TV.

Over the years I’ve developed tools for myself which I now share with other smartphone film makers who are on a tight budget.

Arly: Learning by doing, once again. I think that every experience, if you go into it full-hearted, it will change your life. If you decide to really look, “your eyes will open wider”.

How successful has the film been, personally and in gaining an audience for your work.

Arly: We were contacted by Etihad Airlines to play it in their in flight short film selection for one year – we never expected that.

Blake: Ya, that was thanks to the organizer at the Australian SmartFone Flick Fest, where we’ve been nominated the past 3 years in a row.

Arly: That’s where Blake was welcomed into the ACS (Australian Cinematographers Society).

Blake: It’s been only about 4 years since I’ve been using our smartphones. I have to say that this is one of our most successful shorts yet and we’ve only just begun to put it out there.

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Looking back on the movie, is there anything you’d have done differently?

Blake: Always.

Arly: (Arly laughs) He’s never done. But as the producer, it’s my job to call it. It’s not something I like to do, but something I have to do. There comes a time when you have to let go. And I know it is a tough lesson to learn for a creative artist, to let go.

Blake: It’s hard to let it go. Just last night I saw it again and thought “Oh, if I did that it would have come across better” or “Ah!  that one shot!”. But as a filmmaker… (looks to Arly)

Arly:  …you gotta move on.

Blake: There’s always another project waiting where you can apply what you learned from the previous ones.

Arly: I think it’s an ever evolving process.

How important are film festivals that give these kind of films a platform for you?

Arly: Huge! I believe that without film festivals, the way of telling short stories visually, would be obsolete.

Blake: Overall, I’m just really happy people can see it and get something out of it. I love to be inspired, and therefore I love to inspire others.

In another perspective, it’s brought up my confidence a lot. Mobile film festivals have really increased over the past few years. Even major festivals now have it as a category. In my perspective, it’s giving all those people, who don’t have the money and big toys, a chance to tell their story.

There are some incredible storytellers out there that are being recognized through smartphone filmmaking. It’s a really good time to get out there.

What advice can you give to other smartphone filmmakers?

Arly: Just do it! I know it is not a very “original” answer, but it is a truthful one.

No more excuses. Do the work. Learn all you can learn about story telling and about the apparatus that you have with you at all times.

And once you’ve done that, no one but yourself will be able to tell you ever again that you can not tell your story with images – true story or fiction. The limit is you.

Blake: Yeah, there are really no excuses anymore to not shoot everyday. Either you do or don’t do – period. If you are truly passionate about the craft, you will make and learn, and make and learn, and eventually become a professional story teller.

And remember, this is a form of communication. You can shed light on a perspective that otherwise would have been overlooked.

Think of those controversial films. On the flip side, keep in mind that there will always be different views about your films and even your film making capabilities. Take it with a grain of salt, and don’t let the “critics” get to you -It’s your vision.

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