Concept

     I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to make something that focused on the Austin punk scene. I spent many nights drinking, sweating, and gradually going deaf at hardcore shows as a highschooler. It was my favorite thing to do and I have many memories to share from that time. I wanted to share my experiences and try to capture the vibe of all that in my film. 

    Watching examples of short experimental films in class helped me work out what exactly I wanted to experiment with for my film. I really enjoyed one of the old student projects we watched, The Moon Follows You Home. That gave me the idea to do a series of still images instead of video, which seemed both visually interesting and convenient for having more control over the whole production. I realized this method would be great for having someone shoot material remotely in Austin while I was in York. Hot Slots also stood out to me as a source of inspiration. I loved the idea of capturing the atmosphere of a place by showing lots of little details and putting them all together. This reminded me of the flashing lights at shows and the snippets of drunk memories that came back to you the next morning. 

    With a direction in mind, I wrote down a bunch of memories that took place at a handful of venues in Austin, such as the Tunnels, Friendly Rio Market, Toten House, Patton Haus, Montopolis Bridge, and Kick Butt Coffee. There were quite a few that happened just at the Tunnels, but I decided to go with just one since I was resigned to the idea that I’d have to hire a photographer, and I didn’t want to have to pay more than $50. I figured that’d be too little for more than one good shoot, and I wanted to show due respect to my photographer. The deadline for the project and the winter break dates for the year didn’t really line up to allow me to do anything on location myself, even with my week-long LAP extension, so it was clear that if I wanted shots in Austin I would have to outsource the job.