Final viewing of the film & Brent's very own copy...

Today, Brent met with Amy again for the final viewing of the film. Since Monday night, she has been tirelessly burning to dvd the hand-drawn discs that Brent created on his birthday.

(according to a previous blog post, this happened on the 4th of November, it was in fact the night of the 5th -  American hosted blog, mumble mumble)

These dvds will now be sent out to various film festivals that Amy has submitted the film to (including this week one in Byron Bay and another in Seattle - fingers crossed!!)...

A few select dvds will also be posted out to some people that helped on post production (or starred in the film).

Here's a photo of Brent watching the final edit...

 

 

And here is Brent (very excitedly) holding up his very own copy...

 

 

Amy has very generously also given him two other copies,

that he plans on sending to two very important people in his life...

 

It should be noted that all of the photos that have appeared on this blog (thus far, except the one of Amy) were taken by Amy Hoogenboom...

 



Ten Questions with Amy ...

Brent decided to ask Amy ten questions about her motivation and inspiration when it came to making "Scatter Joy" and movie making in general... Let's blame the beer.

1. What are your inspirations as a film maker??

Beauty, abstract art, shadows, France, India, French cinema, Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, light.

2. When did you first start having aspirations as a film maker and visual storyteller?

As a teenager developing black and white photos in the small dark room set up in my parents garage .... later it was writing and journalism .... filmmaking was a natural marriage of the two ..... 

3. Can you summarise in twenty words or less what you want to communicate as a film maker?

Simple reminders of the joy of being human, with all that that entails.

4. What first attracted you to the idea of making a doco about Brent?

It is challenging for any artist to try and make a living out of any artistic practice.  It takes a certain strength and courage to persist.  On top of having a 'disability', Brent managed to still create a living out of his art, something that every artist or aspiring artist can only hope to do.

5. And yet it was you that was always buying Brent coffees throughout the nearly nine months of shooting. As an independent film maker, who has completely (and tirelessly) worked on this doco for nearly a year now (without any funding or outside assistance), what has spurred you on, inspired you and kept you "persisting" with this project...?

The idea that this film can be made and get out there in such a way that reminds us all that we don't necessarily need money to make art and that anyone can create what they want to create and what they feel the world needs to see!

6. Where would you like to see "Scatter Joy" going over the next twelve months?

I would love to see it travelling around the world, scattering a bit of joy everywhere it goes.  At the end of the day anywhere that it is playing before an audience who is willing and open to receive it.

7. What parts of the film are you most proud of?

It's hard to say, I'm proud of all of it, but there are two parts I love the most, one is the visuals when Brent is talking about his time in Melbourne, the other is when Brent is talking about 'Scatter Joy'.

8. After this project is all over (and hopefully being picked up and distributed for some festivals overseas), what is next for you as a doco / film maker?

To make a feature length documentary, hopefully this time someone will be funding it to the extent that I can at least pay someone else to edit it!!!!!???????

9. If you could advise budding film or doco makers (in ten words or less) what they need to do to be successful in this field, what would that advice be?

Be honest to yourself, make stuff that you believe in.

10.  You are just about to dub off a huge pile of dvds of the "finished product" and start entering it in festivals, both here and overseas... If you could choose three places you would love to see this film shown, where would they be, and why?

Byron Bay International Film Festival - because I was an intern there, the people who work there are run it are like family and because it's one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

New York - any festival really, just because I have never been, think it would be amazing and think 'Scatter Joy' would be well received.

France - because the majority of my filmmaking influence is from French Cinema.  Like New York, I feel like 'Scatter Joy' would be well received there, it has that nice simplicity and naivety that many French films also possess.

Brent's birthday dvd signing marathon...

Today Amy showed Brent the officially finished doco... While the rest of Melbourne had a day off (to celebrate Melbourne Cup Day Eve), Brent and Amy hid away in the depths of the Charles Dickens Tavern (in Collins Street), having a celebratory beer and wine to the finished film AND his forty fourth birthday...

Here's some photos of Brent doing a pile of hand-drawn dvd labels...

 

a sneak preview of the film...

Click here for a sneak preview from the upcoming film "Scatter Joy"...

http://vimeo.com/46926492?action=share

How it all started...

 

HOW IT ALL STARTED...

"There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Brent Harpur (originally from New Zealand) and Amy Hoogenboom first met in Melbourne, Australia in late 2011. She was very intrigued and excited to hear that he made a living as a cartoonist (amongst other things) and yet was "legally blind". He was very excited and intrigued to hear that she was an independent documentary & film maker. They decided in December that they would work together on a film about his life & career in Australia.

From January to September (2012) Amy has been following Brent around with her camera, and slowly compiling footage for the doco "Scatter Joy". From August, she has been tirelessly (and without any sort of funding) editing and putting together this 27min film.

On the 5th November, after much hard work and dedication (from both Amy and her subject, Brent), "Scatter Joy" is FINALLY finished. She will be showing the finished film to Brent as a birthday present (he will be turning forty four years old).

Over the coming months, Amy will be submitting the finished doco to film festivals all over the world. If you would like to help with this (or anything else,including potential sponsorship, venues to have premieres, etc) please contact Brent, via email on:
cartoonbrent@gmail.com

Brent will endeavour to keep this blog up to date over the coming months, so you can hear firsthand how this is all going. And there will be up to the minute postings about showings, media appearances and anything else related to the film, Brent and Amy.

Please help spread the word. This film will now take on little wings of its own, and the more people know about it (and talk about it) the more likely it is to "show in a town near you"... A limited number of DVD copies of the film have been produced. Please contact Amy (via Brent, on the email above) if you would like to see one...

Thanks for reading!!

"What we need in this world are more people who      specialise in the impossible..." (Theodore Roethke)

Kia Ora!
(that's NZ Maori for Thank You, Hello & Goodbye.)

Brent Harpur,
4th November 2012.


For more info about Brent and the work highlighted in this doco, please visit:
www.brentharpur.co.nz