FILM: 'SHAKESPEARE WITH FRIES' BY BEN & JOSH SHELTON
Brothers Ben and Josh Shelton, 2009 RAWards winners, co-wrote the short film 'Shakespeare With Fries'—directed by Ben and produced by Josh—which will be screened at RAW's next Santa Monica showcase! Be sure to RSVP to view their work at the V Lounge on Thursday, April 1st!
How did you first get started in film?
Ben: I started when I was 13 years old. I made a film for school, and I have never stopped since.
Josh: When I was eight years old, I wanted to be a cartoonist for Disney. Then my brother taught me how to edit using two VCRs, and I made a lot of music while having a constant stream of ideas for scripts. But at the end of the day, film combines all art forms. It is not the best art form but it is certainly a pentacle.
Ben: All of our short films are on SheltonFilms.com —I've also directed commercials, web-content, and I'm currently directing a TV show. I'd like to direct a feature film this year.
Josh: I co-wrote and produced all the shorts on SheltonFilms.com and just produced the feature film "Homecoming" that was filmed in Florida this past February and is currently in post-production. I also hand drew, wrote and composed the music for a 45 second animation about a battle between a stick-man and a dot called "Nemesis" that is nowhere online but I am pretty proud of.
Ben: SWF is about a small theater company on the verge of going bankrupt. But what it's really about is how artists are always struggling with being true to their art, as well as paying their bills. Finding that balance is difficult, and we poke fun at that in our film.
Josh: SWF was an idea that Ben had and we discovered together. It's a comedy and we hadn't really tried that genre yet so I was excited to do so. Also, we had a big cast and an even bigger shoot than any other short we've done, so it was a wonderful challenge. On top of that, we spent hours making all the "Booth Burger" props/logos which was wonderful to get to be creative in that medium as well.
Josh: Life, those who have come before me, and good music.
Do you engage in, or draw inspiration from, any other forms of art?
Ben: My favorite filmmaker is Woody Allen. As far as other art, I love Jazz. I love Tom Waits. I like how real Tom Waits is. He seems like the "everyman" who just started playing and singing music, and yet he's so extremely talented. That's sort of what I want in my films. The idea that it doesn't look difficult, but there's a lot of work that's been put into it.
Josh: Yes, yes, yes. Balance is the key to life. All art is connected. All walks of life are connected. I try and pursue as many different art forms as possible. Sometimes I can learn more about film making from music or painting or a discussion with one of my younger brothers about fishing or physics than from film.
Ben: Months of writing; a few weeks of casting; a few days of shooting; and then a year of editing, music and figuring out the best way to show your movie. Preparation is the key. I like to be fully prepared before we shoot anything. Writing is the most important. If something isn't written well, you're setting yourself up for disaster. But if you're prepared, than you can actually be more creative on the day that you're filming, because you know what you want, and you're more open to try new things.
Josh: Brainstorm an idea, try to find the structure, bullet point every scene, write it., re-write it, tweak it, send it to producers/actors, and then find locations and come up with every shot before we get to set on the first day. Ben and I like to get there about an hour before everyone so we can talk over everything and be totally prepared for the full day. We try to keep very profession as well as fun on set (after all, we are just playing make-believe). Then edit and edit, often cutting scenes or lines to make sure it flows properly. Writing the music is always fun and challenging. I usually play around with temp scores, study what other composers are doing and then get deep into the computer and create. Then, we finish it and move onto the next project, if we haven't started to do so already. On SWF, while Ben was editing, I was already working on our feature script 'Rap Artist' and then when I started composing for SWF, Ben was writing 'Rap Artist'. It's fun, it's work and it's never ending.
Ben: With my wife or playing basketball. But mostly writing and preparing the next project.
Josh: Being with family and friends, writing words or music, brainstorming ideas, finding adventures, enjoying life, going to the cinema, eating, drinking and being me.
Ben: Annie Hall.
Josh: DISCLAIMER: 'Favorite' is different from 'best'; favorite is: Swingers.
Ben: Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Michel Gondry, Darren Aronofsky, Christopher Nolan, Ron Shelton.
Ben: Struggle; but, that's common in storytelling. In general, I try not to think of themes, as much as realism and story.
Josh: Looking closer, seeing the similarities in all of us, and finding balance.
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