On this visit to the Film Lounge.

Follow an artist from Blank Canvas.

The finished piece, a young woman picks up the pieces after a bre A woman struggles with career, grief and self-doubt.

We tour a new studio space, mister.

In Iowa, a couple pays a literal price to communica and a samurai must do battle with those who betrayed him.

Grab your popcorn.

The curtains about to Funding for this program was provided by friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.

The Film Lounge is produced in partnership with the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

My name is John Hennessey Baker.

I am a filmmaker based out of Des M The subject of the film is Jackson Meister, who is a friend and artist here in D We filmed over the course of about an hour, and it was an interesting blend between documentary and narrative filmmaking in that we had sort of set the parameters in that here's kind of what we're going for, and then we just sort of let him go off and do his thing with the editing and with the with the layering.

I wanted to represent the chaos meets the beauty, meets the the flurry of creativity and what that feels like as an artist.

I would consider myself pr I compose music for film and television as wel Practically, what's happening?

Beyond that, I have dabbled in just about every other aspect of filmmaking, whether that be lighting, writing, directi And so when I was conceiving this film, I had an idea that Jackson would be using pastels.

And I knew that that sound that tactile sound of the pastels against whatever surface he decided to use, that was something that was very appealing to me.

And so that really informed the perspective of t and sort of how we could combine the two so that the sound and the image were were sort of equally weighted.

There's something very intriguing to me about the very beginning of the film, the opening shots of the film, which is where I had sat down with Jackson.

I said, okay before the process, here's us before the creativity.

And I just told him to sit there and the brilliance that he brought in that meditative moment of sitting there for anywh from a minute to 2, just thinking and sipping coffee and just existing, which is incredibly rare.

(shuffling around studio) (pastels scratching canvas) (Ambient music swells) Hi, my name is Alyson O'Hara.

I'm from Des Moines, Iowa, and I'm the writer of Carry It With Me.

So Carry It With Me is a short film.

It's about a woman who is healing from a breakup and we see her alone in her apartment, kind of going through the physical pieces that were left behind from this relationship and moving through the emotions that that brings up for her.

#It's just strange.# This film is actually I think it felt really important for me to make this because wh whether it's the end of a relationship or somebody passes away or whatever it is, there's so many things that you're feeling and thinking.

And a lot of times I think it feels like the only person that you really want to talk to is the one person that you can't.

So even though it's not me in the film Yeah, it's a lot ab I mean, I love using color in my films and in Carry It With Me.

There's a lot of pink tones and that was intenti But I think one of the things that's a little subtle is when there are other tones So I think that it's interesting to look out for when the color tones show up and what that might represent for her.

The film is kind of broken into like five sections, so we would set up one area of the apartment and then capture everything that we needed to for that section.

I think that made it a lot easier to accomplish in one day because we were thinking about it in ch your typical narrative wi and then another scene, it's a little bit more like a love letter.

#Five, seven, eight, nine...# I just realized I'm not really sure th is this weird because it's been a long time, but it's too late now to.

I mean, I guess I could just hang up.

But you're going to hear this either way, so I might as well not do that.

I don't know.

I was just thinking about.

It's just strange to live this part of my life without you.

I still have that weird foam sculpture thing that you made me and I'm not going to lie.

I never liked it.

I just thought it was ugly and bad.

I'm like you were capable of so much bett Why didn't But it's.

It's still in the trunk of my car.

I just can't.

I think maybe there's something about it that's so embarrassing for you that I have to hold on to it.

It reminds me that you were not perfect, but is also garbage.

And I should have thrown it away two years ago with the rest of your stuff.

But you wrote on it on the bottom for my shrimp and I'd like to think that even though you're not perfect for me or maybe it wasn't the right time to always be your shrimp and just kind of curious what you're doing now I was actually there last month.

And I kept thinking I saw this couple on the street and I thought it was you and it wasn't, but it almost made me ... my pants.

I had a dream.

We were tryi We fought for a long time.

We fought so long because every time one of us would get close, we just couldn't go through with it.

And eventually I had to kill you because it was the only way to keep you from kil It was the worst dream I don't know why it's so hard for me to open up to people who I know I can tru people who are steady.

But it's so easy for me to open up to people who are so incapable of holding that much.

I know that sometimes it's too much for me to carry on my own, and I don't know if that means I let go or if it means that I haven't found the right person to carry it with me.

#The mailbox is full and cannot acc Goodbye.

My name is Hannah Rosalie.

Wright And I'm from Des Moi So I usually describe this film as it's about a young woman who's kind of goes through these small moments of and in the end, kind of finds more of herself and takes another step.

And like being who she is, I'm So this film is part of a trilogy an d they're all about different young women.

Like everything's kind of tied together with themes of grief and belonging and family.

And in order to film, I was awarded a Green light grant from the Iowa Arts Council, and that allowed us to be able to hire people, hire talent, feed people and make make the movies.

One thing I will say about, you know, getting the green light grant and getting to have a budg and kind of put money towards, you know, gett to make artistic choices on lenses and props and things like that.

It kind of makes me realize the value in kind of the the pre-production of of something to really invest that time and money to think about those details.

One decision that we made for the film was to very specifically position on Sayah.

So up until the very end, she's always pointed to the past, and it's not until she makes the choice to, um, you know, kind of go for a career that she's more interested in and passionate about, that she to the right choice, the future.

And throughout the film too, we again, because like there's gr ief that not everyone sees when they first meet her.

And we wanted to do a lot of reflection and mirroring to show that, you know, there's almost this other side to her.

It could also be like I'll walk you out Oh, Bill, Bill... Did you get that Johnson report don I told him you#d have it to His desk this morning.

It's very important you got to get it do Thanks.

All right.

I'm I you know what?

I'm just going We want to hire you.

Oh, thanks.

I just think you're exactly what this compan You won't believe how hard it is to find someone like you.

In fact, we've got another position open.

You got another ...another one of me?

I just mean that you're so talented.

You're hard working, you're diverse.

This all for you today?

Yeah.

$20.49.

A little treat for yourself.

Oh, no.

Oh, boyfriend?

or girlfriend doesn't matter to me.

It's for my twin sister.

Thanks.

No.

Yeah, they really liked me.

They actually offered me the job.

I said no thanks, but no, because I know benefits, Mom.

Yes, it's salary and just anything could be a good fit.

I know you guys work so hard, but that doesn't mean just because they want me doesn't mean I should take it.

I didn't have a good feeling.

It wasn't a good fit.

Some people right?

You must be Sayah.

Yeah, that's me.

So we are here at Mediaverse Stu west of Iowa City.

Mediaverse Studios is a film collaborative.

What we're trying to do here is encourage all of the filmmakers in the Midwest to make their dreams come true.

We first saw this property in January, February of 2023, immediately saw the amazing po From there, we started the business.

We were getting the place painted and getting all the equipment brought in h so that we could have a movie theater and a wardrobe a And it has been a lot of work, but it's been very successful so far.

The space used to be a sale barn for livestock where they would auction off cattle and horses and pigs, all that stuff.

But it is now what we're calling #Film Alley.# Film Alley is a set of stalls that we're turning into bays that can turn into film sets.

Everybody settle... and action.

You can control all the lighting, you can control the se whatever the film needs.

Adjacent to that, we have our podc We have a dedicated editing room.

We have our own equipment, and we w We had a crew right now of 13 people.

We have auto mechanics, we have construction workers, we have graphic designers, we're all filmmakers And so we all have ideas.

And so we're very mu this space as intended for ourselves and also as just sort of like a proof of concept to say you can make films here, here's what they ca That's a wrap.

So we're sitting right now Wi th any luck, we'll be able to turn th compound where we can have a warehouses or soundstages.

We can have green and white psych rooms, can have an infinity void to do virtual production.

We can have a pool for water fea We would like this place to just be our hub for all of the wonderful Midwest.

Just something that can and can be just immensely useful to all these filmmakers.

Hi, my name is Matthew Williams.

I just graduated from I currently live in Davenport, Iowa and I'm the creator of the film Alice.

Yeah, so Alice is a magical realist, sh that follows the relationship of two individuals.

It kind of just seems like a normal love story at it apart is the fact that in the world that hear or to communicate with others, you need to insert coins of different denominations into your ear, which allows you to hear.

I was in a fiction writing class at Loras and we were going through a unit on magical realism and that kind of style of writing and so it originally started as for that fiction class, and I really liked the idea.

And so I had a practicum 493 classes where we needed to make just anything we wanted.

And so I had the idea of turning t into a screenplay and then turning that screenplay into a short film.

So it was pretty from a short film all the way from a scr So just being involved from start to finish w A big thing that I wanted to communicate through this film was the importance of choosing to really listen to somebody.

And there's a physical choice in the film of somebody choosing to listen or allowing someone to insert a coin into them to to to hear what the other person is saying.

I think it just goes to show how important really listening to other people is and how that is a conscious choice.

Like we could I could be be seeking to understand what you're saying.

And so I guess just the importance of of choosing to listen and not only romantic relationships, but all of our r #opened up a restaurant.

That was beautiful place Yeah, I li So Eddie was coming over the bridge.

This is what he told me.

He ended up (coin rustling) (unintelligible speech) Sorry.

But what I was saying is that you d of a little That just means they're ready to eat.

Yeah, I know that.

Yeah.

a lot of people tell m there's ro Yeah, well, I guess I appreciate the banana facts.

Yeah, of course.

That's what they I've seen you come in here a lot.

What was your name?

Alice.

Alice...

I'm John.

Nice to meet you.

Well, I got to get going.

Freezers not going to stock itself I guess it wont maybe I'll see you around.

Yeah, maybe.

(coin rustling) So.

How come I haven't seen you around before?

Well, I've, um.

I've only been here for about a ye so it's been a year too long.

It is not that bad here.

I know, but I just.

I love the city and I'm only here for th Oh, so you're going to be like a doctor or something?

Well, that is kind of the plan.

I sounds like a lot of school.

It is, but it'll be worth it.

What about you?

What about me?

What do you want to do?

Um, I don't know, I. I guess I haven't really thought about it.

Well, I mean, there's always time to, like, you don#t have to figure it out.

(voices muffled) Getting things for dinner tomorrow.

Yeah, I am sorry.

It's just with work and school, I've been really busy.

No, don't worry, I. I know you're busy.

Yeah.

Oh She's coming over this weekend Wh o?

Beth, I know.

I told you, she's a get into the PhD program in Chicago.

The one who got me the counselor job.

Oh right!

Yes.

Will I see you later tonight, then?

Hopefully, I have early morning classes, and you got to to bed early.

We'll have a good day to Alice?

If you need room.

You (muffled sound) So you sure you want to go through with this?

I mean, it's a lot more.

And the money, I mean.

Of c It's less than a 5% acceptance rate into the program.

And I mean, I would be stupid not to.

And then I get to be a licensed therapist, and that's kind of the goal, right?

Yes.

Well, if that's what you want, the I want to pay for it.

Oh, John, What?

Nothing, I, I appreciate it, but.

But come on.

What do you mean?

Nothing.

I ju You do know how expensive it We ll, I know it's not going to be cheap.

Look, I appreciate it.

I do, but I just don't know how you'd especially when you have to pay for rent and groceries.

Let, me, help.

I want to, but unless you're able to get a job that pays better, I just.

I don't know how that would be possible.

I'm due for a raise in three months.

You said that six months ago.

What are you going to talk to, Jeff?

Keep saying that you're going to and then (muffled voice) (coins rustling) I feel like we haven't been talking lately.

I know.

It just doesn't feel the same Is out of bad thing?

No, no, no.

I, I, I don't know.

We knew this was going to be a commitment.

I know.

I told you a I know.

I ju I didn't think it would be this bad.

Bad?

You think it's bad that I'm doing the thing that I love?

No No, no, no.

I I'm sorry that I'm doing somethi I didn't mean it like that.

I'm so sorry that I d I'm sorry that I didn't want to be stuck doing a high school job for the rest of my life.

Sorry, it's been a long day.

Jeff said he's retiring soon.

I'm going to apply for his position.

He said he#d put in a good word for me You're probably going to go for an outside hire though.

Haven#t seen you around the store.

Much.

I can't keep going on like this.

You know it to, we can#t keep pretending.

Alice...

There's nothing here, it's just there's nothing here.

Hey.

Hi.

It's been a while.

Yeah?

What have you been up to?

I moved to Chicago this weekend.

I actually start classes on Monday.

Really?

That.

That's amazing.

Yeah.

Thank you.

It's been really crazy.

I've wanted this for a really long time.

Ever since I've known you.

Yeah, a long time.

So have you thought about it?

What you want to do?

Goodbye Alice.

(piano music) Hello, I'm Gavin Smith from Indianola, Iowa, and I'm the co-director of Blades of Betrayal.

Hi, I'm Paul Murphy.

I'm from Indianola and I'm the co-director Th e book Shogun by James Clavell.

That was really the beginning of my interest in Japanese history and the Sa And then I, of course, made it.

Gavin read it as s Once we were immersed in all of that, And it's just it's what we wan It took us a while to finally get around to making something set in Japan.

But after seeing S Yojimbo and Hidden Fortress and all those other grea it was time to make a Samurai film It#s essentially about a samurai captain who's ordered to investigate a spirit that has been terrorizing the people of Forest.

But he encounters an unexpected en So this film was made in just outside of our hometown in Indianola, at a local kind of state park area.

And it really was just a kind of more guerilla style filmmaking where we had one man on camera wi and then just our actors in front o And it was a very cold, cold night.

But that's just kind of the offset of trying to do things when no one else is at the park.

Because one thing abou trying to kind of get in and out of not have any people kind of be in the background of your And one of the best ways to do that is to go at n when no and it's the middle Choreography was something that we And all in all, I would say we were pretty happy with the way it turned out.

We had several reh to try to really get that done and the actors seem There's not a lot of restraint in Iowa.

It's very more almost user if that makes se just go and do your guerrilla filmmaking.

And then plus, everyone in Iowa is mostly nice and open to you filming in certain areas.

If you just have a conversatio with people and th always really helps when you're tryi (Japanese language narration) Funding for this program was provided by friends.

The Iowa PBS Foundation, as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa.

PBS.

The Film Lounge is produced in partnership with the Iowa Economic Development Authority.