Buffalo Bill’s Defunct- Stories From the New West

The success of “Interior Latex” led to Matt Wilkins’ selection as the year 2001 Start-To-Finish Program Grant. "Buffalo Bill's Defunct" was funded through private investments and grants from The Northwest Film Forum and Wiggly World Studios, The King County Arts Commission (now known as the Cultural Development Authority for King County), The Allen Foundation for the Arts, Secluded Alley Works, and Artist Trust. Nearly every arts organization in Seattle contributed to this project, making it a truly communal, grass-roots film.

Sponsor

Buffalo Bill's Defunct was produced in cooperation with the Northwest Film Forum (NWFF), a non-profit organization in Seattle dedicated to promoting independent efforts in Seattle to create high quality, original films. The NWFF selected Buffalo Bill's Defunct to participate in the prestigious Start-to-Finish program grant. This program helps fund the project while providing professional support. The NWFF owns two local art house theaters and is well connected to the network of art houses world wide. Their participation greatly enhances the expectation that the film will find distribution channels. The NWFF also owns Wiggly World Studios in Seattle and through Wiggly World will provide technical support throughout the editing stages of the film.

Synopsis

The film's title is an allusion to an untitled e.e. cummings poem about the Buffalo Bill from the old west-- a man, like Grandfather Bill, who used to "ride a watersmooth-silver stallion and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat", but whose grand and vigorous youth is now in the past.

Set against a rural backdrop, filmed by Cinematographer Erich Volkstorf, the movie opens with Bill backing his truck through a closed garage door. He hides his mistake by telling his family that he has decided to tear down the whole damn thing. For the next 84 minutes, the garage and the family are splendidly deconstructed plank by plank.

With over $17,000 in public art funding from organizations like The Northwest Film Forum, The King County Arts Commission, The Allen Foundation for the Arts, and Artist Trust, "Buffalo Bill's Defunct ­ Stories from the New West" pushes independent filmmaking into the realm of art. Improvised from a detailed treatment, the film successfully weaves a tapestry of authentic human interactions. Presented is the story of a modern family attempting to break down the barriers that keep them from fully connecting with each other.

"Buffalo Bill's Defunct" is an opus on familial transition. In the end the characters and the audience are left on the verge of answering the question with which the Cummings poem concludes:

                                                          Jesus
he was a handsome man
                           and what I want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death? 
		

Project Genesis

It started with the death of my 79 year-old grandpa. I wanted to better understand my relationship to past generations, and the treatment became a form of personal ancestor worship. 15 months down the road we were on about the 8th draft, when my 55-year-old Dad, ever the prankster, went and threw a wrench in it by croaking too. My worldview, along with the treatment, exploded. I had already been selected for the Northwest Film Forum's Start-to-Finish program, so the pressure was on to shoot the film. But I simply wasn't ready, the treatment wasn't ready, the film had yet to be completely cast, and we only had about 17k- enough to shoot video, but not enough to shoot 16mm color film.

Gradually I was drawn back to the project. "Buffalo Bill's Defunct" transformed into an intergenerational deconstruction of Buffalo Bill and his family. Bill became an amalgamation of my Dad, my Grandpa, and Earl Prebezac- a one-eyed 78-year-old actor who plays the role of Buffalo Bill. Over 9 months, we rehearsed and wrote, rehearsed and wrote. Dogged perseverance eventually transformed our cast into actors worthy of film. 13 months after my Dad died, on draft #26 of the treatment, with a medium-sized crew, an Aaton 16mm camera that belonged to D.P. Erich Volkstorf; we finally shot on a farm in Sultan, Washington. ­Matt Wilkins

Director's Statement

My goal is to create films with the currency of authentic human behavior. Film captures behavior and interaction better than any medium yet invented. As animals, we inherit the keen ability to watch and interpret myriad behaviors. The voyeuristic instincts we possess help us learn quickly and deeply by simply watching others interact. I rely on this form of communication, rather than dialogue, and a dogmatic approach to the written word. I tell actors what to talk about and what to do, but I don't tell them exactly what to talk about and exactly what to do. This is because the director cannot predict and dictate every emotion, thought, and reaction each actor will have in each situation. Just as I value my own instincts in the writing process, I honor and value the instincts of my actors. They serve as paint brushes set loose on the world, allowed to fill in scenes with their own personal touch.

This approach complicates continuity and editing, but transforms the performances into something rare and original. Banter directed at meaning will take scenes down unusual tangents, which I encourage, trying to find the anomaly in the performances, rather than the homogeneous. In the end, I believe this offers great reward. Well-rounded, realistic characters operating in the grey areas of existence often leads to good drama.

I try to tell stories with economy, subtlety, and a humanistic approach to tension-- that is, tension sprouting from the intricacies of interpersonal and interfamilial conflict. My influences include Raymond Carver, John Cassavetes, Leo Tolstoy, Mike Leigh, John Steinbeck, T.C. Boyle, Luis Buñuel, Lars Von Trier, William Butler Yeats, Shohei Imamura, Elizabeth Bishop, Werner Herzog, Mark Twain, Vittorio De Sica, and Raymond Carver.

With over $17,000 of public arts funding, I felt compelled to push the film into uncharted territory with unique and challenging scenes. "Buffalo Bill's Defunct" is a film that requires dialectical interaction and approximately 3 calories of mental energy from the audience. Given that investment, the film will take a willing audience member to some muted degree of emotional epiphany. -Matt Wilkins

Barn Raising

Location scout Stan Mastalerz found a real estate property with a garage and house both scheduled for demolition that we could use for $500. But ten days before the scheduled shoot, the deal fell through, leaving us without a location. In desperation, we called every demolition company in the phonebook, and actually found a couple of possible tear down properties. But insurance issues, paranoia, and outrageous requests for money doomed each possibility.

A friend of ours had an aunt and uncle who owned a goat farm in Sultan Washington, in the shadows of Mount Index. We drove out there in rush hour traffic 6 days before the scheduled shoot, and as soon as I saw the farm, I realized that the Goddess of Serendipity had smiled upon us. It was the best location by far, and the owners were friendly and welcoming. They didn't charge us a penny for the location, so we were able to put the $500 into building a garage. We ripped up the deck in my back yard, and used that as the structure. We bought $200 worth of old siding from the lumber yard in Sultan, and used corrugated sheet metal that was stacked up out on the farm for the roof. Producer Mark Chambers lead a team of volunteer barn raisers and threw up a garage in 4 days. $200 went to hire the help of Gregg Nichols, a guy who owned a nail gun, and we drank $100 worth of beer. My blue-collar background really helped out here. I don't have a lot of friends with trust funds, but I do have a lot of friends with construction experience, who came to the rescue. We built a first rate, legitimate one-car garage. Brian Nicholls- finishing carpenter and pack-rat extraordinaire- had a door and a couple windows that he donated. Art Director Andy Hiss, put the finishing touches on the garage, doing a lot of good work with an ax to make the garage look older. We gathered junk from the 4 corners of King County and stuffed it all into the garage. We dug up plants and put them in plastic bags full of water, then "planted" them along the exterior of the garage. And the centerpiece of our film was complete 2 days before the shoot.

Bucky

Thanks to the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Department, we saved $90,000- an estimate we received from a local special fx company to make a fake road kill deer. While it would have been nice to support local artists with exorbitant amounts of money, it was impossible. Their estimate was more than our entire shooting budget. Thanks to Officer Kim Chandler- whose job it is to clear the highways and interstates of the many road kills that occur each day- we were able to use a 4-year-old buck that was clipped on I-90. FOR FREE! So much for the difficulty in making films in the Northwest. The government agency was exceedingly helpful, and we owe them many thanks.

As soon as Officer Chandler came across of deer, he gave me a call. I drove out to meet them just off the highway. We took it into the woods, gutted it, and then I stuffed ice into it's cavity, and drove it to Rainier Cold storage. We sewed it back up with fishing line, with the help of Robert the Expert, and put it in deep freeze for a month (for $50), prior to the shoot. Bucky was the film's specter of death- more potent in its effect on the actors than anything we could have made, for any price. Primarily because the actors knew it was real. For more, hear what Dave Donihue had to say about the experience (coming as soon as he gets it to us).

Music

We set out to make the soundtrack work as the chorus of the film, using a variety of voices to parallel the various relationships. At times, we hear Buffalo Bill (Earl Prebezac) singing old cowboy songs to himself. Other times we hear him singing along with his wife's voice(Eliza Fox) from beyond the grave, in songs like "Goodbye Little Doggies"(Lyrics by Matt Wilkins, music by Eliza Fox, Performed by Eliza Fox and Earl Prebazac), and "A Western Home" (traditional, Performed by Eliza Fox and Earl Prebazac), and "Cowboy Song, (Written by Eliza Fox, and performed by Earl Prebazac and Jonathan Sampson). Occasionally, we also hear a younger version of Bill, written and performed by Jonathan Sampson. Songs like "Where the Mountain Meets the Valley","I Can Tear It Down","Birds, Birds", and "Said So Many Times." And for good measure, we've also used a couple old songs by leadbelly as source music- our voice from the past. Original Soundtrack and Instrumentals, written and performed by Jonathan Sampson, whose credits include:

1997
Tempête Dans Un Verre D'eau
Credits: Composer (Music Score)
1992
Wadeck's Mother's Friend's Son
Credits: Composer (Music Score)
1992
Jo-Jo at the Gate of Lions
Credits: Composer (Music Score)

The Company

Sisyphus I LLC is a privately owned Seattle, Washington company. It is overseen by general partners Eliza Fox and Matt Wilkins. The primary goals of Sisyphus Productions are:

• To produce a character-driven film exploring intricate relationships and personalities.
• To produce a film that will cross-over from specialty to mass audience.
• To enter and do well at local, national and international film festivals.
• To gain theatrical distribution, both nationally and internationally.
• To sell to Video Rental chains.
• To pay everyone that works on the film industry level compensation.
• To pay the investors a reasonable profit, commensurate with their risk.

Team Members

Matt Wilkins: Director/Writer

Matt has been involved in independent filmmaking in the Seattle area for over ten years. This is his ninth production. Over the years he has received grants from The King County Arts Commission, The Seattle Arts Commission, Artist Trust, The Allen Foundation for the Arts, and has seen his films recognized by an abundance of film festivals. The Northwest Film Forum awarded Matt with the year 2001 “Start to Finish Program,” which provided funds and equipment resources towards the production of Buffalo Bill's Defunct.

As a writer, Matt's resources span a wide range of figures, in literature from Leo Tolstoy to Raymond Carver, in film from Buster Keaton to John Cassavetes. Matt has written and directed two short 16-mm films, two super-8 silent films, three collections of video shorts and one video feature. His works have shown in local,national, and international venues

Eliza Fox: Executive Producer/Co-Writer

Eliza produced and co-wrote Interior Latex. In addition she produced:

• I Wish I could Find Five Dollars on the Ground
• Ain't Got No Chicken Bones in My Brain
• The Gods Looked Down and Laughed.
• She co-produced Oh Shit- That's My Mind.
• She was a creative consultant on The Agnostic Party.

Eliza has worked on every aspect of film from conception through final editing. She's a producer with hands on experience, and most importantly she has successfully completed all her previous projects on schedule and within budget.

Michael Seiwerath: Co-Executive Producer

Michael has been with the Northwest Film Forum since its opening, having worked in most positions on staff: Theater Manager, Studio Director, Program Director and, since May of 2000, as Executive Director. He has overseen the renovation of both the Grand Illusion Cinema and the construction of the Little Theatre. His areas of expertise are repertory film curation and film production. He has produced five short films, directed two shorts and is currently executive producer for this and one other feature film.

Erich Volkstorf: Cinematographer

Erich has been an independent Director of Photography for nineteen years. He began his career in 1981 as a photographer for KTNV TV in Reno, Nevada and three years later he relocated to Seattle for the PM Magazine series. He was the Cinematographer on several feature length and short films including Shredder Orpheus, Shelter from the Sun and Interior Latex. He has won numerous awards including three silver medals from The International Film and TV Festival of New York, two 1st Place Awards in the National Film Outdoor-Travel Film Festival, and an ITVA International Golden Quill Award. His work has also been nominated twice for National Emmy Awards in Cinematography. Clients include Naitonal Geographic specials, WGBH Boston, Experience Music Project. Commercial clients include The Boeing Company, Microsoft, Comfort Inns and the Bon Marche.

"I guess the film is different things to different people. How I describe it to people is this. I think its primarily about choices. The choices we make as we grow older, and the choices that are made for us. The film is primarily about an older man, who was once vibrant, and self sufficient, but is increasingly forced to rely upon others for things that he once could do. It is a film about the choices made in the different stories. In "Interior Latex", a daughter tries to reconnect with her father, but in the end finds his humor no longer to her liking. She doesn't share his life the same way anymore. They are stories about the growing responsibilities and seriousness of life through each generation. In the deer story, I think that Dave is still in that transitional phase, between Wiley, who is carefree and Suzanne who is much more serious. In the beginning of the deer story, Dave is much lighter, joking, etc. At the end, he is struck by the seriousness of death. I see it less as a comedy and more a melancholy film."

-Erich Volkstorf, Director of Photography

Actors Bios

Earl V. Prebezac

A World War II veteran attending Oregon State College on the G.I. Bill, stepped out on stage for the first time more than half century ago. A college production introduced him to a lifetime of the performing arts; and the woman, nann, playing the heroine, who became his wife. Both attended the university of washington school of drama.

They were founding members (he the first president) of the Edmonds Driftwood Players. They owned and operated the Edgemont Theater in Edmonds and were partners in the operation of the Bellevue Play Barn children's theater during the seventies..

Earl performed more than 250 emcee gigs at the Seattle Opera House for World Cavalcade. A unique experience and thrill for an actor to stand before a 3000 member audience.

After long absence, he returned to acting in the mid nineties where he performed with the Seattle Shakespeare Fest, and other theaters about town.

His favorite roles were Rumplestiltskin which he played for the Seattle Children's Theater, Adam in "as you like it" , Uncle Sid, in "ah wilderness".

Earl and Nann appear regularly in radio roles on the (Evergreen) Library for the Blind Network; and other select broadcast drama.

In addition to voice overs, and T/V commercials, he took up film acting in the mid-nineties when long-time friends, Jeff Probst urged him to take part in his film-- "trust me". He has appeared in a number of films since then....and looks forward to more film work.

Mark Fullerton

Mark Fullerton has worked in theatre in Seattle since 1987. As a founding member of Seattle Public Theater, and presently co-artistic director of One World Theatre, he has performed and/or directed over thirty full-length productions. He has also done the occasional small role for film and television.

Keith Fox

Keith Fox has a number of employment situations which prepared him for the role of "DAD." As a teen-ager he sold hotdogs and pop out side the stripper tent in a traveling carnival. He did not succeed academically in college, at least in the opinion of the college, and was forced to go on the road. In San Francisco he worked for a television store as a repo man. While most of his clients were non-English speaking, they all understood the universal language of the TV going out the front door. This was followed by a 2 month stint as a paid experimental research subject for the renowned astrologer Carroll Righter. In Los Angeles he worked for the County Dept. of Corrections were he supervised inmate work gangs in highway construction. A second shot at college resulted in a degree, if not significantly greater academic success. Early wastes of time as a grad included working as a welfare caseworker in New York, also driving cab and waiting tables. Ultimately all the perseverance and hard work paid off and he got a job as a writer and producer for NBC daytime TV. Regular assignments included the "Who What Where Game," "Jeopardy" and others. After emigrating to Canada he founded the PEI Summer Playhouse and produced and directed 4 seasons of summer stock. He has been an award winning newspaper reporter and advertising creative director -- his current occupation.

Jennifer Estes

Jennifer Estes is a senior in high school and attending Green River Community College. She has taken theatre courses at Seattle Children's Theatre (including the Young Actor Institute), Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the Oxford School of Drama. She has acted in plays with SCT Summer Stage, Enumclaw High School, Heavy Than Air Theatre, and Plateau Community Players. She worked with playwright William Mastrosimone in the workshop reading and a full production of Bang Bang You're Dead, before touring it throughout Washington for the Department of Education. Favorite roles include Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mary Warren in The Crucible, and Babe in Crimes of the Heart. Buffalo Bill's Defunct is her first experience with film; she found it both exciting and satisfying. Jennifer hopes to be involved in more independent film projects while she attends college next year as a theatre major.

David Donihue

Donihue started in theater, writing, directing and acting. He was responsible for "Hold My Hand & Tell Me I'm Not Insane" "Hey Baby Do Ya Wanna Come Back To My Place and Justify My Existence" and "Brain Aches". He later moved into film, directing a string of music videos and commercials, and playing roles that ranged from a serial killer to a retarded man to a geeky accountant. Before leaving Seattle, he directed The Humanity Experiment, a surreal digital feature. After his recent move to LA, he directed the 50 minute hi-def drama Heatwave, and co-wrote Parzania, a feature that is currently shooting in India. Donihue has recently completed a new stageplay, The Insular's Cafe and as well as two other feature film scripts.

Frances Hearn

Frances Hearn has acted in several shows throughout Los Angeles and Seattle areas. She has also directed three shows: Judith, and Wounds to the Face, both by playwright, Howard Barker and a new play by Judy Soo Hoo called Beastly Beauties. Some of her favorite roles to play were: Solange, from Jean Genet's The Maids, Hyppolita, from Tis Pity She's a Whore, Lady Macbeth, and The Lover, from An Unseen Energy Swallows Space, an original piece created and directed by Travis Preston. She is a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts. Frances is happy to be working with Matt Wilkins again on this project.

Investing

People interested in investing should contact us (matt@sisyphusproductions.com) for a complete financial plan and investment paperwork. Options exist for both investors seeking a return and for sponsors.