Experiments in Short Film
The Goldey House Residency offered a rare opportunity for six artists from diverse disciplines to engage in collaborative film-making within a supportive and experimental community.
Participants include:
Interdisciplinary Artist, Dorian Dean based in New Haven, CT
Producer, Anna Dean based in Los Angeles, CA
Painter, Jessica Dzielinski based in Minneapolis, MN
Writer and Book Arts Master’s student, Jessica Kraemer
Cinematographer, Jenelle Stafford from Portland, ME
Filmmaker, Auden Lincoln Vogel based in Iowa City, IA
The residency began with small-group exercises, such as creating improvised collections of images and narratives within an hour. Another exercise involved using an overhead projector for live drawing and shadow play on the artists' bodies, inspired by a Jane Fonda exercise record. These activities generated raw material for the larger project.
Influential films by Vera Chitlova, Agnes Varda, and Zbigniew Rybczynski were shared nightly, discussing themes from Persona, L’Avventura, Pierrot Le Fou, and Aguirre. These films shaped the project’s aquatic motifs, visual compositions, and themes, including the disappearing woman and the connection between women and water.
Personal film projects were also shared to understand each other’s processes, and the artists engaged in drawing, animating, painting, and writing during non-filming periods. They brought art materials like zines and a book on knots, which contributed to thematic exploration.
The group focused on the interplay between foreground and background relationships, using the Adirondack landscape—mountains, islands, and the lake—as active elements in their scenes. Their approach was experimental, blending ’50s Hollywood glamor, naturalistic dialogue, slapstick comedy, and surreal elements like watermelon symbolism. Initially a humorous prop, the watermelon evolved into a central narrative symbol, culminating in a climactic scene of symbolic catharsis.
The film incorporated “movie magic” techniques, including visible strings and reappearing props. Jessica and Auden provided sound recording equipment, capturing environmental sounds and music with a kalimba and thumb harp. Underwater recordings were made with a contact mic, adding unique auditory elements. During editing, scenes and sounds were combined in various orders and overlays, reflecting a collage-like approach.
The residency was concentrated on production and footage gathering, with post-production continuing as a slow, collaborative process among geographically dispersed artists. The film is expected to be completed in 2025.
