Livin' La Soufriere

I’m not sure why a short Werner Herzog documentary from 1977 has been so ingrained in my brain this week, but I think it has something to do with flexibility. La Soufriere chronicles a community living in wait of an impending volcanic explosion. Herzog and his crew interview the stragglers, those who have refused to evacuate because of foolish bravery or morbid surrender.

The magic of the film is its tone, which is sharply reversed towards the end of the film. I won’t spoil the ending, but the film’s plot developments show off Herzog’s stubborn refusal to give up on a picture. The man wrangles a story and a theme out of everything he comes across.

This kind of flexibility is something that’s been a bit of a theme this year for Wonder Mill. We’ve felt convicted to maintain an amorphous form, to wear the dexterous feet of the high-climbing deer of Psalm 18.

Last month, we officially decided to, at this time, turn down an offer from a DVD distribution company that was interested in giving A Genesis Found wider exposure. After some deliberation, we decided that, despite the company being very friendly and gracious, we couldn’t afford, as an organization, to have one of our films locked into a contract for 5 years. We wanted the elbow room that the ever-changing landscape of modern digital film distribution provides.

Just this past weekend, we had to switch gears on the N3rd side of things, as we learned we would not be able to self-publish the film in a two-disc DVD set. After an hour of late-night discouragement on my part, we were able to quickly make a handful of decisions and cuts and by Monday morning, had a full-steam-ahead plan for a one disc edition of the DVD. By having a clear idea of what is best for 1.) the film, 2.) the audience experience, and 3.) our organization, we changed course without having a semblance of a contingency.

Now, it sounds trite to compare artistic improvisation of the Herzog variety with administrative shuffling, but I’m encouraged by Wonder Mill’s decisions lately. If you can be flexible in house-keeping, that attitude will trickle into every other activity in the organization, be it writing, producing, or directing.

Carrying on flexibly - unsure if the volcano is about to burst - seems to be the best way to operate in a heavily digital environment. Hopefully we can continue this immediate, dexterous operation in all of our future work.

The Nocturnal Third is scheduled to be sent to proof this Tuesday, July 5th. Once we have our stock ordered, it will be a mere few weeks before we have a premiere scheduled. The movie might see the light of day within the next month. But, of course- part of being flexible is not making promises. After all, when money is missing, time is the only key to quality.

It seems La Soufriere is currently available to steal on YouTube. Take advantage and treat yourself.

-Ben Stark
Writer/Director, The Nocturnal Third