Wholphin

Liner Notes:

www.hannahtakesthestairs.com), I brought Kent Osborne and Greta Gerwig to Chicago for a weekend to meet each other and talk about the project. I wanted to get them on camera together, as a way to interact, and also as an introduction to my shooting methods and directing style. Working with a loose idea, they improvised this short over several takes.

My previous feature, LOL (www.lolthemovie.com), dealt with the ways we use technology, such as cell phones and email, to create a buffer zone between ourselves and other people. I wanted to switch it up with this short and show a way in which a piece of technology could create personal contact between two people who otherwise wouldn’t have met. I love technology and gadgets, and I strive to represent both the positives and negatives of having them in our lives.

The title of the short comes from a popular comment left between users on MySpace. It’s generally posted on the page of someone who you don’t know, as a feeble attempt at reaching out and being friendly. I thought it was appropriate for these characters, who don’t have much of a shot at being friends after this encounter, but who both acknowledge that some connection now exists.

Biography:

Joe Swanberg (b. 1981) studied film production at Southern Illinois University, where he developed an interest in emerging video technology and a crippling addiction to the Internet. His first two films, KISSING ON THE MOUTH (2005) and LOL (2006), had their World Premieres at the SXSW Film Festival, and he is currently finishing up a third feature, HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS. His web-series, YOUNG AMERICAN BODIES, which he produces with his future wife, Kris Williams, can be seen at www.nervevideo.com.

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