FIGURES, 82min., USA
Directed by Rhett Cutrell
A zoologist couple travels to West Africa to document some of the worlds deadliest snakes. Their expedition reveals a surprising similarity between handling deadly snakes and living in a healthy relationship.

http://www.figuresfilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/figuresfilm
https://www.instagram.com/rhettcutrell/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I am very inspired by these big budget nature documentaries like Planet Earth, but I wanted to take a very different approach to creating something in that same genre. Most of the time these popular nature shows, as amazing as they are, make our planet look overly surrealistic and beyond the reach of anyone who enjoys the outdoors. For this reason I set off to create a behind the scenes documentary, which shows a realistic perspective of how professional wildlife filmmakers create THEIR nature shows in a way that is relatable to everyone.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Figures took just under 1 year to complete from start to finish. We started production in March of 2023, shot for 2 weeks and the final edits were completed January 1st 2024. Complete with a Dolby surround sound mix, subtitles for 7 different languages, trailers and all the marketing materials. Many sleepless nights went into finishing the post-production by 2024 and it paid off.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Authentic Adventure.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The language barrier. We all pretty much spoke different languages which made it a little difficult to communicate, create subtitles and so forth. The native language where we were filming in Togo, Africa was French. The talent spoke Czech natively but also could communicate in English, and I only speak English. It's difficult communicating creative ideas and instructions if everyone speaks the same language but when we all speak a different one it's a challenge to get everyone on the same page.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It seemed like everyone was engaged in how the talent were going about their business creating nature videos about venomous snakes but didn't seem to realize that this was a behind the scenes documentary about another documentary being made. To me this is a huge compliment. When the viewers are captured by the story and are not distracted by the production this means we did our job as filmmakers. Which in a cinéma vérité style non-fiction film is particularly hard to do.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I've been involved in video production since I was 14 years old and haven't stopped since. My styles and inspirations have evolved, but the passion has remained constant.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
The original Indiana Jones trilogy.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
It would be great to see a scorecard from the judges at these festivals, similar to how boxing or Olympic sports are judged. It would show which categories scored better than others, what the judges were thinking, and how they came to their conclusions. This information is very valuable.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
The FilmFreeway platform is very easy to use and makes quick work of finding the right festival for your film.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Steak and eggs.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
To recoup from spending all of my time and money on Figures, I am doubling up on all of my for-hire work and directing / shooting some fascinating documentary subjects that will be released in 2025.