Each year, Seattle International Film Festival asks several Seattle-based filmmakers to make short films "on the fly" – conforming to strict rules – for their annual Fly Filmmaking Challenge.
In 2008, the festival commissioned Cheryl to make a "behind the scenes" account of that year’s Fly Filmmaking process. Not content to make a straight BTS video, she created a cheeky faux-documentary that pretended to be one installment of a mid–1960’s BBC television series called Creativity In Context. Within this humorous conceit, the film not only documented the Fly process, but investigated the nature of the creative mind when it’s challenged by external limitations.
Though the doc was designed to be screened with the other Fly films from that year, Creativity in Context also works as a standalone piece; a tongue–in–cheek exploration of creativity as expressed through the filmmaking process.
Written & directed by: Cheryl Slean
Produced by: Susan LaSalle
Camera: Steven Dempsey
Production Sound and Music: Vincent Gates
Editor: Tracy Dethlefs
Narrator: Basil Harris
Shot on: Canon XHA1 @ 1080p HD
Welcome to Creativity in Context, the interminably long documentary series exploring the full range of creative endeavor as expressed by humanity from pole to pole. In this twenty–seventh episode, our intrepid film crew travels to Seattle, Washington, USA, to get a behind–the–scenes look at the Seattle International Film Festival's Fly Filmmaking Challenge, an ongoing experiment in “making art” under seemingly harsh restrictions. Does setting ridiculous limits help or hinder creativity? Find out from the stressed–out filmmakers themselves, plus commentary from the usual experts with advanced degrees.
Seattle International Film Festival (World Premiere)
Port Orchard Film Festival
One Reel Film Festival
