BREATHE THE LIGHT, 6min., USA
Directed by Steven Wright Clarkson
Experimental and Psychedelic music video from the mind of Steven Clarkson. Blends Eastern and Western mysticism.

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?
Music to me is a reaction to the things seen and not seen. I had yet to use a wonderful sample of chanting monks throughout one of my compositions. With that as a backdrop, I proceeded to add sonic expression and emotion to accompany the chanting. After I had finished the piece, I was quite pleased with it. I have been working with an AI engineer. I had done a few projects with him in the past and he was always very good at getting the AI graphics to meet my vision for the various projects. I knew I wanted a mystic feel to the film and so the prompts I gave the engineer reflected the ideas that sprung to life as I was putting the final touches on the production. The counter clockwise feel to the video was more about my view that "Tomorrow is Behind Us" — that things in the future are secure as long as we are present to the moment.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

From start to finish, the film took about a week. The time consuming parts were the composition and the mastering of the music. Once I had that done, the AI prompts were pretty effortless.

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

Mystic Actualization

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Probably the marketing and getting it ready for submission to the festival. It seems, probably like a lot of musicians, that the business side of promoting one's creativity is the most challenging part.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was pleasantly surprised that so many people had the same reaction that I had when I first watched the final project. I was also humbled by the care of what was said — it was and is very meaningful to me as an artist and human being.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

My music lends itself to some form of visualization. When I work on a video project to accompany my music, what I'm trying to convey usually comes to life — sometimes taking a life of it's own.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

This has been the most satisfying experience I've had to date with a festival. Jim Gary and my film "In the Beginning" won two awards last year and this is my first honor as a solo artist.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

FilmFreeway is a great gateway to get your films considered for festivals. It's easy to use and track the progress of any entries.

10. What is your favorite meal?

I taught English in Japan for 6 months prior to my Army obligation. I loved sashimi prior to this adventure. Now, sashimi is by far my favorite dinning experience.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I'm working on an extended EP with Shreyas Iyer, a master tabla player from Phoenix. We certainly have a wonderful AI film that is already complete which will be released after the album hits the streaming sites. I find that as an Indie artist, time is something that really needs to be managed well. It's hard to find time for the business side as previously mentioned. I'm determined to get my website up to date as lately most of my new material has been released straight to YouTube. This new album with Shreyas will be the first project in awhile that won't be heard in it's entirety until it is formally released.