CUT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: DAV YENDLER
Dav is an illustrator, designer, and art/performance director living and working in Chicago, IL. His work has been seen at Cards Against Humanity, Salonathon, Chicago Public Libraries, Steppenwolf Theatre, The House Theatre, Redmoon Theatre, Collaboraction, and Groupon, among others. He will be showing his insightful and charming hand illustrated film, ‘On God’ at CUT! this year. To learn more check out his website: http://www.davyendler.com
How do you know when your story's finished, when to walk away?
The story's mostly done I think when I've finished my second round of edits, if I even get that far. Usually I just write the thing out, walk away, come back to do spot edits, then appraise the thing from afar. That's all if I get lucky and the thing comes out whole, which so far has thankfully been the case.
When you feel inspiration is waning, what do you do? How do you stay fresh?
I get out. Best advice my mom ever gave me when I was super depressed and living abroad: I called her all sad and she from an ocean away was all, "David- you're in London. Go for a walk." Very solid advice to stay fresh. And it tracks no matter where you are in the world! Feelin' stuck? Get out.
What is one mistake everyone makes regardless of experience?
I've been noticing that I overwrite a bunch, worrying that the audience won't be able to follow along. Everything feels so personal, so individual, when you're sitting and making a thing- how could any one else get it? So I make lots of handholds and gifts, forgetting that audiences are smarter than I give them credit for.
As a filmmaker, how important is collaboration in your work?
Not important enough. I could get away with doing absolutely everything on my own- such is the nature of the beast- but boy howdy am I boring. So I try to reach out to musicians I respect to create scores for my pieces, talk to other artists and get feedback, and I hopefully soon will be employing an assistant to help create crowd scenes, backgrounds, etc. It all goes toward making the stew richer.
Why make films in Chicago?
Goes back to what my mom told me to do back in question 2. This place has a lot to get out in- there's space, we have the third largest population in the US, the lake and its razor thin horizon, a skyline built like some vision of the midcentury future, hot dogs, parks, an arts scene so vibrant it's making me blush- and that's all the stuff in the brochure.
Then there's the stuff that chafes, that needs attention: the unbelievable segregation, a school system so broke it's making people starve, the marquee violence, the quiet violence, corrupt leaders- the list goes on. Our city's huge and there's never enough to say about it. Make work in Chicago because it's your home, yeknow? And every home needs a little work.