Time is Eternal BEST FOR FESTS short film - interview with the directors duo

Bayou and daniel how did you meet Berite, how did you cast her, how do you split roles when shooting, please share bio. 

We were lucky enough to have Berite reach out to us from the world of the Internet.  She had the vision of the story which we found very visionary and interesting, eye opening, bold and exciting. We get a lot of people pitching us projects but what we loved about Berite is her work ethic, her elegance, her strong purpose and she is super talented.  Most of all, it was empowering which is the purpose behind all of our projects as Filmmakers.  One of her unique purposes is for the younger generation to be interested in learning history through the film. 

Bayou and I  have collaborated with Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo, Coldplay, viral violinist Lindsey Stirling and many other celebrities for years to do projects that inspire and this was a perfect fit for us.  We had also come off of our latest inspiring film "Tombstone Pillow" which won 33 awards and were excited to do our next film.  "Time is Eternal" was especially right for us since we love fashion and Daniel came from the world of fashion initially having filmed with Oscar De La Renta, Carolina Herrera, Paris Hilton, Bella Hadid, Patricia Field, Betsey Johnson, Chromehearts and many others.  

Bayou and I Co-direct and also Co-Produce all our projects. We always work very close with all the different departments.  As Directors we are heavily involved with the Cinematography, Hair, Makeup and Styling and also Set Design as well as props, locations. On this project we hired the Top team and submitted our inspirations for our looks for Cleopatra, Mary, the Mermaid etc. What we wanted in terms of the lighting was a Renaissance painting feel so collaborating with the Cinematographer was super important.  We found varios camera movements we loved and shared them with Michael so he could understand our vision for how the piece would be edited.

We wanted the writer character to interact with the world of Mary and Cleopatra, we wanted her to react to the emotion of their world.  We created this vision with the editing, camera movement and the choice of props-we worked closely with prop and set designer Nicholas-it had to be the perfect cake, the perfect cup, Berite had collected various props for the film which were unique and stunning-she truly breathed the world of the characters. 

After many days of searching for the perfect location we landed on the super prestigious Paramour, where Rihanna shot a music video, Britney Spears had her wedding etc. WE KNEW this was the location.  It was a DREAM, an artistic high on a whole other plane as Creators that we could not come down from.  It was like being in heaven as Creators with Berite and this story and it's elegance and history and imagination.  It was addictive to live in this world 

We also worked closely with Berite on her character's looks and collaborated with her on her wigs and submitted our inspiration sheets for the hair and makeup artists to create the looks for Mary, Cleopatra and the Mermaid. We also worked super closely with the stylist Wilfred, in fact the last day before the shoot we knew we didn't have the IT dress so he hustled and found the greatest gown ever.  Behind the scenes video coming soon about all this. 

5.     What kind of dream team did you bring onboard for the film design, set, costume, art deco….

We were lucky to bring on the top creators we could find that fit the world of the film.  Our stylist/costume designer, Wilford Lenov was very important for the film getting us stunning pieces such as the Cleopatra gown the night before Beyonce was supposed to pick it up. He also designed the Mary W gown which is unbelievable-Cleo and Mary are actually in two different tones of GOLD-Cleopatra of course bold and powerful Gold and Mary, a more champagne light Gold.  He is currently styling the biggest celebrities in the world such as Bebe Rexha, Saweetie, Loren, Iggy Azalea. 

Our cinematographer, Michael Rizzi did a phenomenal job and had the style we were looking for. He also learned under Robert Yeoman who we love for work with Wes Anderson.  Michael has shot videos for John Legend, Hailey Bieber, Christina Aguilera and narrative that played at SXSW and Tribeca. 

Bayou and I from the very beginning had our eyes on the stunning historical location of the Paramour which was the ideal world for the writer as her prestigious home.  It was as if the location was the imaginary home of the writer become real.  The owner had traveled all over the world to find and curate the finest pieces of art and design which fit the world of "Time is Eternal" perfectly.  Also, our Production Designer, Nicholas Faiella just happened to be friends with the owner which created trust with the priceless art and props of the Paramour. Nick and his team created masterpieces at the Paramour. His work in Bazaar, GQ and in many films is stunning. 

6.     Why did you cast one single actress to play the three roles

Berite always had a vision to play Cleopatra and Mary W who she has a very very deep connection to.  We suggested adding the writer character to bring more structure to the film and to allow us to increase the visual storytelling aspect of the film and to be able to weave in and out of their conversation.  The writer became the string of the narrative of the film expressing the desire to understand the true nature and power of women.  What I love about the film is Berite's purpose to encourage the younger generation to be interested in History.