#and he truly loves film SO much (he works in sound as well—foley mostly)

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Jon Espino on The Young Folks: Interview: Trey Edward Shults, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Taylor Russell talk about the complexities in ‘Waves’

Every decade or so, we get new media that only entertains us but educates us on the experiences of the next generation. Many times they highlight the new complexities and differences of their experience to ours, but they also remind us that while it may be put in a different context, at its core they are things we have also gone through. Trey Edward Shults delivers exactly that in his latest film, Waves, which explores not only how these experiences affect a family unit, but how race can also play into them.

We spoke with Trey Edward Shults, and actors Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Taylor Russell collaborating together, revisiting their teenage years, MySpace and the start of social media, and more.

Since your first film, Krisha, you’ve created films that explore different family dynamics. We revisit topics like addiction and overbearing fathers. What attracts you to these types of stories?

Trey Edward Shults: I just connect to a lot of them. Personal experiences and loved ones’ experiences, especially in these 3 movies [Krisha, It Comes at Night, Waves] because they weren’t made that far apart. They were probably all brewing in the brain at around the same time. Whether it’s conscious or not, I think I was still rustling with some certain things, and remain fascinated by them.

As the film starts, everything seems almost idyllic, nearly perfect, but as it goes on, we learn the true complexity of each character. What was it about your respective characters that drew you in?

Kelvin Harrison Jr.: For me it was seeing this boy who had so much love and respect for his dad and those around him, but he really didn’t know how to communicate that or know what to do with that information for himself. He starts trying to appease everyone in a way that ultimately strips him away from his own identity and his own voice. I wanted to show the humanity of a black boy where he doesn’t fall into the cliches, but who can make mistakes that also don’t define who they are. I also wanted to show how a family would have to grow because of the historical traumas that come from being a black family in America right now. It wasn’t just about the character but also the entire message of what we have to go through as African Americans. 

Taylor Russell: It’s really rare that you get characters like this for a young woman. I haven’t ever seen a script like this come across my lap, so it was a no-brainer to be a part of it. To see a story that is so nuanced, truthful, and authentic to the complexities of the black experience, which is so vast and so different for every person, made me admire how that was portrayed in this story. I liked how quiet she was, and how her strength was unconventional and unique. Even the storytelling style was perfect, how it was told in the two halves, was something that felt unique and that I had never seen before. I knew Trey’s work from Krisha. It was shot in such a beautiful way and unlike any other cinema. People were telling me that it was going to be quite close to Krisha, and I was like, “Oh my god, if it’s going to be like that then hell yes! Let’s do it!”

I like the way the film is split into two different perspectives. The first half focuses on the male experience, while the second half follows the aftermath and the female experience. Was it always your intention to split the film up this way?

TES: I think it was in the DNA way before even writing it. It functions in dichotomies, literally from highs and low, white and black, male and female, love and hate, and everything else in between. I liked the idea of the movie functioning in these dichotomies, but what it’s really about is the link and complexity of how we’re connected by the contrasts in our lives.

Although the film mostly focuses on the individual struggles and the family as a whole, there are a few moments in the film that talks exclusively to the black experience in America. What resources did you use to research this before incorporating it into the film? 

TES: Kelvin was such an invaluable resource, and he’s the reason that the story is about a black family. We met on our last film [It Comes at Night] and first started talking about Waves. I didn’t have it written yet, but I started talking about ideas of what I thought the movies was, and broad strokes about what I wanted it to be. Then, we were like, “We should do it together.”  When I was first writing it, we were texting a lot. Almost like little therapy sessions as we were learning about each other, learning about our commonalities and shared experiences with families, especially around the character’s age. Kel got a first draft, 8 months before we started shooting and then we kept building it further and further at that point. I let the actors kind ad-lib and make some changes to the scenes so that it would feel more natural and authentic. I felt like it was my job just to listen and understand and try to capture everything I could. 

So this was truly a collaborative process?

TES: Oh, absolutely.

KHJ: It was so easy because it really feels like the script and Trey’s version of it really understands the family. It was like the skeleton and the muscles, setting a strong foundation so that we can come in and be like, “Well, let’s put some brown skin here and a little blush and we’re good to go.”  I was never fearful of speaking up and being like, “Well this is how I feel and this is how I experienced this.” He would also respond with, “Well that makes sense and I understand that so now let’s shoot it that way.” To me, that’s beautiful.

While watching the film, it takes a turn partway through where it turns into a horror film. It feels almost nightmarish at a certain point.

TR: On the day of shooting those scenes, you could tell right away the tonal shift the movie was taking. It felt scary, and that day of filming was really intense too. Although a lot of that was in the script, it is still quite shocking when you see the final version. 

TES: I talked about this with Sterling [K. Brown] a lot too. For this family, the greatest tragedy has happened and a nightmare has come to life. It started with exploring how this would feel for this family and this situation, and from there it grew to adding the visuals and audio elements that would end up giving it more of a horror feel. 

One of the things that really helped push some of the more unnerving elements was the sound design and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score. How did that come together?

TES: It just got super lucky. One day, I got an email from Trent and Atticus saying they were interested in working together. It was unbelievable. For sound design, I had Johnnie Burn and his whole team create that atmosphere and mood. 

I’m still haunted by the sounds of the ligaments and muscles tearing. It was almost like ASMR, but in the most stressful kind of way. 

TES: Johnnie had such an amazing foley team and I don’t even know how they got most of the sounds they used in the film. We played with that beyond just what would sound natural and tried out things that would be more subjective to the characters, like whenever Tyler would use his shoulder. 

KHJ: Oh, I was on the ground and I could definitely hear it and feel it.

Did you know how to wrestle or did you have to learn just for the role?

KHJ: Hell-to-the-no. I had to transform. I did 3 months of wrestling training. I did 3 days a week of CrossFit with wrestling twice a day. My wrestling coach Vlad is actually in the movie. He would tell me, “Kelly, get tough!”  It was a tough experience but ultimately great for the movie because I could feel free and authentic when playing the character. 

For some people, their teenage years are either the best or the worst. How did it feel revisiting that time for your characters, or even while developing this film together?

TR: I mean, we play teenagers a lot. I feel like I’m constantly in high school. Maybe I’ll finally graduate one day. One can only dream. I think I got a little bit longer because I have a babyface. This story though feels so transcendent beyond being a 16-year-old, it’s more about the human experience. In that way, it feels like it could be at any age. At the same time, it’s telling the story of teenagers and experiencing and feeling things for the first time. It was a fun thing to explore, but also a hard thing. 

KHJ: It was therapeutic for me. My parents saw it for the first time and they told me that that could really understand the relationships. That’s what the movie ends up being about: relationships. At the end of it, I was feeling like maybe I should call my mom and try to figure out how to communicate with her a little bit better. It transcends age in a lot of ways, but the specificity of the 2019 kid experience is fascinating to me. I remembering having MySpace growing up.  

I honestly still miss MySpace. It’s basically the only reason I have the limited HTML coding knowledge I have. I mainly miss that you could set specific songs on the page. 

KHJ: I don’t miss it at all. So many fights when you would set your top 5 or top 10. It was the beginning of proper social media drama, and I was just not interested in it. The intensity of that now with apps like Instagram and Snapchat is insane. 

TR: In the film, you see the role that social media plays after the major event happens. Just the way people comment and speak about it so realistic. Even the cussing in the movie feels real, like when Trey has the phone autocorrect “ducking” for the f-word. We all know about that and that feeling when you’re so mad that you just don’t even care that it typed that out because we all know what they’re trying to say. It just adds to the overall relatability and speaks to real experiences.  

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[inkykeiji]

I am super curious about your professor now, do you have any more anecdotes on him?😂

oh my god anon i could go on about him forever you just opened the floodgates

my program was really, reaaaaally tiny, so i became quite close with many of my profs!!! i’m super grateful for it, because they’re all such amazing people, and they really helped shape me into who i am today! i miss them all so much :( i truly loved university and i plan to go back!

so! for the particular prof in question, i didn’t actually get to take one of his classes until second year (bcoz i had to take intro to film first before i could take any of the classes he was teaching) but after that i took—and i kid you not—every single one of his classes until i graduated. mf acted as if he DIDNT know he was my favourite prof (he totally did) and had the audacity to BLUSH when i told him he was (for context: he actually asked me to take his seminar in my final year, because he knew i hated the subject matter but was all ‘i’d really love to hear your thoughts + interpretations’ and i went ‘sir, are you kidding? you know you’re my favourite prof’ and he went ‘ooooh stop’ all bashful n whatever and then i was like !!!!! I TAKE ALL OF YOUR CLASSES FFS LIKE UR VERY CLEARLY MY FAVE)

anyway it was really cool that he started teaching when i started uni because i got to watch him grow as a prof!!!!!! he was a little nervous for the first few classes he taught, but as he became more comfortable he really came out of his shell (as did i, in the program) and that was super cool. we bonded over social anxiety and he gave me some advice and some tips on how to deal with it!

but YEAH he really did say to me ‘i only give one of these (an A+/mark over 90%) out a semester, and YOU keep getting them. publish this fucking paper!!’ and i was like ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ but the student journal only publishes papers under 3500 words :( hahaha but he really did pester me about that in a very endearing way. and he really was a notoriously difficult grader (his ratemyprof can attest to that LMAO) but he was also an incredible teacher and was very fun, so his classes filled up CRAZY quick (just like prof!keigo’s do oops). i’m surprised i made it into each one honestly a fantastic feat idk how i managed that hahaha

he’s seen me cry more than any of my other profs have (tho tbh they’ve all seen me cry at least once yikes) but i had many breakdowns in his office that were met with tough love lmao. but he really eased my anxiety and became almost like ??? a comfort person for me? like i knew i could go talk to him about whatever and he’d be totally honest with me. he also gave me dark chocolate a lot hehehe and he did ‘baby’ me when i needed it (he’d let me make video essays instead of oral presentations and introduced them for me and everything 🥺 i never had to stand in front of any of his classes and speak)

the last time we spoke was right before i graduated. we were talking about it and he told me ‘my office door’s always open for you. come by any time, seriously.’ and i had planned to visit him, just to chat n whatever, but then covid hit RIGHT after i graduated, and the campus closed, and just :( i have to email him soon tho, because he’s one of my references for my masters application!!! hopefully i can visit the campus soon; there’s two other profs i wanna visit as well :(

#annie has witnessed me ramble about this man #annie knows his name and everything LMAO #he also #uh #okay hehehe he would also like gossip??????? about other students #not often!!!! not often but he definitely played favourites #and his gossiping was only ever pertaining to academic stuff; never anything personal etc #he’d just be like ‘oh god their presentation was fucking awful i was so disappointed #AND THE FIRST TIME HE DID THAT HONESTLY IT THREW ME FOR A FUCKIN LOOP #i wasn’t expecting it at ALL #but yeah he played favourites 110% #it kinda sucks when profs do that but he really seemed to value people who 1. were hardworking and 2. went out of their way to interact with #him. like there was this one guy he absolutely loved; they were always hanging out n shit #he was just the type of prof you could go to and chat about anything #and he truly loves film SO much (he works in sound as well—foley mostly) #and it was fun to share that passion with someone academically idk idk i’m a fucking need i LOVE writing essays #fucking NERD*** #anyway there u go anon LMAO i deadass could talk about him forever #i used to come home all giddy and tell my roommate all about him HAHAHAHAHA #have a great day sweetpea!!!! please be safe out there <33 #inky.bb #clari gets mail

[63824peace]

Wednesday, 19th of october 2005

We often use the figurative expression, "The corporate world is like a war zone." This isn't entirely accurate. We should say, "The corporate world is like a war zone wherein we have no allies." True, the corporate world and a shelled battlefield both experience high levels of tension and stress, yet trust can be difficult to establish among others in the corporate world.

One type of local skirmish always prevails amid the corporate war zone's larger battles: the Battle of Egos. One’s enemies in the Battle of Egos exist not only outside his company, but inside as well. A friend today can become an enemy tomorrow.

Against whom are we really fighting?

The greatest danger in a real battle is Friendly Fire. It occurs when you are shot by your own comrade. Most wartime casualties result from Friendly Fire, as a matter of fact. Most of KojiPro's first-time participants in yesterday's field training were eliminated like this.

The same is true of a company in a corporate war. The shot that you fire to protect yourself may hit your colleague.

Still, more of your fellow colleagues will preoccupy themselves with competition from within the company, rather than the larger corporate war.

This behavior is truly childish; we can't win the global corporation war this way. Victory becomes impossible, and we can't win if we work alone. We need to rely upon war buddies with whom we share a relationship of mutual trust if we want to win.

Friendly Fire is a problem in the game industry too. I love creating games, so I want to do something about it.

At least I have war buddies within Kojima Productions. Relationships of mutual trust cannot grow within organizations through systems and responsibilities alone. People are connected via tamashii . . . via soul. We only fight with a handful of war buddies. We don't fight to make either our company or the game industry into total battle zones. Our first priority ought to be the establishment of war buddy relationships.

I would like to thank Tokyo Phantom and Tokyo Marui for the equipment that we used during yesterday's hands-on field training.

I had a sore throat this morning. I didn't feel much soreness in my muscles, but I felt sluggish and lethargic nonetheless. I wonder if I’ve caught a cold.

I pulled a Yunker Energy Drink out of the fridge and drank it. Now is not the time to get sick.

I walked through the tunnel from Roppongi Station to the Hills during morning rush hour. The posters for the International Film Festival caught my eyes again. I wasn't watching where I walked because I couldn't take my eyes off the posters along the left wall.

I glanced from the poster that advertised Kamen Rider: THE FIRST to the poster for Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. I turned my attention forward when I remembered yesterday's lesson when I ran into all those people. Then I saw others who looked at the posters on the left wall while walking, just as I had.

"I haven't bumped into anyone this time. I wonder why that is."

I considered what the reason behind this might be. The crowd walking from Roppongi Station to the Hills sort of streamlines itself during morning rush hour. It's a one-way current. Only a few people come from the Hills to the station.

Then I understood: no one bumps into anyone else because of the nature of the crowd. I can walk safely while looking at the posters if I conform my movement with the current.

I'll try this every morning. I'll need to exercise caution during my evening walk though. People will come from the station to the Hills then too. I should watch out so I don't bump into them.

I passed by the last of the posters and mounted the escalator. My list of movies that I want to see has grown once again.

I ate fried rice with red hot pork for lunch at the restaurant Fuuton San Raakyo. The lunch menu was mostly seafood. I'm not really a fan of seafood, so I passed.

I noticed a flashy van parked beside the Hills Arena on my way back to the office. It's a mobile shop that sells meals on the street. A mobile shop came by often last year selling melon-shaped bread. This one sold fried breads.

It looks as though there's an event going on for a short time only. The event is called the Umu Village Boardwalk.

"Oh wow! Fried breads . . . how nostalgic!"

I approached as though I had been summoned. I was greeted with a lively "Welcome!" Lunch had already filled me up, but adults should always show their manners.

"What do you recommend?" I asked.

"Let's see . . . Kinako and cocoa are really good."

I saw many containers with different flavored powders inside. I found the can with Kinako. I had a hard time imagining fried bread with Kinako, so I said, "I'll just have one with cocoa."

I made the sensible choice. One fried bread, 100 yen. The seller took fresh fried bread out of the warmer and dipped it into the can containing cocoa.

"Here is your bread!"

I took the fried bread rolled in paper. It was covered with cocoa powder and was piping hot.

"Yikes, this thing is big! Can I eat it all?"

The two people who watched me eat my fried bread remembered their adult manners too. Matsuhanan ordered a Cafe-au-lait and Kenichiro ordered a Kinako. "Our stomachs are full," we said, "but this is really good!" Then we three oldies filled our mouths. So delicious and sweet!

I received the layout of an article for Hyper magazine. I proofread it and asked Murashu and Ryosaku to do the same.

This month's article is about Jaws and will be published in the December issue of Hyper Playstation 2. Jaws' release date is October 30.

An Internet rumor popped up claiming that my serial has ended since I failed to turn in articles two months in a row. No worries though . . . I'll just continue as normal.

We are going to record the narration for the English version of the Existence disc this afternoon. The narration needs to be recorded for the three and a half hours of footage.

We will handle the recording in Studio E-B which is on the same floor as KojiPro. We recorded the Japanese narration here back in September.

Six sound studios are on this floor. Studios A through D are used exclusively by KojiPro. These studios were originally used by the now disbanded Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (KCEJ) WEST studio. We used each studio for a specific task: music composition, foley, sound editing, and mixing.

Studios E-A and E-B were originally used by KCEJ EAST. We used Studio E-A for general recordings, and we used Studio E-B for recording sound effects and voices. WEST and EAST produced their games separately, so the studios were used in different ways. However, today we use these studios more efficiently as a unified sound room.

Both of the Studios from the former EAST division already had a complement, so our work became even more convenient. "E-B" stands for "EAST's Studio B." I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I only learned this today. At least I can conclude that Studio E-A isn't responsible for creating sports games.

I asked Mr. Hideyuki Tanaka to voice the narration in the Japanese version. He voice-acts for Otacon's role. We recorded a wonderful and passionate narration with his talent. I want everyone to listen to it once Existence is completed. It's a must-have for Hideyuki fans.

I asked Jack-san to narrate the English version. Jack-san's narration gave the film images a tincture different from Hideyuki-san's performance. It is marvelous. I'd even like the Japanese audience to listen to the English version.

We had a debriefing session in the evening for yesterday's hostage rescue operation.

I went with Ryosaku to the restaurant Yokaru for dinner. I ordered Chii-sui-men, and Ryosaku ordered Bai-ko-men (which is what I usually order).

I stopped by the bookstore on my way back to the office. A new T. Jefferson Parker book titled California Girl was on sale. Parker also authored the book Silent Joe. I really want to read it. I had it in my hand but I returned it to the New Releases shelf immediately. I ought to read the books I already own. Otherwise I'll simply add more to my surplus.

I hardly ever give up on a book once I start reading it. I'll read to the end once I've become introduced to it, even if the book is dull. I also read all of the books that I buy. People may recommend books to me but I always buy them for myself. I never throw away a book that I have read because books are experiences in themselves. I want to cherish all that I have read.

A book that a person reads has the same substance as a memory. I want to keep all of my books just as I want to keep my memories. My wife becomes irritated with keeping all those books around though.

An introduction to a book is similar to an introduction to a new person. Think about the probability of encountering one book out of the multitude that exists. There must be as many books in the world as there are stars in the universe. We really must be in the grip of some sort of fate.

I want to believe that my intuition guides me into this fate. I want to cherish all of the books to which I have been granted audience.

I haven't been able to read many books since TGS. I feel somewhat unstable. I rarely live without reading something. I haven't dealt with this since I finished up MGS3 last year. I don't have spare time for reading. My commute between home and work becomes the only time available.

But even then I feel tired. I usually forego reading and settle for simply listening to music. It won't be good if I keep on like this. Life without reading a novel is depressing.

I returned to the office. There was an announcement regarding the earthquake that had apparently occurred while we were out eating ramen. I was walking so I didn't notice. My five senses must be dulling.

I swam in the gym at night. I almost cramped while swimming. I wonder . . . could it be an after-effect from yesterday's training? Whatever the reason, I swam awkwardly because of the cramps. I only used my arms toward the end.

I found a mark on my right thigh while I was in the jacuzzi. I knew that I had been hit by a BB from someone's air gun, but I didn't think that it would leave a welt. Come to think of it, Murashu's arm looked like it had broken out with a rash.

I left the gym before midnight. I see more and more pumpkins in the city every day. Even I (who hate vegetables) feel lighter during this time of the year.