Still: From Poolside Ideas to Desert Realities

You never know when inspiration will hit. For Steven Bartholomew, he came up with his latest movie idea for “Still” through a casual conversation with a friend while hanging out at the swimming pool.

“He asked me how I came up with film ideas, and then an image of a man’s dried, cracked lips in the desert came to me” said Bartholomew. “I told him about the quick brainstorm. When I went home I couldn’t get this idea out of my head. Why was he in the desert? Why was he stuck there? What was he searching for? That resulted in the story of him going and photographing the night sky for his girlfriend out in the desert.”

The film’s connection to reality became eerily tangible when Bartholomew’s father faced a health crisis. “My dad had afib… and had to go in for a minor surgery,” he recounted. The filmmaker found himself unwittingly mirroring the events of his creation, taking pictures of the moon during a pivotal moment only to receive a text about his father’s temporarily stopped heart.

Tragedy struck again as Addie Morgan Provost, a friend and the film’s intended lead actress, passed away in a car accident. This devastation prompted Bartholomew to reevaluate and refine the script to honor her memory and due to of the feedback he received from her before her passing.

The third challenge faced by Bartholomew was one of a spiritual nature. The insight he learned from the experience helped refine “Still” further. “This experience helped me better understand the pain and confusion that John was going through with God. Why didn’t he save Mattie? Because He had a different plan. One that would help everyone grow even if it hurt.”

“The film was inspired from a random thought of a man lost in a desert, but became real after my father’s heart surgery, a friend’s passing, and my own deserts”

As production began the challenges felt as vast as the desert landscapes they navigated.

“It was difficult to haul equipment to our remote locations, manage camera batteries and media, as well as experience the cold. But the locations were breathtaking and I believe that we captured God’s presence in the frame, so that made the diverse weather, sleeping in tents, and the three mile hike more than worth it. But that was still really hard.”

Making a movie is challenging but yet incredibly rewarding. When looking back on the experience Bartholomew remarked, “I think I would have planned more as a director. There was never enough time to write and rewrite the script, draw storyboards (our shotlist helped), and jot down all the actors’ tactics. I think I planned as much as I could while doing school full time. There’s probably small things here and there that I would go back and change, but honestly for what we had I think we killed it.”

The best way to learn is to seek the advice of those that came before. Bartholomew offered “Make as much stuff as you can! The 10,000 hour rule really does seem to exist! If you’re constantly working on passion projects, school projects, friend’s projects, paid projects, you will thrive.

In addition “Find yourself a mentor!! That isn’t someone looking for your money, but rather a trusted friend and advisor who wants to give back to the community. Someone who makes stuff you want to make.”

And Bartholomew parting advice is “Network like crazy! Connect with everyone in the room, ask them what help they need on their projects and then go help! Other people know that networking is part of the process in film so don’t be afraid of talking with anyone. I’ve had breakfast with an executive producer of a hit TV show simply by asking, “Can we get lunch and chat?” and you can too.”

As “Still” prepares to light up the screens of the Utah International Film Festival, Bartholomew invites audiences to connect with him on Instagram @steviewonderfilm and explore his work on stevenbartholomew.com.

For those looking to take the advice of Steven Bartholomew the Utah International Film Festival has two FREE networking events coming up. The first is the Speed Networking Event at The Hive Collaborative in Provo Feb 13 at 6pm and at the Talent Rep Meet and Greet at Enigma 3 on Feb 14 at 4pm. A full schedule of events can be found here https://utahfilmfestival.eventive.org/schedule