Logline
Placit lives in a dreamless society where people must take pills to stop dreaming and thinking. Almost everyone wears helmets, which gives the global government access to human thoughts.
Placit’s most profound dream is to be a puppeteer. However, he is afraid to go against the system which was created by his father and vigorously defended by Placit’s cynical self.
Watch the short
Director’s Statement
The Man With The Spying Glass tells a story of an internally imprisoned. Trapped in a life of meaningless work and loneliness, Placit lives in a time when imagination and dreams are prohibited by governmental powers. Its metaphor reflects a contemporary theme that plagues many artists today.
I started working on the script a year before the actual shooting took place, and it took many different directions and revisions until I was finally satisfied with the idea of Placit’s dreamless society.
I began pre-production about 3 months before the actual filming took place (I like to be prepared and ready for the shooting, even if it’s a short film). Early on, we decided to have just one actor playing both Placit and his cynical self. I’ve worked on previous films with Pawel Palcat, the gifted actor who plays the main character, who was perfect for the role.
The visual inspiration for Placit’s society came from one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen: “The City of Lost Children”.
Post-production was challenging because not everything went according to plan while shooting, which resulted in an uphill battle during the editing process.
The original score was written and recorded by Jan Broberg Carter, an ASCAP composer from the USA. Steve Drown, Master Engineer at The Studio in Portland, Maine, USA, did the post-production sound and the sound mix. Since I couldn’t travel to the USA myself to participate, we completed the film via email and phone. In 2010 it was an innovative way of collaborating (a lot has changed since then).
I hope that “The Man With The Spying Glass” will give people hope during dark episodes in their lives. I want this film to convey that one can indeed leave one’s cynical and dubious self behind, follow one’s dreams, and fight for a life that reflects one’s true self.
Awards: Best Picture Ballston Spa Film Festival 2011
Festival Official Selection:
Jaipur International Film Festival 2011;
Newport Beach International Film Festival 2011;
NYIFF – (NY spring & LA summer 2011);
Short Film Corner – Festival de Cannes 2011;
Ballston Spa Film Festival 2011;
Naoussa International Film Festival 2011;
Cornwall Film Festival 2011;
Poppy Jasper Film Festival 2011;