The Pitts Circus: The Movie – Interview with Director Ken Fanning

Looking forward to this –

“The Pitts Circus: A post-truth mockumentary, about a unique circus family”.

Its super low budget and the first Ethereum – Blockchain funded movie in the history and the director and stars of this film are dear old friends and colleagues of Carnival Cinema. 

Here’s the films Trailer –

The Pitts Family Circus: Bit of Background

The Pitts Family Circus is a real life family circus based in the Northern Rivers region of northern NSW Australia.

Veteran circus performers Gareth Bjaaland (Cessil Pitt) and Bronte Webster (Sandy Pitt) created the characters ‘The Pitts’ back in 2002 and toured many times throughout Europe, Asia and Australia. Since then they have had 3 kids who now join them onstage and they are now ‘The Pitts family Circus. They are the sew-your-own-tent, breed-your-own-acrobatic-troupe  type of family circus. They’re awesome, find out more about them here – www.thepitts.com.au 

Meet The Director

This is the director of the film, old friend and crazy Irish circus performer, film maker and creative human Ken Fanning. I sent Ken a bunch of questions to give us an insight into how the project came about, his process and his lack of knowledge about crypto currency.

Enjoy.

1: So, how did the film/project come about?

The project came from messing about and having the crack. We made a short film about 10 years ago at the first WA circus festival, about Gazza falling in love with a sack and taking the sack out on dates and then Bronte finding them in bed. It was based on a true story. Over the years we often mentioned making a feature length film in-between beers and handstands. Then Tony, a street performer from Switzerland who had hung out on one of the first Lunar Circus tours appeared back into our lives. In between a lot more beer and a lot less handstands he was convinced that we should make the film and he was going to produce it. So with little experience, no equipment and less money we started the project.

2: How would you describe the film? 

The film is a road trip sort of documentary but not really as it is full of lies, and there is a plot about people struggling and some people die.

At the centre of the film is the family, and the film celebrates them and their unusual and wonderful way of life.

3: Why the Pitts Family as the subjects?

Because they were cheap to work with.

4: What was your approach writing the script/story?

We wrote a script and sent it out to funders and producers, we met with people who said we needed a small micro budget of half a million to make it. So we didn’t make that film. Tony reckoned we should wait till 2018 that way he would raise the half a million. I told him he was dreaming, and fuck it lets just make it. In the end we improvised the whole film, not made it up as we went along, but like professionals we improvised as that is the process I have come to know and love, necessity being the mother of invention. I used the Pitts Circus show as the anchor of the film and put them on the road driving toward the WA circus festival.

5: How did you go about ‘casting’ the other characters?

Who ever was available. Luckily there were a lot of talented people willing to give up their time for free or very little to work on the film. There was so much good will behind this project which is what we have come to expect from our wonderful circus family community. The characters of the film were created when I knew who was available.

6: They are all your friends and most aren’t ‘trained actors’. What was your approach when directing them?

Most are performers and have had experience of stage, circus and street, which makes them very versatile performers. In Switzerland we used professional actors. Working with actors is a gift as they always bring much more range of emotion and ideas to the process. But because I know the people in the movie I got them to play to their strengths.

7: What drew you to film making and how did you get into it?

By the age of 11 I was watching 7 hours of television a day. I loved it, even though back when I was young in Ireland we only had 2 TV channels, one had a Catholic bishop on it telling you to pray to God and the other channel had a priest on it telling you to switch back to the first channel.

I’ve been making films since I was about 15 and wanted to go to film school, but failed so badly in actual school that I didn’t get in. My parents were relived and had high hopes for me taking over the family pub business, but then double disappointed when I announced that I wanted to be a trapeze artist. I have been very stubborn in my arts practice and have alway tried to make the work I want with as little compromise as possible. Which means that I am poor, and rarely get hired for posh corporate gigs. My films have been the same, I try to point my camera at people and stories that I think need to be heard and seen.

8: Why Crypto currency to finance it and how did that work?

The crypto currency was all Tony my producer’s doing. We made our own crypto tokens and somehow it finances the movie. Tony has explained it to me serval times and I’m sure it is legal, however I expect the Russian mob to come to my house and take all my things, but Tony says that that won’t happen. He also says that it is the future of money and we are mavericks and we are on the crest of a wave, and also we are the first Ethereum funded blockchain movie, and also in the future kids will learn about us in school.

9: what was your budget?

Fuck all, you have to ask Tony. I think about 40 thousand.

10: Gareth and his brother Vaughan did the music for the film. What was your approach with Gareth scoring the film?

Hurry up.

11: Do you have any memorable moments during the filming?

I remember sitting in caravan drawing a cartoon clown in my note book, I was meant to be making a schedule and there were 14 cast and crew sitting at breakfast waiting for me to tell them what to do. I was late I hadn’t slept and had no idea what I wanted them to do.

Tony turned up with 2 high end cannon cameras and load of other professional gear including a drone. While he was showing off his drone flying abilities, my self and the chef spent 10 minutes trying to find the recored button on the fancy cannon camera.

12: How are you going to distribute the film? where are people going to be able to see it?

We will put it into film festival and hopefully it will get shown at a few of them or even get bought. But we plan to have it available online and you can already buy tickets for it at –  https://tickets4u.io/

13: Who is your target audience?

Everyone, but Eleanor (who is the badie in the film) kept cursing in her bits and I thought it is really funny so we kept it in. We might have to censor her bit to make it for everyone.

14: What is your strategy to get it seen beyond friends/circus crew/early adopters?

There are tens of thousands of us circus mob all over the world and they are the community we want to embrace the film. The crypto community is also excited about what we have done and I’m sure they will watch and share it. The film world is changing and rather than making work that appeals to a large demographic, small special interest films can now find a huge following and support through the internet. But hopefully other people will see and enjoy the film too. Next year is the 250th year of circus and we are hoping that our film will get a bit of extra notice because of that. We will be putting the film into serval international festivals and have already been excepted into some so hopefully it will get some positive attention and from there get to be seen by an audience out side of our circus community.

15: What would your top #5 tips be for people wanting to make a low budget feature?

Steal stuff and do illegal things.

Buy a shit cheap camcorder,  there are amazing people and stories right beside you and the world needs to know about them.

Fail, fail again and then call it your process.

Blame the producer, even if you don’t have one.

Just do it.

16: How many crew did you have shooting? And how many People were involved in the whole project?

14 cast and crew including 2 chefs in Oz

3 actors in Switzerland

2 editors

1 producer

1 guy doing after effects

2 people mixing sound.

and one Irish carny punk making it up as he goes along.

Some other people I have forgotten.

17: What would be your advice for people looking at financing films with crypto currency?

Ask Tony.

18:What are your hopes for the movie?

I really want the people involved to be proud of it, and  I hope it fulfils their expectations. I’m hoping a lot people will watch the film and find it funny and inspiring. I hope it will open doors for every one involved to other projects.

19: whats your next film project?

I’m going to make a feature film in my bathroom. Its the biggest room in my house.

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Find out more about the Film and Ken through the links below –