Last Weekend was a Movie with Adam Yates and Isabel Perry
plus liminal hangs, quasi-organized fun, and fall recs
Welcome to another installation of nmjc’s hanging out series…as Sultans of Seshing, randa and harry talk to hanger-outters across the world about hot-button issues relating to chilling. If you’d like to be featured…hit us up!
HK:
Randa…it’s good to be back in dialogue mode. I’ve got a topic for you, somewhat inspired by our guests this week. Our guests, the nmjc day ones / young indie creators that they are, spent their week working on a film set (obviously indie non-sag fuck studios…I’m tired of people watching SUITS). The idea of hanging out and chilling on a set for a week, and the buddies you might find doing that, got me thinking about the Liminal Hang.
LHs have been on my mind because I recently rewatched the Sofia Coppola Slapper Lost In Translation.
Lost in Translation is one of those Tumblr ass movies that actually totally bangs1. It’s about a lot of things, but it's mostly about a strange friendship struck up between two people who find themselves in a Japanese hotel for a week.
We’ve all had relationships like this…a summer camp friend you haven’t seen outside of a forest, a work buddy you randomly close down a hotel bar with at a sales conference, or perhaps a person you meet working on an indie film in Brooklyn.
The message I took from Lost in Translation is that ultimately these strange transient friendships mean a lot, and possibly even everything…
Where do you stand?
RS:
Transient, situational friendships offer a delight similar to that of a summer fling. You get all the benefits of friendship - the laughter and camaraderie and commiserating - without any obligation to meaningfully support each other outside the context of your summer camp or whatever. It’s pure fun and connection. I think it’s pretty cool that our species can find joy in this sort of thing. I wonder if other animals do that. Like I saw these seals laying out on a rock this weekend - siblings or transient friendship?
I also wonder what happens to “transient” friendships when we have all this technology to stay in touch. I have group chats with people I haven’t seen in years that get sporadically reanimated with a reference to an inside joke or a memory we shared. I guess it’s cool but I’m getting to a place where I’m like … What Is the Point?
Wdyt? Should transient friendships stay in the past or live on via texts and IG follows and stuff?
HK:
I think it’s one of these situations…
Obviously, there are some exceptions to this rule. I feel very close to a few people (like you!) who live across the country. But the vast majority of the lower-case r-relationships I have in my life are, of course, somewhat a product of just seeing their faces. The process of keeping up with all these digital relationships, and giving them the TLC they deserve, just ends up burning me out. So I settle for a hour-long catch-up with each of my West Coast homies when we all get the chance.
Ultimately, I do land in the pro-transient relationship camp. We get into such patterns in regular life, including patterns in how we relate to ourselves and to the world. Even if it doesn't lead to some revelatory point, the shake-up that comes from randomly chilling with people totally outside of the context you’re comfortable with always makes me feel good.
Anyway…we’ve got some special guests today. Isabel Perry and Adam Yates, are two people who are both in love and direct films together (sort of like if the Cohen brothers kissed). The two creative lovebirds recently got back from a trip upstate to work on a film they are co-directing.
We asked them to come on and talk to us about what it's like making a movie with a bunch of cool people, from a hanging out and chilling perspective.
NMJC: Adam and IP, please share 3-6 photos that represent your weekend
NMJC: How did you hang out this weekend?
FRIDAY
AY: The weekend began as we were wrapping up shooting a short film upstate in Olivebridge, New York. This was our second short of the summer (also ever) and definitely our biggest undertaking. It was a 4-day shoot upstate plus one day in Brooklyn and our team ranged from 30-40 people depending on the day.
IP: A few years ago, my friend from high school sent me a script for a TV series he wrote. I loved the story and last year we began developing it into a short film to use for pitching the larger series. Helga follows a 15-year-old girl in 1939 Austria on a quest to join the resistance and avenge her mother’s death. We’ve been saying Kill Bill meets True Grit lol. The script alone seemed nearly impossible to make but with bringing on an amazing producer and an unreal team of people we made it happen. Friday was our last shoot day.
9AM:
AY: Rise and grind. I start the day heisting Bread Alone. No pastry is safe. I’m making modifications to the breakfast burrito. “Can you do no cheese?” “No problem” “And add Chorizo” “sure thing.” I’m with the fellas, and we’re all ordering lattes in addition to our regular coffees.
IP: Adam surprises me with a blueberry scone, a cardamom bun, and chocolate croissant. Absolute flames.
11AM:
AY: The breakfast hour each day was key for hanging out. We had amazing catering, people gathered, ripped their morning cigs, sipped their morning cups of coffee, and the team could gameplan. This time of day was definitely the most laid back hanging of the shoot. Dinner breaks we were prepping what came next and after wrap everyone was too tired to hang, so I really valued the breakfast time for its peaceful energy and temperate climate (5-10 degrees cooler than the afternoon).
10PM:
IP: Our last shots of this night are outside, so everybody can be together. The wrap cheers are so loud we think there is another party in the woods cheering, but it’s just our echoes.
12AM:
AY: I guess it's Saturday now. Everybody is having 1-3 beers. I have 2. An ideal hang. Now that the job is done we can really break down walls and discuss things like “breakfast spots in Brooklyn” and “documentaries that purposefully play with narrative perspective.” Isabel is asleep on the couch within ten minutes. She wakes and rallies pretty soon after.
IP: I firmly stand by the midnight mid-party power nap. It’s a classic IP move and one that I’ve perfected. 20 minutes, I have a full lifetime of dreams, and I’m back to the party. Another key part is this nap must happen in the party area, preferably in the same spot you’ve been occupying – people may not even notice you’re gone. Microdosing Weekend at Bernie’s vibes.
Saturday
8AM:
AY: We turned a quaint upstate Airbnb into an Austrian murder scene and now we need to reset it. We start cleaning the house and returning the furniture to its original position. The high of being done with the shoot carries the whole team through this morning chore.
2PM:
AY: We’re about to hit the road. But Bread Alone is once again calling my name. I walk in and the employees start cheering. I’ve spent $200 in four days at this fucking bakery. It slaps so hard.
IP: Adam was talking about this bakery all week and on my first visit I… get it. Let me paint the scene for you: Where we were staying was just highways, dollar stores, and endless forests and mountains. A lot of trucks and nature. We pull up to this all-white brick and glass mega cafe seemingly appearing out of nowhere. An LA vibe in the middle of the Catskills? Electric.
6PM:
AY: After a 3-hour drive, a ton of traffic, and a driver-seat meltdown, I sprinted up the stairs to the apartment, and peed for maybe 90 seconds straight.
10PM:
AY: Another wrap party. I can’t believe I’m still awake. Seems like a 2 beer kind of night to me.
11PM:
IP: I decide to organize some fun. I find it imperative to hit the timing right in suggesting organized fun. I thankfully nail the timing, and the crew is down for one of my fave “talking games.” Talking Games©, as endorsed by my buddy Caroline, are games with minimal to no setup that facilitate the vibe of socializing and getting to know one another. Some examples are Most Likely To, Telephone, Paranoia, The Vibe Game. Tonight we play “Rankings,” where you rank five random words/phrases/things. I learned that our Set Decorator Niki was on Dance Moms, and Adam thinks I love Blink-182?
12AM:
IP: Another midnight power nap.
1:30AM:
AY: We put on “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” Robby P is my hero.
2AM:
IP: I’ve hit REM. Dreaming of hangs, dreaming of art.
2:30AM:
AY: Everyone is asleep but me. This movie is so fucking good.
Sunday
12PM:
AY: Brunch with some friends in Fort Greene. On the way there we saw our buddy Dave playing pickup basketball. He was NOT in a good mood.
IP: Dave did not like when I yelled his name.
3:15PM:
AY: Seeing 2001 a Space Odyssey at the Paris Theater. Guy in line for popcorn wearing an A24 hat. Guy in front of me for bathroom buying tix to see Bottoms the next day on his phone. Cinema is so back.
IP: I love movie hangs for their ability to transport, but this particular movie hang took it to the next level with magic little touches – 1950s style boxes of popcorn, a red velvet curtain dramatically opening in front of the screen, and a scored intermission. This is a great example of context of hang being just as important as content of hang.
6PM:
AY: A post-film walk through Central Park with our buddy Al. Great place to debrief the art and google an explanation of the ending. My dad has been telling me about 2001 for years and every time I’ve tried to watch it I’ve fallen asleep. NOT because the content is boring but because I always start it late and that soundtrack is so soothing. Seeing it in theaters with four boxes of popcorn was definitely the environment I needed to stay awake the whole time. I loved it though. Insane production design (arguably THE most insane I’ve ever seen), wrestling with issues of man vs machine and human nature, killer score, and a fire final sequence. I’m a big advocate for the movie hang and there is something uniquely special about the re-released movie hang that elevates the experience.
IP: I was too nervous to stop the momentum out of the theater, so I subtly led Adam and Al to the pickleball court bathrooms to pee. Effortless.
8PM:
IP: Need a reset, feeling a solo hang sesh. Reunite and recalibrate with just IP. Leftover kee mao & Iron Giant at home.
10PM:
AY: Me and the fellas are just wreaking havoc on the dart boards at Finn’s. We’re playing well, I’m subscribing to the AndAfterThat newsletter for early access to his next drop, we’re talking about hinge profiles. We’re all having 2 beers. The drunk bartender decides to kick us out once he realizes we’re not crossing the 2.5 threshold. Return home, watch the How To finale.
HK: wowwie zowwie! Ok…Adam and Isabel, you two recently co-directed a FILM. I’ve always imagined a film set to be a rich ground for productive hanging out and chilling, talk to us about the creative mission-driven hang…
AY: Honestly in reflecting on the weekend I realize just how much time of those 96 hours was spent with other people. Does a hang need to be explicitly a hang or does the very nature of being around a group of people denote a hang? All to say… you’re working 12+ hour days with few breaks. It’s hard to have a lot of “hanging out and chilling” time but ideally, the vibes during shooting hours are good enough that people are happy being there. And I really do think a joint creative endeavor is my favorite type of hang. Any project is so much more fun to do collaboratively. 95% of the people working on this were people I met for the first time and it’s so awesome to develop new friendships and relationships with that many people at once.
IP: Agreed. Something that was really important to both Adam and me from the outset was curating an excellent vibe on set. It’s long days and hard work, and we wanted our collaborators to be excited to arrive on set every day. One team member said our wrap felt like the last night of summer camp, and I take that as the highest compliment. My favorite thing about directing is the amount of people we get to collaborate with each day. Everyone on this project was brilliant and funny and generally awesome to be around so most days felt like fruitful & exciting hangs. I also often think about directing as hosting a party, and I definitely approached this process thinking about the necessities to host a great party: food, guest list, location, playlist, activities, etc. I also think it helps that Adam and I have similar values in what makes a good hang/film shoot.
NMJC: Randa and Harry are some hanging experts…do you have any hanging out-related questions for us?
AY: I’m a big autumn guy and could not be happier we’re exiting the summer months. What’s some advice for curating ideal fall hangs?
HK:
Tiny little liberal arts colleges are soooo crazy. 500 people in your grade? What the hell. Those weird things where you email your crush your senior year or whatever (actually kind of cool) … totally whacky.
Obviously, there’s a total collapse of reality that happens at a school like that. And there are probably some good things about these thoughtful intentional communities that small schools create, but one BAD thing is that people from those schools go on to move to New York or LA and Undermine Fall Vibes in ways they might not even totally understand.
What I’m trying to say is there is no such thing as Fall at a liberal arts college. Perhaps there is literally, but not spiritually. Someone from “Oberlin” doesn’t know what it feels like to wake up at 9 a.m. and drink a beer in a sweatshirt. And quick newsflash–that’s the closest to god you ever get.
The fall is all about moderate drinking, active leisure, and caloric destination meals. Do NOT listen to anyone who went to “Vasser” for advice on what to do in the fall. They really have no idea. “Go on a hike” What are they– idiots? Listen to someone who went to Indiana, or Purdue, or…..Michigan. I think if you do that, you’ll be good.
IP: What are your feelings on organized fun? What do you think is the best way to introduce organized fun into the hang mix?
RS:
This past weekend my friends tried to get me to play Fishbowl with them (organized fun) and I fell asleep. Fully, diagonally splayed on the couch, legs hanging over the back. When I woke up they were already in round 3 and had a bunch of inside jokes without me…
The night before my fishbowl nap, I initiated some quasi-organized fun (i commandeered the bluetooth and started freestyle rapping at the dinner table). I know what you’re thinking - people who start freestyling at parties are ANNOYING - so you might be shocked to find out that I got full participation in my shenanigans.
Reflecting on the night, my friend Faiq said that I am good at getting people to do weird stuff. See, for example, this 2018 photo of me, Faiq, and Emmad wearing matching t-shirts and alien glasses in the middle of the day on a Thursday for no reason whatsoever. I have a storied history of persuading people to do stuff that will make them feel joy and childlike wonder.
This is all to say you’ve come to the right place. I become a baby mode tyrant when it comes to organized fun - I will refuse to play your board game and then try to reorient the party towards whatever weird activity I personally want to do. If you want to get like me, this is what you have to do:
Do, don’t ask. Remember that video of the guy dancing alone where everybody eventually joins in? Don’t go up to everyone and say “hey wanna play Twister?” – just start playing it where people can see you and act like you’re having fun.
Relatedly, you must be willing to make a fool of yourself. Everybody else is afraid of looking foolish but if you do it then they will too. It’s cool to act a fool.
Timing is everything. If the vibes are high and people are happily riffing, don’t ruin it by asking everyone to play Monopoly. You need to identify a lull in the party, or a small group who isn’t having that much fun, and then deploy extreme Scrabble or whatever.
My last thought is that if I have to do any sort of preparation for your organized fun I am probably out… Don’t make me do homework. Sorry to anyone whose murder mystery party I have skipped.
In a word or two (or more)…
Song of the weekend?
AY: Roslyn by St. Vincent & Bon Iver (From the New Moon Soundtrack)
Craziest feeling?
AY: That post car ride pee.
IP: Wiping (fake) blood off of walls with Lysol wipes. Dexter vibes.
Confession?
AY: I don’t think the Bread Alone cashier ever recognized me as the same guy from the past three days.
IP: I also really had to pee when we got back to Brooklyn.
Most romantic moment?
AY: Waking up Isabel with McDonald’s at 2AM Saturday night.
IP: Finishing shooting on a project we’d been dreaming about for a year.
Who was the Most Valuable Stranger of the weekend?
AY: Pickle Lady outside Edmonds playground. Hooked us up nice with the samples.
IP: Anyone who let us merge with ease in the sprinter van.
Let’s just say you guys would not be In The Mood For Loving my list of the Tumblr ass movies that don’t bang…