The New Twenty | Chris Mason Johnson | Talks at Google

TL;DR

A filmmaker discusses his independent film, "The New Twenty," which explores the dynamics of a group of friends with different sexual orientations.

Transcript

WISCHERKEN: Hello everybody. Welcome to a Filmmakers@Google night in Santa Monica. I'm Julie Wischerken and I'm here to introduce Chris Mason Johnson. Chris began his career as a dancer and he once danced with Mikhail Baryshnikov. He got a film degree from Amherst College and worked as the Head of Development at Open City Films and a script edit... Read More

Key Insights

• ❓ Friendships with diverse sexual orientations are an evolving reality in society.
• 🎥 Traditional portrayals of friendships in film often exclude LGBTQ+ characters or segregate them into separate storylines.
• 🎆 The success of "The New Twenty" at LGBTQ+ festivals highlights the demand for realistic and non-pandering LGBTQ+ content.
• 🧔‍♀️ The film's themes of friendship and changing social dynamics resonate strongly with women and straight young men as well.
• 👻 The independent nature of the film allowed the filmmaker to explore unique perspectives and avoid traditional storytelling tropes.
• 👻 The marketing opportunities provided by LGBTQ+ festivals allowed the film to reach its target audience and find financial success.
• 🎦 The film's success demonstrates the need for more diverse and inclusive storytelling in mainstream cinema.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the inspiration behind the film, "The New Twenty"?

The filmmaker got the idea from a friend's bachelor party that highlighted an evolving dynamic of friendship among a diverse group of guys.

Q: How does "The New Twenty" challenge traditional buddy movie portrayals?

The film aims to portray a mix of sexual orientations among friends, something not commonly seen in buddy movies that typically focus on straight characters.

Q: Why was there hesitation to label the film as a "gay film"?

The filmmaker didn't want to be associated with stereotypical pandering gay films and initially didn't think of "The New Twenty" as solely a gay film, but rather an ensemble drama about a group of people.

Q: What was the impact of screening the film at a gay and lesbian festival?

The film found a receptive audience in the LGBTQ+ community and helped financially by providing a market to target. However, the filmmaker also regrets not being able to reach a wider audience who would appreciate the film's themes beyond its LGBTQ+ focus.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The filmmaker talks about how the idea for the film came from a bachelor party story that showcased new dynamics of friendship among a diverse group of guys.

• He wanted to challenge the traditional portrayal of all straight friends in buddy movies and explore the mix of sexual orientations and friendships in a realistic way.

• The film was initially hesitant to be labeled as a "gay film" but found success and audience acceptance in the LGBTQ+ community and among women.