Dan Werb sits and chats with director Robert Pilichowski
ROBERT PILICHOWSKI’s third City Sonic film with Woodhands was the most challenging yet: how to document an illegal event that happened in complete dark years ago? We’ll let him tell you how…
LL: Give us your “elevator ride” pitch: the concept for your film in three sentences or less.
RP: For decades the Don Valley Brickworks delivered bricks to the rest of Toronto. When it went out of business, it stood vacant for two decades. Woodhands played a rave called “Unknown, Unknown” and the guys reflect on what an insane night it was and how it influenced their career path.
LL: What was the biggest challenge shooting in this location?
RP: Since Evergreen is currently rebuilding the site, we only had a few hours to shoot on location. So we shot footage and digital stills of the building and then composited the imagery with additional footage we captured in studio.
LL: Any advice for other filmmakers on how to work within the 4-minute time limit?
RP: One of the first things we quickly realized is to keep the story and
direction very focused, as there is not enough time to go off on other
tangents.
LL: Do you have an “I was there!” Toronto music history story of your own?
RP: Wow, it’s difficult to just mention one! I was there when DagNasty played the Siboney club in Kensington Market in the 80’s. When Phleg Camp rocked the Rivoli and when Fugazi played the Opera House. I also have an “I was not there but could have been there” story: We tried to go see Mudhoney, I think it was, at the Opera House but couldn’t afford the $10 cover. The doorman strongly suggested we go in since the band was playing with some band called Nirvana…. needless to say we never went in and well, Nirvana never played such an intimate venue again…
