Lincoln Korver, acting sophomore, won an award for his short film. I had the opportunity to interview him about the film, movies, and life.
Q: Tell me about the award your film just won.
A: My film, “Love is.” recently won the award for best short film in its category at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival. It has also been announced as an Official Selection in the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and the Los Angeles CineFest. I was also nominated for best male actor in the HIMPFF and and LAIFF. My team is still waiting to hear from about seven more festivals.
Q: What was the process, and what is your film about?
A: “Love is.” is the portrayal of the inner monologue that resides within us all. Through narration and visuals captured by an amazing cinematographer, this film encourages and celebrates the acceptance of the unspoken warmth, pain, growth, and transformation that occurs whenever a person dares to love.
My process for this film was unlike anything I have ever done before. It started out as a little quote I wrote and then blossomed into a full script. Initially, it was going to be a standard short film with conversational dialogue, but my team and I decided to turn it into a narrative, in order to allow it to speak and apply to as many people as possible. On top of this, I was extremely blessed to have the opportunity to collaborate with some incredibly talented people.
Q: Have you made films before?
A: Although I’ve written many short films, this is the first time I have ever taken one from start to finish and see it come to fruition.
Q: What is your ultimate dream?
A: To sustain a career through doing what I love, constantly challenging myself, and creating honest art that speaks to humanity.
Q: What is a role you would never want to play?
A: Tree #2. Aside from that, I love the thought of jumping into roles that I wouldn’t typically be considered for. That is where some of the most growth can happen.
Q: If you could only pick one, would you rather be hardworking or talented? Explain your reasoning.
A: That’s the easiest question in the world. I will choose being hardworking over being talented day after day after day for all eternity. Talent is awesome, but it doesn’t have any depth. It’s just there. In fact, I think saying “wow, you’re talented” is almost an insult. Although it may not be obvious from the start, hard work will always beat out talent because sooner or later, those who strictly depend on raw talent will take a rest day and will be passed up by those who don’t know how to stop working toward their goal.
Q: What is the first movie you remember watching?
A: The first movie I ever remember watching was the legendary Space Jam with Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny.
Q:What is the most influential movie you’ve ever seen?
A: … Wow. That’s a tough one. If I had to pick just one, it’d have to be The Hurt Locker, because it was in the very moment I first watched it that I said to myself “I have to do that. I have to join the military.” It was released in the summer of 2009, right before my junior year of high school and exactly two years later I ended up joining the Air Force. Long story short, if it wasn’t for that movie, I wouldn’t have ever joined the military, which in turn would have never allowed me to come to OCU to pursue acting.
Q: What is a job you would/could never do?
A: Anything besides acting. I had a mentor once say to me, “Go out and try everything you’ve ever wanted to do and pray you fall in love. And if, once you’re done, you still haven’t found joy, you will know that you’re meant to be an actor. But until then, give up. This life is way too hard.” I know this sounds brutal, but I believe it wholeheartedly. I’ve tried everything from lifeguarding to journalism to photography to aerial transportation, and none of them have ever given me a hint of the satisfaction and fulfillment that acting does.
Q: If you had to trade lives with one actor, who would you choose and why?
A: If I could trade lives with one actor it would hands down be Jake Gyllenhaal. If I could model my career after anyone in the world, it would be him. His work ethic, passion, drive, and commitment to constantly create work that is meaningful and impactful is something that I greatly strive for. I got to see him perform in Constellations on Broadway last year, and it was amazing. I’ve never been so inspired by an actor as I was on that day.
Q: If you picked your own parents out of celebrities, who would you choose?
A: Despite already having the greatest mom and dad of all time, if I had to pick two celebrities to be my parents, I would most definitely choose Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
Q: Are you working on another film soon?
A: My producer and I have a many ideas floating around for future films. We have already started a couple scripts and are hoping to fully shoot two of them this summer in California.
Q: If you had to create a movie based on a piece of dishware, what would be the premise?
A: Interesting question. If I had to create a movie based off of one piece of dishware, it would without a doubt be the story of a shaker bottle and his journey to make amends with his friend, Mr. Blender. The blender feels used and unappreciated because he is constantly being forced to do manual labor but never gets to go on adventures to the gym like his friend, Mr. Shaker Bottle get’s to do.
Q: If you were made of a biodegradable substance, what would you be made of?
A: If I was made of a biodegradable substance, it’d for sure be pineapple. Pineapple and protein powder.
Q: If you could go back to high school Lincoln and tell him one thing, what would you say?
A: If I could go back in time to when I was in high school and tell myself one thing, it would be “It doesn’t matter what they think.”
Bonus Section
I also had the opportunity to ask a few questions to Andrew Cypert, production manager, and Matt Sanders, producer of the film.
Q: Why did you choose to be a part of this film?
Cypert: I’ve always been interested in video production. I wanted to be part of a project that I could work on with some close friends and be proud of creating.
Sanders: I was part of the film since it’s inception, when it was just an idea for a cool project. Lincoln’s drive and vision encouraged me to continue to support the project.
Q: Describe the film in 3 words.
Cypert: Love is important.
Sanders: Intense, thought-provoking, reflective
Q: Describe Lincoln in 3 words.
Cypert: Unlimited, creative, talented.
Sanders: Determined, passionate, and a dreamer.
Q: What was the best part of the creative process?
Cypert: Getting the right people together and finding the right places to shoot was my personal favorite part of the production process.
Sanders: Discussing different ways to visually capture a feeling. And to appropriately represent the source of that feeling. Love is (see what I did there) something everyone has experienced, and the consequential heartbreak and resolve. We wanted to depict the personal triumph through that internal struggle, without it seeming to be reliant on the relationship of someone else. Determining how to show internal strength was a challenge, but the best part of the creative process.
Q: Where do you see the film going, now that it is complete?
Cypert: I see this film becoming a doorway to bigger and better projects for all who were involved in it. I look forward to working with the crew again in the future (hopefully in a feature-length film).
Sanders: We didn’t originally even intend for the film to be submitted to festivals until the first draft was edited. Now that it’s been accepted and selected as as a finalist in multiple festivals, it’s already surpassed goals in that regard. I think it’ll continue to be competitive in other film festivals, But, ultimately, I hope that the film can continue to invoke a recognizable feeling of internal strength and know that the feeling of depression and weakness is conquerable.
The film will be released to the public via YouTube and Vimeo after completing festival screenings.
Leave a Reply