June Bug

The golden years are not always so gilded – something June learns the hard way when her freedom and independence are ripped away. As she fights a losing battle with the harsh realities of her aging body, her grown son and reluctant caretaker must find a way to love her through the pain and anger and find a way to reignite her joy.

Tackling a tough subject that is inescapable for us all, Director Kyle Sawyer leans into humor, love, and a sense of dignity as he gives viewers a heartfelt glimpse into a journey that is both deeply relatable and achingly raw.  We connected with Kyle about his inspiration for the project and his approach to the storytelling:

Filmsupply: What inspired you to create “JUNE BUG”?

During research for another project I read a book called “Being Mortal” which kind of shocked me into the realities of aging. It comes to the conclusion that we basically just fall apart. It is now something that is constantly on my mind as my parents age. The idea of saying your final goodbyes to things you hold dear as your life winds down is kind of haunting and beautiful. 

The character of June is so nuanced. Did you have a real-life inspiration for her?

June is a mix of characters I’ve seen before. But that nuance really comes from actor Ray Kennington who beautifully toed the line between rage and despair to let the audience laugh at her and feel with her at the same time. 

Are there any other Directors or films you studied as you prepared for this project?

We looked at the series “I Know This Much Is True” by Derek Cianfrance for his take on caretakers and production design. We looked at “The Sacrifice” by Andrei Tarkovsky for look and blocking interior scenes and “Oppenheimer” by Christopher Nolan for blocking/scene structure and editing. June Bug is not at all like any of these works, but they definitely had useful tidbits of information that informed our production. 

Did you face any creative challenges during the development of the film? If so, how did you overcome them?

Casting was our biggest hurdle in development. The actor who was going to play June had to bring so much dimension and personality to the role. The opening shot holds on a close-up of her face for 25 seconds before she says anything. In those 25 seconds we have to learn a lot about her from just her eyes. We also had a short pre-production timeline so we used a casting director to help us find someone. We did extensive call back sessions and worked a lot with the potential actors before landing on our cast but, honestly, I feel like we got lucky. 

Did you use any unique lighting or filming techniques to bring the story to life?

We lit what we called the “aging montage” in a way that gets darker and darker as she descends into blindness. At the beginning we pushed light in through the windows of the house using CRLS panels for a sunny look. Near the end the light is cut and softened significantly to create an overcast look. For the camera work, we leaned into our spaces and blocking. I didn’t want anything to be distracting in the framing or in the camera movement. It is all purposeful and clear. We used handheld at times when it felt necessary and pushed in on a dolly when appropriate. Otherwise the camera was static and we covered the scene for effect. We also had a fun hard mounted rig for when she’s being pushed in the wheelchair. I love a hard mounted camera. I also hardmounted the camera for the flashback shot. We shot on Alexa Mini LF and Blackwing Tribe7 T tuned lenses which I think helped, along with the production design, to give it a reminiscent feeling. 

Were there any moments during shooting that stand out in your memory?

I was suffering from my first ever vestibular migraine during this shoot (I didn’t know what it was until I went to the doctor the day after the shoot). At times I couldn’t even stand up. We actually shot across the street from a hospital, and when we wrapped on day 3 I was going to walk into the emergency department, but the wait time was too long. I was on my butt for two days afterwards. So I look back on it and am reminded of that… but I do also remember laughing a lot, and I remember the joy of watching our actors work. 

Did you encounter any surprises in the editing process that required a creative solution?

The edit was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences for me. The footage is cut up in every way imaginable. I think in the end there were 5-6 rough cuts of the film. Some of my favorite moments in the film were written in the edit suite. The match cut between her left hand out the car window and her left hand supporting herself against the wall was found this way. But the biggest problem we faced that required a creative solution was the wheelchair scene at the end. We covered that in so many ways in order to extend the length of the push so it felt longer than the 50ft we had. But in the edit it didn’t feel right, and we all thought “we need to cut away to young June driving in the Beetle.” So we did a pick up day and shot the flashback. Now there are only two angles of June on the wheelchair and I think the flashback provides the missing punch. 

Sound design plays a huge role in the telling of this story. How did you approach that process? 

Sound is maybe the most powerful tool for emotional recall. The sound of the Beetle was going to be the thing that resolves our story in the final act, so it was important that it be clear and powerful but also beautiful. We recorded the actual sounds from our hero car which was a 1959 Beetle with original engine and exhaust so it sounded amazing. The post sound team had the idea of using a radio song as an added tool to help the emotional recall and somehow managed to blend that with the engine and the score to make it work. 

What do you hope to accomplish with this film?

This is truly a film made for the purpose of making a film. We’re not making a statement, per-se. It’s meant to be a good watch. I hope it makes you giggle, I hope it makes you tear up, and I hope it makes you pick up the phone and call your mom/grandma.