Arpa Film Festival 2015 interviews with film directors
Lee Scratch Perry is a legendary Reggae music producer, a key architect behind dub, and a vocalist, who is all about changing the world with music and a positive mindset, aka “vibration” as Perry calls it.
Flashback 15 years, to when director, Volker Schaner felt the vibration and was swept away on a uniquely poetic filmmaking adventure of documenting the deeply spiritual and often prophetic Scratch. Lee Scratch Perry’s Vision of Paradise, coproduced by Scratch Perry and Schaner, offers a broader understanding of the depths of Scratch’s esoteric psyche. Ultimately, this documentary is a fun and mystical exploration into Scratch Perry’s “Vision of Paradise.”
Volker Schaner was born in Augsburg, Germany. At the age of 19, he began to work as the assistant to the director Peter Fleischmann for the science-fiction movie “Hard to Be a God”, followed by several documentaries. After finishing university studies in history, literature and linguistics he founded his own production and post-production studio in Berlin – working on animations, documentaries, short films, and commercials. He was the German coproducer of “Hajnal Nemeth – Crash/Passive Interview,” the official Hungarian art installation and contribution to Venice Biennale 2011. Schaner’s first documentary was “Praha” (2003), and he is presently working on a documentary, Resurrection in Aksum, about the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as a unique form of a Judeo-Christian church.
Earlier this month, Arpa International Film Festival nominated Schaner’s film for a Best Documentary Film category award. Sharon Swainson, Arpa Film Festival writer, asked Schaner six questions regarding his documentary. Schaner’s candid answers are below.
Why did you choose to make your film?
SCHANER: I think the film chose me. Since I can remember, I always wanted to do this movie. Even if I wanted to escape it, I could not escape him.
Name a moment during shooting that made you proud.
SCHANER: When we did the interview with Lee Perry at the beach. From all the thousands of interviews that he gave over the decades, I feel that this is one of the most honest. We felt it when shooting it.
Was there a moment that became a creative breakthrough while making your film?
SCHANER: There were certainly more than one. One big breakthrough was when I understood the story Lee Perry was representing. The other big one was when I felt that the animation scenes were working together with the documentary scenes. The animation changed the movie totally.
During the creative process, was there a moment when you let go of certainties and just ran with it, allowing creativity to do its thing?
SCHANER: Well if you work with Lee Perry, it is a must to let go of your own certainties and just slip away and be on a trip with him. It’s pure creativity, that is fun and priceless. Of course you have to trust yourself far enough to be able to do that, or just know that you will come back to yourself again afterwards. Then it is easy. Just allow yourself to fly with him every time you meet.
Since an artist is truly never finished, is there anything that you would like to do differently or add to your film?
SCHANER: Oh, I think this movie is completed after 15 years. But there could be easily one or two follow ups with Lee. There is so much to tell, it cannot fit into one movie. So, we want to do an animation series now.
What does it mean to you to have your film selected by the Arpa International Film Festival?
SCHANER: It is of course a great, great honor! And a pity I can’t be there! Our movie is being screened at the Egyptian Theatre, What a miracle! We are coming, Hollywood!
Written by Sharon Swainson
Communications & Content Development
2015 Arpa International Film Festival