Interview with Filmmaker Vasco Diogo (WALKSCAPE)

WALKSCAPE played to rave reviews at the January 2020 Experimental FEEDBACK Film Festival in January 2020.

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

What motivated me the most to make this film was getting to know the music of WELCOME TO SILKEBORG, by Tiago Varela (electric piano) and Monsieur Trinité (several objects), which are both good friends. The track which I use for the film was the inspiration to make something in-between a music video, a documentary and an experimental film, always thinking about the relations between the music (which is improvised) and the image.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this short?

It took me about one month to make this short. But I must say that the shooting process was a bit hard, as I filmed always in movement and walking in the city of Lisbon with time-lapse techniques. So a continuous walk of more or less 40 minutes would result in 20 seconds of non-edited film.

3. How would you describe your short film in two words!?

Musical and Pictorial.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Physical focus and accuracy while filming very long takes, always walking.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

As I usually don´t get so much feedback from the audience it was great, specially when the people talking were getting really close to the conceptual main ideas of the film and getting to identify with the experience of walking in the city of Lisbon as a kind of poetic canvas in permanent transformation.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

6. How did you come up with the idea for this short film?

By listening to the music first and experimenting manipulating time-lapse techniques in a non-conventional way. Also by reading about the concept of “walkscape” (walking as an artistic experience) that gives the title to the film.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

“Smoking” by Alain Resnais, because I’ve shown it many times to my cinema students at University of Beira Interior.

8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway, what are you feelings of the submission platform from a filmmaker’s perspective?

FilmFreeway is for me the best ever cinema submission platform and it has helped me a lot in my cinema career. I used to send VHS tapes to film festivals, now everything is much easier, simple and faster.

9. What song have you listened to the most times in your life?

“Suzanne” by Leonard Cohen (yes, I also like to sing!).

10. What is next for you? A new film?

I’ve several projects in my mind, one of them will be about some literary texts (never published before) that my brother wrote.