Click on the image above to view a slideshow of art and designed materials used in the films production.
All images copyright Jesiah Bell.

Click on the image above to view a slideshow of photos from filming production. All photos copyright Jesiah Bell.

DXARTS Summer Film Institute.

The summer of 2005 was amazing. I was team player on the production crew for the experimental (and first) film production course offered at the University of Washington. The goal of the course was to create a feature length film from the creative energies of the students in the course. The budget was small. Most of the equipment was donated, borrowed, or found. Our greatest assets were creativity, ingenuity, and a tireless crew.

At The Back of The North Wind is the story of a boy (Diamond) and his mythical friend who is the north wind personified as a woman. The story crosses back and forth the boundary between fantasy and reality.

My primary role was in set design. But like our story, my role crossed over many boundaries. I art directed set construction of a child's bedroom, an ice cliff, and a giant tree in the fog. I did art direction on sets including a sailboat exterior, interior of a school, exterior of a house, and turning the exterior of an office building into a school building exterior.

Beyond set design, I created original artwork and graphic design used in the film. The story's main character Diamond is a young boy who is an artist. I created several paintings and drawings to represent the boy character's artwork, including a wall mural covering the four walls of the boy's bedroom. I created a fake tattoo for another character. I produced printed posters promoting a poetry contest used in the school, an auspicious book used in the library, fliers for fishing jobs in Alaska, a funeral program, and a music cd jacket.

In addition to all the creative materials produced, I took an active role in finding props, plus supporting the camera crew, grip, gaffers, actors, and construction of other sets at any opportunity.

The journey of the process was incredible. Building sets in a studio, filming on boats in the water, making studio interiors match exterior locations a hundred miles away, and a gorgeous finish to the filming production at Ruby Beach on the far west ocean shores of Washington.

The personal journey for me was discovering that filmmaking was a natural fit for my talents. The fast pace, the creativity, innovating solutions, and creating something powerful from raw materials. And most importantly, realizing the need to depend on others for support, inspired me to be a greater support to others. Our team created a force stronger than the sum of its parts.

I will carry the value of this experience into my future endeavors.