THE GOLDEN AGE A FILM BY JUSTIN CONNOR Starring JUSTIN CONNOR CHRISTOPHER MAY BRIAN JACOBS ELLEN GERSTEN DAVID LOVERING (The Pixies) 102 minutes Not Yet Rated by the MPAA Camera: Shot on Red and HD Cameras exhibited on DCP anthropomorphic films Los Angeles Justin Connor 323-459-1746 [email protected] TGAFILM WWW.THEGOLDENAGEFILM.COM THE GOLDEN AGE Short Synopsis Inspired by true events, THE GOLDEN AGE is a tour de force musical film about subversive pop star, Maya O’Malley (Justin Connor), who after a string of incendiary remarks in the press, gets dropped from his music label and then sets out on a spiritual pilgrimage throughout mysti- cal Northern India, to immerse himself in the vast teachings of Hindu mythology in an attempt to resolve his troubled past. Medium Synopsis Inspired by true events, THE GOLDEN AGE is a tour de force musical film about subversive pop star, Maya O’Malley (Justin Connor), who after a string of incendiary remarks in the press, gets dropped from his music label, Aspect Records in the Fall of 2012. SYNOPSIS Shifting between the present day and performances/interviews from the past, we uncover the dark story of his abusive familial history, while detailing his tumultuous journey towards spiritual redemption through friends, band mates, family members, and music critics, all set against the dreamy backdrop of his compelling, innovative songs. As Maya sets out on a spiritual pilgrimage throughout mystical Northern India, he seeks refuge in the vast teachings of Hindu mythology in an attempt to resolve his troubled past. Will Maya finally overcome the demons that have kept him trapped in a cycle of excess and fear? Long Synopsis Inspired by true events, THE GOLDEN AGE is a tour de force musical film about subversive pop star, Maya O’Malley (Justin Connor), who after a string of incendiary remarks in the press, gets dropped from his music label, Aspect Records in the Fall of 2012. The film begins with an interview of Maya in the present day, uncovering the mysterious disap- pearance of the once-famous pop star and why he retreated into seclusion during the height of his fame. Past interviews/footage of him lashing out in controversial interviews, in addition to a well hidden drug problem during his years on the rise, hint that there may be more to this story then was otherwise told at the time. Shifting between the present day and performances/interviews from the past, we uncover the dark story of his abusive relationship with his father, while detailing his tumultuous journey towards spiritual redemption through friends, band mates, family members, and music critics, all set against the dreamy backdrop of his compelling, innovative songs. Eventually he escapes to the desert for a month-long fast, in an attempt to detox from the drug addiction he’s been plagued with his entire life, while learning more about his rekindled spiritual path towards Hinduism, introduced to him by his former girlfriend, a member of the Hare Krishna community. As Maya sets out on a spiritual pilgrimage throughout mystical Northern India, he seeks refuge in the vast teachings of Hindu mythology in an attempt to resolve his troubled past. Will Maya finally overcome his demons that have kept him trapped in a cycle of excess and fear? THE GOLDEN AGE “THE GOLDEN AGE is my somewhat ambitious attempt to create a new genre of storytelling — infusing a full blown musical with a narrative rockumentary, incorporating verite-style scenes and scenarios that continually blur the line between what’s real and what’s fake. I wanted to create a sort of ‘fly on the wall’ intimacy between the audience and our musical protagonist, Maya O’Malley — allowing them to peer in on his fearless musical performances, and more importantly, allow the songs themselves to drive the narrative in a way that most musicals often shy away from. Musicals are a hard trick to pull off these days due to lip syncing and/or intricate staging — it’s easy to gather whether someone is, or better yet, is not singing the song. So it was beyond imperative that everything be live — as it was happening — no overdubs, no tricks, no green screens — what you see and hear is what you get: a kaleidoscopic, dreamy, nostalgic shift between various genres, time periods, and film stocks, in hopes that the spine of the film and protagonist’s plight could bind it all together in a unique and musically compelling way. When I began writing the script, I was watching a lot of documentaries about musicians lives and became fascinated with the many details about their past, family lives, and struggles in terms of what propelled them to make such vibrant music. I found myself wondering, what if I could create Maya O’Malley’s journey in a similar vein — could we believe he was one of these musical greats without knowing him in the pop cultural way in which we know similar musical greats from the past. Would we be able to revel and take interest in his story in the same way, while at the same time trying to satirize the many institutions that the rockumentary genre is often based on — fame, media, pop culture, and familial trauma from the past that often plagues many artists. At the end of the day, I think I secretly if not subconsciously set out to make a spiritual satire of material life through the guise of a famous musician. No easy task, but in hindsight, that was always the main collective thread that bound it all together.” — Justin Connor, Director of THE GOLDEN AGE DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT DIRECTOR’S THE GOLDEN AGE Q & A with Writer/Director Justin Connor What was your inspiration for the film? The entire idea for THE GOLDEN AGE Q & A really started to come to fruition when my mom showed me some old Super 8mm reels of me as a kid. I started to think of how I could convey how the past informs our present and write a story around the available footage I had at my disposal as inspiration. I find super 8 wonderfully evocative — there’s something undeniably nostalgic about it. It’s aesthetic has a unique power off eliciting reflection, and I wanted to exploit that as much as possible. So I started writing the script, and demoing the songs, trying to write songs that helped tell the story on their own — so that the songs helped convey wherever Maya was struggling in his narrative arc. I was watching a lot of documentaries about musicians lives and became fascinated with the many details about their past, family lives, and struggles in terms of what propelled them to make such vibrant music. I found myself wondering, what if I could create Maya O’Malley’s journey in a similar vein — could we believe he was one of these musical greats like Dylan or Lennon without knowing him in the pop cultural way in which we know similar musical greats from the past. Would we be able to revel and take interest in his story in the same way? Secretly, perhaps foolishly, The Golden Age is my somewhat ambitious attempt to create a new genre of storytelling — by continually blurring the line between what’s real and what’s fake. That was the constant goal and aim of the whole project. How did you get the film off the ground? What was the process of getting the film made? How were you able to fund the project? Well, I’m afraid to revisit how I actually made this film as it might induce a minor panic attack! (laughs) I honestly don’t know how I pulled this film off, quite frankly. It moved from a labor of love to an obsession. I was constantly working on it, devoting all of my energy to it for years. I wanted to make sure that all the creative intangibles got executed correctly, so as not to affect the end result of any of the footage. I had seen independent films that I had worked on in the past get mired with lots of drama, moving on from a critical scene when it hadn’t quite been captured in a compelling enough way, egos, etc. Most of the time it’s not even a fault of anyone involved, but the sheer realities of trying to make something compelling and professional on a shoestring budget. I tried my best to keep the ship sailing on course amidst these challenges, and motivate the cast and crew how important each scene, rhythm and moment was to the realistic, ‘fly-on-the-wall’ tone that I was trying to capture along the way. All that really matters in the end of making a film is how compelling the footage is…so I tirelessly THE GOLDEN AGE worked away on it so as to ensure that every piece of footage was the strongest it could possibly be so that it all got a fair shake in the end. Where did you shoot? I shot primarily in Los Angeles, and was granted a waiver by SAG to shoot in India for a Q & A fewdays, as that location was so integral to Maya’s storyline. I shot the scripted version of the film within 3 weeks, outside of the India shoot. What is your favorite scene in the film? So many, I can’t really pick one — but if I had to pick one, it would have to be Maya’s voiceover/ musical segment in India.