Anderson Wright directs ‘While You Were Sleeping’.
Words from Anderson below.
How many nights of shooting was ‘While You Were Sleeping’ a culmination of?
Five nights!
What were you most awakened to during the making of this film?
A number of the people I interviewed expressed that they often feel invisible, unappreciated, and undervalued by society. Despite this, every single cleaner wanted it known that they take pride in their work. Each person finds meaning in their profession in a unique way.
Did the interview response influence the project direction?
The footage was captured in concert with the interviews; we allowed time for a conversation with each subject after shooting their scene. Their responses reinforced the visual approach. Our extreme wide framing was intended to underscore the fact that cleaning professionals are often unseen, working quietly in the distance, ever-present yet far from public attention.
From a filmmaking perspective, how would you say working at night is different from shooting in the day?
The obvious differences are aesthetic – specifically in regard to how you treat light – but we could talk at length about the unique tenor and energy on a set when shooting overnights. When done right, they’re awesome experiences. This project was one of those special productions. We made sure to prioritize crew safety and always kept the days well under 10 hours. I’ll always remember seeing first light emerging behind the mountains after wrapping this project.
Our extreme wide framing was intended to underscore the fact that cleaning professionals are often unseen, working quietly in the distance, ever-present yet far from public attention.
What are you reading at the moment?
Lauren Oyler’s “Fake Accounts.” Leon Neyfakh’s “The Next Next Level.”
I’m endlessly fascinated by media Twitter. In that universe, I’m reading nothing with deep focus; I’m reading everything with tangential awareness.
The Atlantic. The Intercept. Jacobin. The New Yorker. NYT. Substack. Pop culture writing from Grantland alums. Album reviews by Lindsay Zoladz. She’s my favorite music critic. Anything by Claudia Rankine. I was incredibly fortunate to take her creative writing course in college. Basketball analysis by Zach Lowe. His clarity of observation reminds me why I love the game.
- Anderson Wright
- Director
- Vesta Tuckute
- Producer
- Patrick Golan
- Director of Photography
- Matt Schaff
- Editor
- Josh Bohoskey
- Colourist
- Ballad
- Sound Design
- Ro Oeurn
- Title Design
