And not one person over 50!
But writer-director Taylor Guterson of Seattle suburb, Issaquah, Washington has shown how easy it is to direct meaningful movie about older adults with the release of 'Old Goats'. After last year's debut at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), the film officially opened at Seattle’s SIFF Cinema Uptown.
Guterson's formula about senior-related movies is a template for other filmmakers .
Keep the audience wide. The film needs a cross-generational appeal
The Issaquah Press quoted Carl Spence, artistic director of SIFF: “You’d expect this film to be for everyone who’s over 50, maybe closer to 60 or 70, but in many ways it’s a film for everyone,”
Keep the budget low
Guterson's 'Old Goats' was his premier film and he wanted to keep expectations in check. He knew the movie had potential, but he also needed to maintain low financial risks. He found the subject of the elderly to be personally rewarding but he was unsure about the response of a large audience.
Find actors to work free of charge
Actors Britton Crosley, Bob Burkholder and David VanderWal had worked previously with Guterson and delivered their skills for nothing, hoping for free publicity.
Offer an authentic perspective on aging
The Issaquah Press quoted Spence: "Director Taylor Guterson really found a way to shape and direct these characters into something that I think people will see themselves in and laugh with rather than laugh at.”
Avoided clichés about elderly characters pining for their lost youth
Guterson told the news source that he took a detour around the plethora of movies that present older people returning to their youth. The director said ‘Old Goats’ is about celebrating age. "You don’t have to return to youth. You can still have fun,” said Guterson.
Keep the story upbeat
Guterson says the movie stayed away from being a dark or depressing story. "It doesn’t deal with a lot of the stereotypes,” he said.
Guterson’s father is David Guterson, author of “Snow Falling on Cedars”, a 1994 bestselling novel, set in Puget Sound, Washington. The younger Guterson attended the Film Department at the University of Washington. He is from Bainbridge Island, Washington.