Bloody Nails Cinema Discusses New Short Film Showcasing Gender Fluidity
Joshua Gallina, the creative director behind Bloody Nails Cinema and A Fake Cowboy, discusses new short film “The Greatest Shame”, telling a compelling story without dialogue, and using art to explore and express identity.
What inspired the making of “The Greatest Shame”?
I think what inspired me was the aspect of trying something new with a storyline that really resonated with me! All my films are surrounded around trying new things and just having fun with it and that’s what I intend on doing each time.
On first watch, the film's dream like quality brought to mind David Lynch. Did you have the Lynchian aesthetic in mind when you went into making this film?
Not really. His films actually have substance and meaning.
Without dialogue, body language, symbolism, and lighting all stand as important storytellers in this film. Were these elements you carefully planned out beforehand or that took on meaning once the film was complete?
Yes. I can’t create dialogue so I use any other filming technique possible to get across my ideas. I do anything I can to avoid voice/text until I feel good enough to test that field. For now I am way too unfamiliar and would butcher it, so I rely on other ways to make up for it. Not that it makes it easier to understand hahah
And going off of that, how much of the actor's body language did you direct vs how much did you just allow the actor to explore?
It’s funny, all the body language is natural. Every twitch, move, shrug, and strut are all their own doing. I feel that if I focus on that, it’ll be too obvious and will take away from the story. Everyone will say “this guy can’t act” and will change the video. I prefer them to say “ this guy can’t direct”, but appreciate the natural movement of it all.
What does the film process look like for you from start to finish?
Usually starts early in the morning, and will last a day, two max. Basically, I have everything jotted down in a notebook and one by one I mark off each section of the film based on storyline and accessibility at the time. The best part is usually coming up with new scenes on the spot and adding them in as I go along. Sometime nothing comes of it, but on rare occasions it not only supports the film, but it creates a new story altogether. Quite hectic, but by the end, I feel relief and happiness like never before.
So what exactly is “The Greatest Shame”?
Anyone who actually watches my videos.
This film showcases the very relevant topic of gender fluidity, beautifully encompassing the isolation and shame many people experience when it comes to expressing themselves. Did you go into making this film with the intent of bringing this topic to light?
Of course! I feel very fluid in who I am and how I dress. I don’t promote it, but very few people know who I really am and that’s all that matters. I can’t put myself in other people’s shoes, but I can speak on my experience and how I’ve dealt with it, both literally and metaphorically.
In recent years, the art world has definitely been spearheading the gender-fluid movement by giving people an outlet to help explore what identity means to them. What role do you think art plays in helping construct gender identity and vice versa?
Art helps people do whatever they want! Simple. You can express yourself in any way, shape, or form and call it art. I think that’s the best thing about it. There isn’t a formula.
Can you explain the connection between Bloody Nails Cinema and your clothing and accessories sold under A Fake Cowboy?
AFC is just a label to make clothes for the films and sell them. I always loved the outfits in films and wanted to buy them but never knew the brand, and if I did it was WAY too pricey. This is just a fun way to make clothes and take credit for making them.
I think that's such a great idea! Film has always heavily influenced fashion and I think a lot of people can relate to watching a movie and wanting to dress like the characters on the screen, and you're making that possible with AFC! What films would you say have influenced your own individual style and aesthetic?
That’s a huge question. I think films in general are inspiring in their own ways. I don’t know when or how, but if I see something I like, even for a moment, I’ll latch onto it and morph into a character from the movie. No one director does it for me; it’s more about how I’m feeling or where I am mentally at the time.
And finally, what plans do you have in store moving forward with Bloody Nails Cinema and AFC? Where do you see these platforms going?
Honestly, I don’t see AFC progressing anymore. Like I said, I wanna focus on individual clothing and sell them that way, and I don’t know if having a separate label for that is where I’m headed. But my mind is all over the place and by tomorrow I’ll probably change my answer. For now, I just see it all being under the BNC company. As for Bloody Nails, I have an endless amount of things I want to do with it! I don’t want to give away too much (especially because 99% isn’t even sorted out in my mind), but that will be the tree that branches out my other ideas that extend past clothing and film! It’s exciting just thinking about it !