{"id":2442559,"date":"2019-04-04T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=303117"},"modified":"2019-04-04T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T22:00:00","slug":"aspen-shortsfest-destin-cretton-from-short-films-to-short-term-12-to-the-marvel-cinematic-universe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-shortsfest-destin-cretton-from-short-films-to-short-term-12-to-the-marvel-cinematic-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen Shortsfest: Destin Cretton, from short films to \u2018Short Term 12\u2019 to the Marvel Cinematic Universe"},"content":{"rendered":"
Filmmaker Destin Cretton began his career with short films, including \u201cShort Term 12,\u201d which he adapted into his breakthrough feature.<\/strong>
Courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a school of film criticism that makes a convincing case for an intriguing theory: a movie\u2019s opening five minutes contain its entire story arc and themes.<\/p>\n

A comparable argument might be made for \u201cShort Term 12,\u201d the award-winning 2008 short that propelled Destin Cretton into the spotlight.<\/p>\n

Distilled within this 21-minute drama are many of the traits that have distinguished this filmmaker\u2019s voice in the decade since: His penchant for stories about people usually not seen on the big screen (\u201cShort Term 12,\u201d both the short and 2013 feature<\/a>, came out of Cretton\u2019s experiences working in a group home for troubled teens); his ability to elicit remarkable, emotionally resonant performances from his cast (Oscar winner Brie Larson, a lead in the feature \u201cShort Term 12,\u201d has become a frequent collaborator and friend); and the palpable undercurrent of compassion that inflects his characters, especially in the midst of their most flawed behavior or fragile moments.<\/p>\n

The filmmaker, now 40, readily credits the \u201cShort Term 12\u201d short as his biggest creative breakthrough: \u201cNot because of where it ended up. Not because it won all these awards. It was the first time that I (gave) up control over so much of the process and hand(ed) it over to the performers. I was a very meticulous, kind of scared director with a very specific, clear plan for everything. \u2018Short Term 12\u2019 was the first time I decided to go into every scene with a sense of allowing the actors to surprise me instead of putting my ideas into their heads. \u2026 It\u2019s become the way that I love doing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garnering Sundance\u2019s Grand Jury Prize in 2009, as well as top awards at Aspen, Chicago, Seattle and other festivals, \u201cShort Term 12\u201d (Cretton\u2019s senior project while at San Diego State University) quickly established him as a talent to watch. The short earned the young filmmaker a coveted Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting in 2010 and helped launch his independent feature debut, \u201cI\u2019m Not a Hipster,\u201d in 2012. With the following year came his breakout feature success, \u201cShort Term 12,\u201d screening Saturday as part of Aspen Shortsfest.<\/p>\n

It took jury honors at its SXSW Film Festival premiere and subsequently won accolades on the festival circuit including Audience Favorite at Aspen Filmfest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Cretton transitioned to a bigger stage \u2014 and budget \u2014 with \u201cThe Glass Castle,\u201d an adaptation of Jeannette Walls\u2019 bestselling memoir. The writer-director is currently editing his latest project, \u201cJust Mercy,\u201d based on another blockbuster memoir, this one by public interest lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And last month, Marvel Studios announced that Cretton will direct \u201cShang-Chi,\u201d a globally anticipated new chapter in the superhero universe featuring the franchise\u2019s first Asian lead.<\/p>\n

Deep respect for his cast and crew underscores Cretton\u2019s approach \u2014 a strategy the filmmaker laughingly calls \u201cpurposeful looseness,\u201d even in the busy, time-sensitive crucible of a studio film set.<\/p>\n

\u201c(I) do whatever I can (so) when we\u2019re in the moment, we\u2019re shooting a scene like we would with a short film,\u201d Cretton explained, \u201cthat we\u2019re not thinking about all the other pressures because typically when we\u2019re in that space, you\u2019re making the best stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some directors are known for their action panache, others for the ability to nail comedy. Through his masterfully crafted character studies, Cretton has forged an enviable reputation as an \u201cactor\u2019s director.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat (actors) respond to is me being open and vulnerable, connecting with them on a very human level,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce that happens it allows them, and us together, to feel safe to try things like we might with a short \u2014 to get rid of all those fears and pressures.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that Cretton\u2019s favorite part of the production process is being on set, where actors energize him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so magical, especially with a movie like (\u2018Just Mercy\u2019), to watch a human tap into \u2026 such a depth of empathy that they are literally inhabiting the psyche of another person,\u201d he said. \u201cTo be 3 feet away from an actor as he or she does that is really moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShort Term 12,\u201d the feature, showcases memorable early-career performances by Larson, recent Oscar winner Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever and LaKeith Stanfield (who also acted in the short). \u201cThe Glass Castle\u201d again features Larson, along with Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson as her loving but highly dysfunctional parents. Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Larson star in the upcoming \u201cJust Mercy,\u201d scheduled for release in January 2020.<\/p>\n

Shaping protagonists around people who embody resilience, humanity and the capacity to inspire \u2014 this is what attracts the storyteller in Cretton. The decision to take up a project comes from deeply personal considerations: \u201cIs this a subject that I think is important to me? Is it going to expand my mind or world view? Or does it have the potential to make me a better person through the process of making it?\u201d Cretton also considers the audience: \u201cI try to tell stories that at least have the potential to help one person feel less alone in the world. For everything that I\u2019ve made, I\u2019ve gotten emails from people who say that until they watched this movie, they thought they were the only one who went through something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

To understand where his vision comes from, the Maui native says, \u201c(It\u2019s) really important for people to know I grew up in Hawaii. In a small town surrounded by water in the middle of the Pacific that was also one of the most diverse places in our country \u2026 diversity is the norm I grew up in, and it has now become something I\u2019m really hoping to continue to spread.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he looks at the future landscape of movies, Cretton is excited by the \u201cnew generation of storytellers infiltrating not only indie filmmaking, but also the studio world \u2014 in front of and behind the camera. On film sets, but also in development offices. There seems to be more diversity beginning to happen. \u2026 I think the more that we take those steps \u2026 hopefully over time, (it will) allow us to shed some of these preconceived ideas we have of people who don\u2019t look like us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The past decade has been a transformative one filled with both personal life-defining milestones and its share of rollercoaster career moments. The remarkably sanguine Cretton leavens his outlook on his industry with a characteristically light touch: \u201cI try my best to know that this is just a giant animal that we are riding for a period of time. I try to enjoy it and learn something from the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Filmmaker Destin Cretton began his career with short films, including \u201cShort Term 12,\u201d which he adapted into his breakthrough feature.Courtesy photo There\u2019s a school of film criticism that makes a convincing case for an intriguing theory: a movie\u2019s opening five minutes contain its entire story arc and themes. A comparable argument might be made for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2442559","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-16 05:52:33","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2442559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2442559\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2442559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2442559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2442559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}