Now making its way through the festival circuit, the directors of “A Two Hearted Tale” took time out of their busy schedules to discuss their newest short subject documentary. The tale of the iconic beer label for one of America’s most popular IPA beers and how the creation of the logo proved quite tumultuous.
Disclaimer: This film was produced independently of Bell’s Brewery. All views and opinions are those of the filmmakers.
For our readers, please introduce yourself.
RORY: Hi, I’m Rory, the co-director and producer of A Two Hearted Tale. I also did the title design and animations in the film in conjunction with the artist. So I come from an ad & branded content agency background, and this is one of my first films made without the financial backing of a brand. Which allowed us to break some of the usual format rules of doc making and have all the editorial control.
BRET: I’m Bret Miller, co-director of A Two Hearted Tale. I primarily work in narrative fiction, writing, directing, and sometimes producing low budget feature films. I’m in Atlanta, but I met Rory and the teams at Woodward Original and Reprise Post when I was in Detroit.
Can you Tell Readers about “A Two Hearted Tale”?
RORY: Most people think the film is about the well known beer, which in part it is, but really I think the film explores lessons of fatherhood and friendships, that sometimes abruptly end over business decisions. The film centers on a particular part of Michigan’s UP or upper peninsula and a now infamous beer named after a river up there. How that earned a cult following, we wanted to find out. The film also, without delving too far, examines how the craft beer industry changed what a beer label design could be – not just an repeatable monotonous monogram of the company logo but a story, tied to a place and a flavor profile. People forget Bell’s did this 40 years ago. Now every brewery has cool artist inspired labels.
BRET: The film is, at its core, about the organic nature that Bell’s Brewery came to be. I’m interested in character, I’m interested in context and setting. This documentary is a perfect chemistry of all these elements coming together to create a massive brand that can not be duplicated the same way currently. It’s a documentary that I’m very proud of.
What drew you to the story for “A Two Hearted Tale”?
RORY: I had moved to Michigan from New York and was looking for an IPA to drink locally. Someone told me I had to try Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, they described it as the one with the fish on it. I asked myself “why the hell did they put a trout on the label?” I wasn’t the only one asking this question, I read Dave Chapelle had famously asked the same question during a comedy set in Kalamazoo. So Bret and I set out to find out. Once we met Ladislav we knew we had character and probably a pretty eccentric story, one that didn’t follow the usual rules of product label design.
BRET: A Two Hearted Tale came to me after working on a mini-doc about a sound designer at Motown Records. Davis Nixon at Reprise introduced me to Rory and we hit it off. We both have a love for craft beer and the art that adorns the label, so we were thrilled to work on a film that explores that with the most recognizable IPA in America. We were both thrilled by the story that unfolded, particularly in regard to the eccentric community that helped the brewery grow!
What about the story do you think audiences will relate to?
RORY: Good question; the film harps on a simpler time, before modern tech and social media. I hope people relate to the divine process of making something tactile and how that might be a form of mediation. I think audiences, while they may not relate to the artist mentality directly, should find a new appreciation for the work that goes into some of these products we see on our shelves, things we typically don’t give much thought to at all.
BRET: I think audiences relate to the people, the characters, first and foremost. Those are the personalities that drove the beer, the label, and the brewery. From Larry Bell down to Bruce Soderstrom (the Gardner), many people came together because they believed in a cause. They believed in the art form, and I think that community aspect is something that many people recognize but are missing from current society. Maybe it’s a by product of Covid, I don’t know. But I think the story and the people involved in that story will be while being brought back to a time they recognize.
How Long did it take to make “A Two Hearted Tale”?
RORY: About 3 years, we started filming right before covid got serious and things really shut down, then picked up again when it was safe to do so. In between the editing process had begun.
BRET: Rory and I came together right before Covid hit, which obviously slowed us down. But, in some ways, it was a blessing because we really got to be patient with the narrative and what it took to get that narrative right.
Who or what inspired your love for the art of filmmaking?
RORY: This question is so hard to answer with any certainty or even succinctly. But I know my love for filmmaking, images in combination with sound, came from watching music videos in the 80’s & 90’s. Directors like Spike Jones and Michael Gondry. Also the practice of distilling a good character study teaches you far more than just filmmaking. Documentary (in contrast to scripted) tends to engulf the filmmaker, you really become part of the film and create such a rich lasting relationship with your subject matter.
BRET: Agree with Rory, hard to pin down. I’m inspired by the creators around me, that’s always been true. I love community, so growing up with the guys at American Zoetrope fostering great works really spoke to me. Directors like Jeremy Saulnier, Craig Zobel, and Joel Potrykus came at an informative time, driving me to make the films I want with the people I love.
Are you planning to turn this subject matter in to a series of short documentaries?
RORY: Yes, our plan off the back of this film is to make more films about the art of the beer label and the breweries that push these artistic boundaries.
BRET: We’d love to! Rory and I have had those talks, more than once. We’ll see.
Are You Working in any other genres or have aspirations to?
RORY: I’ve yet to delve into feature length scripted works, or work extensively with actors, so that’s a logical next progression.
BRET: Like I said, that’s my primary medium. I’m passionate about impactful stories, so I generally stay in the crime/thriller/horror genre. My docs tend to be more impactful in a positive way, while my fiction work is generally more nihilistic. Not sure what that says about me.
Who are some of the directors or writers that you look up to and who do you want to bring attention to in your field or others?
RORY: Being from New Zealand, I’m a huge fan of Taika Waititi. Idealized the Cohen Brothers & Wes Anderson but these are fairly obvious ones. In the doc world, Heidi Ewing & Rachael Grady are probably my biggest influences, the social economic work of Bret Story and anything from Roger Ross Williams. Also Lance Bangs – I could go on and on here…
BRET: I adore Anna Baumgarten and her impactful work. Travis Burgess is a writer and director with such a classic cinematic eye. Hannah Alline and her team make this awesomely unapologetic films that span genre and tone, they do an amazing job. Ariel Ellis and the Deka Brothers make incredible commercials and branded content in ways only they could. I don’t know, I could go on forever.
What are you currently working on that you can tell us about?
RORY: Trying to expand on this beer label art series; and some commercial projects with various brands.
BRET: Wrapped up an MFA, excited about some narrative projects that are currently in different stages of development. I’ll definitely share more when I can!
What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers or creators?
RORY: If you’re starting out, especially in docs, I think one of the hardest things to do is focus on stories that are attainable, and you can get access to telling, finding subjects that can trust in you, this way you’ll find an authentic connection. And choose stories you have a deep personal passion for, anything else will be a hard slog, and when momentum slows don’t be discouraged. Doc requires an incredible amount of patience and a will to pivot at any time. And lastly, set an expectation for your completion date then double it.
BRET: Echo everything Rory said. My biggest note is to always shoot when you can, always get on sets when you can. That goes hand-in-hand with taking on subjects and stories that are obtainable but, furthermore, stories that are true to the filmmaker’s voice. No sense trying to be someone else, be authentic and your work will shine!