MAKING THE DOCUMENTARY FILM “BLEEDING AUDIO” WITH DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER

We had a chance to chat with Director Chelsea Christer and Producer Erin Persley about the making of their documentary film “Bleeding Audio“. The film will screen tonight at 5:30 PM/PT. Get tickets at https://dwfla.com/2020/movies/bleeding-audio/

You can also celebrate with the film makes on Facebook at 7:30 PM/PT by joining the webinar HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82323036234

It will live stream to Facebook-PLEASE KNOW–they will not see your comments or questions on Facebook. You can only post questions if you join the webinar itself. 7:30 PM PST – Film Crew & The Matches Q&A [IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE YET, BEWARE OF SPOILERS] 8:00 PM PST – Livestream Music Showcase featuring SEAN HUBER, TOM HIGGENSON, and THE MATCHES

About The Film: Told through the eyes of quirky, charming, and humble bandmates: Shawn, Jon, Matt, and Justin, Bleeding Audio is an intimate portrait detailing The Matches’ promising career, defeating break up, and inspiring reunion, as they reflect on what success truly means for musicians in today’s digital industry.

The Matches’ story overlaps with the drastic changes the music industry has undergone in the past several years. From declining record sales, to excessive touring, to illegal downloading and streaming. This documentary uses The Matches history and recent reunion to dig deeper into the root of the challenges the average musician faces in the digital age of the industry, and how artists can navigate their careers today.

Bleeding Audio features interviews from The Matches, their family, and music industry friends; including Nick Hexum of 311, Mark Hoppus of Blink 182, Cassadee Pope from The Voice, Biffy Clyro, Plain White T’s, Motion City Soundtrack, Zebrahead, and more!

Originally from the wild west of Colorado, Chelsea Christer works as a filmmaker in San Francisco. She’s directed two fiction short films (We’re Just Like You, 2010, and Sierra, 2012). Both have screened at multiple festivals domestic to the US and internationally in Scotland and Australia.

Chelsea has traveled the world, producing and directing films for companies like Google, Adobe, HP, and Dolby. These productions have taken her all across the US and abroad to major cities like Tokyo, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney, and rural India. She is currently a director at the agency, Glass & Marker.

She has tirelessly worked on Bleeding Audio, her first feature, since 2014. With several new narrative scripts in development, Chelsea is passionate about creating intimate films that subvert the understanding audiences have of the mental, physical, and economic struggle musicians face in the digital era of the industry today.

Director’s Statement

The journey to tell The Matches story really began in early 2014 when they informed me of their decision to reunite. I offered to film some promotional content for them to help with the buzz, but I didn’t expect to get lost in their story. I thought I knew so much about their history, but it was so much more compelling than I had ever known. Once their reunion proved to be as special as I had predicted, The Matches were humbled and started to look back on their career with a different lens; I also started seeing this as a much bigger story than just some marketing videos. After several phone calls convincing these guys they were worthy of a feature film, they granted me permission to tell their story.

Since then it has been an endless uphill battle to get this film made. It’s hard to get a film about a little-known band funded through the usual resources that exist for indie-filmmakers. But after two Kickstarter campaigns, a whole lot of incredible Matches fans, and the support of many filmmaking peers: Bleeding Audio is finally complete and entering the world for audiences everywhere. We are so proud of the film, and even more proud of keeping the film local to the Bay Area! 90% of our crew, and all of our post production (including editorial, sound mix, post production finishing, etc) took place in the Bay Area and San Francisco.

What I love about this story is that it is universal and not necessarily unique to The Matches. Countless bands were taken out by many of these same obstacles in the digital age of the music industry, and The Matches were just one of many. What surprised me most in production was that every musician I spoke to and interviewed for the film had a very similar reflection on the state of the industry and how it’s changed. It galvanized me to shine a light on the reality of the digital era. My goal is that that through Bleeding Audio, I am able to become an advocate for artists and show how it is impacted musicians for audiences everywhere.

Erin Persley is an award-winning producer whose work aims to tell compelling personal journeys that connect disparate communities. Erin’s films include Living Inside Out, exploring prison reentry from the perspective of three women, and Empowering the Yard, which examines an HIV peer education program in an Oklahoma women’s prison. As a Producer with Actuality Media, she has worked on documentaries in Nicaragua, Nepal, Morocco, and Cambodia.

For more information: https://www.facebook.com/bleedingaudiofilm