The five-year-old brainchild of Eric Lommel and Adam Lowder, Clever Girl Productions was fortuitously conceived over dinner at a restaurant when Lommel and Lowder met to discuss separate screenplays they had each been working on, and seek some helpful feedback in the process. Soon enough, the two expressed their shared goal of starting a web series, and what began as a peer review meeting quickly became the genesis of Clever Girl Productions. Titled “Daydreaming,” the series marked Clever Girl’s first project, and it wasn’t long before the creative duo brought two new cinematic talents into the fold by way of Ariel Pacheco and Eric Gravez.
Though every member of ‘Clever Girl’ boasts a trifecta of cinematic talent — each with acting, writing and filmmaking credits under their belts — the group maintains a symbiotic balance to their dynamic, where everyone’s strengths and weaknesses complement that of their collaborators. And when asked which aspect of the filmmaking process they most enjoy or feel comfortable with, their varied responses demonstrated this artistic synergy. For Pacheco, acting has always occupied a special place in his heart, though he says he’s now ready to branch out: “I’ve always loved acting and being in front of the camera. I loved being on that side, and being representative of the people I didn’t really see as much. I love getting into the minds of people and telling stories in that way. But over the years I’ve also started to fall in love with writing and directing — and now I really want to do that more often. I would love to just be a part of creating the stories — but at the same time I’ve always been proud of being able to figure out how to be as honest as possible in front of the camera.”
He continues: “It’s almost unfair to call them strengths yet because we’re excited that there’s still so much more to learn. But I think Eric, Eric, and Adam are incredibly strong in front of the camera. These are three amazing actors who will take a text and bring it to life.” For Lowder, his partner Eric Lommel’s “knack for writing comes from being curious about people. That’s such an important quality to have as an artist, exercising curiosity about people without judgment. Roger Ebert once said that movies are empathy machines, and I really try to live by that.”
Rather than strictly delineate roles, the crew adopts a more creatively flexible work environment—lending an air of spontaneity to every project that allows each member’s input to reflect their own particular cinematic fortes, while also letting them flex new creative muscles and grow as filmmakers. Given this latitude, it isn’t surprising that the four encourage each another to utilize the collective’s resources and simultaneously pursue solo endeavors, and at any given time, Lommel, Lowder, Pacheco and Gravez can be seen working on their own personal passion projects, seeking each other’s input at a later stage of development. Yet even these bear the group’s trademark collaborative spirit; “The interesting thing about Clever Girl is that one person can be working on a project, and we figure out a way to plug the other person in someway or another,” noted Lommel. “Whatever we can do to make the project work.” As Lowder emphatically notes, “I think it’s really arrogant when directors insist that everything needs to be exactly how it was in their head. I want to really collaborate with these guys and see what they bring—I don’t just want to be on an island by myself. Plus it’s so much more fun when you’re sharing. Your ego just can’t get in the way.”
Indeed, despite their individual sensibilities and strong suits, the four agree that having experience with every aspect of the filmmaking process has made them into better artists. For Lommel, his acting training continues to be central to his growth as a director: “It showed me how to communicate my thoughts and my vision, and really connect with the person I’m directing. It seems like having some experience with acting should almost be a prerequisite for someone looking to direct.” Adding to this, Pacheco believes “The actor is so essential to what’s going on behind the camera, and having an understanding of that helps put your project on a whole new level. It isn’t enough to just have technical experience, because it ultimately comes down to whether or not you believe the person in front of the camera. We don’t view actors as props, they’re the ignition to every story.”
This unfettered versatility and creative free reign are fundamental to Clever Girl’s ethos, resulting in a harmonious mosaic of talent whose films reflect the collective’s organic, collaborative and intuitive approach. “We don’t let ourselves off the hook at all when it comes to the foundation of what a story is, which is letting a script breathe and having actors that you can trust,” notes Pacheco. “But you can only start maneuvering the script organically once you work on it meticulously. After that, you can let go and have fun—and that’s when the adventure begins.”
Lowder seemed to agree; “Sidney Lumet has said that the more prepared you are, the more freedom you have, and the more opportunity you’ll give yourselves for the happy accident. And that’s what we’re all trying to search for.”
For now, the group says they’re focused on making films that shed light on the human condition through character-driven stories that emphasize authenticity over flashiness. They believe that delivering natural, understated performances is crucial to capturing life’s honest and raw moments—as is allowing characters the chance to be flawed, fully realized human beings. This penchant for gritty realism permeates not only Clever Girl’s indie sensibilities and the subdued aesthetic of their films, but the themes they explore and characters they inhabit.
Reflecting on this, Pacheco drew on his experience playing a troubled character in “Sleeping Dogs,” a Clever Girl short film written by Lowder and co-directed by him and Lommel: “It was a really solid short script about two friends who brutally assaulted someone, and later have to face the consequences. Before shooting began, though, Adam approached me and asked that I read the script first, which I thought was weird because anytime one of us asks the other to act in a film, we’re always like ‘Fuck yeah!’ In the story, my character is accused of being a wife beater, setting in motion the violence that ensues. When I finished reading the script I was like ‘Yes, I’m going to do this!’ But then it hit me: here’s another black guy being seen as a wife beater in front of the camera. After that I understood Adam’s hesitance.”
He goes on, “When it comes to onscreen representation, I think it’s really important to talk about these things. I mean, I’ve certainly witnessed and have been subject to that kind of negative stereotyping—but with this character I didn’t really see that. Yes, he was a bad character, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, you can have bad people, and there are so many bad characters in fiction—so I felt like if this character is this kind of person, then I want to see him be this kind of person. Let him be a bad person. Whether it’s because of stereotyping or there being a lack of roles with actors of color, a lot of the time their characters don’t have the chance to be three-dimensional people, and part of having that human dimension is the ability to be a bad person. But I loved that Eric and Adam saw how important having this kind of discussion was to me—it needed to be said, and they were willing to face that truth. I’m lucky to work with people who are willing to listen and engage with uncomfortable issues without feeling like I’m trying to guilt them.” As Gravez put it, “It was a deeply meaningful and vulnerable moment.”
When asked if this has made them more mindful of representation going forward, Lowder notes “I think I’m always thinking about that, but what I really care about most of all is representing human beings. I’m so tired of people pandering to a political message or being disingenuously apologetic. It’s like, what’s the truth of your experience? What are you trying to say on a human level, rather than just on a surface level—and let’s get it out in the open. There were so many themes Ariel unearthed by being honest, themes that related to the story, to his character, to other characters and even humanity. That conversation wholly improved the quality of the film, and I’m very happy we listened.” Lommel echoed this sentiment; “That conversation added so many layers to the character that we hadn’t even considered, and we ended up changing the ending as a result.”
So how do they avoid that pandering? For Lowder, it’s a matter of “just really looking at the truth of life and following your instincts. It just so happened that the conversation we had was necessary to the film, and I think as long as you’re plugged into what’s really going on in life—in your life, in your heart—and keep asking questions, you’ll find the heartbeat of that artistic truth. And once you find what’s really true behind the human experience, you don’t have to worry about pandering, because I think the rest just takes care of itself.”
So what’s next for Clever Girl’s quartet? “Adam is actually working on a very important film on the nature of oppression that I’m excited about. I’m also writing and trying to direct projects that put more women and people of color in potent roles—similar to the work I did on “Second Hand NY”, an Asian and Latinx-led web series. But the most important thing is maintaining a character’s humanity, and that includes allowing people of color to play characters that are flawed. It’s ironic how, in trying to avoid the negative representation of minorities, what ends up happening is those characters get completely stripped of what makes them human.” For Pacheco, this kind of representation is both
infantilizing and patronizing, and though it may stem from noble intentions, it is nonetheless innately self-defeating. “The whole point is that people are fucked up, so as much as we need to see more women and people of color onscreen, it does a disservice to have characters who are only there to satisfy the need for more visibility, because that inherently prevents these characters from becoming real people. There needs to be some deeper purpose for the story or the character, otherwise it won’t ring true.”
“Spaceship,” the working title of Lowder’s film named after a Kanye West track, tells the story of a Brooklyn youth born and raised in the projects, who as a teen had to shed his nerdy image in order to survive. “He ended up getting involved with the wrong people, and one day he was asked to be a lookout without knowing why. So he just stood there confused, and moments later when he heard gunshots coming from the store, he ran home out of fear. Later that night there was a knock on the door, and this 17 year-old kid was arrested in his home. At the precinct, his lawyer informed him that he would be able to receive life without parole, as if this was a good thing! His name is Marlon Peterson, he was part of Humans of NY, and he ended up going to jail for just over 10 years. His story just really struck a chord with me, and now he talks to kids with similar backgrounds. For Marlon, it wasn’t a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, but the fact that he was denied his true nature and stopped being that nerdy kid. He said ‘don’t let your light go out because THAT’S what landed me in jail,’ and when I read that, it was kind of a revelatory moment for me. I started exploring my own personal relationship with oppression—just feeling emotionally oppressed in my life, and the things that I’ve been through. And I thought ‘Man, this is a deeply affecting issue on a human level, not just on a social level.’ So I’ve been developing this screenplay for about two years now, and I want Ariel to act in it and help me with the story once the first draft is completed in about a month. Hopefully the film’s universal theme can affect everybody who sits down and gives it a chance.”
What’s more, Lowder plans on turning the film into a multi-media project by co-writing a rap song to accompany it; “I love hip-hop, and it’s really helpful to understand that hip-hop grew out of the same situation: wanting to assert your voice in the face of oppression.” In Pacheco’s eyes, “The seamless fusion that exists between sound and image is such a powerful way to communicate these ugly struggles with empathy.”
As for Lommel and Gravez? They’re also working on a film whose subject matter hits close to home, and for the past year have been co-writing a feature length screenplay that explores the complicated dynamics within a family. Drawing on their own sibling dynamics, the two will be starring in the film as brothers who share a tenuous bond, with Gravez set to direct. For Lommel, who at a young age had to witness his father struggle with and ultimately survive cancer, this labor of love strikes a particularly personal chord: “We wanted to explore what happens when tragedy strikes a family. How does that event radiate throughout, and what effect does that have on each person? Not only do Eric and I share the same name and are both from Minnesota, but we also have similar familial experiences that strengthened our connection.”
Gravez adds, “Eric and I bonded over family, and we talked about the quirkiness of our state, its underexposed redneck mentality, and about real events that happened in our lives. For me personally, the story was birthed out of the estranged relationship I have with my brother…but that’s all I’ll say for now because I don’t want to give too much away.”
For Gravez, Lowder, Pacheco and Lommel, each new project presents an opportunity for them to further develop their artistic identities. Encouraged by the warm reception their films have already met at festivals, they will continue to show their work at more venues around the country. They also plan to submit a film to Tribeca—the quintessential celebration of New York filmmaking—and ultimately, Sundance and beyond. And though they enjoy branching out on their own, these four never forget the collaboration and chemistry at the heart of Clever Girl Productions, and will soon be teaming up once again to shoot “The Sad Eyed Lady & The Lone Man Meet,” a short film that imagines a hypothetical dinner conversation between Bob Dylan and Princess Diana.
*On Saturday 8/19, for one night only, Adam Lowder will be directing and acting in “Lone Star”, one of two acts written by James McClure that will show back to back, alongside “Laundry and Bourbon.” The event will take place at 603 Bergen Street, and is open to the public.
**You can check out Ariel Pacheco’s “Second Hand NY” series here on YouTube, as well as “Growing Down,” a web series he collaborated on for Flash Filmmaking, another NY-based production company. He plans to submit “Last Call,” his directorial debut, to film festivals.
***To see more work from Clever Girl Productions, including “Sleeping Dogs,” visit the group’s Vimeo page, and you can follow them on Twitter @clevergirlprods.
