Directed by Denison grads, 'Poser' highlights Columbus underground music scene
By all outward appearances, Denison University in Granville might not seem like a hotbed of cinematic activity, but don’t tell that to the filmmakers responsible for the new movie “Poser.”
Co-directors Noah Dixon and Ori Segev are graduates of Denison University, where they worked on short films and met numerous future filmmaking collaborators.
“It’s just a great small film department,” said Dixon, a 30-year-old native of Springfield. “You got to shoot on film and edit on film. It kind of felt like a family because it’s such a small department.”
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Members of that family stayed intact for “Poser,” a Columbus-shot feature-length drama focusing on Lennon Gates (played by Sylvie Mix), an outsider to the area underground music scene who wishes to become an insider. Among numerous area musicians in the cast, Bobbi Kitten co-stars.
The film, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival last summer, is set to make its Greater Columbus premiere Thursday at the Gateway Film Center. Dixon and Segev will be present for Q&A's at evening screenings throughout the weekend.
Segev, also 30, credits Denison with putting him in contact with what became long-term collaborators. (“Poser” producers Drew Johnson and Brett Reiter are also graduates of the university, as is cinematographer Logan Floyd, among others.)
“Because we were working on each other’s films (at Denison) so much, that really prepared us for working together on this,” said Segev, a native of Boston, Massachusetts.
Dixon and Segev move to Columbus
Following graduation, Dixon and Segev set up a production house in Columbus, Loose Films. There, the team gained experience by making commercials, music videos and other projects. The seeds of “Poser” were also being planted.
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“As soon as we moved to Columbus, we immersed ourselves in the arts and music scene here, and met so many talented musicians and (saw) so many unique venues,” said Dixon, who wrote the script for “Poser.” “We thought, “Why don’t we make a film based on the Columbus music scene, and cast a lot of the musicians in the film playing versions of themselves?’”
“Poser,” which was filmed in October 2019 on a budget of approximately $100,000, used crew members the team had gotten to know through Loose Films.
“Between everyone, I think only a few — like two people — had actually worked on a feature (film) before,” Segev said. “We had a really green crew, but it just allowed everyone to come to the table and really take ownership of their role.”
Film shot at familiar venues in Columbus
Anyone who calls Columbus home is likely to be familiar with many locations viewed on-screen.
“We shot at Used Kids Records,” Segev said. “We shot at Cafe Bourbon Street for a couple of scenes. We shot at Comune, which is a great restaurant, and then various streets. You know you’ve driven by these places.”
As the pair have traveled around the country with “Poser,” many viewers have remarked on the way the film captures Columbus.
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“Everywhere we go, the audiences seem to really get excited about Columbus: ‘Oh, we didn’t know that it looked so cool,’ or, ‘Oh, we didn’t know that you had such talented musicians and artists there,’” Dixon said.
Segev and Dixon, who both still live in Columbus, are currently working on a new project. It may — or may not — be made in the capital city, but one thing is sure: “Poser” confirms the arrival of two new talents who never would have met had it not been for Denison.
“We’ve been working on the next script for a while now,” Dixon said, “and we’re just really excited to jump back in and do it again.”
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At a glance
The movie “Poser” will open Thursday at the Gateway Film Center, 1550 N. High St.. Showtimes continue daily through June 9. Co-directors Noah Dixon and Ori Segev will participate in Q&A’s at 8 p.m. screenings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at the 3:20 p.m. screening on Sunday. The 8 p.m. Thursday screening will be preceded by an opening-night party at 6:30 p.m. in the film center’s festival lounge.