TEMPO RUBATO
a musical short film by Josh Shelton
TEMPO RUBATO is a musical sci-fi dramedy about a couple who considers using time-travel to save their strained relationship.
DIRECTOR STATEMENT:
I made my first musical film when I was in high school. I wrote the music and lyrics, produced the recordings, and starred on screen while my brother was behind the camera. For me, musicals have always been films. I didn’t grow up going to the theater, I grew up watching movies: West Side Story, Music Man, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mary Poppins and the entire Disney Animation catalogue. When I got my degree in music composition, I always studied pieces that involved storytelling, writing papers on Mozart’s Operas and Sondheim’s plays- specifically to inform how I would make musicals as films.
I have often had to choose between being a filmmaker or musician. In my career, I chose to be a filmmaker because it combines all disciplines into one medium: writing, design, performance, technology, music and ultimately a communal experience that is both entertainment and art. But the goal has always been to bring my musicianship and filmmaking together. With Tempo Rubato, I am finally bringing my full self to a project, and I am beyond excited to share it with the world.
A time travel story in a contained setting goes back to my earliest memories watching reruns of Twilight Zone and the joy of giving audiences a high concept that is both fun to watch, emotionally engaging and intellectually intriguing. But the story of Ella and Ray is much more personal to me. This is a LOVE STORY, designed to shine a light on the work it takes to grow, build and sustain a marriage, specifically highlighting the too often unseen emotional work that women put into their partnerships and households.
My goal is for Tempo Rubato to be the first of many original musical films that reveal a new way to approach the medium and connect with audiences through cinematic human stories told in song. To better showcase my vision, please watch the 9 minute short film/proof of concept above.
If you are interested in investing or helping bring the feature film version to life, please contact me!