Constraints

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Constraints is the story of a former nude model whose portrait is used to explore notions of exploitation vs. empowerment. While visualizing the tenuous line between “art” and “pornography,” the film extrapolates the details of the model’s former lifestyle: why it started, what happened at shoots, and why it ultimately wasn’t for her. Through aesthetic mystery and underlying tension, the documentary illuminates certain paradoxes of representation — the difference between intent and viewership. Told through the words of a former model, this tale of personal regret is made even more urgent because “what goes on the Internet, stays there forever.”

Film Details

Director: Eric P. Gulliver

Writer: Eric P. Gulliver

Year of Release: 2013

Running Time: 10

New England Connection: Producer/Editor Eric P. Gulliver was born in Fitchburg, MA and raised in Pepperell, MA. He attended school at Emerson College in Boston, MA.
Constraints was shot and edited in Cambridge, MA.

Director(s) Bio:: Eric P. Gulliver is a Boston-based editor and cinematographer. He has worked in post-production since 2008 with experience in agency boutiques, broadcast television, and feature documentaries. His work has been shown locally as well as globally.
For six years, Eric has served as filmmaker John Gianvito’s editorial assistant on two documentary features and one short -- the most recent of which (FAR FROM AFGHANISTAN, 2012) he co-edited and co-shot. (The film had its world premier at The Locarno Film Festival 2012, North American premier at TIFF 2012, and will have its American premier at MoMA in February 2013). During such time, Eric earned assistant editor credits on numerous broadcast television series such as NOVA’s Making Stuff, American Experience’s God In America, and over 30 hours of programming for FRONTLINE where he currently works as an Assistant Online Editor at WGBH. Since 2007, Eric has gained production credits at WGBH, Nesson Media, EarthHart Productions, Accomplice LLC, and Hill Holliday.
Eric completed work on his own documentary efforts that include one feature length and three shorts. He co-produced and shot Beth Balaban’s feature length Peace and the Quiet in 2011 that explored themes of activism amidst the backdrop of a peace retreat in Sherborn, MA. He produced, photographed, and edited his own short films from 2010-present. The first, entitled The Light Can Tell Us When We Are Done was shown locally and took 2nd place at the 2012 Glovebox Short Film & Animation Film Festival. The Light explores notions of creativity in regards to installation art and musical accompaniment. Eric also produced the short documentary entitled FLYING, which is a portrait of a trapeze artist Courtney Patricia in Reading, MA. This short was shown on opening night of The DocYard screening series in Winter of 2013. His most recent short entitled Constraints, is an exploration of empowerment vs. exploitation in nude photography told through the hidden portrait of a former model. These past two short films were made for The Non-Fiction Cartel’s short film series.
In 2012, Eric co-started The Non-Fiction Cartel, a working collaborative whose purpose is to support, create and enhance short form, documentary media making in the New England area, where he serves as a board member. The Cartel meets once a month and produces one short film every three months with eight active members. The Cartel’s work was featured in the season opening of The DocYard screening series at The Brattle Theater in winter of 2013.

Camera Used: Canon 5DmarkII

Editing software: Final Cut Pro 7

Financed by: Self-financed