keith picot
Above: Silver Screen Soundrels photo by Christian Koontz. Below: Silver Screen Scoundrels comic cover His last release being the twenty-one minute long silent Christmas film entitled Frank Georges And The Truth. His own comedic and touching reimagining of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Picot marvels at how modern digital technology has allowed artists like himself to do photo shoots, record demos and produce performance videos for promotional purposes. "It was never affordable to the little guy until now, which changes everything in every way." For me, the irony of an old timey musician immersing himself in computer applications so that he can make silent films that mimic the earliest days of the filmmaking era can’t help but make me smile. Yet Picot admits that even though he loves making films he has never enjoyed the learning process and the sedentary attentiveness that the digital editing process requires. But, in my opinion what really makes his films pop with authenticity is his attention to detail when it comes to location, costumes and props. And his hilarious performances shine because the whole design of the films feels totally authentic. Last May at the Silver Screen Scoundrels gig at the Dominion Tavern in Toronto I recall how enthusiastic Picot was to show me photos of the many life size props he was building for future film productions, including a vintage telephone operator switchboard and a World War I fighter plane. Motivated by the death of his mother a couple of years back, her passing inspired Picot "to throw two hundred percent into everything because I feel that all the effort she put into raising
us is all for not if you throw it away in grief. I felt that the only real tribute to her memory is to live the shit out of life." His mustache wax seems to be coming along just fine as Picot marvel’s at it’s consistency and fills me in on his design plans for the wooden display cases he plans to build for his new product. But with Picot it just keeps coming. Without missing a beat he then announces that he’s just completed a twenty eight page Silver Screen Scoundrels comic book called "I Want My Mummy." A collaboration with fellow upright player and artist Sam Shoichet "about our wacky adventures on our way to play a gig in Egypt." He also explains that bad communication and greed is death to creative collaborations. His conscience won’t allow him to cut costs just to increase profit. He admits it was hard to manage the production of a twenty-eight page comic book, and that he chose to go with a more expensive Canadian printer than to resort to the current industry standard and farm out the work to China. Still he’s proud that he can still produce his comic the way that feels right for him and offer it up for the same price as the big boys like Marvel and DC. I admit that it’s truly a positive achievement. Picot’s excited because he receives the first completed comic from Shoichet the next morning and he’s so inspired by the experience that he’s already planning to make comic book versions of some of his other film productions so that he can market the comic and the DVD of the corresponding film as a package. Even though he’s been infected by the filmmaking bug Picot admits that he’s still figuring out how to make money from his work. Nevertheless it’s obvious that this is how the man embraces life. Regardless of the monetary rewards he is happy and very inspired. Inspiration that seems to know no bounds. On his website, keithpicot.com, where you can view all of his silent films, we’re also informed that Picot is slowly renovating his home, Hek’s Half Acre Studio, to resemble that of an 1890’s brothel. Obviously with his wife’s blessing. But it get’s even weirder and more hilarious. By the end of our conversation Picot has informed me that he has a feature length screenplay completed for a fake Dutch documentary about a silent film studio in Amsterdam called Hek’s Half Acre Studio and the life of studio’s star Lucky Douglas. Picot giggles mischievously as he tells me "the film will be completely in Dutch and there will be no English subtitles. If anyone in the film is speaking English their voice will be superseded by a Dutch voiceover." It’s a bizarre concept. One that Picot has already invested three years researching. He believes that could very well convince people the whole story is true because "who would go to all that trouble to fake something like that?!" A true romantic driven by the urge to create Picot declares to me that "I’m letting art govern my decisions more now than what used to take priority in my life." "Unlike my on screen alter ego Lucky Douglas, who never wins. My life is all about winning. I do what I love for a living, and if you can do that and make a bit of money while you’re at it, then you win at this stupid game called life." Picot declares that he thinks "Mousier Picot’s Mustache Wax is going to be a big hit!" So, filled with Keith Picot’s infectious enthusiasm for life and art, I leave the mad slapstick to his infinite list of creative pursuits.
BC Musician Magazine | Ultimate Summer Festival Guide 2014 77