Traveling across one of the world’s most artistically vibrant cities this summer, UW-Stout Master of Fine Arts in design student Ben Mohr filmed a documentary to capture the climate and culture of the London underground music scene. “Making It” is an exposé that uncovers what it means to be a London musician and how they define success.
“London seemed like the perfect setting. Almost any type of music imaginable can be heard there. Being so diverse, we’d be able to gather a host of perspectives and hopefully create a universal artistic statement about the matter,” Mohr said.
Mohr developed the idea for “Making It” with his friend and fellow musician Sean Sevant. With a crew of friends, the team filmed everything from punk to rap, math folk, Afrobeat, rock and roll, and more.
“To be a musician today takes a lot of hard work and passion. Nobody does it to get rich. In the end, it’s all about making art, bringing people together as a community and doing what one loves.
“While the exact definition of success was different for every musician we interviewed, the trend tended to be that the musicians viewed true success as being able to continue making their art. This ultimately is what it is all about,” Mohr said.
The making of ‘Making It’
While earning his bachelor’s in art education at UW-Stout, Mohr studied abroad at University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, United Kingdom, 20 miles north of London. As a musician, he met many music-oriented people at Hertfordshire, including Sevant.
With advanced planning for their film, they leveraged Sevant’s network of musicians for interviews and permission to film at shows, partnered with organizers, and held their own gig for filming. The team interviewed 12 musicians and filmed more than 20 bands and solo musicians, attended performances and open jams, and captured B-roll around the city.
“None of this could have been achieved without the efforts of all parties involved,” said Mohr, who served as director and camera operator. His fiancée, Delilah Schuster, recorded audio, while Sevant helped produce and run interviews. Mohr’s friend Declan Coker also helped organize gigs and contacts.
The team was based on the east side of London, with most of the gigs and nearly all of their interviews in the middle of the city or on the west side. Their locations included The Jago, a live music venue that hosts Tao Sol, an all-inclusive open jam where musicians gather to connect and play, and Ram Jam Records, which hosts open mics and artist performances.
“Not being from London, I had no appreciation for how truly massive the city is until after we started filming. Each day was a regular routine of getting up, riding a train for about 60-90 minutes to the general location of our shoot and then hiking to the location with a suitcase full of camera supplies,” Mohr said.
With air conditioning rare in many English buildings, especially the places where musicians hang out, they often worked in 90-degree heat. They usually held interviews during the day and filmed gigs at night, before returning home by train or bus and not arriving until after midnight. Before going to bed, Mohr offloaded footage from the day to have adequate storage for the next day’s filming.
“Despite all of this, we had the pleasure of listening to the music of some of the best bands ever and watching artists do their thing. Truly, I would not trade this entire experience for anything,” Mohr said.
“Ben’s thoughtfulness and natural curiosity exemplify the strengths of our M.F.A. in design program. His focus area in video production has allowed him to flex his broad, multidisciplinary skills in ways that continue to surprise me,” Professor Erik Evensen said.
With more than 20 hours of footage to edit, Mohr plans to complete the hour-long “Making It” in November and will disseminate it in several ways, starting with providing a copy to the University Library Archives. He also plans to create a 15-minute short film to submit to national and international film festivals and organize screenings both on campus and in the Twin Cities.
“I’d like to thank Professor Jonny Wheeler and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Stout for helping me with the grant that allowed me to create this film; Delilah, Sean, and Declan, who were instrumental in helping this project come to life; and all of the musicians who made ‘Making It’ possible,” Mohr said.
Mohr graduated with his degree in art education in 2021 and worked as a K-12 art teacher for a couple of years before returning to UW-Stout to pursue his M.F.A. in design. “I felt this would afford me better career opportunities. Having received my bachelor’s degree from Stout, I was already familiar with the rigor of its School of Art and Design. I felt like there was more I could learn there,” he said.
While a lifelong lover of cinema, Mohr’s move to filmmaking was a recent one. When researching graduate programs, he discovered that UW-Stout offers video production courses and decided to pursue a concentration in filmmaking for his master’s degree.
“It attracted me because it combines many of my interests, including writing, visual media and music. It didn’t take long before I fell in love,” added Mohr, who is now a teaching specialist in the School of Art and Design.
The M.F.A. in design is part of UW-Stout’s School of Art and Design, the largest public art school in Wisconsin. Accredited by the National Association for Schools of Art and Design, SOAD offers bachelor’s degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production.
