Little Film Fest Brings Songwriter Bernie Taupin Back into the Spotlight
By Hadleigh Bolton
Theater enthusiasts in Santa Ynez celebrated the first-ever Little Film Fest in their Little Theater this week, where they spotlighted famous faces in the arts to raise money for improvements to the theater. Bernie Taupin, best known for his work with rock legend Elton John, starred on closing night with a question and answer session.
Just a week ago, rain trickled into buckets on the floor of the Little Theater at Santa Ynez High School. The holes in the roof have needed repairing, but funding is sparse for the arts.
This week, some of film and music’s greatest stars stood under its roof to support their community.
The Little Film Fest, organized by the Santa Ynez High School Theater Group and partners, brought together actors, writers, producers, and filmmakers in an ode to the theatrical arts. All proceeds and donations go to repairs to Santa Ynez High School’s Little Theater, which lacks updated electrical systems, adequate space for props and costumes, and stable facades.
Despite its structural shortcomings, the Little Theater is used by theater groups across Santa Ynez Valley, like the Ballard School Drama Club, SOL Dance Lab, and Santa Ynez Valley Applause. It also serves as a home for parent meetings like town halls and sports banquets.
The community has a bigger vision for the Little Theater. “There [are] so many artists, so many creators, so many people that want to make beautiful things. And what they all need is a clubhouse. This should be it,” said Keith Sarloos, local business owner and Santa Ynez High School parent.
The inaugural Little Film Fest was a step toward gaining the funding needed to expand the offerings of the Little Theater. At the Little Film Fest, twenty dollars could buy entrance to a question and answer session with hot names in the film industry like writer and actor Brendan Hunt, also known as Coach Beard in the hit show “Ted Lasso.”
On closing night, the Little Film Fest honored both filmmaking and songwriting with a screening of “Rocketman,” Elton John’s musical biography film, followed by a Q&A with songwriter Bernie Taupin, a Santa Ynez local. The event was moderated by Shaun Cassidy, '70s pop singer and actor and Santa Ynez High School parent.
Taupin, a self-proclaimed lover of Americana and the cowboy lifestyle, has lived in the Santa Ynez Valley since 1994.
“He knows everyone at El Rancho [Market] by name,” Cassidy said, noting how Taupin is an active member of the community.
Although audience members’ questions were understandably focused on Taupin’s past successes, he also explained that his mindset has always been concentrated on the present.
“I always say I’m driving the bus into the future. I don’t like living in the past, I don’t like recounting the past,” Taupin said.
The same philosophy holds true for his songs. “Everything I’ve done is immediate. I never knew how to write hits. I never thought about writing hits.”
Taupin revealed that he dislikes when people ask him about the meaning behind a particular song, or what he was thinking about when he wrote it. He said that instead, he’s more interested in hearing the meaning that other people find in his work.
“People have always found new things in our songs to rework and retell time and time again. They keep getting reborn,” he said. “Songs should be like abstract art, when people go into an art gallery, and look at a picture, and they go, what does that say to you?”
Taupin was also reluctant to give advice to young songwriters, but he still pitched in a tip.
“I am the worst person to ask that question. Because I’ll tell them, never read a book about how to write songs. That’s the worst thing you can do. Be original. Find something original to say. Don’t toe the line,” he said.
Taupin also made a strong statement about artificial intelligence among popular debates and fears about its role in the music industry.
“AI has no place in the arts,” Taupin said to cheers in the Little Theater. “AI does not have a soul, and you have to have a soul to write a song.”
The soulfulness of the arts is exactly what the Little Film Fest aimed to capture. Harmony Miller, Santa Ynez High School Theater Group student and Little Film Fest volunteer, said that her favorite part of theater is the people she’s met in the program.
“I think there’s a great community in it. Everyone here is so amazing, and there are so many people that can do great things,” Miller said.
Miller shared her hopes for what the Little Film Fest could bring to the high school’s theater group. “Hopefully [the festival brings] more popularity, so it’s more of a well-known thing,” Miller said.
