After a little bout of email tag, the very talented filmmaker Elise Kermani was nice enough to let me probe her brain as to what it takes to be a successful independent filmmaker. Elise completed her film Jocasta and it is a stunning example of how original and diverse independent film making can, and should be. Through grassroots, 'shot-gun' film making, Elise took Euripides' infamous play about family awkwardness and retold it in her own interpretation of the Oedipal complex. Elise knows what she's doing when it comes to truly fulfilling art, so let her explain her various theories and methods in this candid interview that the internet has provided us with. And, with this being the New Roots Project, take note of the film/theatre interplay that she touches on frequently (eat that synergy!). So, heed the call...

 

Q: Explain Jocasta and how it differs from some of your other projects.

Jocasta was inspired by the magnificent architecture of the Great Stone Barn which is a Shaker ruin in upstate New York. We originally wanted to do a performance there, but because the barn was structurally unsafe we decided to film the performance instead of having a live audience there. The idea to perform a Greek play by Euripides came after we found the barn. When we found out in 2006 that they were going to start reconstruction on the barn, we had just three months to get our crew together and film it. So it was a ‘shot-gun’ project: no funding, and not a whole lot of time for preproduction planning.

It differs from my other projects in that Jocasta exists mainly as a ‘concrete’ art product, whereas the other projects I’ve created have been fluid and performance based, meaning that they would be continually evolving from performance to performance and were never completely ‘set’. It’s exciting to think that Jocasta doesn’t need me and can exist after I’m dead!

Q: What aspects of theatre translate so well on film?

In Jocasta, the cinematographer was able to go into small places where no audience could get to. In film you can set specific angles, and you can be more specific in setting the tone and the rhythm of the performance. In live performance the audience member uses his eyes to shift from one place on stage to the other, in film the editor makes those decisions for the audience. Being able to see minute facial expressions and design detail is a theatrical dream. In fact, in my past performance pieces I used live camera feed on stage in order to get extreme close-ups, for instance of my feet walking on marbles in “Private Eye/Public Hand” (performed at PS122 in 1995), or of a woman putting on lipstick in “ANNE” performed at the Experimental Intermedia in 1996.

Q: How can film help enhance a theatrical production?

In film there is freedom to use diverse images which can deeply impress a theme into the subconscious of the viewer-this is helpful in creating a structure for the film. One can quickly jump to different times of day and to different locations-in live theatre this is much more difficult. Although I still love live theater, making a film is in some ways more feasible for me than putting on a live theatrical production. Performing night after night is exhausting, but in film the actors perform only once: for the camera. Their work is then immortalized for audiences to see multiple times.

Q: As an experienced sound designer, how much do you rely on music/audio for establishing themes and tones in your work?

For Jocasta I was doing the sound design at the same time as the video editing-they interacted with each other. Sometimes the music would influence the cuts, and then the music would then in turn need to be edited to fit the new visuals. It goes back and forth like this for me very quickly during the edit, it would almost be impossible to do this technique with two people-it is a one person job.

Q: How do you work with actors when translating a play to film?

Both actors, Marty New, who played Jocasta, and Michael Potts, who played Oedipus, understand how to act for film without much interference from the director or DP. They went to acting school together at Yale, and have played several classical roles with each other for many years; they know each other so well that the level of trust and creative play was instantaneous and collaborative. I asked Alan McIntyre Smith (DP), to move around them as they performed their lines without interruption, as if they were on stage. Alan then choreographed his shots around these performances. For instance, Marty and Michael performed the whole scene for the close up shots, and the whole scene for wide shots-we did not break up the lines. I wanted to get a sense of the flow of one performance.

Q: From personal experience, what are some of the bigger challenges facing up-and-coming filmmakers? Are there any myths about distribution and/or production that should be dispelled?

The main problem with being an artist today is maintaining a balance between making your art and making a living to pay for your art. If you can figure that out, whether that means you have to become a rich lawyer, or you acquire a unique skill that pays well and is needed in your field, you are ½ way there to ‘making’ it.

There are too many people who think they can make a living from their art. I think this is creative suicide. The reality is that you have to figure out the money question first, the “how are you going to pay your rent” question. Once you are secure with an answer to that question, then you can go to the 2nd issue of making your film. Then the issue is how are you going to pay for your film. It is sad, but it does all come down to the simple fact of having enough ‘money’ to make films. I think some younger filmmakers make dangerous decisions that are unrealistic –that is, they think that one of their films is going to be an instant success and they will get rich and be able to quit their day jobs. But, if you have the attitude that you might have to work your day job forever, then you won’t be disappointed. Pick a day job that pays well, and one that is tolerable for the long term! Making films is expensive, even if you get distribution, and even if you got famous from one of your films. You still have to figure out the money and then you have to figure out how to keep your creative juices flowing in the media-hollywood rat race.

Q: With the folding of festivals such as the New York Underground Film Festival and the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival in the last year, do you feel that experimental film and video are able to have adequate venues to be presented in?

It does seem that there is a plethora of opportunities for experimental film these days-and it’s the same for experimental music, dance and theater. I think that audiences are willing to take chances on seeing and hearing something unusual. In fact, it seems that younger people actually gravitate toward the diverse, the unique, and not just with ‘going with the crowd’. Young people want to think for themselves. That’s great! And, if a festival doesn’t exist for your type of film or music—you can start your own festival. It is very easy to make a global network for your work these days with the internet.

Q: Do you see experimental theatrical film becoming more interactive in the future? That is to say, incorporating both elements into a more live, community setting? Any personal preferences as to where you would like to see it progress to?

Your questions are very insightful! Our next project will be a hybrid theater/film piece that will waver back and forth between the live theater experience and film. And Jocasta will be presented in the fall in context of a live performance with 4 trombonists and 2 dancers. So, yes, for me this interactivity is very important, as well as the need for creating a personal ‘community’ for our work. The other thing that is important to me is the sense that our work is truly collaborative—it was not made by any one ‘ego’ but rather by a group of like-minded people working together for something bigger than themselves or their individual art.

Q: Where and how can Jocasta be seen these days? Explain the internet competition.

From May 5 until June 30 Jocasta can be seen at www.independentfeatures.com which is the web site for the ‘Independent Features Festival’. After watching you can vote for it and the top 21 films will be screened in July at the Tribeca Theater in New York. We also have video clips on YouTube and we are listed on iMDB.com. But our main premiere event for New York will be on September 24th, 2008 at the NewFilmmakers Summer Festival held at the Anthology: www.newfilmmakers.com. We are the last feature film of their summer season, and we are going to create a live performance extravaganza to celebrate!

Q: What are you working on right now?

We are writing a script for a new opera that will involve a hybrid technology between film and live performance. We’ve applied for a few grants and residencies and are now waiting to hear back from them. If we don’t get the funding we’ll go forward with the project, but on a much smaller scale. Hopefully we will get adequate funding to be able to offer decent pay for all the artists involved and to explore new ground in bringing theater to film. It is interesting that Lincoln Center has begun to bring Opera to national movie theaters - we are doing something similar. We hope by filming live performances we will be able to bring our work to larger audiences, hopefully eventually to TV audiences. With the exception of a few well written shows, television has sunk to a cultural low, perhaps we can get in on the upswing and help bring homegrown theater to all American living rooms! Now, that’s a dream.

 

Trailers and further information on the film and the woman herself can be found on Elise's website, www.elisekermani.com.

Thanks Elise!