Interview with Irene
Turner
Interview by Jenna Glatzer
Irene directed the "very independent" feature film THE GIRL'S
ROOM by Amanda Beall, starring Soleil Moon Frye and Wil Wheaton. The film
has shown at over 20 film festivals internationally, and is going strong.
Irene was the Co-Producer and Line Producer on Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss,
which was in competition at Sundance in '98 and was released by Trimark last
year. She has produced short films that have played at Sundance, British Film
Institute, on PBS and at the American Cinematheque. Before she went to the
University of Southern California for an MFA in Film Production, she spent seven
years screwing around in theatre and opera all over the United States. Her
bachelor's degree is from Stanford University, in theatre.
How did you get involved with the film industry?
I have an undergraduate degree in theatre, which was my first love. I
worked for a while in theatre as a stage manager and production manager, but I
eventually found myself being too far away from the creative aspects of the
theatre. As a way of getting out of this box, I decided to go to grad
school in film, because I felt like it combined my left and right brain
strengths in a good way.
You produced BILLY'S HOLLYWOOD SCREEN KISS.
What was that experience like?
A lucky break which I worked my ass off to make happen. Tommy O'Haver is
both a friend and an immense talent as a writer and director. The bizarre
thing has been watching Sean Hayes go from unknown to an Emmy for "Will and
Grace" in the last two years.
How did you find Amanda Beall's script, THE GIRL'S
ROOM, and what attracted you to it?
The usual way really - a friend of a friend of a friend. I had put the
word out that I was looking for scripts with strong, complex female characters,
and Amanda's literally jumped out of the pile. So many people pitched me
these high concept bad thrillers that it was a relief to find a drama with real
people making real choices that I could relate to.
Once you decided to direct and produce the film, what
were the next steps? Was there a lot of rewriting?
I optioned the script from Amanda, and she set about polishing the film from the
version I first saw to the final shooting script. I think this was helped
by the fact that she hadn't really been working on it in the recent past and had
a completely fresh eye to go back into it and tidy it up. We ended up with
a lot of minor changes, but very few major ones. The character arcs and
story are almost exactly the same. I'm biased, but I think it's really
important to have the director's input into the final polish, because I'm the
one who has to translate the printed page into a cohesive film.
How did you attach Soleil Moon Frye and Wil Wheaton
to the project?
They auditioned like everyone else and were far and away the best ones for their
respective roles. The fact that they were both child stars was an
unexpected bonus - some doors have opened up easier than it might have been
otherwise. I always caution people, however, DO NOT COMPROMISE YOUR FILM
COMPLETELY FOR THE SAKE OF A "NAME" CAST. If you look at the
history of successful independent films, very few of them had stars attached
(although many of those actors are famous now). If you can get both fame
and role appropriateness, go for it. In a weird way, the lower the budget,
the better the film has to be.
What was it like working with them?
Both were very pleasant to work with. They knew going it that it was an
independent film without the perks that go with larger productions, but they
both believed in the script and wanted to make it happen.
What measures did you take to keep the costs of this
project low?
Well, we were large enough to pay people... not brilliantly, but enough to pay
their rent, and we did work with Screen Actors Guild. A major cost saver
is wise use of locations - if you can't afford the original location, work with
the writer to find something more doable. An example in our film:
Soleil's character originally had a job in the school cafeteria slinging
hamburgers. We just didn't have the money to fill up a cafeteria line with
even limited food and find enough extras to make it look realistic (we had to
save our extras for a party scene where we really needed it to look like a
raging party). Plus it was going to be a big lighting setup - and I
thought our limited time was better spent in other places. The solution
ended up being: make it an exterior, and change it to a hot dog stand on campus.
Why are film festivals important to independent
filmmakers?
For the vast majority of independent films they are the only venue where they'll
ever get seen. (By the way, if you're a unconnected writer working outside
of major film centers, film festivals are a great way to start meeting people).
What are your hopes for this film?
That when people see it, they will be glad they spent the time on it.
What's something you wish you'd learned earlier
about the film business?
It's much more about persistence than it is about talent.
What have been the best and worst aspects of working on
this film?
Not to sound Pollyannaish, but as long as I'm working - even when I'm miserable
I'm happy. (The worst aspect is NOT WORKING :-).
How can a writer attract your attention?
I'm an indie filmmaker, so I'm relatively easy to get to. E-mail me (irene@thegirlsroom.net)
a short synopsis of a completed script, and no pitches because us independent
folks rarely have development money to take something from idea to completion
(and you should NEVER EVER write a complete script for someone on spec - you
know that don't you?).
I am looking for: character based comedies or dramas with something to say.
I am not looking for: horror, big budget action, scripts that throw in an
actual or intended rape to heighten the tension (this is SO overused and evil),
a synopsis that starts with "this would be perfect for Tom Cruise" or
one that begins "x film meets y film". Oh yeah, don't use big
font sizes or fancy html: it tends to make you look like all those multi-level
marketing spammers we all wish would go away.
Anything else you'd like to add?
In my experience, writers spend too much time worrying about how to get their
scripts to Mel Gibson and not enough making them really tight. If you
can't spell, use a checker and have several people look over your script
specifically for typos - sloppy work bugs readers. Also, know your script
format and stick to it - you will not get points for using a fancy font - people
will just immediately know you're new to this. Be aware that all my script
reader friends immediately check the page count when they get a new script to
cover. If it's over 120 pages (a two hour film) they get grouchy -
especially if it's a genre film, which MUST be lean and mean. I'm not
saying "don't write long films," but don't fall in love with your
words at the expense of the film. Show your work to two types of people
before submitting it professionally: those who love you and will be easy on your
ego and those who love you enough to be honest with you. Get some actor
friends together and read your script out loud - this should be mandatory.
My favorite quote:
Mr. Snow sniffed. "There's no great acting any more: Booth, Jefferson,
Mansfield ... all gone. Nowadays it's all advertising; actors and actresses are
put on the market like patent medicines. Isn't it the truth Elaine? ...
Advertising, advertising."
"But that isn't what makes success.... If you could do it with advertising
every producer in New York'd be a millionaire," burst in Goldweiser.
"It's the mysterious occult force that grips the crowds on the street and
makes them turn in at a particular theater that makes the receipts go up at a
particular box office, do you understand me? Advertising won't do it, good
criticism won't do it, maybe it's genius, maybe it's luck but if you can give
the public what it wants at that time and at that place you have a hit. Now
that's what Elaine gave us in this last show.... She established contact with
the audience. It might have been the greatest play in the world acted by the
greatest actors in the world and fallen a flat failure.... And I don't know how
you do it, nobody don't know how you do it.... You go to bed one night with your
house full of paper and you wake up the next morning with a howling success. The
producer can't control it any more than the weather man can control the weather.
Ain't I tellin the truth?"
-from Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos,
copyright 1925
Good luck!
Visit Irene's website at http://www.thegirlsroom.net
