THE TOUCH Directed By Jane Clark

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Jane: The Touch is based on a true romance between Renee Vivien, who was a pretty well-known poet in her time (early 1900s) and Kerime, an Islamic woman married to a Turkish diplomat. Kerime had sent an admiring letter to Renee and they commenced a very passionate lettering-writing romance, which I think was really cool. I’d say that it would never happen now, except I know a few women on myspace who are having myspace romances so…

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

J: I needed an idea for the HBO Shout Out contest and I have a feature that is a period lesbian romance set in the early 1930’s, with the lead role, a woman poet and writer living in Paris. I figured I should write something compatible and if HBO gave me the money to make it I’d have something to help sell the feature. I googled lesbian women of history and was lead to Renee. After reading her poetry and then the story on Kerime, the idea just evolved. She’s an amazing writer. HBO didn’t give me the money, but I had fallen in love with the story to I found the money and made it anyway.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

J: My production team was a little bit of me, myself and I. I called me and asked if I would be interested and being me, I most certainly was. Seriously, I did produce it by myself, though my friend Cathy DeBuono, helped me with a bunch of things, like casting and spending the day with me, running the different scenes in the study so I could figure out my steadicam shots. She also shot the beautiful stills.

I also did the production design, craft service, parking, location scouting…I’m sure a ton of things more I can’t think of. I didn’t have a lot of dollars and wanted to put as much up on the screen as I could, so I just took on the roles I thought I could handle.

After that I called a DP I had worked with before. He helped put together the crew.

IE: How did you find your cast? 

J: I auditioned a ton of girls. I went out through breakdown services and backstage. A lot of the girls I auditioned though, just couldn’t pull of the combo of period, lesbian and romance. They either got the period thing down, but didn’t have the right energy sexually or they had the energy, but a clearly modern demeanor or physique that couldn’t be gotten around. As soon as I saw Traci for Renee, I knew she was it. (and if I had any doubt, Cathy was very clear on her opinion!) And I felt as strongly for Necar. But the trick was what would happen when I put them together (I always read my leads together to see if they have chemistry). And Wow! Cathy and I were both like, that’s it. These girls just rocked together. They are both friends of mine now. I liked them a lot.

IE: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

J: I started prepping early August to shoot the last week in the month, but we ended up having to push by a week because Necar has an unexpected obligation to reshoot scenes from an episode of “Lost” that she had done. I found out 5 days before, and considered just recasting, but by then we had rehearsed and I couldn’t see anyone else in the role. So I moved the entire production. We lost makeup/hair and wardrobe. The wardrobe was tough to replace so quickly only because we had limited dollars and needed period clothing, but Genelle pulled it off nicely I think.

We shot in two short 8 hour days. Editing took me about a week and a half for a rough, another two weeks to fine tune and 3 days in post sound and color.

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

J: This script came out of me really organically and easily once I found the information and the poetry. It just really felt right. I think in the end that’s why I went through the effort of finding the money regardless of HBO’s poor decision not to pick it as a winning script! Lol.

I really didin’t want to make another short. I’ve had my period romance to look for money for and another straight romantic ghost  story that I wanted to make. The last thing I wanted to do was take time out for another short. But the script was so easy and felt so right, I just couldn’t ignore it. And I was madly in love with Renee Vivien’s poetry.

My process of directing tends to be a little organic/a little jigsaw puzzle. I trust my instincts and my years as an actor myself, when dealing with the talent, my years of classical piano and painting for my framing, shots and timing.

Specifically, I put together an early shot list out of my imagination – almost like you’d put a jigsaw puzzle together, fitting the pieces. Then I always, always rehearse the actors, work through as much of the blocking as possible ahead of time and then hone the dialogue and character intentions, much like you would for a staged play. Based on the blocking we work out and what comes from the rehearsal process, I go back and adjust the shot list, with my DP, who always brings good ideas. If I have prepared enough, on the day we can just shoot.

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

J: Well, the pushing of the film was very stressful, but in many ways a blessing I think, because I still had to wallpaper the study and do a bunch of other “production design” things so the extra time came in handy. The most difficult day was really shooting in the garden. We got the location for free, but we had to be in and out in 8 hours. That means all the equipment etc. loaded in, set up and broken down and reloaded, plus shooting in 8. The period hair ended up taking longer than expected as did my DP setting the first shot. By the time we moved to a more secluded area for the second part, the sun had moved, which was a serious problem, that in the end we couldn’t do anything about. 2 ½ hours from our quitting time and just prior to getting to the heavy dialogue scenes a leaf blower went off. They were getting ready for a wedding that was loading in at 2. Jeezzz. I had to bargain for five more minutes to get my dialogue shot off and had to do it in one shot. We just kept tape running and I would readjust the frame or the acting as we went and we got most of it, though I had to do ADR on a few lines. Then like on a timer, the blower started up again. The rest of the film was shot without sound.

As soon as we got the last shot, 1/3 of my crew had to split to make the Emmy’s for work, so with a limited number of crew left we started a mammoth effort to get loaded and out on time with the owners, glaring down at us, doubting our ability to succeed.

In the end, we made it all onto the truck, with everyone pitching in lugging stuff, and drove off the lot at 2 minutes past two. Phew.

IE: Any particular moments from filming that stand out for you?

J: The end shot. Renee at her desk, camera outside the window. My DP had set the shot at an angle and I didn’t get it really, but the flower I wanted in the shot was there, so I thought, alright, it’s good. Let’s go. I think I was getting tired by then cause it was also the last shot of another difficult day, having to do with equipment that didn’t work and had to be replaced. Anyhooo. The steadicam was having trouble with the shot and we did it and did it and then finally he broke to make some adjustments. When he came back he couldn’t find the frame. My DP was directing him and the camera was moving and then I saw what I had envisioned in the first place. The flower perfectly in the center of the frame and beautiful framing the actress’s face. The DP started moving him past it and I said STOP! That’s it, let’s go. Action! And my actress welled up with tears and this one solitary tear slid down her face just at the right moment and the camera moved perfectly and it was so beautiful and moving I got tears.

Unfortunately on the video screener you can’t see the tear. It was soooo perfect. But I still think it is a powerful shot and exactly right for the end of the film.

IE: Tell us about the film’s festival experience so far?

J: Coming in on Sat.  

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

J: Meeting the other filmmakers and the Q and A after the film. I love Q and A

IE: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far?  What was your favorite question?  How was the dialogue afterwards?

J: If you are asking specifically about Frameline, ill let you know. But I did have a woman come up after the Q and A and ask me why I specifically said Kerime was Islamic. She didn’t understand why I had to define her. She was Turkish and a (in her words) recovering Islamic and she didn’t like it pointed out. I explained that the cultural and religious difference were part of the power of the statement I wanted to make, which is that love transcends those things when one follows their heart. We had a very interesting debate about that and a few other things, which I thought was a lot of fun. And then she thanked me for making the movie, asked if she could get a copy somewhere and told me she really liked it!

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

J: I respond to films more than filmmakers I guess. I think my inspiration is my years of going to film. I moved to New York when I was eighteen and had a job checking coats while I was figuring out what to do with my life, which gave me the free time during the day. I would go to movies, some two or three times, and several in a day quite often and just absorbed the good and the bad. But I do remember being struck hard by “The Outsiders.”  Weirdly, I started crying in the opening shot and through the credits. I can’t explain why, but I saw it three times and each time it happened. I think that is the first moment I realized I wanted to be in the film business in a creative capacity. Though how I wasn’t sure.

I also love “The Piano,” and “American Beauty” and “Ghost” and “The Wizard of Oz” to name a few. My all time favorite type of films are films that make you laugh and cry in the same story. That’s a tough one. And I am deeply in love with romantic drama. No one makes romantic drama anymore. Even “Atonement” wasn’t an out and out romantic drama. I intend to bring the genre back! Now I have to convince people with money to give me the chance.

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

J: I was an actor for awhile and did okay. Had a nice variety of theater jobs, leads in independent films and some TV, which paid nicely. But my goal was always film and the indie’s I did never seemed to end up as good as they started. It’s a problem with follow-through. After my last indie, which started out with an amazing script, turned out really mediocre, I was bitching with another actor friend who had had the same experience. She knew I had a feature script I had written. She suggested we try to get it made and star in it ourselves.  We hired a director to work with, but during creative meetings I found myself thinking that’s not right, that’s not the way I see it! So I began thinking maybe I’d rather direct the film than star in it.

A few things occurred after that that pulled me more into the directing and finally my husband wrote a short script and said, “here, let’s make it.” I figured if it sucked I’d know to stick with the acting, if not…

Well it didn’t suck. It was actually a very cute little film and audiences really liked it. And I LOVED directing. So my new career was born.

 IE: What is next for you? 

J: I’ve been hired to write and direct a short film for an Italian film company, which I will do in the early fall. I have a great lgbt  script I wrote based on a premise two friends brought me, called “Slate and Kelly” (www.myspace.com/slate&kelly) that I am looking for $900,000 to make in Ptown about a gay and lesbian detective who go undercover in a drag club to flush out a serial killer who’s killing all the drag queens. We have a great cast, Cathy DeBuono, Jill Bennett, Thea Gill, Calpernia Addams, and Scott Presley who is a well-known drag queen in LA. Now I just need the money! And I have a period lesbian romance called “Cynara” (www.myspace.com/cynarathefilm) written by Nicole Conn (“Claire of the Moon”) which is about $2M, which I think has enormous cross-over potential and I am DYING to make. If anyone out there thinks they might be interested in investing in film, PLEASE PLEASE contact me through either of my myspace pages.

IE: What is next for the film?

J: “The Touch” has Domestic TV distribution through HERE. And several distribution companies are interested in repping it, though I am still working out terms. At some point late fall or in the winter, I will make DVD’s available to buy. I am also hoping to see it get some TV and theatrical distribution in Europe.

Festival-wise we have a bunch of them coming up, including Philly, No. Carolina, the Montreal World Film Festival, Fresno, Tampa and Paris!

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

J: Be thorough. Plan as much as you can before you show up to shoot.

IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film? 

J: What would you like the audience to take away from the film?

IE: What is the Answer to that question?

J: I mentioned one thing earlier, about the idea of true love transcending boundaries. But I would also like to see people inspired to learn more about Renee Vivien and her work. She is such an amazing writer and mostly forgotten, which I think is a tragedy for the history of women’s contribution to literature as well as a lesbian’s contribution to history.