BOXED IN Directed By Joy E Reed

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Joy: Boxed In is a short comedy about a technical support call from mother to daughter that veers horribly off topic.

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

J:  I had attended a meeting of the Independent Artists Collaborative (IAC) in Kingston, NY and they put forth the idea of producing a series of short films centered around cell phones.  I started thinking about what sort of phone conversation might make an interesting premise and things took off from there.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

J:  I asked around mylocal filmmaking community.  The team was mainly assembled with members of IAC and members of Upstate Independents, a very supportive organization in Albany, NY

IE: How did you find your cast? 

J:  We had the first cold reading of the script at an IAC meeting and the roles of Mom and Dad were cast on the spot; Patricia  Panarella  read exceptionally  well from the very first read through, and after hearing Burrill  Crohn’s voice as Dad, I was finished looking.  It took a bit longer to find Kate, but a visit to NYC reminded me of my friend and colleague  Kara Janeczko, who I had worked with years before at the Children’s Media Project in Poughkeepsie, NY.  Her style was just right for Kate, and I asked her to play the role.

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

J:  The whole process took about 4 months from the first conversation we had about it until we screened it for cast & crew.

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

J:  I use storyboarding a lot – I like the visualness of it and I think it helps everyone to understand at a glance.  With the actors I sometimes worked via email, since we were separated by geography, and chatted with them about backstories and family dynamics.  We got together one weekend to work out what gestures Kate had inherited from each parent.

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

J:  Really, the shoot was easy.  Everybody had done their homework and came with their game faces on—and Jeff Burns is the most awesome AD ever – he had any problem that did come up taken care of before I ever heard about it.  It was really a pleasure to be part of the team.  It was the preproduction that was killer!

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

J:  I loved every minute of it equally.

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

J:  We premiered the film at Out Takes Dallas in November of 2007 and we’ve had a pretty steady stream of festival dates ever since, screening in Seattle, WA, New York City, Connecticut.  It’s been really great.

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

J:  I always enjoy seeing as many films as possible when I attend a festival – and shorts seem to get more love at festivals than they do in the rest of the world.  I also love listening to a new audience react to Boxed In – every house is different and I learn something new every time.

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

J:  The Q&A I’ve enjoyed the most so far was at the Madison Theatre in Albany, where Boxed In ran for a week as part of a program of shorts called Indies at the Madison.  One afternoon a large group of gay women attended, and a woman I had never met raised her hand and asked, “When did you meet my mother?”  We all shared a good laugh over that.

IE: What films and filmmakers inspire you?

J:  All films inspire me, but if pressed to include a few specifics I’d say Harold and Maude,  American Movie, and I remember A Clockwork Orange really rocked my world the first time I saw it.  I love Miranda July’s work.  And Terry Gilliam!  Errol Morris – in particular, Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control leaps to mind.  The list really goes on and on.

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

J: A compulsion to tell stories visually.  I come from a rural community (in the time before internet!) and I learned about the rest of the diverse world by watching movies.  At some point I realized that film is a language all its own and I wanted to learn how to speak and speak eloquently.

 IE: What is next for you? 

J:  I’m currently in post production on 52 Men Coming Together:  the tale of Hot Nude Yoga, a feature length documentary about a group of men in New York City who find community and spiritual awareness through the practice of naked yoga.  I’m also in pre-production for a music video for the song Garbage Man by Ratboy (off their album Wading in the Balance).  Their song Falling Up is featured on Boxed In.  You can learn more on our website, www.ohmyproductions.net.

IE: What is next for the film?

J:  Boxed In will be airing on WMHT, Albany’s PBS station as part of TvFilm, which showcases Independent Films made in the Hudson Valley.  More fests, and hopefully, we’ll begin other distribution.  You can always find out what’s going on at www.myspace.com/boxedinthemovie.

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

J:  Appreciate everyone in your cast and crew.  Without them, your film would still be living in your head.

IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film?  And Why?  What is the answer?

J:  Is the film autobiographical?  The answer is no!  The story is an amalgam of many stories I’ve heard from different sources about family relationships over the years.  People often conclude that Kate’s story is my story, and I like to state for the record that my relationship with my mom is nothing at all like Kate’s is with hers.  I feel truly blessed to have the family I’ve got!

IE: Thanks so much for answering our questions!  Have a great festival!!

J:  Thank you for the opportunity to speak about the film & the great folks who made it with me.  Best of luck to you, as well.