LIGHTSWITCH : INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR EMMA KELTIE
Interview by Isabelle B. Price and Magali Lehane on January 04, 2010 for Univers-L.com.
Can you tell us about your career (studies, training, previous projects…) ?
I studied a Bachelor of Communication in Media Production and I also completed a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Cultural Studies, I have just started a PhD in Communication. I have made lots of little short films, music videos and worked on documentaries, I also teach media studies, but Lightswitch has been my biggest project to date.
How did you learn about Lightswitch’s script ? Did you ever meet Natalie and Penny before that project ?
I knew Natalie and Penny through other projects that we had all worked on before. They asked me to direct the film based on some of our other work together and showed me the script.
How was your teamwork ? Did you worked together on the set ?
The teamwork was great. We all had an amazing time together on set. We had never worked together before in the roles we were in but we had plenty of prep time and everyone knew their role and what was expected of them.
Why did you agree to direct that short ? What, in the story, won you over ?
I agreed to direct based on the script. I liked the story, I liked the possibilities of what I could do visually with it. Having worked with Natalie and Penny before I knew it would be an enjoyable experience, they were dedicated to the project in a way I have never seen before with a short film.
Did you take part in the pick of the cast? Were you there during the auditions ?
I took part the whole way, the application went to the producers but I was there for short listing. I also took part in the auditions. I knew how important it was to have the right chemistry between the actors for the parts they were playing. I also had very specific looks in mind, it was important for me to be involved the whole way. In the end we all agreed when it came to Lara and Kylie that they were exactly right for the roles.
When you think about a short, you immediately think low-budget. Most of the times you need motivated producers to win through a film shoot. How did you get the money? Was it difficult to found it? Did you had financial supports ?
Natalie and Penny had the most to do with the money. I know they went to a lot of effort to get sponsors and funding. The situation in australia is that it’s quite difficult to get support for short films. So they did alot of work to get the money we needed.
How long did it take to shoot the short ? How much time did you work on the project from the beginning, when you get the script, to the end, the release ?
The film took a total of 8 days to shoot, we did a 7 day block and then came back 3 weeks later for a reshoot of 1 scene. I think I had about 8 months before shooting to prepare. We all work and study so it was done outside of that. After shooting Rory Kelly and I spent 2 months editing the film for its release.
How did you find all these locations and natural landscapes, which are very important in the story ?
Those locations are all close to where we live so it wasn’t that hard. Natalie wrote a lot of scenes with certain places in mind and when I saw them I knew they were perfect for the film. Some of it is my house as well. The beaches we filmed at are actually a holiday spot for us. So the film was written with these locations in mind. I think in some respects the scenery around us actually inspired the story.
The frame is well-treated and brilliant in this short. Did you care a lot about that ?
I cared a lot about that. For Rory (the Cinematographer) and I, we knew how important it was for the performances to tell the story. The film is so much about what is not being said that we wanted to capture the faces of the girls. We spent a long time planning how each scene would look and transition to the next scene. For us the scene beats were about what each charcater was not saying and how they were reacting to the other so we wanted to capture that. The film is also so much about finding your own path and experiencing what the world has to offer so we wanted to capture the landscape, the beach and the motorbike are important to the story and especially Shauna’s character.
Did you work to get that chemistry between the actresses ?
Not as much as you might think. Luckily they both got along really well. The chemistry between them was quite natural. There were some scenes we worked on to find what the character was feeling and where they were coming from but the chemistry was there from the first screen test they had together.
What scene was the most difficult to shoot ? Why ?
The most difficult to shoot was the break-up scene. It was a big scene with a lot of set-ups and we were shooting outdoors which meant we had to deal with the light changing as well as passing traffic. It was also the most emotionally intense scene. So the actors and I spent a long time that day talking about the scene and preparing it. Then when it came time to shoot we only had one camera so they had to keep doing the lines and keeping each performance consistent. The second hardest scene was at the bar because they were such big scenes with so many different set-ups and lots of actors and we didn’t have very long to do it all.
What is your best memory during the shoot of Lightswitch ?
I think probably the kiss scene. We had some time off before shooting that scene and everyone had their energy back. It was almost like a reunion. Also the lights and the water all worked perfectly for the scene. The whole night was a lot of fun. The second best was the bar scene again because Jay added a whole new dimension to the cast and crew. It was also really challenging, it was a complex scene to organise and plan, and we shot it the second last day so we were all really tired. So looking back I am quite proud of how it turned out.
