LIGHTSWITCH : INTERVIEW WITH WRITER AND PRODUCER NATALIE KRIKOWA
Interview by Isabelle B. Price and Magali Lehane on January 25, 2010 for Univers-L.com.
Can you tell us about your career (studies, training, previous projects…) ?
I began my writing career in 2002 while attending the University of Canberra in the professional writing program. Before that, during my school years I always enjoyed English and had a passion for film and theatre. After my Professional Writing degree I did an Education Diploma so I could teach English, literature and media in high school. In 2008 I obtained my Masters in Creative Writing. Since leaving school I have worked on short films in writing, acting and producing, but Lightswitch was the first film I co-wrote and produced independently to such a scale.
How did the idea of Lightswitch come to you ?
Penny and I would always bounce ideas off of each other and we wanted to write a short film with strong female characters. We grew up loving shows like Xena, Dark Angel and Buffy and the message they provided to young girls about being strong and independent. We wanted to tell a story that was empowering and hopeful but at the same time real-to-life and heart-breaking.
Why did you choose to write that story together ?
We were friends who had similar interests and goals and we thought “why not”.
Writing with someone else, is it difficult ? How did you divide up the different tasks ? Who was doing what ?
Writing in this partnership wasn’t as difficult as other experiences I had had writing with other people. We both had the same motivations and the same expectations on where we wanted to go with the story and the message we wanted to convey. We wrote it side-by-side at a computer initially, then we work-shopped it several times with the director and director of photography so that we all got to share our opinions and work together as a team to produce the best possible film.
How long did it take to write Lightswitch ?
We wrote the first draft in a day, but then spent the next 6 months re-writing and refining the script.
Why did you choose to do write Lightswitch as a short ?
Basically it came down to money – we had none – and making films costs a lot of money. The 25 minute time-frame allowed us to tell a decent story that would also make it potentially marketable to TV networks in a ½ hour time slot. We had initially also considered it as a possible pilot episode for a television series.
Can you tell us about the shoot ? Were you on the set ? What did you do ?
I was fortunate enough to be on set for the entire shoot since we shot some of the scenes in my father’s beach house. As a producer I was the one just to ensure that everyone was fulfilling their roles effectively and I would organise the accommodation bookings, paper-work etc. The shoot went really well – we only had a few minor weather issues and on the whole a fantastic time was had by all. Seeing something I worked so hard to achieve, come to life, was just the most thrilling and overwhelming experience.
Is the movie, now it has been shot, really different from what you wrote first ?
The film is almost identical to the script aside from one scene that was cut and another two that were combined into one. A few minor dialogue changes here and there sharpened the performance and I believe that the film is stronger for having the flexibility and compromise from the writers, director and actors.
Why did you choose to write a love story between two women ?
Essentially we wrote to an audience that lacks the representation in our country. In Australia there are very few films being made about and for the gay and lesbian community. We are all passionate about telling stories that have meaning and purpose but that can transcend generations and society groups – we wanted everyone to be able see this film and connect to the story and the characters, regardless of their sexuality. I have shown this film to my family and my grandparents and they loved it too – people feel for these characters regardless of whom (or what gender) they fall in love with. Love is a universal emotion – one we can all understand.
Did you take part in the pick of the cast ? Were you there during the auditions ?
Yes I was there – along with Penny (co-writer and producer), Emma (director) and Rory (DOP). We each had our roles to play during the audition process and all took notes on what we liked about each actor. Kylie, we knew from am Australian television series here in Australia and when Lara auditioned with her their instant chemistry was too perfect – we knew we had our leading ladies right then and there.
When you think about a short, you immediately think low-budget. Most of the time you need motivated producers to win through a film shoot. How did you get the money ? Was it difficult to find ? Did you have financial supporters ?
The film received a great deal of support from both the lesbian community and local businesses. Money is always difficult to find and as it is in most fields, many people are reluctant to support new artists. We were able to get most things for free, if not cheaply including the locations, motorcycle, food and equipment. My father and grandfather built the camera rigs and the actors provided a lot of the costumes from their own wardrobe. The main expenses were of course insurance, travel and accommodation. Our motto was always “beg, borrow and if you have to, steal” – luckily we never had to resort to the latter.
What is your best memory during the writing and the shoot of Lightswitch ?
For me it was shooting the sunset scene at 5am after having had only 2 hours sleep the night before. I was not all that happy about the 4am wake-up call but seeing the sun rise over the jetty and looking around at how happy and joyous everyone was – it was definitely a moment to cherish. After we got the shots we needed, everyone just ran around and had a good laugh – it was a very relaxed and enjoyable time.
