Screenwriting alumna, Jaclyn Bethany and filmmaking alumna, Irene Gomez-Emilsson have seen some wonderful success with their film Tell That To The Winter Sea. The film premiered at Curzon Soho and had a second screening with a Q&A at Genesis Cinema. Continue reading to learn about their experience transitioning from students to professional filmmakers.
Congratulations on your film and your screenings! It’s always a pleasure to see screenwriting and filmmaking alumnae come together and create a beautiful piece of art, it would be great to learn more about how you joined forces.
Jaclyn: We met at the Reykjavik Film Festival in 2015. We both had short films in the Talent Lab, and I was struck by Irene’s LFS thesis film Deserts. I thought it was really poetic and beautiful storytelling, especially for someone so young. I could tell she had a great cinematic eye. At that point I had just moved to London and was getting into writing and directing my own shorts. Irene and I never went to the LFS at the same time, she had graduated by the time I started. However, I asked Irene to shoot a short film that I was putting together. It was with that tiny short, shot over one night in London. I used it to apply to the Directing program at the American Film Institute. The rest is history.
Irene: I loved our first collaborations, working with the bare minimum and then we started building up from there. It has been a great journey as Director/DP for over 9 years now with a number of features, shorts and digital series.
What were your inspirations for the story, narrative and visual style?
Jaclyn: The story was inspired by my relationship with Greta, my co-writer - because it is an intimate tale of female friendship, and we are quite close friends. I also love stories and films that leave you with questions, are a bit ambiguous, and leave you emotional. I think our story explores a lot of complexities about women but does not tell you how to think or feel about it. We also knew we wanted an all-female cast of characters, surrounding an event, a strand of dance through storytelling - it just developed from there.
We also thought it was important to showcase a diversity of women’s ages in the film and not just have a teenage coming of age story, which you see often. Many of the directors I admire are European or more art house driven - and we looked at films such as Pawel Pawlikowski’s My Summer Love, Celine Sciamma’s Water Lillies, Portrait of A Lady on Fire and Petite Maman, Bo Widerberg's Elvira Madigan, Jane Campion and Sofia Coppola’s work, so many more! Many of the shots, especially between Jo and Scarlet were long and we let the actors live in the frame.
Irene: It happens to me sometimes, that I shoot a film, and then when I see a first cut I see a hidden influence, something that perhaps we didn’t think about but unconsciously put in the film. The first or second cut film made me think of Eric Rohmer’s films, the lush idyllic settings, characters, dialogue performance and cinematography, all reminded me of the director’s work, particularly A Tale of Springtime. I am also deeply influenced by Ingmar Bergman and Sven Nykvist’s work, the use of a vintage lens, a Cooke Zoom 20-100 helped us reference their style. Some of the scenes in the garden with the wedding dresses make me think of the exterior scenes in Cries and Whispers.
What was your favourite thing about making Tell That To The Winter Sea?
Jaclyn: One of my favourite things was working with women I have loved and admired for some time. There were many amazing women on this set.
Irene: I have to second Jaclyn on that. Although we had a tight schedule, we had such an amazing cast and crew and locations that filming felt like bliss and our days were filled with creative energy.
What was the most challenging thing about making your film?
Jaclyn: I think the typical things on an indie, because it was low budget - money, time, how fast we had to move, etc. But I felt a lot of trust and camaraderie from the team and on the set, and that made the challenges easy to get through. I definitely felt supported.
Please tell us about your experience at the film’s premiere at Curzon and the Q&A at Genesis. I imagine it being a nerve wracking but thrilling experience! Were you surprised by any questions or reactions to the film?
Jaclyn: That was so exciting! I am not sure I was surprised by any questions or reactions. I think you make the film and you never know. It’s wonderful that people are loving the film and relating to this story. Sometimes, I have gotten questions about whether the all-female cast was intentionally trying to say something, or if the dialogue about women taking control over their lives and not being answerable to men was meant to be derogatory. I’m not surprised by these questions, honestly. But hopefully sooner rather than later female filmmakers won’t be asked these questions.
Irene: I had the best time. Meeting all the cast and crew again after 2 years was so fun and exciting. I enjoyed watching the film on such a big screen at Curzon Soho, I could see the film come alive after having seen it many times on small screens. It just shows you how much the cinema is important for the authentic cinematic experience. It’s also interesting how people respond to the film, we’ve been to different screenings and different audiences pick up on specific things and perceive things from a particular perspective. I really enjoyed that.
Jaclyn, please would you be able to tell us about your journey from screenwriting student to writer/director and equally, Irene, if you could tell us about your journey from filmmaking student to cinematographer/DoP. What inspired you both to get into these areas of filmmaking? Do you both see yourself working in these roles on future projects or are there other roles you are interested in?
Jaclyn: I had worked on a lot of sets from about 2014-2015, there was a huge tax credit where I grew up in America, so big Hollywood productions were filming in Mississippi and Louisiana. I went to university for theatre and that sort of naturally segued into film. I think I am a very visual person, but also have a huge respect for text and writers, coming from a theatre background. I used to draw pictures to tell a story and have my mom write the text, even before I could write. I’ve always wanted to tell stories. So, for me, it came together quite naturally. Of course it was scary at first, but you really just have to do it. It doesn’t get easier though. But if you love what you do, it will pay off. Nowadays I am mainly directing, often writing, and sometimes acting in the right project. I think they all go together, and I have learned so much being on both sides of the camera. I am interested in all parts of filmmaking; it’s why I became a director.
Irene: After I graduated in 2014 I did some assisting jobs on small sets but also started building up a portfolio shooting short films with different collaborators and eventually a first feature with Jaclyn in 2018. It has really been about building a network and a strong relationship with different directors and producers. In 2019 I enrolled the PhD in film by practice (Exeter/LFS) which allowed me to work with an array of collaborators in Iceland -my subject being cinematography and landscape in Iceland- and hone my skills in both practical and critical terms. These 10 years since graduating have only reinforced my passion and love for film and cinematography.
How would you describe your experience at LFS, how has it impacted your career in film?
Jaclyn: When I was at the LFS, I just started making tiny film projects with Irene and other collaborators, that were really artistic and fun. I learned a lot. I am still learning. I think, like many artists, in my 20s, I had trouble finishing projects or having a concrete vision. Film school helped me see things through. Of course it is not for everyone, but I was able to take that year in London and go to AFI, which was an extremely intense program. I think being in London was one of the best years of my life so far.
Irene: I think the course provided me with a thorough understanding of the overall production pipeline, solid bases of analogue and digital cinematography, as well as a strong collaborative perspective. It also taught me to be creative in terms of budgetary restrictions and be able to deliver high quality images at any budget level. I also really enjoyed the course and the people I met there, friends and collaborators I have kept in touch or worked with over the years. I also fondly remember Alan Bernstein’s lectures in Cinema A.
What’s the most important thing you learned at LFS? What was the best thing about the MA Filmmaking and MA Screenwriting programmes?
Jaclyn: I think it put me in the middle of a great city and network, with many likeminded artists and filmmakers, who wanted to make things. I think being surrounded by that energy and putting me out of my comfort zone made me think about the kind of work I wanted to create in a different way. I really enjoyed the writing sessions, that were smaller, and my main tutor was Sophia Wellington and she was fantastic. The program really allowed me the space to finish a full screenplay and understand I could do it.
Irene: So many things, it would be hard to pinpoint one! Maybe simply how to make films, how to think in technical terms, how to link the technical to the conceptual and also as I mentioned before, a strong sense of collaboration, how to create a strong creative dialogue between the director and every head of department. I also often think of the small technical things I learnt and I use as tools and rules of thumb that bring confidence in my work.
What’s on the cards for you next? Is there anything you’re working towards or planning?
Jaclyn: We are riding the wave of the release of Tell that to the Winter Sea. I have also co-written a new script with Greta that follows three sisters in 1960s England called All Five Eyes. It looks at the role of the carer, as the youngest sister is autistic. I also started a theatre company in New Orleans, that is focused on exploring both classic and new works from a female point of view, and we are taking our show, which are two early one acts by Tennessee Williams to NYC. I am also in post-production on feature film In Transit, starring Jennifer Ehle, Francois Arnaud and Alex Sarrigeorgiou, which I directed.
Irene: I am working with Jaclyn on the upcoming feature All Five Eyes and I just wrapped a short film with first time director Maia Mackenzie, which was an absolute pleasure to shoot. In about two weeks I will be going into production on another short with director Holly Joy starring Downton Abbey’s Phyllis Logan. Finally, a short film I co-produced and shot for the PhD, directed by Icelandic director Katla Sólnes is premiering at Short Shorts in Tokyo this month.
What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters?
Jaclyn: I think just follow your heart. The industry is very difficult with lots of excitement but also rejection at every turn. I think you have to work hard and also be kind. That would be my advice!
Irene: I second Jaclyn there, put your head down and keep going, never give up. There will be highs and lows, but hard work and collaboration always pay back. Also, keep learning always, keep being curious and open.
Photo credits:
Tell That To The Winter Sea stills (director: Jaclyn Bethany)