by Erik Childress
The “’Bama Girl" Pitch: Black woman runs for Homecoming Queen at a University in the Deep South, going up against centuries of tradtition,black politics and a secret all-white group called ”the Machine.”
How did this film get rolling at the beginning? Give us a brief history from writing to production to post to just last night.
RACHEL: Oh eFilmCritic, you’re asking for a novel here. The idea came from a conversation with a friend who was thinking about making the film himself, and had already done some research on the University of Alabama’s history, the existence of the “Machine” and the tradition of Homecoming Queen down there. I immediately thought – ‘I have to work on that film!’ The only problem was I was 6 months pregnant with my first kid at the time. Two years later I ran into the same friend, and asked him if he’d ever pursued the idea. He hadn’t, and gave me his blessing to try and make it myself. That turned out to be the easiest part. From overcoming the University’s initial and reasonable reservations to granting me access (I am the only filmmaker ever granted permission to film a feature length documentary on campus), to Hurricane Katrina devastating the South a month before Homecoming, to my “main” white sorority girl character pulling out two weeks before I was supposed start shooting, there were many times I almost gave up. Throw in my Byzantine negotiations with “The Machine” for permission to make this film – anonymous midnight phone calls from frat boys disguising their voices, mysterious comments by random strangers meant to make me understand I was being watched, etc -- and you get the idea. And yet, in the end, here I am with a film that both Jessica (the main character) and I can be proud of. For while the race for Homecoming Queen at the University of Alabama may be, to some, a terribly trivial thing to spend a year of your life documenting, (1 ) it’s still pretty darn fun to watch, and (2) it is also a fascinating microcosm of the politics and divisions facing our country right now.
What is the significance of the title of Homecoming Queen to a young woman? If you campaign for it, does that cheapen it in anyway?
RACHEL: Homecoming Queens at Alabama truly symbolize the beauty and the pride of the South. Historically, they have been the prettiest, most popular girls from the best “old blood” families. Former Queens have gone on to marry (but never become) state officials, star quarterbacks, and presidents of the University. These days, as women on campus have gotten more active in other areas, it’s no longer the be-all-end-all for most women, but it is still considered a huge feather in your cap. Each of the all-white sororities on campus can tell you in a southern second what year they had the last Homecoming Queen, and whether someone from their sorority was on Homecoming Court last year. Campaigning for it doesn’t cheapen it at all, although the presumptive winner, the sorority girl backed by the Machine, doesn’t really have to campaign – the Machine tells it’s members who to vote for. It’s the underdogs like Jessica who have to go out there and bust their asses to try to rally the minority and independent votes.
Race is a touchy subject no matter what century or decade we're living in. There are obviously stand-out cases of racism, but can you talk about some of the more subtler aspects you've encountered, perhaps while making this film?
RACHEL: When it comes to the South and race, “subtle” is not the first word that comes to mind. Not when one of the oldest all-white fraternities on campus dresses up every year in full Confederate regalia and parades through the campus on trucks, right past the only all-black sorority to sit on Old Sorority Row. But actually, underneath the surface, many issues are much more complicated than they seem. For example, much is made of the fact that the Greek system on campus is almost entirely racially segregated. But when you talk to the black women in sororities, they’ll tell you they have no desire to pledge an all-white sorority, even if they were accepted. “Sorority sisters are just that – sisters” says Jessica, the film’s black protagonist. “I have plenty of white friends, but in a sorority you want to be with people who are like you.” So the question of whose “fault” it is that the two groups are segregated, or whether there’s any fault at all, is not so clear. And even the Confederate uniforms I find so outrageous – if you talk to those boys wearing them, they’ll tell you it’s not about celebrating slavery, it’s about celebrating their heritage, their tradition, and their pride in their forefathers.
Back when you were a little kid, and you were asked that inevitable question, your answer would always be “When I grow up I want to be a …” what?
RACHEL: A wild animal trainer. Cheetahs, chimps, dolphins, that kind of thing.
How did you get your real “start” in filmmaking?
RACHEL: In my former life I was a lawyer. After 6 years in law, I went back to school to study filmmaking, and was lucky enough to find a mentor who helped me to get my first internship, on a PBS production. In a pretty short span of time, I went from being an international lawyer representing the United States at the WTO to being the coffee-and-fedex girl in a production office. It was a pretty humbling experience. But almost from the first student film I made, I knew that storytelling made me happy in a way that nothing else I did ever had.
Is this your first trip to SXSW? Got any other film festival experience? If you’re a festival veteran, let us know your favorite and least-favorite parts of the ride.
RACHEL: My first trip to SXSW, my first trip to any festival (as anything other than a day tripper), and my first trip to Austin. Anybody know where I can get some good Tex-Mex in this town?
Do you feel any differently about your film now that you know it’s on “the festival circuit?”
RACHEL: Not really. I’m just thrilled that I’ll be seeing it in a theater with a group of people who are not all my relatives.
During production did you ever find yourself thinking ahead to film festivals, paying customers, good & bad reviews, etc?
RACHEL: I’m a little manic this way. One day I’d be convinced this film would sweep Sundance, and the next I’d be certain I should just donate all my unused tape to a good cause and call it a day.
Of all the Muppets, which one do you most relate to?
RACHEL: My husband might say Oscar the Grouch, but the only one that comes to my mind is the Cookie Monster. Mmmm, cookies….
If you could share one massive lesson that you learned while making this movie, what would it be?
RACHEL: Just keep frickin’ going. And don’t think you know what your film’s about until you’ve finished it – it always surprises you.
What films and filmmakers have acted as your inspirations, be they a lifelong love or a very specific scene composition?
RACHEL: I always hate this question. Oh, the pressure. I tend to like all the old standards, with a bent towards films that manage to tackle tough subjects with absurdity and humor.
Did you watch any movies in pre-production and yell “This! I want something JUST like this …only different.”?
RACHEL: More often I’d just bury my face in my hands and wail “My film will never be as good as this one…!”
What actor would you cast as your favorite cartoon character?
RACHEL: Stephen Colbert as SpongeBob Squarepants.
Say you landed a big studio contract tomorrow, and they offered you a semi-huge budget to remake, adapt, or sequelize something. What projects would you tackle?
RACHEL: Nothing really comes to mind. Documentaries don’t lend themselves so well to sequels or remakes…
Finish this sentence: If I weren’t a filmmaker, I’d almost definitely be...
RACHEL: A wild animal trainer. Cheetahs, chimps, dolphins, that kind of thing.
Who’s an actor you’d kill to work with?
RACHEL: I want Ian McShane to do voiceover for my next narrated doc. I don’t even care what the subject is.
Have you “made it” yet? If not, what would have to happen for you to be able to say “Yes, wow. I have totally made it!”
RACHEL: I’m not sure I’ll ever feel like I’ve totally made it as a filmmaker. Sweeping the Oscars (can you even win in more than one category for a documentary?) would probably do it. Not having to worry about financing a project that interested me would also be nice. But for this film in particular, which was my first feature and basically made on a shoestring all by myself, just seeing it premiere at a great festival like SXSW feels like making it.
Honestly, how important are film critics nowadays?
RACHEL: Incredibly important. Honestly. As the amount of films out there proliferate (anyone with a Powerbook and a $3000 camera can make one these days), and the platforms multiply (theaters, TV, cable, PPV, YouTube etc) I think people rely on critics more and more to do an initial cut of what’s worth watching and what’s not.
What would mean more to you? A full-on rave from an anonymous junketeer or an average, but critically constructive review from a respected print or online journalist?
RACHEL: While I’m a sucker for slavish praise, I usually don’t believe it. I much prefer a thoughtful, balanced review from someone I trust. As long as there’s at least one positive adjective I can pull totally out of context and slap on my promo materials.
You’re told that your next movie must have one “product placement” on board, but you can pick the product. What would it be?
RACHEL: Jimmy Choo stilettos, size 8 1/2.
What’s your take on the whole “a film by DIRECTOR” issue? Do you feel it’s tacky, because hundreds (or at least dozens) of people collaborate to make a film – or do you think it’s cool, because ultimately the director is the final word on pretty much everything?
RACHEL: I do think ultimately, and especially in the case of documentaries --where there isn’t any script -- a film is most directly attributable to its director. That isn’t to say I don’t occasionally find the single line, black slate, “film by ___” to be a tad pretentious. In the case of this film however, I can honestly say that I was not only the director, but also the producer, fundraiser, casting agent, assistant editor, collate-and-stapler, fedex girl, B cameraperson, sound guy, travel agent, production manager, legal counsel, credit card juggler and paper recycler. So if I ever get to claim creative and logistical ownership of one film – this one is it.
Any worries that the title of your film might be mistaken for some campaigner for a certain Democratic candidate?
RACHEL: I don’t understand what you mean. How could anyone be confused by political film about a charismatic, light-skinned African American underdog running for an elected position against an institutionalized white establishment, with the word “OBAMA,” -er “BAMA” in the title?? I think that’s ridiculous.
(But if anyone IS confused, it actually wasn’t my intention and the film was conceived and titled well before current political scenarios. And frankly, I couldn’t think of anything else to call it by then.)
In closing, we ask you to convince the average movie-watcher to choose your film instead of the trillion other options they have. How do you do it?
RACHEL: Sorority girls, catfights, pep rallies, crazed football fans, nefarious all-white secret societies, guys in Confederate uniforms, charismatic underdogs, Homecoming Queens – what’s not to love?
Plus, it might also make you rethink some assumptions about the South, and the political process playing out across our national headlines everyday.
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Rachel Gosling's ’Bama Girl will have its world premiere at the 2008 South By Southwest Film Festival on Monday, March 10 (1:30 PM) at the Alamo Ritz in Austin. It will screen again at the Ritz on Tuesday, March 11 (7:30 PM) and Thursday, March 13 (8:00 PM).
link directly to this feature at http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=2400
originally posted: 02/21/08 13:03:46
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