Fringe Report (FR, Kevin Gillette): How did you come to your career?

Rebecca Gwynne: I have loved film for as long as I can remember. I have always had an abnormally vivid imagination. One of my mother's favorite stories is about a bath she gave me when I was three. She made a crocodile face with her hand and put it in the tub. She started saying 'the crocodile's gonna get you', and I swear that her hand transformed into a real crocodile. I jumped out of the tub screaming and refused to take another bath for a month. I think she and my dad realised at that point that I was going to be working in the arts rather then become, say, an accountant.

FR: Do your TV and film work inform each other?

Rebecca Gwynne: My work is interrelated. It's all story-telling, just different genres and different audiences. Logistically speaking, wrapping on time, staying on budget and getting the material I need to edit a strong piece are critical, be it a documentary or narrative project. Time management is essential to a shoot's success - locations, crew and talent are moving pieces in a complicated puzzle. Politeness, humbleness, and the ability to delegate are also important for a well-functioning set. When the director treats people with respect, and is excited about the project, it trickles down and become infectious. Happy crew and happy talent make for an enjoyable day - no matter how stressful the other elements on set are.

Creatively, the same overall questions arise regardless of the medium. Do we have the connective tissue that is needed to tie the story together and carry it from one beat to the next? What is the arc for each scene, each act, and do they all come together to create an interesting journey? Working as an editor has informed much of my decision-making in the field. I am always looking to not only get the most interesting shot with the materials I have at hand - and of course shots that will cut together nicely - but also to make sure that all of the connections are there. I am looking to capture the beats that carry the story across the whole, and to get these pieces in a way that communicates clearly to the audience when it is packaged as a film. In other words, when I am on set, I am always thinking about the end-game, and working to make sure that each scene is something that will contribute to the overall idea.

I approach my reality television work the same way I would a narrative piece. The materials at hand are very different from something that was boarded, scripted, and shot with actors versus reality or documentary work, but the ideas remain the same. What is the character's journey? What are his dreams and fears? How does he conquer his fears or problems and achieve his goal in twenty-two or forty-three minutes? I think beats and arcs are a piece of reality television that separates what is interesting from what is trite. I think it's the editor's job to look for these bits of gold in the verité footage, and work with the producer to pick up what wasn't shot the first time around, to make the story jump off the screen and connect with the viewer. Much of reality TV is not beautifully shot, but it can hold the audience's attention when it follows the good old mythic journey model.

The goal is the same no matter the job: to create an interesting and engaging product. Every time I complete a project that successfully communicates to an audience, I have gained a stronger hold on my craft - which will hopefully only make me better for the next endeavor, regardless of its kind or my job title.

FR: Is there a typical day?

Rebecca Gwynne: As a freelancer, I'm not sure that I have one. The one thing that is typical is my lack of time. I am always working long hours and often dealing with multiple projects at once. I just signed with a management company, Pipeline Talent. I am pleased that they will be helping me with the projects that are in development, and promoting the ones that have been completed, so that I can focus on the ones that are at hand.

FR: You started out life as an actress - did that help?

Rebecca Gwynne: It definitely helped me to understand actors when I'm directing. I enjoy working with actors and feel that I can communicate with them to get the performance that I am looking for. I also understand what it feels like to be in the actor's chair and try to be sensitive to the process - especially when dealing with intense material, which I tend to be drawn to.

FR: Your short Zoe's Day (2007) received a lot of attention. You worked with a very young actor - Ruby Jerins - and with adults. Did your directing approach differ between them?

Rebecca Gwynne: Working with Ruby was a pleasure. She is an amazing young lady and brimming with talent. It is different working with a child - they tend to be more delicate than adults, and I was nervous about the emotional strain of the material. Ruby's mother Alana was on set at all times and was confident that Ruby could handle the content of the story. Alana was willing to let me work with Ruby to get her to the emotional place she needed to be. Ruby's performance was stellar, and being on set with her during the last scene of the film was an amazing experience. I also have to credit Michael Kelly, who plays her father in Zoe's Day. Michael is an astounding actor and was able to develop trust in Ruby on day one. She was so comfortable working with him, that I think she was able to just relax and give the performance that was needed to make the film truthful. For me, integrity in acting is key. I was concerned about getting a saccharine performance from whomever I cast as Zoe (because the actress needed to be so young), but Ruby was able to deliver something that was genuine and raw. I will always be proud of Zoe's Day, for what we were able to capture between Ruby and Michael. To answer your question more pointedly, I deal with each actor as an individual. I work to find their most genuine performance and try to be flexible in my methodology, based on the process of each person in my cast.

FR: Do you enjoy writing? Any particular genre?

Rebecca Gwynne: I have done writing, but mostly in conjunction with other writers. I tend to write drama, with bits of lightness interjected, but would eventually like to write a dark comedy. I have one brewing, but it has not yet found its way to the page.

FR: How do you balance economics with creativity?

Rebecca Gwynne: In film school I needed to produce films that what were within my financial means and learned to write my treatments / scripts accordingly. It's a fun game - to me anyway - coming up with a treatment that excites me and that can be completed within a certain fiscal limit. I continued that at MTV On-Air Promotions. I was often given the number allotted for the job, with the assignment of delivering a creative which would fulfill the marketing points and please the client - and come in on or below the bottom line. Running my own production company, producing an exemplary product on budget is a necessity for survival. I do look forward to the projects where money is less of concern, and I can play with all the fancy toys - locations, jibs, helicopters - that I am always writing out of my current work.

FR: What future projects are you working on? Any links to them online?

Rebecca Gwynne: I just completed a music video for singer/songwriter Dan Zweben's You Don't Have to Love Me. It stars Michaela McManus (US TV's Law and Order SVU, One Tree Hill) and was shot by Patrick J Donnelly on the RED in Brooklyn. The EP In These Times is on iTunes and CD Baby. The video is running the festival circuit and we are in the process of submitting to a variety of music television stations. I have a few feature films in various stages of development, all of which I am excited about. One is in conjunction with the amazingly talented Orson Scott Card of Ender's Game fame. The Bella Rose Films website has updates on all the projects, or You Tube to the Bella Rose Films channel to see some completed work. My personal site www.thewingmaker.com has examples of pieces I've done for other companies, as well as some of my more recent Bella Rose work.

(c) Kevin Gillette 29 June 2009

Kevin Gillette is Fringe Report's Dallas USA correspondent

IMDB links include: Rebecca Gwynne (www.imdb.com/name/nm1733061/) - Zoe's Day (2007) (www.imdb.com/title/tt0948479/) - You Don't Have to Love Me (2009) (www.imdb.com/title/tt1404736/)

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