Interview with Karen Nielsen, writer/director/producer of Innovation Winner, a short film using dance melded with narrative, Perceptions
This week, as promised, I profile another of the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Award winners. Karen Nielsen of Blue Finn Productions wrote, directed and produced the short film Perceptions, an intense, dramatic narrative about drug abuse and its terrifying consequences but seen through the tragic, double vision of the woman at the center of the conflict—she exists in two worlds. One is her real but very harsh existence where she cannot escape the misery or the consequences of her drug addiction. The other illusionary world is idyllic and passionate, as seen through the cloud of drug intoxication. One world is mundane and ugly; the other is lyrical and portrayed through imaginative dance and sensual dancers. In showing the drug victim’s perceptions in this manner, it makes it easier for all of us to understand the deadly pull of drug use. Drugs are used to escape reality, but the high is only imaginary and the consequences ultimately dire.This is Karen Nielsen’s second major film offering as a director. The first, Infinite Moments, another short film about a woman dealing with the night she was raped, has also received rave reviews and acclaim. She has done several other shorts as well as a PSA promoting reading and education in Canada as well as a comedy called HULA. Her work though, seems more typically dramatic in nature and more and more seems to be taking on social issues within the context of her narratives.
Karen was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Canada and attended the Vancouver Film School. She graduated with a Certificate of Recommendation from the Foundation Film Program I n1996. From there, she worked as an Associate Producer at the Toronto International Film Festival for the show REEL TO REAL and spent three years in Toronto working for Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox and Alliance Atlantis. Karen began her career as a producer and then as a writer/producer. Infinite Moments was Karen’s directorial debut.
[Question] What do you feel your movie is about? (both at the surface, deeper and even personally...)
[Karen] Perceptions is about a woman who is thrust into an alternative reality during a drug induced high where she is dancing in a world of her own. The woman’s perceptions are shaken as her two realities collide. As the intensity heightens and her confusion escalates, she is forced to choose between her two loves.
Perceptions addresses how we can sometimes see ourselves, compared to how we are perceived by those around us. Where the drug addicted woman sees herself as a beautiful dancer when she is high, her drug dealer as a sexy bad boy and her boyfriend as a knight in shining armor. Nothing is black and white, she is not just a strung out crazy drug-addicted woman, she is a person with issues, who is living in an alternative reality to get by. Sometimes people can get through with the support of those that love them and sometimes they don’t. The important thing is not to give up on someone because you perceive them a certain way, if the boyfriend had given up on her she would have died alone with a heartless drug dealer. The dance works in creating the alternative reality, showing how she is seeing everything and really feeling her emotion instead of being distracted by her drug-addicted appearance and only seeing that. I wanted to include the narrative to help the audience understand the journey and be aware of the judgments and perceptions that are made.
[Question] Where do you want to go as an artist? If you just want to be successful and buy matching mansions for you and your mum, that's ok. It's just that most artists I've met usually also have other, deeper goals for what they want to do with their work and what effects they have on the world.
[Karen] I think the world is endless for where I want to go as an artist. Yes I want to make narrative films that make a statement and get in peoples face. Subtlety has never been my style. Film is a wonderful way to reach huge audiences and make an awareness and hopeful change on many issues. One of the most satisfying things for me as a filmmaker is when I am approached by someone that connected with my film, and were moved by it. Just to let someone know that there are other people out there that understand or at least want to understand is so important. Too many people in this world feel that they are all alone.
I am also excited to just go out and have a little fun directing a romantic comedy or a thriller. I think all of my films will always have an underlying message, but sometimes you just need to turn your brain off and have a little fun
[Question] How did you get started? Did you always know that this was what you wanted to do?
[Karen] I started out volunteering at a local cable channel, doing some camera work and assisting the directors. When I started to think that this may fit for me I went to the Vancouver Film School. After film school, I thought I knew what I wanted to do, be an editor but that didn’t fit as nicely as I thought it would. Then I realized, I know what industry I want to be in but I am not sure where I fit in it. So over the years I tried numerous areas of the industry from production, marketing and publicity, post production and producing. Then when I was trying to figure out who should direct a short I had written, I couldn’t think of anyone that knew the story and what I wanted to say with it as much as I did. With the encouragement of my peers I decided to direct my first film ‘Infinite Moments’. For the first time in my life things began to fit and I realized I had found exactly where I was supposed to be in this industry, a director. I haven’t looked back since.
[Question] What is your inspiration for your work? How do you stay inspired in such a tough business?
[Karen] The people around me inspire me for stories and keep me inspired. From family & friends who support me and believe in me to complete strangers who see my films and are moved by them. I truly believe that everyone deserves to find happiness, and part of my happiness comes from making films and I would never let anyone stop me from following my dreams to being happy, no matter what the obstacle. As they always say, nothing in life worth having is ever easy.
[Question] Your movie has a deep social meaning to it (drug use) but you use dance as a way of telling that story. That is very innovative. Why dance? How did you come up with the idea? Is dance being used as more than a story telling mechanism here? Is it also being used as a metaphor?
[Karen] I chose to do a dance film as I wanted the challenge of being able to capture emotion through movement and not words. The music by Kubilay Uner inspired me for the story, as the music came before anything else. I had wanted to do a film revolving around the perceptions that we have of ourselves and that of others, as they are always different. I hate how society in general likes to shoebox everyone into a category. A Drug addict is disgusting and could stop if they really wanted to be clean, they are just throwing away their lives. The statement may be true, but it is not that simple and not that black and white. At the end of the day people are human and have vulnerabilities and insecurities, some more than others. Some are stronger to overcome obstacles and some are not, but that does not mean that they are less of a person because of it. I wanted the lead character in Perceptions to be seen as the strung out junkie who did want to make a change and come clean and have a wonderful future with this great supportive guy (her prince charming). That’s how I presented her, but the dance realm shows her how she sees herself. She needs the drugs to feel strong and beautiful, without them she feels insecure and disgusting, how we see her in the narrative. The dance in the film is her high, and when we are in the narrative we see her reality that she keeps slipping back to. When you see the two worlds, who wouldn’t want to stay in the dance euphoria.The choreography by Josh Beamish really translated everything from the script along with the performances of the dancers. I learned a lot about the power of movement and expression to convey emotion and story.
[Question] What are you planning next? More dance or other arts being melded with film work? Or more traditional film storytelling?
[Karen] I am planning to do another dance film with ‘Perceptions’ choreographer Josh Beamish in which we are currently applying for funding for entitled ‘The Ballerina’ written by Dennis Goldberg and I am scheduled to shoot a short comedy in April. I am currently working on developing two
feature film scripts, one drama and a comedy. I love doing a mixture of genre’s and formats of story telling. I really let the story and/or characters drive my imagination.[Question] Anything you want to say to your fans about anything, this award, your work, anything?
[Karen] I love that people have embraced ‘Perceptions’, showing that dance is still an entertaining and powerful form of expression that people want to watch. I love pushing boundaries, and having this film represent being an innovator is very exciting and inspiring to continue telling the stories that excite me and allow myself to move outside of my comfort zone and push not only my own boundaries but push everything around me to bring my films to the world.
Thank you, Karen. It was great getting your perceptions!
For more information about Karen, her production company or her movies, including upcoming screenings, please see the information and links below:
Upcoming Screenings:
INFINITE MOMENTS
Okanagan Film Festival March 28 Apr 1, 2007 (Kelowna, BC)
Rebel Planet Short Film Festival Apr 20 22, 2007 (Los Angeles, CA)
DeReel Independent Film Festival May 3 13, 2007 (Melbourne, AUS)
Swansea Bay Film Festival Tues June 5 @ Dylan Thomas Centre (Swansea Bay,
Old South Wales UK)
PERCEPTIONS
Swansea Bay Film Festival Wed June 6 @ Dylan Thomas Centre (Swansea Bay,
Old South Wales UK)
For more information on screenings please visit the Blue Finn Productions
website at http://www.bluefinnproductions.com
My Spaces
http://www.myspace.com/perceptionsthemovie
http://www.myspace.com/bluefinnproductions.com
http://www.myspace.com/janitorsoffice
http://www.myspace.com/infinitemomentsmovie
CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious!
Please do NOT copy or redistribute this interview (or pictures) without my express permission. This is because any interviews involve other people and their proprietary work, hard work, I might add—so it is a courtesy to them to treat their hard work with respect. Thank you.
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