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I will be updating this page as more press/PR material becomes available. Up-to-date
information about the film is on the "quick-info" page to your left.
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[From the magazine MEDIA INC, issue 2009/4 Condensed and edited for space reasons.]
Flanked by a small cast and a crew of locals, Tom Bertling began working on his low budget
feature film titled "Lexie Cannes" in 2004. Now, nearly five years later, he and his team are finally ready to unveil their
completed project to the world.
Shot in downtown Portland [Oregon] and along the southern Oregon coast the film follows
its title character, a deaf transgendered woman, as she comes face-to-face with two different stalkers--one with injurious
intents, and the other with more benevolent motives.
In a twist of fate, the confrontations provide Lexie, played by
local newcomer Courtney O'Donnell, with means to resolve a mystery previously unknown to her. The film also features Valeska
Francisco as "Maya", Jeska Duckworth as "Rhonda", and Bertling himself as "Syd", among several other notable local actors.
This
was the first feature for Bertling, who served as director, producer, writer, cinematographer on the project. "I've done some
'educational' projects and a bunch of one-off video projects" he says. "As an author of 5 books, I was well prepared to undertake
a large project like making a feature film. That includes the time needed to learn all the ins and outs of filmmaking and
computers."
He continues, "I put this film together piece by piece. A lot of hours spent in the editing suite getting
a consistent look and flow. Success for low budget feature filmmaking often depends on how much time one is willing to spend
sitting at the computer. Quite often one can overcome a lack of money with creativity on Final Cut Pro."
"The other
important thing is to write a script to match the money you have on hand rather than to write something without thought to
a budget, then try to raise money to support a script that cannot be made without a lot of money."
All that work in
the editing room certainly paid off, as Bertling employs distinctive--and all together compelling--tools that set it apart
from most other feature films, including eerily grainy cinematography and a poignant score by composer Bill McGee.
"Its
a truly independent 'Portland' film with a story told in an unique and entertaining way," says Bertling. There's no dull or
slow spots--I made sure of that."
The film has already received very positive reviews from critics, including Richard
Propes, a reviewer for The Independent Critic, who wrote that "Lexie Cannes" is "a film for the discerning audiences who find
inspiration in unique artistic visions, intriguing characters and filmmaking that defies any semblance of Hollywood machinery
and the cinematic crap it produces.
Read the entire article at http://www.MediaInc.com Issue 4, 2009, page 50.
From the magazine MEDIA INC, issue 2009/4 [Condensed and edited for space reasons.]
http://www.media-inc.com/mainMI.php (note: this article came from an advance hard copy sent to me, and may have not appeared on their website as
of the posting of this note.)
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It's Just Movies
An Exclusive Interview with Director Tom Bertling
ItsJustMovies.com
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by ALLISON HIGGINBOTHAM –
Oregon director Tom Bertling is a perfectionist when it comes to filmmaking. His
70-minute film “Lexie Cannes” — about a deaf transgendered person who is being stalked — spent years
in post-production before it was finished.
He not only focused on the editing, but also storytelling. His character,
Lexie Cannes, is deaf and so the movie has no natural sound. As Bertling explains, “Deaf people, by nature, are visual
people. Film, of course, is a visual medium. This is why, by and large, I focused on the visual aspect of story telling.”
In
this interview, Bertling discusses making films locally, what it was like to be more than a director, and why “Lexie
Cannes” is an important film.
How did the “Lexie Cannes” come together?
Tom: It was something
that I had in the back of my mind for quite a while when I was working on other writing and video projects. Once I got the
time, I basically plowed through until it was completed.
The character of Lexie Cannes is both deaf and transgender.
Was there any particular reason you wanted the character to have both of these qualities?
Tom: Most successful writers
will tell you to write what you know. Since I’ve written a number of books on the subject of deafness and knew a bit
about transgender issues, it was a relatively easy decision to go this route with the characters.
Your film was
made in Portland, Ore. Was this done out of necessity or do you feel it is important to film locally?
Tom: While
I had the luck of living near a filmmaker-friendly city like Portland — shooting the outdoor location shots anywhere
near LA would easily add hundreds of thousands of dollars to a film’s budget — I did purposely include the city
of Portland as an element of the film. Low-budget filmmakers really should write their scripts to reflect what the filmmakers
have available to them nearby at low or no cost.
Did you have any problems when it came to filming?
Tom:
Oh yes, plenty of the typical filmmaking horror stories. But the trick is to expect some things to go wrong so you can
quickly make smart decisions on the fly when things actually begin to go haywire!
In your film, there is no natural
sound. How did this decision come about?
Tom: The majority of the film has music either in the background or in
the forefront, setting the tone for the scenes. We actually had natural ambient sound in the first “final cut,”
but I ultimately decided to remove it because the universal feeling was that the lead character is deaf and would not be hearing
the sounds anyway. The music fairly accurately reflects what “Lexie” is feeling at any given moment, enabling
the viewers to immerse themselves into Lexie’s character. Besides, the music in the film is fantastic. I lucked out
in finding indie musician Bill McGee to contribute to the project. His music fits the film perfectly.
In the opening
of “Lexie Cannes,” there are lot of scantily-clad people. Were those actors or actual people on the street?
Tom:
Only the people that can be identified are actors, the vast majority that cannot be identified are actual people in the
street. I sort of went for a documentary look here — a side of urban life in Portland that exists but most people are
unaware of. What can I say? The truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
You were the director, producer, writer
and an actor in the film. Was it hard to juggle all of that?
Tom: There is a school of thought that one should never
write, direct and act in the same film. In low-budget films, however, being the writer and director allows flexibility to
make changes on the fly — an advantage that can make for a better film. Acting is another story. The trick to pulling
this off is for the director/actor to avoid being in the same shots with other actors as much as possible. This way the director
can shoot the other actors, send them home, then go back and shoot himself to match the action he previously shot with other
actors. This is a great way to fix mistakes, change dialogue or shoot difficult shots. If you write the script carefully,
you won’t need any other actors for most of the shots the director/actor is in. If you take a look at the film, you’ll
see that by and large, I’m the only one in most of the shots I’m in even though it appears I’m interacting
with the other actors. That’s the magic of moviemaking. One can fake quite a bit.
Do you have plans to take
“Lexie Cannes” further?
Tom: We’ve been selected for film festivals later this year, including
one on the East coast and another in Europe. We’re also waiting a number of others that have yet to render their decisions.
I’m planning to start the second round of festival submissions this summer. I’m also thinking of doing a limited-run,
low-cost DVD release later this year to be followed by an official DVD release (with all the bells and whistles) next year.
People interested in the early version can follow me on Facebook/LexieCannes for that announcement.
What’s
next for you?
Tom: I have a couple of projects on the backburner, any of which can come to the front if money surfaces.
Although “Lexie Cannes” was made for less than $10,000, I’d like to be able to have enough to pay the cast
and crew more than just a token amount. If there are any shortcomings with “Lexie Cannes,” it’s all tied
to the limited amount of funds we had. It would have been nice to shoot additional scenes and fund other production/script
elements, but “Lexie Cannes” stands alone by itself very well. It’s something everybody involved with the
film should be proud of.
http://itsjustmovies.com/6900
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