ELECTRICK CHILDREN, and the OLW of successful newbie directing!!!

SO much information comes one’s way- online, on twitter, on the sidewalks, even, of small towns.  I’m seriously sidetracked daily, tweeting while I walk.  I meant to write about Bing Crosby, no kidding.  Just finished a book made into a movie in which he starred.  Blah blah blah…

Just when I wasn’t looking for it, I noticed a tweet of Susan Sarandon’s promoting what she considered to be a “Surprising, original and beautifully shot” film.   That sounded surprisingly tempting.  I bit.  I watched the trailer.  I’m hooked now.

Writer/director Rebecca Thomas fr. lvwomanmagazine.com

Rebecca Thomas,  “fairly obedient Mormon kid” turned Columbia film school student turned one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch, wrote and directed it.  She says it’s not about her, really, but does recall how music was the way she rebelled when she was younger, the stuff her older siblings brought home.  And then add to that childhood memory the same delicious rebellious feeling she says she got singing hymns in church.  And you’ve got a great emotional hook for a movie.

ELECTRICK CHILDREN.  It started out as a $20,000 microbudget film and simply burgeoned, apparently.  Attracted an angel investor, some real talent including Rory Culkin  and Julia Garner, and opened on 8 March 2013.

For those of us in outlying regions away from the big theatres, fortunately it will be On Demand this Friday, 15 March.

Jacob Hall, of “Culture Map Austin”, an American city that’s undeniably a hub of today’s arts and cultural activity, and where they seriously know their music, calls it “A touching, deeply felt look at the strange collision between religion and music…(and) a tribute to rebels of all kinds, from scummy punk rockers to Jesus Christ.”

Remember these things?

It’s about a young Mormon girl who thinks she’s been impregnated by listening to a forbidden rock music tape. 

When her parents arrange a marriage for her, she runs off to LA in search of the man she considers to be the father of her child, the tape’s lead singer.

Okay, wow.  What a concept.  Haven’t we ALL, face it ladies, “gone there” in some way or another during weird, misguided, romantic pubescent fits of dreamy teenage girl insanity?  And this movie’s filmed it.  Our young girl secrets are out of the bag!  And there’s a great soundtrack to go with it.  ‘Nuff said.

Here’s the link to the trailer: http://vimeo.com/36104775.

There’s an interview Thomas gave, at www.shockya.com, in which she outlines an interesting way she conceived of and controlled scenes as a newbie director.  She pared each down to one word, and kept that word in mind, constantly bringing everything about the shoot and the acting and maybe even any tweaking she was tempted to do in the script, back to that one word.  The LBD, little black dress, of directing.  One little words.  OLW.

I’ll enjoy watching her film now, wondering for myself what OLWs she’s used along the way.  Heck, I think I’ll enjoy watching the film regardless of the one-worders.