Sat. Apr. 28, 6:40pm
MONSTERS AND GHOSTS, OH MY – FILM BLOCK
(TWO SHORTS AND ONE FEATURE IN THIS SCREENING BLOCK)
RILEY PARRA – FEATURE NARRATIVE
Synopsis: A cop investigates the murder of a man who turns out to be an angel killed by a demon and she is reluctantly drawn into the battle of good and evil. Marem Hassler; Liz Vassey; Connor Trinneer; Connor Kelly-Eiding; Karl E. Landler; Christin Baker, director. Adult, fantasy violence. USA
Questions by Kaylene Peoples | Responses by Christin Baker, Emmy-nominated Director
Such suspense driven content must have been exciting to direct. Please tell me what it was like directing these dark characters; and what was it like working with the cast?
I had an amazing time working with the cast. It is very dark and intense so we tried to find light moments when we could, which I believe, helped keep the dark moments dark but not sad. Everyone came to the set ready to work and finding these amazing moments with one another. The group got along so well and I think you can see that onscreen. It can be so difficult to introduce a new world like we do in Riley Parra and Marem and Connor did such a great job of introducing the world and the rules in such a short amount of time.
How did you become a part of Riley Parra?
It was through social media, Twitter. Someone who was a fan of the book series Riley Parra, and a fan of my work tweeted to me and I followed up. I liked what I read and I asked Geonn Cannon to write a script; and he did and I saw the potential. And then we were off to the races. It took me three years to go from that first script to finished product, but I was so committed.
What was your favorite scene and why?
I liked directing the scene where Riley tells the LT that she shot Kara. That was such an intense day and the actresses were amazing to work with. I felt like it was a dynamic scene that had anger, and sadness and compassion and the actresses were so open and took each note, and really had a great performance.
Do you feel your productions will help bridge the gap in film, TV, etc., for the LGBT community?
Yes I think they do. I hope they show someone that their story is just as relevant as a straight person’s story and worthy of being told—that their love and heartbreak are just as meaningful as the straight stories that we see. I do believe we add to the media landscape, but I think a lot more work needs to be done in representation, even for just women in media.
Who are some of your mentors?
My parents. Clark and Dr. Carolyn Baker have been amazing mentors to me over the years. They have given me so many tools to navigate this industry, and the freedom to take chances and be creative. Nancylee Myatt and Paige Berhnardt really helped me when I was first getting started as a producer and I’m so grateful they took an early chance on me when I was just getting started. Kitty Swink, who is now a friend and co-producer, has been an amazing mentor and helped me move tello to a new level of production value and quality.
Tell me about tellofilms and some of your projects.
We were founded in 2007 and we have been producing and distributing content on the web for 11 years. We were early in the original online content game and have continued to grow our original content library as well as our fan base. We are the first lesbian network to receive an Emmy Nomination. We believe in telling authentic stories about people whose lives are often ignored or marginalized. And tello creates and distributes web-series specifically for the lesbian/queer community and are expanding into other mediums.
We have many projects on tello right now and it makes me so happy! We have projects produced by tello like Riley Parra, as well as network series we are distributing like Lip Service from the UK. All have one thing in common, there is a lesbian character in it. Our series Secs & EXECS garnered us an Emmy Nomination for our actress Mindy Sterling and Nikki & Nora was the first web series to be re-imagined from an unaired network pilot. That is something I’m very proud of.
What advice could you give to a woman who wants to be a filmmaker?
There hasn’t been a better time for women to get into this industry. I would say work as much as you can and work on projects where you can find your tribe of people who you love to work with and network through work. If you’re just getting started, get on the different crew job boards and work on as many projects as you can to get into this industry; and when you can make your own content, so you have control over what you are making and make things!
What are the highest moments of your career?
I have had some amazing things happen. The first was getting an Emmy nomination for the tello project Secs & EXECS. Our actress Mindy Sterling was nominated. The whole project of Riley Parra took us four years to develop and get it through post. And I’m so proud if it, and I love how people have responded to it. I won Best Director at the Raindance Film Festival for the project Maybelle, and I’m also proud of that project.
What are some of the challenges?
Getting straight people to realize that lesbian stories and characters need to be part of the media landscape in more abundance than it is. Many people have said, “We had our lesbian story,” but no one says, “We had our Marvel story”; or even, “We had our super hero story.” Yet somehow there can only be a lesbian character every now and then—that is a big challenge for us.
Visit Artemis Women In Action Film Festival for Screening Information. The film festival runs through April 26-29, 2018! Get your tickets for Riley Parra.
