She’s one of our faves on Twitter. Writing, directing, producing, editing…Amanda Lin Costa is a woman after our own heart. Her current project is a short film called Her Letters, a dramatic story of the dilemma a husband faces when his wife dies and leaves him a packet of letters with a foreboding request. She wants him to destroy the letters…without opening them.
Amanda adapted the script from the Kate Chopin short story of the same name.
In part one of this two part interview, Amanda talks candidly about the filmmaking process, difficulties in adapting a short story for life on the big screen, and why she adopted a hands-on producer’s mentality to get the film done.
What attracted you to Her Letters as a potential film project?
I had written a short script last year and that was the project I planned on directing but I kept dragging my feet on moving forward on it, even though I love the story and script. It was getting chilly here in NYC in late October and I just had an urge to shoot something that reflected the mood of the weather.
I think since I had already adapted a book into a feature length script, I felt very comfortable with the idea of finding a public domain short story or poem to adapt. I wish I had saved the key words I used in Google that led me to the Kate Chopin story but I don’t remember them. I can say the moment I read “Her Letters”, I knew it would be suited to this mood of winter and emptiness that I had stuck in my head.
On another note, the producer in me, always practical, liked that the story didn’t require a large cast or many locations to be told.
Was it difficult translating the story for the screen? What was that process like?
I am an extremely visual writer; meaning, as a rule, I see every moment of the film in my head before writing it down in script format. I feel like I am often “transcribing” more than creating in the writing process.
I will admit, if I had really given it enough logical thought, I might not have taken on the visual adaptation of a short story that had zero dialogue AND Psychological and Emotional Deterioration as it’s main plot points.
The film is 20 minutes, but the script is only six pages long. ( “Somewhere” Sophia Coppola’s latest feature film’s script is only about 40 pages – maybe it’s a new trend – no longer the page a minute rule)
I wrote in a very “plot forwarding” stripped down manner. For example:
INT. FOYER. LATER
John unlocks the drawer and extracts the bundled letters.
He reads his wife’s handwriting, “I leave this package to the care of my husband. With perfect faith in his loyalty and his love, I ask him to destroy it unopened.”
In his mind, he hears Sophia’s voice.
He contemplates the letters.
Almost opens the package, but thinks better of it.
He presses them to his forehead as though he hopes to read them with an inner eye.
Eventually, he puts them back and locks the drawer.
This scene seems to so small and sparse but in truth, this scene is the crux of the story (the original short story is posted on the film’s website so no “spoiler” here) that initially grabbed me.
“Her Letters” was originally written in 1895, but I felt the dilemma of whether or not someone would read private letters they were asked specifically not to read was very modern; “privacy” being a complicated issue at this time. To further spark debate, IF one did choose to destroy the letters, would one be able to just let them go or would they obsess over what was in them.
I knew that “almost opens the package, but thinks better of it” had to carry a lot of emotional weight on screen to understand the dilemma JOHN found himself in.
Oddly, Kate Chopin chose to write the short story in three clearly divided parts. I found that interesting since most films stick pretty close to a Three Act Rule. I felt some pressure, only from myself, to stay close to the story so that Kate Chopin fans would recognize it but, of course, I needed to find ways to convey the inner thoughts of the characters on screen.
You took on a lot of responsibility on this project. Why was that?
I had to be smart about crew size and how to spend the small budget I had.
I can be a control freak, but I think you have to know when to delegate. I knew I wanted make-up because the lead actress undergoes a transformation that needed specialty make-up. I knew I needed someone just to have my back whether it meant calling cast to set, or setting up catering or holding the reflector outside. I had wardrobe on set as well but everything else I did accept shooting and audio which Emon Hassan the Director of Photography handled.
What camera/format did you shoot on? Why?
“Her Letters” was shot on the Canon 5D Mark II. I’ve been producing and directing a documentary for the last six months with Emon as the DP for that as well. We shot the entire doc on the 5D and if he can handle rack focusing that beast under low light in a documentary situation, I was pretty confident I’d get stunning shots in a controlled environment; “controlled” being a loose term on an indie low budget shoot.
Emon and I met last year at an HD conference listening to Lance Acord give the keynote speech. The irony is at the time in the Q&A, someone asked him if he had one camera to recommend to shoot a low budget feature on what would it be. He responded the 5D and Emon leaned over and said to me, “I have one of those.”
Later, he pointed one out to me on the conference floor and I swear I stared at that little camera that looked like a 35 mm sitting next to a decked out RED and was like, “HUH? I don’t get it.” The DSLRs are really game changing.
I also rented extra lens that I decided would be needed after location scouting for certain looks I wanted. I also rented a Marshall Monitor, Kessler Cine-Slider, Redrock Rig, CRAZY heavy duty tripod and basic lights for fill and a reflector.
Stay tuned for part 2…
Amanda will be talking about crazy deadlines and how she received an extension from the Tribeca Film Festival, long term plans for the movie, and how the project helped her grow as a filmmaker. Don’t miss it. Subscribe to the Joke and Biagio: Producing in Hollywood so you know when it hits the presses.
Be sure to check out the website for Her Letters. Amanda also has a Facebook page for the film, and if you’d like to support the movie with a donation, you can do so here. Finally, be sure to follow Amanda on Twitter, and if you’re not already doing it, follow us on Twitter, too!
Want to know more about our current passion project? Check out the site for our new movie Dying to do Letterman.