We can get so complacent watching blockbuster feature films adapted from best sellers with a stacked deck of superstar actors… that we forget about the small gems we call – short films. They only have our attention for 5-10 minutes, but boy can they pack a punch! Short and sweet and no need for a bathroom break. When I watch a feature film, I want the cast to tantalize me, the story to suck me in and I want the ending to wow me… and if one of those elements are missing, I feel cheated out of 2 hours. Now – if you watch a 5-10 min film, can you still expect all of those elements? Hell yeah, you can! A filmmaker is an artist with the skill to combine all the right ingredients to create their vision and tell that story, no matter how long it is. When you’re making a 5-minute film, you want to leave the audience impacted, possibly shocked, emotional and talking about it after the credits roll.
One short film that left me raising my hand for more answers – was Wichita. A 5-minute film that puts you in the driver seat from the first scene and then steers you off the rails until you reach the end. There is suspense, intrigue, infidelity and a twist… everything you’ve come to expect from a well-crafted film, but inside 5 minutes. There won’t be time for popcorn but I never chew when my attention is captured anyway. Another advantage to short films… you get to save some of your snacks for later. All kidding aside, I am a huge fan of short films because they’re structured around a solid message. Although Wichita carries a strong message, the writing is so brilliant that you don’t decipher it until the end… when the shock wears off.
Director Sergine Dumais and screenwriter Bo Price bring Wichita to the masses. It’s Sergine’s directorial debut but she has been ready for a long time. She directed theatre in Montreal before working in voice dubbing in LA. She met Bo Price at the Judith Weston school for Actors and Directors. She has admired Bo’s writing since that time and together they’ve worked on several projects throughout the years. Bo originally wrote the story as a fun skit but Sergine had seen a bigger message in it and asked Bo if she could use it for her directorial debut. The magic happened and the cast was incredible… Maxim Roy and Jeremy Sisto carry the story till the end.
I had the great privilege of talking to Sergine Dumais and Bo Price and this is how it went…
HNM “How did you both end up working on the film together?”
Bo Price “I’m from Wichita, Kansas and the conversation they’re having in the film about all these landmarks in Wichita, came from my childhood. The interesting facts are really only famous to people living in Wichita. Pizza Hut started in Wichita, Kirstie Alley is from there and a guy named Barry Sanders – who won the Heisman Trophy is also from there… these are all big stories, to the people of Wichita. Years ago, I thought it would be funny to write a scene where people were talking about Wichita like it was New York City or Paris. I wrote it, thinking that it would only appeal to me… but Sergine, bless her heart – read it and liked it. Years later, she wanted to direct her first short film and had asked me if she could do the Wichita script. I was extremely flattered and said yes. I’m very glad that I did because she took it to an entirely other level and truly has a great eye for story. It’s also garnered much more attention, in thanks to Sergine making it.”
HNM “In reading more about your backgrounds, I see that Bo comes from an editing background and Sergine – you come from a sound background?”
Sergine Dumais “That’s from dubbing the French language into film. I used to direct a lot of theatre when I was in Montreal but then I moved to LA and needed to reinvent myself. I started directing the French adaptations of Hollywood movies, so it is the sound department but I was a dubbing director.”
HNM “What did directing your first film feel like?”
Sergine “I have a little experience working with actors from my theatre background but it’s a different medium. I was very lucky to have such a great script and a great team. It was like performing your first surgery and having all the top doctors there. My cinematographer was a top Canadian DP, Serge Desrosiers that came to support me. I felt very confident.”
HNM “How did you two first meet/get acquainted?”
Sergine “When I first moved to LA, we were both students attending Judith Weston, a school for directors/actors and we met in class. We were in a lab together for writers, directors and actors – Bo would bring his scenes and play it out in front of the class… and I remember thinking that this guy is a genius and one day I want to direct his script. I had the same feeling about Jeremy Sisto and Maxim Roy – I felt like they were both so good and I had hoped to work with them. I was surrounded by my idols.”
HNM “Jeremy Sisto was terrific in the film. Was it difficult to get him attached to the project?”
Sergine “Not at all… I texted him to ask and he told me to send the script. He really liked the script and thought it was cool but he was working on the series FBI in New York, so it was a little tricky. When he goes home to LA he’s with his kids but he had time after dropping them off at school. He had met Bo and had told him he liked the script and would absolutely do it.”
HNM “This is a 5-minute film and they usually estimate a page of script per minute of film. Was the script longer than that and did you ever want to expand on it?”
Bo “It’s a little longer page wise but it’s reasonably close. We did struggle a little on the best way to expand on it but we do have an idea that we’ve been working on. It will be a few years into the future, where they’ll meet again.”
HNM “Was it difficult to find the two locations/homes to film?”
Bo “One of the locations is my place but we had to reconfigure the script in order for it to work. Sergine knew the owner of the other home, so that worked out well and we adapted the script to work with both locations. It is very hard finding locations.”
HNM “In the film it appears that the homes are not far from each other. Were they actually close in proximity?”
Sergine “It was about a 15-minute drive, not too far. It was pretty much a steady-cam up until the end scene. There’s a switch on every level – there’s a switch in the story, in the mood, the camera and lighting.”
HNM “Did you do any storyboarding?”
Sergine “It was not storyboarded per say but there was a lot of blocking done at the first location to ensure we had somewhat of a blueprint. I come from theatre, so I understand where she’s going to be and everything that’s going to happen. However, there were times when I was preparing and I had to call my DP and Bo to ask them how we’re going to shoot it because I couldn’t visualize it. Once they would explain it, I was fine.”
HNM “I really like the opening scene that captures the woman in bed, was that a tracking shot?”
Sergine “It was a dolly shot and then we switched to steady-cam. I have a funny story to go along with that scene. Maxim was wearing underwear when we dollied the shot along her body, staying 2 inches above her – but we could see her underwear. I had to ask her to remove them while assuring her that her butt would not be on camera. I placed a colourful scarf on top of her bottom so she could feel comfortable enough to shoot it. After the scene, I told her I was going to sell the scarf on eBay (laughing).”
HNM “When you wrote and envisioned this screenplay, did the film match that vision?”
Bo “This honestly started as a funny conversation about Wichita Kansas… and luckily people have responded to it, whether they think its funny or not. I believe that’s a testament to Sergine’s approach on filming it and the right casting to pull it off. It truly elevated it from something that had resembled a skit, to its present form.”
HNM “In the bed scene, did the sleeping man originally have any dialogue and was he a familiar actor/friend?”
Bo “The guy in bed was just some random dude and was never meant to have any lines (laughing).
Sergine “(Laughing) He was a friend of Maxim’s and it was important that she be comfortable with someone she knows and she’s also worked with him before.”
HNM “How many short films/screenplays have you written and have you written a feature screenplay?”
Bo “Yes I have and I’ve made 5 or 6 short films; Sergine and I have worked on several together. A project called 2 Femmes à Hollywood, is the first project we worked on together, several years ago; it was a web-series. They were 3 episodes of 5-7 min self-contained films with a continuing story. It was something Sergine had created and I came in to write with her. I’ve not had a feature produced but I’ve written them. Our hope is to turn this film into a feature and get it teed up.”
HNM “Was this film self-financed?”
Bo “It was privately funded.”
HNM “What size crew would you have used?”
Bo “It was approx. 10-15 people, not a huge crew.”
HNM “Where can people see Wichita?”
Bo “It’s playing at the LA Shorts next month, as well as the Austin Film Festival. They’ll all be virtual festivals but we’re very excited about it. There will be other festivals but LA will be the world premiere.”
HNM “In moving forward, Bo – do you want to continue writing and do you Sergine – want to continue directing?”
Sergine “Yes, that’s the idea. I’m excited about continuing the current story and expanding it into a feature format. I also enjoy the fast pace of a short film and it will really be a different experience approaching a feature.”
Bo “Yes.”
HNM “What genres are you both interested in pursuing?”
Sergine “It’s funny because people don’t know how to categorize this film. In LA its in the Drama category but in Austin its under Comedy. That’s the kind of film I want to make. This film is about infidelity and I posted the question on Facebook for research – why do people cheat on their spouses? I received over 100 private messages from people that wanted to share the reasons why they cheated. If it starts conversations that people wouldn’t normally have otherwise… that’s my genre.”
HNM “When you wrote this script about infidelity, did you have friends or know others that have shared stories of infidelity?”
Bo “I guess I have but I wasn’t writing it with that in mind. I do know a lot of those stories but it honestly started out as a joke and later became more real. Many think it’s a comedy and it’s going to be funny – but then it turns into more than that. For me, it’s always more meaningful when there’s a twist… it resonates more.”
HNM “What was the best part of having this film made/in the can?”
Sergine “I don’t think there was one great thing, it was like a series. You know how the stars align and everything just falls into place? Getting Jeremy Sisto and Maxim Roy to be onboard and then adding on the song after the film was completed. There’s a French-Canadian song with the lyrics – Love has no mercy. That song is the theme of the movie and I was thinking ‘everything else is falling into place, I should try to get my dream song on it.’ We made a few phone calls to get the rights and it worked. We had gotten incredible performances out of Jeremy and Maxim that were out of this world. Another thing – it stopped raining 1 minute before we started shooting and started raining again 1 minute after we wrapped. It felt like someone was watching over this production.”
HNM “How did you get Maxim involved in the project?”
Sergine “I had a chance to work with her while doing voice-over work in LA. She’s a big TV star in Quebec and has performed in approx. 300 movies… and she’s also a friend. I had asked her if she wanted to be Jeremy Sisto’s wife and it happened from there.”
HNM “Did Bo have any input on the cast?”
Bo “When she suggested Jeremy Sisto, I was like ‘Yeah… but that’s obviously impossible’, so who are we really going to get? She’s like, ‘no, him.’ I thought umm… okay (laughing).”
Sergine “(Laughing) He was asking, ‘in case he’s not available, who’s the second choice?’ I said, there’s no second choice – don’t jinx it (laughing).”
Bo “She taught me a lesson (laughing) and it was my pleasure to have my face rubbed into my own narrow thinking (laughing). I never would’ve thought it could happen and it was such a dream to have a script written about my home town with this cast and team that she put together, to make the film. It was a real thrill for me.”
I promised not to include any spoilers from this incredibly entertaining film but I hope I’ve provided some anticipation to watch this film one that opportunity comes.
