An exclusive interview with writer/director JACQUELYN FROHLICH discussing her feature narrative directorial WAYWARD.
SYNOPSIS: While moving from Idaho to Los Angeles with her mother, an 11-year-old girl, who is yearning for stability in her life, becomes smitten with a charismatic female hitchhiker they pick up along the way. As she detaches more and more from her mother, the girl forms an unlikely bond with the hitchhiker, blurring the line between running away and kidnapping.
Written and Directed by JACQUELYN FROHLICH, WAYWARD stars, among others, Jess Weixler, Chloe Guidry, Jessica Sula, Will Brittain, Colleen Camp, Rob Morrow, Joseph Barone, and Jamie Anne Allman.
In this exclusive interview, writer/director JACQUELYN FROHLICH discusses WAYWARD, a character study that seamlessly blends a mother-daughter drama with a thriller. As she states, the project stemmed from her personal experiences and a desire to create a road story. In examining the various elements of the film, Frohlich emphasizes two of her biggest challenges – filming in a car and the importance of maintaining creative control by raising funds independently.
Breaking down the various cinematic elements of WAYWARD, we talk about, among others:
- the importance of trusting her own vision
- genesis of the film and wanting to write a road trip story as she thought it would be a cheaper and easier film to make, but as she developed the script, the character-driven elements became the core focus, drawing from her own upbringing and relationships; focusing on character elements she combined those with plot elements to create a compelling narrative
- casting; and most notably, the exemplary work of Jess Weixler and the value of authentic performances; strength of performances and willingness of the actors to “go beyond” what they had done in the past
- the collaborative process with her cinematographer Ben Hardwicke and editor Ron Vignone
- challenges in directing a road trip film
- filming in a car and managing the logistics, including dealing with background noise, cramming the camera crew into the backseat, and ensuring the driving scenes looked authentic
- maintaining visual interest which required close collaboration with DP Ben Hardwicke to develop a visual style that would keep the audience engaged; using handheld camerawork and framing to create a sense of intimacy and claustrophobia
- balancing two different tones of the film – the initial character study and the later thriller elements – and working with editor Ron Vignone to maintain a fast pace throughout to keep the audience engaged; the more cinema verite style of the road trip portion, and the shift to a more thriller-like tone after the kidnapping
- working with composer Matthew Kajcienski to develop the score
- wanting a minimalist score that would enhance the story without overpowering it; wanting the music to “combine the elements of what was happening, so that we would feel the realness of that moment with real melody.”
- reflect the “explosions and beauty” of the film’s themes, without trying to dictate the audience’s emotional experience
- lessons learned
- and more!
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 11/19/2024
