Q&A with Becky Smith, director of '16 to Life'

My conversation with Okoboji native Becky Smith, 53, of Los Angeles.

She's the director of “16 to Life,” filmed mostly in McGregor in October 2007, under the working title “Duck Farm No. 13.” The feature-length movie is making its Iowa premiere at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City, during the four-day Landlocked Film Festival. She also will be leading a workshop there. For details go to www.landlockedfilmfestival.org

Synopsis: Kate is a rural American teenager whose angst about sexual inexperience drives a comic quest for love and understanding on a birthday to end all birthdays. Before the clock strikes midnight, Kate will learn more about love than most 16-year-olds could imagine. And Kate will learn what a 16-year-old American girl has in common with a 16-year-old Chinese girl half a world, and a cultural revolution, away.

DIANA: So “Duck Farm No. 13” has morphed into 16 to Life – why the name change?

BECKY: We had a number of test screenings when cutting the film. We invited a lot of teenagers as well as adults. We had professional questionnaire based on the one used by Paramount Studios, asking such things as “how do you feel about the title of the film.” Unfortunately, the teenagers did not like the title. It wasn't hip to them – they thought it was about farm life. As much as adults liked the title, we  needed to change to make it accessible to teenagers – a large part of the film is about teenagers.

DIANA: You must be pleased with the reception it received at Method Fest (in California in the spring).

BECKY: That was a fantastic experience. Not only did it sell out the theater, but it turned out that many, many people got turned away from theater. People thought they could mosey in at the last minute. The audience was just wonderful, especially for a comedy, where you wonder if they're going to laugh at things you think are funny and get the nuances. I felt the audience was really with the film all the way. The audience was getting it.

We were delighted when it won the audience award for best picture. Theresa Russell won best supporting actress – she won against a big actor. We were up against several Sundance films. Several Iowa people flew out for that screening, and some of the Iowa actors  -- that was really special, too. (Lead actress Hallee Hirsh) was nominated, too. I wish she would have won. She was in an interesting category (Best Comedic Performance, Feature Film). I think Jeff Daniels won against her. She was up against some pretty heavy-hitters; she's just wonderful.

DIANA: How was it received in China?

BECKY: That was fascinating. We went to four major universities in Beijing. The character Hallee plays is a 16-year-old girl, reading the autobiography of people lived through the Cultural Revolution in China, recreated using Chinese actors in Iowa. Four scenes (in the movie) took place in the Cultural Revolutions, with teens whose parents lived through it. We wondered how the students (in Beijing) would feel about an American girl fantasizing about living through that. It was an amazing reception. No one questioned authenticity of the scenes; they felt we portrayed them very accurately, and the humor translated well. They were excited because they had never seen a film like that in China. We didn't go through the censors. We stayed an hour or two hours longer (after the screenings) because they asked so many questions

DIANA: How did you get around the censors?

BECKY: If something goes academically through a university, you don't have to go through the censors. It may not have been allowed if we'd gone through a cinema.

DIANA: So you had four scenes depicting China?

BECKY: Four scenes. The casting directors in Iowa had to find 25 Chinese actors in Iowa, preferably ones who spoke Mandarin. We had to order costumes from Shanghai. They were held up at Customs in Chicago. (The military uniforms looked too real and raised red flags with Customs officials.) We had to get a lawyer and had to have a crew member drive to Chicago to get them. The actors were bused in from Des Moines to shoot the scenes. Three older men raised their hands and said they had lived through the Cultural Revolution. It was amazing to me to meet people who lived through that in the '60s.

DIANA: How did you choose Landlocked Film Festival for its Iowa premiere?

BECKY: The timing worked really well for us. We needed to make sure we did some kind of California premiere. It's really important with indie features to get some high Hollywood profile; we had to make sure that happened first. (Landlocked creative director Mary Blackwood of Iowa City) knew about the film, knew about me, saw a screener of the film and realized timing was right.

DIANA: You were initially scheduled for the Cedar Rapids Film Festival in April, weren't you?

BECKY: We tried to make Cedar Rapids work, but it butted up just days after we were done with Method Fest. We'd put our complete energy for a month into Method Fest, and there was no way we could start a proper publicity campaign (for Cedar Rapids). It was a little disappointing, but we wanted to do it right. The reality for indie films is that you have to think through it all. Now we suddenly are beginning to do number of festivals: Kansas City, Napa, Sonoma, Palm Springs, but Iowa obviously is very, very important to us.

DIANA: Will the film have a theatrical release?

BECKY: We've gotten an offer for TV and DVD. It's very, very difficult with small independent films in theaters. … I'd love to do some kind of theatrical release, especially in the Midwest. We're trying to figure out how to do some Midwest and coast (showings) before TV and DVD – there's a few people we're talking to.

DIANA: What was your experience like, filming in Iowa?

BECKY: I loved it. I'm from Iowa, so I have a special affinity for it. I've always really loved the landscape. My mom still lives in Okoboji and my siblings. My mother's very favorite spot is McGregor. With the rolling hills and big cliffs by the river, it really is a stunning-looking place where Grant Wood painted. The people locally were as nice as you could possibly imagine. They went out of their way, letting us borrow a police car or a hospital van, tapping into electricity, serving us food. I lived there about six weeks. The people were very interested and very gracious -- they made it really pleasant for us. Last summer I took my mother, who's 82, and drove around McGregor. We  visited everybody – we wanted to say hello to people.

Many of my actors said it was the best location experience they've ever had, and I  think they meant it sincerely.

DIANA: You'll be presenting a scriptwriting workshop in Iowa City. What kind of information will you be passing along?

BECKY: With two hours you have to be really concise. I'll focus on how to be professional and yet keep the passion of your original ideas. (Also) the practical experience being film director. What will sell has to come from your heart. How to you present yourself as professionally as possible and making the steps toward getting your script done so it's not overwhelming

DIANA: An old article I found about you said you'd love to work on a feature film. Now you have. How different was that than working on a documentary?

BECKY: My work has been in TV documentaries and reality shows. But the truth is, reality shows are 1/3 documentary, 1/3 game show and 1/3 fiction. To me, the wonderful thing about finally getting to direct my first feature film is that I'm really comfort directing multiple cameras.

When you're in reality or documentaries, you have to build relationships with the people you're filming and get their trust in some way. You really need to understand what drives them, what would be the dramatic center. When I finally had the opportunity to direct a feature, I used other skills (already developed), like listening skills, to take actors and figure out what they wanted. I was comfortable on set because I'd done so much directing already. All my training from all the years fit in beautifully with getting this film together. It clearly paid off when I got to do what I wanted to do. Being a teacher helped, too. So often I had to articulate what makes a good film or it's raining we still have to get shot off.

I had done some short narrative films but not a feature-length film.

DIANA: How do the costs compare?

BECKY: Doucumentaries are much less expensive, but lot of time with documentaries, it's a passion project. You take a leap of faith and pay for things and hope someone would pick it up. It's also a tiny crew on documentaries and a lot of times, I shoot it myself.

“16 to Life” cost close to a million dollars. We used tax incentives to be able to get some money back that way. It's a small independent film, over half a million, closer to a million.

DIANA: What kind of response are you hoping for in Iowa?

BECKY: Every person who creates something wants people to respond well, especially when it has comedy in it and they're responding with laughing. You want them to empathize with the characters and hope it speaks to people. I'm really interested in how teenage girls feel and how they create own sense of their potential. There are great boys parts in it, and great adult parts as well. I hope everybody finds something that speaks to them.

It's a romance from a teenage girl and adult woman's point of view, so I really like it when men like it too. I'm really curious and excited to show it there.

One thing I'm sure of – I think people will love the way we filmed the Iowa landscape. It's really beautiful. All you have to take the lens cap off. I'm proud of the actors – they were were great.

I'm very curious to see how (Iowans) do respond. The Chinese teens thought it was a very honest film. I really liked that.

DIANA: You have a couple more screenings slated here, too?

BECKY: In Elkader and in Okoboji, where I grew up.

DIANA: How do you balance teaching (full professor at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television) and filmmaking?

BECKY: Basically I have two fulltime jobs. I always have the obligations teaching, but my teaching hours a little bit odd -- a lot of times I teach at night. When I'm at home, it's very rare for me to sit around and click on the television. I have to have a project going. I'm directing a television show for the experience; I always have something else going on.

I would never want one without the other. Just teaching wouldn't satisfy me or making a film without educating people. Young people I work with are always excited, energetic and curious. I love that environment – it challenges me not to get stodgy.

What's interesting about Hallee, is that's she's a unique individual. I got asked many times by the Chinese kids, how did you cast your actors. The thing with Hallee that's so interesting is that I probably auditioned 35 young actresses in Hollywood. (The character) is in almost every single scene, we have to shoot it in three weeks and she has to carry a film physically. It's very demanding and I was very nervous to cast lead. I knew it would sink or fly by her. Nobody was really feeling absolutely right for the film.

The thing loved about Hallee and her audition, was that she told me in the audition this film really spoke to her and she really loved this script. That was unusual because auditons are usually very cut and dry. She was the only one I really believed would have read these books and had the kind of imagination where she would fantasize about another culture.

The moment I made my decision I felt completely at peace about that choice, for somebody so young to take this project on her shoulders and perform it so beautifully. She had no interest in China before the film, but I made her read an autobiography of a young Chinese girl, and now (by studying it in college) she can speak Chinese.

DIANA: Do you mind telling me your age?

BECKY: 53. A big part of making this film happen was turning 50 and realizing I could be the most efficient, responsible person in the business, but it really didn't matter. If I didn't make own opportunity it wouldn't happen. I'm so pleased I said you gotta do this, you've always said you wanted to. You can't hope your work will be recognized. You have to make the opportunity for yourself. It makes being in my 50s a little a little more palatable, doing what I set my mind to.