In Conversation With Rachel Feldman
From being a child actor to a professional who advocates parity
Rachel Feldman is a veteran director and has a wonderful list of films/ TV work under her name. Having had to learn about gender exclusion in Hollywood the hard way, she has been writing and speaking about the relevance of employment equity and the global impact of female voices behind the camera. In this interview, she talks about the way the industry works, and how we must continue to explore until we find our niche.
1) Could you tell us a bit about your childhood and your interest in pursuing filmmaking, growing up? Did you always know you wanted to make films?
I came from an unhappy home fraught with tension, my imagination was a great refuge, and my earliest memories are making believe. I became a professional child actor and worked a lot from the ages of 5–15. I loved being on set and the entire experience was positive.
2) Could you talk about your experience being part of a film crew for the first time?
Since I was on sets at an early age, the set and working with a crew always felt natural, like being part of a collective. I have two older brothers, and being part of a large group of mostly men seemed natural too.
3) What motivates you to make a film? How do you go about choosing what stories to tell?
I have a strong point of view. I have always been interested in female protagonists. I have always been interested in stories of justice, or the small overcoming the large and setting things right. I value a modern approach to the character, but I am also a romantic, in the literary sense, and have optimism that drives me, even through edgy, dark material.
4) You have prolific experience working in series, could you chalk out the key differences in terms of finances and logistics in a series, as opposed to a feature film? How easy or difficult is it?
Working as a director in television is a great job. The shows I work on, generally, network dramas, are well-oiled machines staffed by amazing technicians at the top of their craft. Although you are always the new person in a company of those who have been working together for months, if not years, the director has 7 days for prep: to organize, cast, scout locations, communicate with all departments, and then shoot in 8 days that must be under 12 hours. The department heads, production staff, and crew, not to mention the casts of these shows, are a joy to work with. And then the editor and post-production come in. At every point, It feels like flying at a high altitude with the best support in the world.
In a feature, you are putting together the staff, crew, and department heads yourself, with your template of communication style and aesthetics. It’s like building your own family with your vision. It’s an extraordinary collaboration.
5) Could you talk about your just-announced project “Lilly?”
LILLY is my passion project, a feature film based on the remarkable life of fair pay activist Lilly Ledbetter. It’s taken me several years to get this project off the ground and I’m finally seeing my way to the reality of shooting this film in 2020. Lilly is a drama about an ordinary woman, a tire factory supervisor in Alabama, who endured working in a male-dominated, good ole’ boy, emotionally toxic environment, for nearly twenty years, to bring home the best paycheck she could to keep her family out of poverty.
Nearing retirement, she found out that the company had been cheating her for all those years, and that men with the same jobs were earning twice as much. Finally, tapping into the rage she had been keeping in check for all those years, she sued the company thrice, culminating in a terrible defeat in the Supreme Court. By then, Lilly came to realize that her issue was not personal, but political, and spend the next 10 years convincing Congress to change a law to protect women and workers. Eventually, when President Obama was inaugurated, it was the first piece of legislation he signed. But the film is not a chronicle of events, it’s about this incredible woman, a wife and mother, and how taking on this fight affected her life, her family, and her sense of self. It’s a movie for today, and I hope it will be an entertainment that will enlighten all around the world.
“As a filmmaker who began writing and talking about these issues over 25 years ago, I have been part of the push, at every step of the way, to move the conversation and actions forward.”
6) The words “diversity” and “inclusion” have become some of the hated and oft-abused words in the entertainment industry. What does inclusion truly mean to you? Could you talk about your experience working with women?
I don’t think anyone hates these words. When I began working as a director, the entire concept of gender equity for women directors was absent. If you mentioned it to a producer or a network, it was just shrugged off, as if, that’s just the way it was. As a filmmaker who began writing and talking about these issues over 25 years ago, I have been part of the push, at every step of the way, to move the conversation and actions forward. It is gratifying to finally observe great change and I honestly believe that the idea of inclusion, of the benefit of having other’s voices in the creation of media, is a real desire. There are still so many obstacles, mostly unconscious bias, but work is being done.
7) Do you have any advice for young filmmakers about securing funding for projects? We all know how many fabulous ideas get rejected because the person asking is a woman.
The film and television industries are very difficult ones, mazes filled with wrong turns, and illusory impressions. The best thing any filmmaker can do is to hone their unique vision and to create the strongest body of work. Then make as many films on whatever level you can, until your craft is strong and clear.
Our industry is not one that is easy to understand or get into, it’s full of obstructions for everyone, and historically much tougher for women and people of color.
8) You have written/voiced your opinion extensively about the gender disparity in the industry. As a veteran with phenomenal experience, how do you see things changing for the upcoming filmmakers?
I wish there wasn’t so much focus on “upcoming filmmakers.” There are as many obstacles and obstructions for mid-career, working directors as there are for new ones. There are so many programs and contests for new filmmakers and I would suggest that upcoming filmmakers take advantage of them. But then it’s just simple personal scrappiness that gets anyone to the next level. Our industry is not one that is easy to understand or get into, it’s full of obstructions for everyone, and historically much tougher for women and people of color.
9) Anything else you wish to add?
I believe much of the power to change things is in the hands of the male and female actors who trigger a green light on movies. They must dispense with traditional notions of celebrity when considering their next project and be willing to take the lead in films with filmmakers whose names they may never have heard of. Not every talented filmmaker has had success at Sundance or been written up in the NYTimes, most filmmakers can’t afford PR.
Actors who greenlight films must sit down with filmmakers they’ve never heard of and give them a chance to express their vision for a story, and why that actor can feel confident working with that filmmaker. This is how to expedite change.
—
Feldman has two episodes that she directed airing soon. Blue Bloods on Jan 3rd at 10pm on CBS and Criminal Minds Feb. 5th @ 9 pm on CBS. You can follow Rachel Feldman on Twitter @WomenCallAction and find out more about her at www.rachelfeldman.com
Vaishnavi is a writer, self-taught filmmaker among other things. You can read all of her work by signing up for her newsletter.
