Q: Is you film,
financially feasible? You have no major stars in it. You are the leading star.
Do you expect to make money out of it?
JESSICA: Veronika's Birthday was my MFA thesis project at the School of
Visual Arts. Since VB is not a feature length film, there are very limited
opportunities as far as distribution. For example, a theatrical run is not
possible for short films. There are possibilities in DVD and Internet
distribution that I have looked into, but they most likely will not yield any
profit. Short films very rarely make money.
Q: What is your aim? What do you want to accomplish by shooting,
directing and starring in this film?
JESSICA: I wrote, directed, produced, starred and edited VB. However,
I did not shoot the film. I have my cinematographer, Mark Astrom to thank for
that. I am using VB as a calling card to gain access and funding for my next
film, of which I am currently co-writing with another writer. Additionally, I
made this film because I had to tell a very important personal story. I
wanted to honestly explore the relationships among secular Jewish women. I
want the audience to recognize the behavior of their own family in Veronika's
family.
Q: How do you define talent in motion pictures? A director's talent? A
leading star's talent?
JESSICA: Talent is very enigmatic which makes it extremely difficult to
define. As far as a leading star and a director's talent, great instincts in
the moment are very important. An actor's talent could be the predisposition
to be able to act in the moment honestly and take interesting risks that allow
the viewer to believe and enter the character's world that they are playing.
A director's talent could be the ability to draw out amazing performances
unique to each actor, while maintaining a greater vision of the entire film as
a whole, including music, sound, cinematography, lighting, and editing, etc.
Q: Do you have these talents as director and star?
JESSICA: Yes, I feel that I do. As far as my acting and directing, my
instincts have proved invaluable. I also work extremely hard. I do my
research on characters I take on and I even took on an acting coach for three
months during reshoots for VB.
Q: What's make this movie special?
JESSICA: I feel that this story is unique to me. I feel that I am the
only one who could have made this film. There is an honesty that rings
through VB. It is very interesting, because the main character Veronika is
not very honest and neither are any of the other characters.
Q: And how about you, Jessica? What so special about you as a director
and an actress?
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