8th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival Beverly Hills - Shark Attack
A dorky fifth-grader braves the bully-infested waters of his neighborhood pool party to win the heart of the dark princess of his dreams.
Interview with Writer/Director Victoria Cragg
Congratulations! Why are you making your film?
First of all, thank you for recognizing Shark Attack on your website! I made this film with Grace, my cinematographer, for our senior thesis project at The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts. I am thrilled to finally be sharing it with the rest of the world.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If anything, watch this for the kiddos, who weren’t afraid to take the plunge and reach down deep into the depths of their insecurities and fears. We worked with some of the most resilient groups of kids I’ve ever met. Their countless hours jumping into pools and reapplying globs of sticky sunscreen made this film what it is. So I would say do it for them!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Shark Attack is about standing up for yourself and conquering your greatest fears. I think we can relate to the absolute terror of standing in front of your classmates and feeling like everyone can see how nervous you are. I know I can remember counting down the seconds until I could run back to my seat and become invisible again. Now that I’m an adult, I can look back and joke about those days (hence why this film is a comedy). There’s something funny about that being the worst thing to happen to you back then, when adult life is so much more intense. But when you look into the eyes of an 11-year-old and tell him we’re going for the first take on the first day of shooting, and you see that flash of terror cross his face…you remember that these fears are super real and ever present for those little guys.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The script started as a two-page scene for a screenwriting class in my first year of film school. Actually, I think the assignment was “write a scene about someone conquering a fear” so there you go! The scene received a great response, so we wanted to flesh it out into something bigger. Jamie, my co-writer, is extremely talented at writing children’s comedy and completely transformed the characters of Ruby and the bullies. It was her idea to make Ruby into a punk rocker and give Aaron a jeering older sister (named Jamie). As we went further into development we just kept asking ourselves how we could make Aaron, the main character’s life, more miserable and then we’d write it into the script.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We haven’t shared the film with a lot of people just yet because we just screened it for the first time in April at our graduation. My mom loved it!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Actually the feedback during development was really interesting. A lot of people questioned why Ruby has to be saved by Aaron if she’s so tough. I still struggle with this question because I would love to move away from “girl has to be saved by main character boy.” But maybe if this film was about Ruby it would have been the other way around.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that people will be intrigued and want to watch the movie!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Right now I’m hoping to gather exposure through the festival circuit. I’m looking forward to going and talking to people who watched the film and see what they thought. I’ve never really done that before and can’t wait to hear what people have to say. I’m also excited to meet some fellow woman directors and support their work.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Maybe this film will remind people that bullying is NOT okay. It’s a very real thing and most everyone has experienced it to some degree.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I guess this brings me back to the damsel in distress topic I mentioned earlier. Should the girl have been saved by the boy? I still don’t know how I feel about that, so if anything that question sparks debate for just myself!
Would you like to add anything else?
I hope to see more female directors, writers, and DP’s out there doing their thing. Hopefully someday we’ll reach a point where we won’t be surprised to see a woman’s name in the credits.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Let me tell you! Our producer and 1AD power couple Paul and Nicole are killing it in NYC right now. Jamie, my co-writer, is a creative assistant working on Disney promo campaigns and developing her hilarious and fresh web-series Nuggets on the side. Grace, our cinematographer, just spent the summer in Germany capturing amazing images on her camera. And Austin, our editor, is diving deep into virtual reality. Cool, right?
Interview: September 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Shark Attack
A dorky fifth-grader braves the bully-infested waters of his neighborhood pool party to win the heart of the dark princess of his dreams.
Length: 9 minutes
Director: Victoria Cragg
Producer: Paul Ramsdell
Writer: Jamie Cernich and Victoria Cragg
About the writer, director and producer:
Jamie Cernich (co-writer/production designer): Jamie Cernich is a writer/director from Overland Park, Kansas. She has never met anything more magical than a human child, and creating content worthy of kids drives her forward. She is pursuing a career in animated television development in Los Angeles, with dreams of creating the next Phineas and Ferb. On an average day, you’ll find her behind her laptop at a coffee shop. If you look very carefully, you might catch a glimpse of the chocolate cake donut she has smuggled in.
Paul Ramsdell (producer): Paul Ramsdell is a young filmmaker who favors the loud and the ridiculous. He has made multiple short films about topics like the end of the world and warehouse shootouts. Following an interest in movie-making sparked in high school, Paul attended the Florida State College of Motion Picture Arts. He is currently pursuing his dream to write and direct his own (big and absurd) feature films in New York City.
Victoria Cragg (director and co-writer): Victoria Cragg found a love for filmmaking in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Her passion for movie-making fuels her [healthy] addiction to out of the box portrait photography and directing quirky comedies. If this was a first date, she would also tell you she enjoys rollerblading, the socks & sandals look, and Star Wars. She currently lives in Los Angeles, living the dream.
Key cast: Jack Fry & Cassidy Ryan
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): I’m open to anything!
Made in association with: The Florida State University
Release date: April 30th, 2016
Where can I watch it in the next month? Lady Filmmakers Festival—September 25th
International Family Film Festival—October 22nd
Way Down Film Festival—date TBD