Lady Filmmakers Film Festival - Mallory Memphis
Mallory Memphis is a childhood urban legend come to life. It explores themes of beliefs and peer pressure told by an unreliable narrator. You will fall in love with Mallory and her group of rag-tag friends as they spark nostalgic conversation and reminiscing.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Paige K Boudreau
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Mallory Memphis was created as a submission to a female director mentorship program called Herland. One of the requirements for submitting was to have a script with a strong female character - and at the time I only had projects in the works featuring men. It was the day before the submission was due, I was driving, and I passed by a graveyard. The idea started writing itself in my head, and when I got to where I was going I sat in the parking lot and wrote the entire script out in my notebook. I went inside, went straight to my laptop and banged it out in Final Draft, then hit send (without even proofreading it - eeep!). The rest is history! It was like the story was gifted to me from the powers that be, and I am honoured to have the pleasure of telling this quirky little tale.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think audiences will enjoy watching this film because it's a fun, entertaining, and nostalgic story that everyone can relate to - whether they've heard this urban legend before or not. Everyone has been in a situation of peer pressure, of not being good at something everyone else is, or of being part of a rumour in which you don't remember which parts are the truth anymore. I think it's very charming and relate-able, and everyone loves a good laugh at something a little dark, right?
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Some of the universal themes I have mentioned above - peer pressure, not fitting in, failing when everyone else seems to be succeeding. More than that, I think Mallory creates a contained moment of childhood that we all sometimes yearn to get back to. In all my films my goal is to capture a specific (often personal) moment in time - the feeling, the mood, the colours, the emotion, the environment. I want to cup the essence of that moment in my hands, and then allow the audience to peek inside and feel immersed in that moment. In Mallory Memphis, I want the audience to be transported into the back of that school bus, believing hook, line, and sinker that there once was a girl named Mallory Memphis who fell victim to the ghosts that got sucked up her nose because she didn't hold her breath when they drove past a graveyard.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The core idea stayed very much the same from script to shoot to edit. The narration changed drastically. I knew I wanted a very specific cadence and rhythm for the narration because it would hold such a large role in crafting the feel of the piece. It look a few (okay, more than a few) drafts to get that right, but it was well worth the extra effort and agony.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback for this little film of mine has been so overwhelming! I created it with very little expectations in terms of reach and festival acceptances, but I am so pleasantly surprised it resonates with so many people. The positive reception has validated that I am on the right track, and I have stories worth telling.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The one thing I'm surprised about is that I was making a children's film without even realizing it. Not once during the creation of the film did I think it would resonate with children's audiences - yet here we are! I guess initially I envisioned it having a much darker edge to it that might not have been suitable for kids, but I love that it has found a home with many audiences.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I am SO flattered to be invited to be featured on We Are Moving Stories! It's always such a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak about my films and talk about some of the story behind them. By having Mallory Memphis featured on the site, I hope to gain more visibility as a filmmaker, which will ultimately give my stories a stronger voice and give me more opportunities to keep telling them.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
This film has already traveled so much further than I ever imagined, which is so inspiring for me. To take it to the next level, I think having a sales agent or buyer come on board would be incredible - to help continue to share the film with audiences around the world. I also would love to develop the story world that Mallory and her friends exist in. I think there's a huge opportunity here for a web series around playground urban legends, and development or pre-sale support around that would be incredible.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Mallory Memphis is meant to surprise, delight, and entertain audiences. That is my biggest hope around the film's impact. I also would love for adult audiences to feel some nostalgia for those times out on the playground. I believe that we are who we were at 12 - at our core. I think it's important to look back at those simpler times when we're feeling lost within ourselves - even if we have significantly changed as people. There's something really grounding about nostalgia, and I think that a secondary impact I would love the film to have.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I love asking people if they used to do this (hold their breath while passing by a graveyard as a kid)! There's usually no in between - either people have never heard of it before, or they admit to still doing it to this day! I love talking about urban legends and other things we believed as kids that now seem so ridiculous.
Would you like to add anything else?
This project really opened the door for me in so many ways, especially in fostering relationships with other females in the industry. Mallory was shot with a 99% all-female crew (we had one male for one half day) and the difference in dynamic on set was something I wasn't prepared for - it was such a pleasure! I feel blessed to have met, and continue to meet and work with so many boss babes in this industry.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
The facilitator/mentor for Herland - Sandi Somers - has her first feature film premiering at CIFF in the coming weeks. I had the opportunity to director shadow Sandi on Ice Blue and it was another incredible experience in my filmmaking career. I'm currently in post-production on a short film The Indigo Undergo written by Shaun Crawford, and we are currently collaborating on a number of different projects. I also have a feature film script in development titled Just Off Main Street, and an optioned TV series idea titled The Side Hustle.
Interview: September 2017
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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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Mallory Memphis
Mallory Memphis is a childhood urban legend come to life. It explores themes of beliefs and peer pressure told by an unreliable narrator. You will fall in love with Mallory and her group of rag-tag friends as they spark nostalgic conversation and reminiscing.
Length: 3 mins
Director: Paige K Boudreau
Producer: Paige K Boudreau
Writer: Paige K Boudreau
About the director/producer/writer: Alberta-based filmmaker Paige K Boudreau began her career as an editor, cutting lifestyle TV among other projects. In 2010 she transitioned into the role of production coordinator and post supervisor at Jump Studios where she subsequently wrote and co-directed broadcast and commercial projects as well as her first short film: SKYLINE. Moving over to Spotlight Productions, Paige show-ran 120 episodes of the Rogers/OMNI series Let's Talk English, and was also heavily involved in the follow-up Rogers/OMNI series Good Taste.
In 2015 she had the opportunity to write the third season of the outdoor adventure series FishCamp, story consult on the comedic pilot The Willmore Boys, and co-produce the indie feature film To The Mountain. 2016 found Paige moving solidly into the director's chair with the production of a collection of films including the CSIF/Herland supported Mallory Memphis; the TELUS Storyhive funded Up In Smoke; a short art piece about urban decay titled Nostomania; and a micro-documentary entitled Grandma's House. In March of 2017 she was part of the WIDC Career Advancement Module coinciding with the Vancouver International Women's Film Festival. She is currently in production and development on a number of projects including a short film titled The Indigo Undergo.
Key Cast: Kaylie Haskins (Mallory Memphis), Cruz Vallis (Jeremy Tanner)
Looking for: Sales agents, buyers, distributors
Social Media Handles:
Instagram (@paigekb https://www.instagram.com/paigekb/)
Facebook (Paige K Boudreau https://www.facebook.com/paigekbonnetta)
Website: https://www.paigekb.com/
Funders: CSIF, Herland, Canada Council for the Arts
Made in Association With: CSIF, Herland, Canada Council for the Arts, ACTRA, Six Degrees, FAVA, Jump Studios, EMMEDIA
Where can I see it in the next month?: Edmonton International Film Festival on Sept 30th, Lady Filmmakers Film Festival on Sept 29th