Culver City Film Festival 2018 / HollyShorts Monthly Screening 2019 - BLUR
After a college student is drugged and raped, she begins to question her reality and doubt what happened to her.
Interview Writer/Director/Producer/Lead Actress Lauren Fields
Watch Blur here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
In 2016, I listened to an episode of the podcast This American Life called “The Anatomy of Doubt.” It told the story of a woman who was raped when a stranger broke into her apartment in the middle of the night. She immediately reported it, and as police began investigating, they decided she had lied to them. They said that there hadn’t been a rape. She eventually was so convinced she lied that she signed an affidavit and paid a fine. A few years later, in another state, a detective caught her rapist for another rape and was able to link him to her case.
After listening, I was furious, and I knew I needed to share this with more people. What struck me about the story was that after the police turned on her, she began to doubt herself so much that she was convinced she lied. While I changed the other circumstances of story, BLUR is about a campus assault, I wanted to convey the message that assault survivors are subjected to a secondary trauma when no one believes them.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film attempts to put audiences in the head of one assault survivor and to feel what she feels and think what she thinks. It takes you on her journey, and on that journey, you’ll see the cracks in our criminal justice system. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), “Among undergraduate students, 23.1% of females and 5.4% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation,” and “only 20% of female student victims, age 18-24, report to law enforcement.” While the statistics can feel overwhelming, by focusing on one experience, the audience can really connect to the character and her experience.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film shows the importance of believing women and all assault survivors. Also, it portrays strong female characters. As a female writer/director, it’s extremely important to me to depict the women I see around me in the world, who I so often don’t see on screen. I recently watched the original Cape Fear (1962) and in it, the women are one-dimensional, screaming, crying, completely incapable of defending themselves from harm. I don’t know any women like this. For me, it was so important to portray Lily, the lead in BLUR, as a strong, smart woman who simply gets trapped in a compromising position and tries to fight her way out, but it’s an impossible task.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Accuracy was extremely important to me in telling this story. I’m not an assault survivor, but I wanted to tell a story that felt real. After writing the first draft of the script, I took it through several re-writes based on notes I received from several assault survivors who were kind enough to read my script and give feedback. Those notes really helped shape the script and even my directing and acting in the film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Really, overwhelmingly positive. I’ve been really thrilled with how many women and men have come up to me after our screenings and told me how much they loved the film. Women particularly have thanked me for telling this story that they feel a personal connection to.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I’m always my own worst critic. It’s especially challenging as the lead actress in my film to watch the film over and over. There are times I’m at a screening and I nitpick, “why didn’t I do that differently?” or “I wish I could change that,” but the overwhelmingly positive responses have challenged my inner critique and made me realize I’ve made a film that people connect to.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I’m looking to let more people know about this important film and to get people excited about seeing it. If you want to see BLUR on a screen near you, contact your local festival programmer and let them know you want BLUR there!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
To help amplify this film’s message, I want to get it in front of more audiences. We just started our festival run in November 2018; we’ve screened at 2 festivals and are screening at another one in February, but I’m looking for additional film festival directors who’d be interested in screening the film. I’d also love to speak with journalists who could promote interest in the film and propel it to more screenings.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want this film to start a dialogue about why it is so important to believe sexual assault survivors. We need to believe their stories.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What real-world justice do assault survivors get? The ending of the film typically left our audiences wanting more, but that was purposeful. Why are assault survivors often left feeling like the criminal justice system doesn’t care about them?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you for providing this platform to discuss important films.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
For the past year, while working on BLUR, I’ve also been working for Nicolas Winding Refn on his new Amazon TV series Too Old To Die Young, starring Miles Teller. Additionally, I’m in the process of developing my own TV series called FRAT STAR. The pilot for FRAT STAR is a semifinalist in ScreenCraft’s Pilot Launch Competition 2018. I’m also developing a feature film, which will be my feature directorial début, which tackles similar themes to BLUR.
Juan Luis is currently writing two pilots (an animated comedy and a live-action drama) while developing another live-action short film about relationships and modern connectivity.
Interview: December 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
BLUR
After a college student is drugged and raped, she begins to question her reality and doubt what happened to her.
Length: 12 minutes
Director: Lauren Fields & Juan Luis Bravo
Producer: Lauren Fields, Juan Luis Bravo & Hayley McClintock
Writer: Lauren Fields
About the writer, director and producer:
LAUREN FIELDS (Writer/Director/Producer): Award-winning writer/director & USC film alum Lauren has directed multiple web series & shorts. Her TV pilot FRAT STAR is a semifinalist in ScreenCraft’s TV Pilot Launch 2018. Contact her @thelaurenfields or thelaurenfields@gmail.com.
JUAN LUIS BRAVO (Director/Producer): USC alum Juan Luis Bravo currently produces video at Disney while writing independently for live-action and animation. Reach out at juanlbravo@icloud.com or @juanluisbravo_.
Key cast: Lauren Fields, Lexie Stevenson (The Young & The Restless), Daniel Bruington (VICE), Demetrius Butler (SWAT)
Looking for: Film festival directors, journalists, distributors, buyers.
Facebook: BLUR the short
Twitter: @blurshort
Instagram: @blurshort
Other: blurshort.com
Funders: Crowdfunding
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Our next screening is Thursday, February 28th 2019 at the HollyShorts Monthly Screening at the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Follow us on social media or check out our website blurshort.com