![]() ![]() So first we had to clarify what a “fish” meant ( Laughs). She called me one day and said, “You’re looking for a story about two people coming together? Well, I think I have one just like that.” I said, “Ok, let’s meet” She presented a story to us about finding a fish. For the A story, it was actually Kiki who gave us that. I’ve been asked why I didn’t go with the more extreme police stories and it was just as simple as it not fitting into this particular movie. From there, it became a process of picking and choosing which stories would get them to the laundry mat at the end. There were many different stories that we could have fit into the film, but when it came down to it we realized that it was ultimately going to be a film about friendship. We heard stories about police officers being extremely sensitive and then stories about police officers taking advantage of these girls and not only being Johns themselves, but stealing their money. For the interaction with the police officers, we heard a variety of different stories and the scene in the movie is sort of a combo of a few of them. So for instance the hate crime that takes place at the end of the film we heard from Mya and knew it couldn’t be the A plot, but put it aside because we knew we had to work it in somehow. We were looking for an A story the whole time. We had to pick and choose and figure all that out. ![]() We had everything from the very mundane to wild extremes. So, how did you approach combining all of that material into a script and was there anything you found particularly fascinating in you research that you just couldn’t fit into the final film? ![]() So help us, please!” ( Laughs) That’s where we started.įrom there, I’d imagine you were working from a wide array of details and anecdotes. We really want to show this corner, this world, this microcosm because it’s never been on film or television. and I are trying to find something to take place here. That’s what I presented to Mya and Kiki and everyone else we found. I’m very influenced by Mike Leigh and direct cinema where there’s a huge family drama that takes place in a single location where everything converges. That was the most important part for me, because it’s such a landmark. Third, I knew that I wanted there to be a final confrontation between all the characters at Donut Time. I just wanted to flesh out that neighborhood through two people. I didn’t know that would become a revenge story or a tale of friendship. Two, I knew it was going to be about two people coming together or searching for each other. If you have a tiny budget, it’s easier for a film to take place in a 24-hour period because then you don’t have to deal with costume changes and continuity is slightly easier. One was basically that I knew it would take place on one day. We had three ideas, if you could even call them ideas. No, we didn’t have anything written before finding them. With Tangerine debuting in theaters this weekend as the summer’s ultimate counter-blockbuster programming, Dork Shelf got a chance to chat with Baker about the unique production of his latest feature.įirst off, how did you start developing this film? Did you start writing anything before finding Mya and Kiki? Or did you almost approach it like a journalist or documentary filmmaker before compiling your research into a script? Of course, it doesn’t hurt that there are some hilariously profane and disturbingly honest scenes peppered through along the way. Tangerine feels like a logical next step for the director and a film that rises above its headline-nabbing central elements to work as a truly moving portrait of lost humans seeking friendship. Through such rough n’ tumble indies as Take Out and Starlet, Baker has long since proved himself to be a humane and sensitive filmmaker interested in portraying the lives of fringe figures who are rarely seen on the big screen or even discussed in most media. The primary reason for that is the fact that Tangerine wasn’t some sort of heartless stunt by a first time filmmaker, but the fifth feature by underrated director Sean Baker. ![]()
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