Gretl Clagget’s STORMCHASER started as a poem. And so fitting that it opens with our heroine Bonnie Blue remembering her 15th birthday storm chasing with her father, captured in beautiful wide shots and impressive VFX. She lyrically narrates her memory, describing it as a spiritual experience. You may even be tempted close your eyes to listen, soothed by her prose, and then…we are in the present day.
Still with Blue, this time surrounded by memories instead of in them. She is still a Storm chaser, but a different kind; working for a door to door sales company selling storm proof solutions for homes. Except she isn’t making sales and, it turns out that the solutions aren’t particularly storm proof.
Her employer is the maniacal Flip Smyth, in an excellent deranged performance by Stephen Plunkett. And the company works like a cult, having all employees chant for their leader as he enters the room. Except for Blue and a single co-worker who find solace in each others company.
Flip publicly and privately humiliates Blue for sport, and when she manages to close her first deal, it is no different. A storm is brewing inside Blue as we see her use cherished memories to get an unsuspecting woman signing up to storm proof her house. She’s made the sale, but at what cost?
Upset by the deceit of the job, Blue at least thinks she can prove to Flip that she is worthy of his praise. However, Flip pulls one final trick to avoid paying Blue’s commission, and that is enough to send her over the edge.
Inspired by her small town upbringing in a “Tornado Alley”, Clagget chose her heroine carefully and with purpose: Bonnie Blue isn’t afraid of tornadoes, she isn’t afraid of much. Capitalism is alive and well here, but we are compelled by Bonnie’s personal journey – with a brilliant performance by Mary Birdsong – and the two align perfectly, a testament to Clagget’s writing skills.
words by Margot Douglas
questions by Morgan Roberts and Robin Write
FILMOTOMY: Who is an actor/editor/cinematographer/writer you want to work with?
GRETL CLAGGETT: Wow, that’s a big question. There are so many talented individuals working across all realms of film and streaming — from writing to acting, directing, cinematography and editing.
I was blessed to work briefly with Julianne Moore on my first short film, Happy Hour, that she narrates by “voicing” my poem on which the film culminates. I’d love to collaborate with her again in an onscreen role, as she’s definitely one of the greatest actresses living today.
In terms of cinematography: Rachel Morrison and Adam Newport-Berra quickly come to mind — love their work… I think it’s great to have a core team, which I’m still building, and also wonderful to mix things up on a project-to-project basis, as each story being told calls for different strengths, energies, and POVs.
What has been the most unexpected thing you have learned about filmmaking?
The biggest lesson for me came in “re-envisioning” STORMCHASER, which has a running time of roughly 27 minutes and was created as a “long” short and proof of concept/pilot. At the very end of last year/top of 2020, I got feedback from some festivals that they loved the film, but it was too long to program in their shorts blocks.
So, even though the film was doing well on the circuit and winning multiple awards, I challenged myself to re-edit the material into a 15-minute short. My editor, Emily Chao — who has been an incredible collaborator — and I were able to kill our darlings and re-create the story by cutting almost half the film. This shorter version, which I’m calling FLIP THE SWITCH, has the same “essence” as STORMCHASER, but it’s definitely a different film in terms of story and character arc, structure and pacing.
From that process, I really learned just how malleable what’s on the page and on the screen can be… and how important it is to hold your Vision as a Creator and Director, while remaining open-minded, collaborative and flexible. Of course, in order to have great material onscreen, there must be great material on the page. It all start on the page. But this “exercise” of drastically cutting a film that I felt was working well viscerally showed me the truth of the saying: a film is written or made three times: first, when you write it, then again, when you shoot it, and then, finally, when you edit it.
Some women directors don’t like the term “female filmmaker”, as men are never called “male filmmakers.” How do you feel about the moniker “female filmmaker?” How do we make “filmmaker” a universal term?
Great question. I’m not a fan of the terms “chick lit” or “female filmmaker,” because I feel they diminish the work itself. That said, I am a big fan of festivals like Femme Filmmakers Festival, which support and celebrate women in film!
Even though we’ve made some progress with more women in Directorial and DP roles, etc., we still have a long ways to go. I consider myself a humanist (not a feminist) with a unique creative voice and vision that’s been shaped by all my experiences — as is true for any filmmaker or artist, regardless of race or gender. And, as a writer and director, I tend to write female-driven stories, but I also love developing complex male characters and working on a set that has both strong, passionate, talented women and men in front of and behind the camera.
As with any marginalized population and endeavor, it will take more time and energy to turn the tide so that, hopefully, one day, all films can be viewed simply as the work itself — without and beyond “labels.” The shift must happen in our society at large… and we definitely are living through a seismic shift right now, so let’s hope we evolve.
What is your favorite part about being a filmmaker? What is your least favorite part about being a filmmaker?
My favorite part of filmmaking is being able to merge all my creative passions — for writing, acting, directing, visual and sound design, technology with effects — into a singular story, building a visceral world that an audience can step into, experience, and be transformed by in a way that no other “one” art form can accomplish, in my opinion. I gravitated to film as an artist because of its complexities and challenges. Making a film isn’t for the faint of heart.
And I guess my least favorite part about being a filmmaker is the expenses involved and the fact that here in America, there’s so little support for independent filmmakers. As opposed to other parts of the world, which seem to place a higher value on independent stories and films being made for the sake of society and art, rather than our “profit over people” model of capitalism.
STORMCHASRER balances a kind of mix of genres. It’s funny in places, suspenseful, quite emotional, etc. Was this intentional? What were the shifts in tone intended to impact on your audience?
Absolutely, the shifts in tone and genre are intentional. One of my favorite quotes is from Lord Byron: “And if I laugh at any mortal thing ‘tis that I may not weep.” I believe we can more easily face the world’s toughest problems when storytelling and performances are not on the nose.
So, my intention is for audiences to experience STORMCHASER as entertainment; but process it as a satire of our socio-political system — a darkly funny dramedy with a dash of romance and allegory.
Flip Smyth epitomizes the Old ‘Merica and culture of entitlement. Don Stuckey, a dark-skinned man in a white man’s world, like far too many employees, lives in fear of losing his joyless job. And, Bonnie Blue, our anti-heroine, who really wants to pursue her passion for chasing storms, but — to make ends meet — finds herself preying upon the very vulnerabilities that are preyed upon within her. She, along with Don, represents the changing face and values of a New America struggling to find its way.
Magical Realism is sparingly interspersed throughout the film to physicalize the characters’ internal landscapes. There are scenes in which characters, themselves, become “the storm.” These moments — that break free from the more realistic narrative — hopefully engender intimacy with the characters’ psychologies, compress and accelerate action, as well as heighten dilemmas so they can be felt personally, politically and universally.
How did you cast the film?
I worked closely with my Casting Director, Jennifer Peralta-Ajemian, to cast the film. She really listened to my vision for each character — from the leads to the supporting and smaller roles. We did a lot of “out-of-the-box” brainstorming about each and every character in the film. And, for a short film, it has a large cast.
Each actor was meticulously chosen through a series of auditions and call backs, and — no matter how little screen time their character may have — each and every role is portrayed by a talented actor. No role was considered or approached as an “extra” or background player, as every character onscreen has a specific backstory and purpose. And that was a ton of fun to cast, and then collaborate with every single actor in creating a character with a life outside the parameters of the film’s story…
Does STORMCHASER carry any personal influences? Are there other films or filmmakers that also helped you picture your story here?
Yes, the genesis of the story came from personal experiences and a conversation…
“He’s a door-to-door ‘door’ salesman,” my friend said.
“A what…?” I thought I’d misheard what her new boyfriend did for a living.
“He lost his job. Now, he sells storm doors, door-to-door.”
Our exchange conjured black-and-white images from the Maysles’ documentary, Salesman, about door-to-door bible peddlers in the ‘60s. Surely, this daily grind was a thing of the past. But as I did some digging, I discovered it still exists; and that many contractors targeting weather-torn areas this way are called “storm chasers” — instead of “ambulance chasers” — because of their predatory practices.
This triggered a deep compulsion in me to express my own sardonic commentary on what I’ve experienced growing up in small-town Tornado Alley, plus selling incentives as the lone woman in an old-boys’ club. America’s culture of greed, its celebration of bad behavior, and the rise of “disaster capitalism” which preys upon the most vulnerable suffering from man-made and natural catastrophes.
All that gave birth to Bonnie Blue, a down-on-her-luck storm chaser turned naive, door-to-door huckster of roofing, siding and storm doors.
In terms of other filmmakers, I would say that the early work of the Coen Brothers was an influence in my shaping this story… but more subconsciously than consciously.
What are the top three things every filmmaker should have? Could be personal qualities or tools or a combination of both.
Leadership abilities. Passion for the work and collaborative process. Tenacity.
If you could shadow another filmmaker for a day, who would it be and why?
David Fincher: He is a master of control in cinematic storytelling. No frame is ever wasted. And Bong Joon-ho: Another cinematic master, whom I deeply admire for how he tackles important societal issues.
What has been your favorite film so far this year?
For this one, I have to give a shout-out to my pal, the brilliant Writer/Director Boaz Yakin for his film, AVIVA, a unique story about a relationship that develops into a marriage between a man and woman, with each of the two principal characters played by both a man and a woman. The marriage eventually dissolves, evolving into a deep friendship — all told through a riveting mix of traditional dramatic scenes and expressive dance sequences.
I love this film because it’s beautifully told and embodies healing energies for both sexes. And we need that right now: the understanding of the complexities of relationships and how our internal split keeps us from true intimacy with ourselves and each other, or “the other” with the message of love, forgiveness and acceptance. Check it out. You’ve never seen anything like it!
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