One of the breakout hits of this year’s Cannes film festival was The Florida Project, the story of a wild summer adventure for the precocious Moonee. She’s loud, full of attitude and six years old. It’s a powerful combination for any child and newcomer Brooklynn Prince plays her with the confidence of a seasoned veteran.
Director Sean Baker is used to getting genuine performances out of fresh-faced actors and The Florida Project is no exception. The film pulsates with energy from its novice cast and only has one major name on its roster (Willem Dafoe as an endearing motel manager). That low-fi strategy works to Baker’s advantage making it easier to improvise on set if there are acting or budget restrictions. It also calls to mind his last film Tangerine, the story of transgender sex workers in L.A. that was shot on an iPhone and opened to rave reviews praising its unique approach to filmmaking.
Baker recently traveled to San Francisco to talk to us about The Florida Project and how he hopes audiences will view his new film. This is a transcription of that conversation.
Q: One of the constant threads in your work has been mostly working with actors who are not professionally trained. What makes you gravitate toward that working environment?
Sean Baker: I like to mix it up and bring fresh faces to the screen but then have them interact with seasoned actors. Some of my first-timers from way back have become seasoned which is great. I love what happens on set when you have someone who has this long career like Willem Dafoe and then a first-timer who has none of that. Someone who doesn’t even know how to begin but there’s a naivete and a freshness that’s exciting. They’re trying things that a seasoned actor wouldn’t try. So it’s this weird alchemy that I find interesting. There’s also certain times when a character is required to have a fresh face.
Q: I like how you have the kids watching Greg the Bunny in the background during one scene. I know you worked on that show so it makes sense.
Baker: It’s also me with my producer hat on because I’m thinking that’s a clip we can get for free. All I have to do is call my co-creators and clear it for free.
Q: I’m a big fan of Tangerine but it has sadly become pigeonholed as “the iPhone movie” instead of a great film people should discover. Does it bother you in any way?
Baker: No. To tell you the truth I get that fifty percent of the time. On the other side they’re talking about the themes of the movie, the focus on the trans world and that area. Trans women of color who have to resort to the underground economy to survive. They’re talking about the humor of it and the sisterhood of it and the fact that we shot it in a place in Hollywood that is literally the shadow of the industry but has never been focused on. People like that part of it and yes, there’s the iPhone thing but I don’t think people see it as a stunt. I think they see it as a way that I had to do it in order to shoot that way and to shoot in our budget. It actually became the best medium for that movie.
For this movie we went 180 degrees the other way, we shot it on anamorphic 35mm with Panavision lenses but I didn’t do it to put down the iPhone and say this is what I can do with more money. It’s a project by project basis. I wanted that organic feel of the celluloid to capture all those colors and feel like we were living in it. We’re also living in an age where the death of film is a real thing. If my film can help in any way to keep this medium alive then that’s another reason to do it this way.
Q: Is there something about this film that you haven’t been asked yet that you’d like to talk about?
Baker: I do feel that it’s a film to be seen with an audience. We’re competing with a lot of the big action films out there but I do feel that we shot it for the big screen. I would like people to experience it on a big screen but with a crowd because there are laughs and a lot of emotion. You can literally feel it go through the audience which is an incredible thing. I’m not boasting about my film but I’m just saying I’ve been in the room and you can feel the audience riding. You can watch it at home but you’ll get a much better experience if you see it in a theatre.
The Florida Project is now playing in limited release.
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