This is a continuation of our chat with DGA Award-Winning Writer and Director Jacqueline Rosenthal about her extraordinary journey into the world of filmmaking with a special focus on Virtual Production.
Part 1 of our conversation can be found here.
You’re well-versed in Virtual Production as evident in Europa’s remarkable and stunning visuals and design. Can you give us a brief overview of this filmmaking approach and technology?
What storyteller doesn’t want the endless possibility of filming…anywhere?
Virtual Production is the future. It’s the future for auteur directors. I never knew how much I’d love it. I’m dedicated to helping making VP more accessible to directors who may be intimidated by the tech side. The tech was a learning curve for me at first.
Imagine wanting to go on an exotic vacation to Bali but seeking there to be a neon Blade Runner aesthetic of skyscrapers emerging from underwater – Virtual Production can do that – you play God. Any location is real, if you say it is.
Myself and a few of my VP director friends are in the works of creating something big, for directors specifically, in the Virtual Production space. Can’t share too much about it right now, but I’m looking forward to making it more accessible and manageable for directors so that VP can be incorporated in all productions.
I plan to incorporate Virtual Production in the Feature of Backlog. It’s impossible to film the exterior Senate Halls in Washington D.C. They don’t authorize permits – but we can use stock footage and throw it on the LED wall – and then…it’s possible.
What do you see as the main advantage of virtual production? Can independent filmmakers leverage this technology for low-budget projects? What key factors should filmmakers be aware of or prepare for when embarking on their first virtual production?
Touching on my answer above, absolutely independent filmmakers can leverage this technology but getting past the learning curve and seeking out students who are also building their reels and at a newer level is the key.
There is not enough information accessible about the director’s place in pre-production and even production for a Virtual Production. I’m actively working to change this with some Hollywood heavy-hitters. The focus is more on the role of the different jobs on the technical front, but without a clear division of roles directors often feel intimidated about over-stepping.
When I worked with Pixomondo, specifically operators Emmanuel Williams, Troy, and Dan Lazarow, led by our own Rene Hernandez and made possible by PXO’s Kaya Herman we were able to make real-time changes and collaborate on the day. I always want the operator’s opinions – they should be our collaborators as well. My favorite day on-set was when the team above gave me a suggestion about executing some motion blur with the wall in a running sequence and the shot looked so authentically – sadly it was cut for time, so you’ll have to take my word for it!!
I’m excited for what the future of Virtual Production looks like for creatives, especially when there is a clearer guideline of benchmarks not just for VAD but for the Director and Writers as well, potential revisions.
That’s how the art form will rise to the level it wants to be.
What films and which filmmakers have been the most inspiring or influential to you and why?
Top inspiring filmmakers are ironically Aronofsky, who also embraces Virtual Production. My favorite filmmakers growing up were Stanley Kubrick, Sam Mendes, Alfred Hitchcock, George Lucas, Ron Howard, Terrence Mallick, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and lately Sophia Takal, Greta Gerwig and Jane Campion. Power of the Dog has to be the most original and skillfully crafted, symbolic film I have seen. Every time I watch it, I see a new clue or hint Campion has planted.
I’m inspired by films about the human spirit’s endurance to survive – whether it be against technology, external forces, or themselves.
What advice would you give about maintaining a work-life balance in the field of entertainment
Bursts of time completely away from filmmaking are so healthy – because you will miss it – and you’ll return with this renewed vigor every time.
How do you stay inspired and motivated during long and demanding projects? How do you keep up with industry trends and continue to learn and grow as a filmmaker?
I honestly have the personality where I like to finish what I start. I’m never cognizant of how long the journey is because I always know the satisfaction of completing it right. I am a bit of a perfectionist – that’s my biggest flaw. The project never feels over.
I once worked on one film for eight years, I still haven’t released it, I probably won’t for another five years or so – it still needs work. I think you have to have a personality like that to commit to long-form. Nothing good in this business really happens overnight – at least that’s what it seems. The recognition can come all at once – but it’s usually after a mountain’s climb of work. And I like to work so it’s been fun for me. Filmmaking has yet to feel like a job, even when it started to pay the bills for a second there.
What were the monumental life lessons, mistakes, and things you’ve learned throughout your career that you would like to share with aspiring or emerging filmmakers and/or creatives in general?
That you will make mistakes, you will let people down, you will say things you didn’t mean in the pressure cooker of a moment. And the only thing you can do, is be kind to yourself and know that directing is not an easy job! You’re almost expected to be perfect, but breathe and realize perfection is not attainable but elegance, class and humility is.
I was always the leap-and-the-net-shall-appear kind of filmmaker. It resulted in me learning a lot on the job. I wouldn’t have it any other way. But because of this, I knew I was never going to be the most experienced person on set, by a long-shot. Those who were have become my mentors of sorts, albeit with a bit of tough love, because they knew I was learning. I now feel invincible and stronger than ever because I will always resort to respect and kindness. If you get an opportunity and have “overnight success” in Hollywood – be patient with yourself, like I wasn’t. Know that anyone pursuing this career is already incredibly mentally strong and that you have all the inner strength you need to proceed with hopefully the good grace your parents taught you!
Coming out the other side of a rollercoaster year, and having my first large feature on the horizon, Gaslight, a film we are making in France next summer, gives me immense pride and hope that this career is prime for the taking and persistence and determination are the keys.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the film industry, and where do you see it heading in the next decade? What kind of stories do you think will emerge and capture the attention of producers and executives?
I plan to run a studio one day, so that the future of this industry can be protected with ordinal stories, by original filmmakers where money will go toward them leading the way with their own stories, and the numbers/metrics following them. A girl can dream – and this girl will be dreaming of that – and probably making that a reality. Give me 10 years!
How did film festivals, filmmaking competitions, fellowships, etc. play a role in your career?
Film festivals gave me my career, but more importantly gave Backlog the platform for awareness. I want to thank the indie circuit and the festival programmers for what they do: Paul Sloop, Larry Laboe, Erin Schoenbaum, Emily Skyles, just to name a few. I think film festivals are the biggest hope of the industry. They promote originality and vision. They are America’s swan song of originality. And there’s a reason that all the Networks and distributors attend. I am so grateful to have been at 67 festivals with Backlog . How I wish our team could have attended all of them. In addition to watching the films, the relationships formed with other filmmakers has been incredibly meaningful and led to collaborations.
USC’s festival and industry relations office has also been very helpful, led by Sandrine Faucher-Cassidy and O’Shea Myles, the distribution office by Derek Horne. The way they hold the hand of students and guide them in an often murky world of sales and distribution has been incredibly generous.
I’ve been a part of about five fellowship programs, that all have bolstered my confidence in my work and also allowed me to form lasting relationships with studios, production companies, and other filmmakers that have enriched who I am as an artist. Recently in 2024, I participated in the Creator’s Playlab (mentored by Palme d’or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul) and the Athena Writer’s Lab (Backlog Feature Script) and have left both with strong projects that I could take out to the industry and mentorships with Api and screenwriter Hanna Weg.
What’s your advice to aspiring filmmakers who want to break into the entertainment industry?
You could die tomorrow. Cold-email that Executive on LinkedIn. Write that thing you wanted to make ten years from now – and find a way to make it now. Don’t hold back, ever, for anyone or anything. Life is shorter than you think.
What has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind as a filmmaker?
Having strong, life changing heart-to-hearts so vulnerable that I cannot share the information with assault survivors at the Q&As of Backlog ‘s screenings – and really listening to them feel finally seen. I want to do so much more, if you know of any politicians please put us in touch. And I will happily donate the film to them.
Do you have other upcoming projects you want to share with us?
Europa is in the final stages of post-production and we desperately need help for environmentalists and supporters of ocean conservationism to donate to this film. All donations are fully tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor: https://www.cinematographyforactors.com/fiscal-sponsored-projects/europa
Additionally, Gaslight, our French Neo-noire surrealist horror film, about a man gaslighting his successful wife to believe a pandemic is not over to keep her to himself, is set to film next May in France.
Currently the Feature of Backlog is looking for the right development company and producers to partner with. If interested in setting up a meeting, please direct inquiries to my reps at Culture Creative LA: Paul Weitzman and 3 Arts: Jack Peterson, Katie Newman.
