This interview was conducted under predetermination to learn about the gender inequalities in the film industry. But once the interview went under way it took a turn for the better, educating me and hopefully the attentive reader, of her opinions and knowledge on many areas in filmmaking.

On a Saturday afternoon in November, I was standing by the fountain sweating from a little nervous tension and wobbly from uncontrollable excitement. A lady, wearing a navy blue sweatshirt and varicolored scarf, walks towards me shouting, “Atiya?” It was Katja Straub, a German born filmmaker who works at Wesleyan University as a professor of film studies. Katja has experienced the thrill of winning film awards at film festivals such as the Mexico International Film Festival, being a semi-finalist for a Student Academy Award, the stress of managing your own film set, and she gives a legitimate account of her views of different types of cinema and women in the film industry. When seated, face to face, in a comfortable environment inside the Windsor Public Library, we began our conversation.

How Katja became Interested in Filmmaking

“To become a filmmaker felt like a natural, very organic process. I was a painter first, then I did video installations and so discovered the moving image. Filmmaking was the next step. I wanted to tell stories, so in making films I could do that and be informed by the art forms, like painting, I did before.”

The film is an image in your mind.

Katja was always had a stories in her mind. Growing up in Germany she moved around frequently when she was young. Thus, she was put in new schools numerous times. Subsequently, she was a shy girl. While making her journey to school, she would imagine and daydream being friends with different people. She would come up with stories or movies in her head. Since her youth, stories and daydreams have always been apart of her.

Prior to her education, she began an apprentice as a scenic painter for the German opera. Then she was a freelance artist.

“I started making films very late. As I child I was more of an observer, something that is also an aspect of being a filmmaker, so if you will I was already practicing. After high school I first worked for a while then went traveling to India for three month. Only after I wanted to become a painter. So I did an apprenticeship as a scenic painter to learn how to paint like the old masters.”

With no prior experience, she came to Austin, Texas, in 2004 as an exchange student, to use the film equipment, to make a documentary on her aunt, but ended up producing a film about cowboys. The classmates were nice; she made friends and the experience encouraged her to continue. Her documentary at 30 years old was her first, All White People Are French. Katja, an artistic woman whose mind was always in the prodigious art of storytelling believes that that scenic painting and filmmaking are similar, both a combination of photography and painting.
“I love filmmaking because it combines all the other art forms I am interested in, like painting, photography, writing, etc. The most important aspect of filmmaking is knowing what you want (having a vision) and being able to communicate that vision to others, your cast and crew. Filmmaking is a very collaborate process, which is also what I love so much about it.”

Films

When two people who look at films with a deep passionate love come together, the topic that will eventually come up is opinions on certain films. From being a fan of all cinema, Katja watches American, European, as well as other films by numerous people. She commented that Danish cinema doesn’t follow the “rules”. Katja’s view point on what the “rules” seem to be that they are more traditional styles of storytelling. She further explained that she likes films that go against these traditions, films that are more experimental.
“There are many ‘rules’ in filmmaking, there are writing rules, the rules of the structure of the screenplay, that it has a beginning, middle, and an end, that it has 3 acts and a climax and so forth. Most films work that way but there are always examples of films that ‘break’ the rules, by having a different structure, or being non-linear and so forth. Memento for example, by Christopher Nolan, was told backwards - something new.”

She described a film that was European; in this film the camera acts as the face of a person we never see. She described a scene in which the character is walking through a store, and as he walks through the store, you can hear conversations of the people walking by him. The underlying idea is that the man could be a part of the conversations, but he isn’t. The films that touch her the most are the short films with poetic elements, original films, and films that don’t follow the “rules”.

The American film No Country for Old Men directed by brothers Ethan and Joel Coen she liked. Laughing, Katja commented on how she wished she could be the Coen brothers because they make good films and get heaps of money for it. Another film we discussed was Melancholia, a dramatic sci-fi film we both enjoyed. Although she liked the film Melancholia, the director of the film, Lars von Trier, portrays women in a manner she does not like, she explained by saying the director depicts women as “suffering creatures”. When discussing the filmmaker Christopher Nolan, she acknowledged that she is not a huge fan of his film Inception, but did like his independent film Memento. The film Memento is legendary for its nonlinear storytelling, so the conversation branched off into storytelling types. Katja believes that a great deal of movies is nonlinear due to the use of flashbacks in many films. Another director we began to talk about was Federico Fellini, the illustrious Italian director. She commented on his 1963 film 8 ½ by saying it is her favorite film by him.

Favorite Filmmakers
When asking who her favorite filmmakers were, my expectations were of a more feminist perspective. Katja did explain how she tries to watch movies by women, but aside from that she is a fan of all cinemas. A filmmaker she mentioned was Andrea Arnold, the director of Fish Tank, Red Road, and the short film Wasp. Katja also mentioned the Argentinean born filmmaker Lucrecia Martel who made the film La Cineaga or The Swamp. She recommended the Academy Award nominated director Sophia Coppola who made the film Lost in Translation. In another nod toward foreign filmmakers, she mentioned the Argentinean filmmaker Gasper Noe; she recommended his film Enter the Void. Lastly, she mentioned the American filmmaker Julian Schmabel, director of the Academy Award nominated film Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Filmmaking Process
The whole process of planning, filming, and editing is just idiosyncrasies in the strenuous process of producing a film. Katja commented by saying that production is her favorite part. She continued by saying the experience filming her film Martha was “magical”. But before you can approach production, you must first write the screenplay then look for producers with connections. But it costs a large sum of money to make a film. Katja proclaimed that getting a budget is harder than managing a budget. It would turn out that much goes into the budget. She enlightened the fact that catering is a large part of the budget; especially since you have to feed the cast and crew lunch and dinner. When asked about the work hours, her answer was not anticipated. For scenes for daylight, filming would begin at 6 o’clock or 7 o’clock. Then the shooting would continue for 12 or 18 hours. She shoots 3-5 times a week.

Another important factor is choosing actors to play the characters in the film, performance is most important, she alleged. To find the wanted performer, she said you have to post an advertisement on an acting website describing what type of person you need for your film. Then of course you would schedule auditions, but it is hard to find the right person. Sometimes you might have to do callbacks. She said that you have to cast actors who have on screen chemistry. For example, she explained how the young girl, Christine Cheney, who starred in her film Martha, acted well with the actor who played the father, Kenneth Wayne Bradley, in the film. When asked whether good acting can be perceived differently, Katja responded by saying she believes that good acting is seen the same, but actors do have different techniques. Katja expressed her love for working with actors. She said that it is fun for the reason that she likes human psychology and the psychological exploring. When it comes to actors improvising, she has a weakness for it; though she does prefer actor improvisation in rehearsal, not on camera.

Actors love her, but the crew hates her. This blunt response to set relationships may be harsh but are very much true. She explained that you have to expect that you will not be loved by everyone. She made it clear how actors and crew get neglected by the director. You can’t work with crew and cast at the same time. Sometimes either party will get neglected. But it’s still important to be aware of people’s feelings.
Katja confided with me that she cares not for target audience, but does care for audience expectations. This goes along with her views on symbolism in your films. She expressed her belief that you must come up with your own symbolism. You would need images to represent your emotions, but people need to be able to understand. Audience response is a key factor in developing the story.

When we began to discuss the different aspects of making a film and the important attributes, Katja explained how lighting is very important, it helps to display moods. She also told me that she uses a film camera and likes film better then digital, visually. She explained that film cameras encompass richer color; for example, she said that European films have richer, darker colors due to their use of film. She is spellbound by the way a character can merge in the black background in the European films. Katja also speculated that with digital cameras people do not focus as hard on each take. She feels with film you have to because film is expensive and you only have a certain amount; unlike with a digital camera where you can have multiple takes. But digital films do have advantages over the latter. Digital is cheaper, easier, and the cameras are lighter.

Film Festivals
Katja makes short films and is actually in the works to make a full length film entitled How You Feel When No One’s Looking, (she commented on the title, saying that she has a fondness for long titles). Where does she showcase her cinematic masterpieces? At film festivals of course! Katja has had her films shown in festivals in Europe, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the United States. Her film Martha showcased at the Landau International Short Film Festival Kinocenter Universum in Landau, Germany, Central Wisconsin Film Festival, the Victoria Film Festival in Victoria, Canada, and many others. She explained how her experiences at the festivals are fun. You talk about the films at the festivals with people. You would also have Q and A sessions about your film.

Upon discussion about her film Martha, being a semi-finalist for a student Academy Award, she explained her reaction. She elucidated how when she first submitted the film Martha, she was thinking whatever. She did not expect her film to reach that level of success. Even though she did not win the Student Academy Award, she was honored for the honor

“It is like the reward for all the work, to be able to go to festivals and show your film and be able to talk about it. I have had great times at film festivals. You get to meet other filmmakers and go to screenings and parties.”

Obstacles

Katja enlightened the odyssey of filmmaking by describing the captivating aspects of cinema styles and cinematic elements. But along the trek to filmmaking success, there are hindrances that negatively affect future triumph.

When Katja submitted her first film to festivals, it didn’t play anywhere. She elaborated by saying that your films require so much effort and work that you get attached to the film. So by not reaching immediate success your first few films will be disappointments. But the key is to learn from your mistakes and to not stop making films. But two other major obstacles are time and money. It is apparently hard to make a living as a filmmaker, and the job is very time consuming; this why most people teach. She said that you would need a plan to make money and make films, so it’s good to have a job connected to the field.

Gender Inequality
A major factor many people might look at when it comes to examining the film industry as a whole is that the film business is a man’s world. Through investigation, it was discovered that 5% of directors in 2011 of the 250 highest grossing films were women. Katja believes that film is a man’s world. She said part of her wants to complain about the inequality in the industry, but on the other hand who cares? She personally doesn’t have a problem with the inequality.

“Women have to make it work for themselves, they have to work harder than others” she said. “The inequality is a challenge…” Katja explained to me that when women have children, their career paths change. The other jobs in filmmaking such as being the cinematographer would be hard for women because the equipment is heavy. She explained to me that people say women would be better at being a film editor because apparently people say women are good at organizing. Katja refuted this claim; she has a female friend who is a DP (director of photography/cinematographer). This tale about women is an example of how people, both men and women, discourage women from achieving higher positions in filmmaking.

Inequality, in Katja’s eyes, is not just the men’s doing. She believes that women favor males. Katja expressed to me let down by fellow female filmmakers. Women have difficult relationships while “…the men support each other…”she said. This opinion of the difference between genders is not the only one; Katja also told me that men and women are different emotionally. Do these differences affect each gender’s success in the film industry? The answer is arguably yes.

“As a girl or woman you can’t be bogged down by it. You have to work hard and give your best. Then nothing will stop you.”

Family Support
When venturing into the difficult and risky career of filmmaking, whether or not your parents support you in your career path can be very essential to ultimate success. Katja told me that her parents were great and supported her. They did not force her to become anything she was not likeminded to become. She said her parents wanted her to be happy.

Advice to Aspiring Filmmakers

Throughout the interview Katja would add snippets of helpful advice. Vital ingredients to fabricate an excellent film are: the experiences in your life that you can tell a story from. Katja repeated much this importance. To make a film you need a story to tell, to achieve these stories you need life experiences.

When asked whether or not filmmakers have to have a certain personality, she smiled earnestly and said, “No.” But she made it clear that filmmakers should love people, be disciplined, and have the ever sought for life experiences. You would have to be strong and confident; be definite on want your want. But she also said you have to be selfish. Curiosity led to her elaboration. She explained how at the end of the day it is the movie you’re making that’s important.

“You can be a filmmaker today, making work on a regular basis is important, build your craft, make stories on things you know, build your characters.”

“Make films! Nothing stops you. Be brave and just do it. Get together and support each other. Be confident!”

Every stage in life has its own story.