Interview with Sheila Dennin, Writer/Director of the Independent Short Film “Red Flags”

Annapolis-based freelancer Vicki Meade has 25 years’ experience in communications for health care, business, and technology. She has written for many magazines and websites and is an adjunct instructor of writing at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

 

Who can’t relate to the discomfort of being stuck on a terrible blind date?  In her funny and poignant 12-minute short, “Red Flags,” filmmaker Sheila Dennin, a Crofton resident, shows us what it’s like to keep meeting Mr. Wrong—and to try to make the best of it.

Dennin, who has worked as a writer and director in film, video, and multimedia for more than 20 years, is president of Mary Margaret Productions, Inc., in Washington, D.C. She recently talked about the film, which was shown at the Annapolis Film Festival Shorts Crawl in September, with Annapolis freelance writer Vicki Meade. You can see the film here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd5uR-UsyYY

Where did you get the idea for this film? 

When I was single, I went on pretty much all those dates. I was in my thirties¾that period in life when all your friends are married and they want you to join them in their misery. So they start fixing you up with people. Anyway, I would go on these dates, and afterwards I would call my dear friend Maureen Ryan [producer of “Red Flags” and of the Academy Award winning documentary “Man on Wire”]. Often, I was in tears, and she’d say, “Sheila, you’re gonna use these horrible experiences someday.”

So, the characters are based on real people?

Well, I married the guy in the park. That character is based on my husband, who I met at an awards event in Boston. He’s in software sales now, and at the time he worked for a web hosting company. We just celebrated 12 years of marriage.

And the guy who wanted to trim Tracy’s nose hair¾I was dating someone who did that to me. We were sitting together, having a pizza, and he stopped and gazed at me. I thought, oh, he thinks I am fabulous! But no, that wasn’t it.

What about Tracy—the lead character?

She is all women. Think about it—we don’t know anything about Tracy. She actually has very little dialogue. We fill in the blanks about who she is, because she is us. She tries so hard to be the good person, she doesn’t judge these people or react to them inappropriately. And, frankly, Tracy is me.

What do men say about the film?

Men love this film, too. They relate to Tracy’s situation–– it’s about the universality. The best comment I ever heard after a screening was when a guy came up to me and said, “This is why I go to the movies.”

Tell me about writing the script.

 The idea gestated forever. Maureen and I were working together over several years doing public health films. She teaches short film, and she said, “Why don’t you make one?” She started reminding me of these horrible dates, and she said, “I always remember the toothpick guy.” I got in the shower, imagined a scene, and things started to click. I sat down and wrote the script in four hours. I had actually written the whole thing in my head already, so when I got to the page, it just came out.

What was the casting like?

The casting session was incredible. In one day, we saw 50 people. I was very nervous about who would play Tracy¾I wanted someone that people like instantly because of her energy. Not stellarly gorgeous, but attractive in a way that would have us believe she might still go on blind dates. We had this wonderful parade of talented actresses come in, and toward the end of the day I’m thinking, we’ll never find her. Then this woman, Nell Gwynn, walks in, kind of harried looking, with tattoos. She read with the nose-hair guy, and it was magic.

How did rehearsals and shooting go?

I didn’t do any rehearsing. I just wanted to roll—I didn’t want to lose the performance. For example, toothpick guy, the way he carried off the whole, “isn’t it awesome that you’re sitting here with me” ¾it felt very natural and real. And directing Nell was unbelievably easy, like turning dials. We shot the film in New York City with a 39-person crew, and everyone worked for free.

What was the hardest part of making the film?

 Two things. First, making sure the ending worked. No one has ever told me they saw the ending coming, and that is incredibly satisfying. In fact, some people get mad at me. Which is cool, because it means this character I created really got to us.

And the second?

Putting in the red flags. The idea was, you’re dating this guy and totally ignoring red flags¾these red flags hit you and you go, ”oh, stop it,” but the flags get bigger and bigger, and you push them aside and continue on with the date. So, how to convey that?  We decided to do animation, and I didn’t have the money for 3D animation. I found these guys in New York who said, “Set up the scene and we’ll take it from there.” In most of the scenes, we knew in advance what we’d do with the flags. The animators’ big surprise to me was when the flags come out of the mouth and ear of sob-story guy. People always laugh at that.

 I’ve sat in the audience and experienced the film with viewers, and at that point, everyone settles into their chairs and goes, “Oh, I understand the world we’re in.”

Did you have a key message you wanted to get across?

First and foremost, it’s entertainment. My intention was to have people laugh. But there’s also this idea: we never know what someone else thinks of us. How many times have you chosen to go out on a date, and it went unbelievably well, yet you never hear from the person again? Who knows why?