Your new film Marriage
Material - in a few words, what is it about?
I'm at the age (30) where marriage and babies are coming up a lot. I've
already made those decisions, but many of my friends haven't, so I wanted
to make a film about those kind of conversations that felt real and true
to my generation.
What
were your initial inspirations when conceiving Marriage
Material?
I'm friends with Kentucker Audley and
Caroline White, the lead actors in the film, and we've all talked about
this stuff, so I was inspired to cast them based on their relationship and
their willingness to delve into these issues. The credits of Marriage
Material list the whole cast of the movie as co-authors. So how
big was the creative input of each actor, and could you describe the
on-set creative process? All of the dialogue is improvised,
based on a loose outline that I wrote, so everyone in the film is
contributing a great deal. I was also basing elements of the outline on
things Kentucker and Caroline shared with me about their real life and
their daily routines, so it made sense to give everyone writing credit.
Since we are already talking
about your cast: What can you tell me about your lead actors, and what
made them perfect for their roles? I think Kentucker and
Caroline are both great actors, so I wanted to work with them for that
reason, but they also make work that investigates their relationship, and
I needed actors who were vulnerable and self-reflexive in that way. They
were excited and willing to explore these issues with me, so it was a
great fit. The baby in the film
is your own son, right? How has having a young child changed your life,
and also your approach to filmmaking?
Yes, my son Jude is
in the film. Having a baby is hard work. My priorities have changed and my
schedule has changed a lot. I don't have much time to sit around thinking
about myself and my problems the way I used to :)
Related to that,
how can you from today's point of view relate to the character of Andrew
in your movie? I hope all men can relate to the character
of Andrew. He's not closing the door on the idea of marriage and a family,
but he doesn't feel ready. I was like that, but I think for people who do
get married and have children, you realize that you're never ready and you
were never going to feel ready. It becomes something you just have to do
if it's important to you. You are releasing Marriage
Material for free on Vimeo - http://vimeo.com/34790491
- for a limited time, right? In a
word, why?
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Freedom! Any future projects you want to talk about? I'm
finishing up a thriller called 24 Exposures that I made with some
great people in Atlanta recently and I'm also working on a film called All
the Light in the Sky, with one of my all time favorite actors, Jane
Adams. Your
website, Facebook, whatever else?
www.joeswanberg.com
www.facebook.com/joeswanberg
Thanks
for the interview!
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