REVELATIONS Directed By Jane Lee

Shane: Tell us about your film?

Jane: It’s a coming of age tale. A boy and girl meet. There is a certain chemistry between them. He starts to share with her some bits of his life. She is delighted and opens up to him in turn. His reaction, however, isn’t quite what she expected.

It’s a metaphorical tale and is told in a very graphic style without dialogue. As it is a very simple tale the characters are simply line drawings over a white background. I achieved it by rotoscoping live actors. I was very lucky. The actors were very expressive and natural. Anna Rice captured the mood beautifully with her score.

S: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

J: When I was 18 and 19 I used to be really into poetry and had a very open disposition. If I met a guy that I really liked I would open far too much, far too soon and bombard them with everything that was inside me. They reacted with shock and ran for the hills.

S: Was this a school project?

J: No. 

S: How did you find your cast? 

J: I already knew Nicola from having worked with her previously. Actually, we have been friends since the age of 3 but she’s a very talented actress and we have worked together before to great success. I found Conor while operating the camera at a fellow director’s auditions.

S: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

J: Roughly 6 months

S: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

J: My father died the day after the shoot. I knew he was really sick but didn’t realize he was so bad.

S: Tell us about the films festival experience so far?

J: So far Revelations has shown at Cork International Film Festival, Belfast International Film Festival and Festival Tres Courts in Paris. Other festivals where it is screening in June are Femina, Rio de Janeiro, Kratkofil, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Festroia

S: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far?  What was your favorite question?  How was the dialogue afterwards?

J: This is my first Q & A. I liked talking about where I found my cast. It reminds me of people I really like. Collaborating with other talented and creative people is my favorite aspect of film making.

S: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

J: “The Lives of Others” for its humanity, “Pan’s Labyrinth” and films by Jeunet & Caro for their creativity, Peter Jackson and Stephen Speilberg for their bubbling enthusiasm and passion. Jim Henson for his creativity, imagination, generosity and ideals.

S: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

J: I was a between-jobs model-maker and the Cork Film Centre gave me the opportunity to make a short stop motion using their facilities. I came up with a story, made the sets and characters and gathered a team together. It all went successfully and I got commissioned to make a 2nd short. It took off from there. I really enjoy the sense of creativity and collaboration.

 S: What is next for you? 

J: I am off to Kenya next month to shoot a documentary about 9 Irish tradesmen who are volunteering their time and resources to build an extension to a school outside Mombasa.

S: What is next for the film?

J: It is off to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for Femina – a film festival for women directors.

S: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

J: Well, the quote that inspired me in the first place was

“Whatever you do or dream you can, Begin it. Courage has a beauty and magic to it.”