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Title: Brix and the Bitch
Runtime: 9 min
Country: USA
Director: Nico Raineau
Placement: Best Cinematography (John Gardiner) + Best Music (Greg Townley) + Award of Excellence
Competition: December, 2015
Synopsis: Trapped in a seedy and illegal fight club, one woman’s only chance for escape is a gruesome brawl against the one person she refuses to harm.
OR: What was the inspiration for your film?
NR: This film was inspired by the need for more films featuring strong, empowered women in lead roles. I wanted to make a film that I had never seen before, one influenced by a generally masculine storyline but infused with a female perspective. My goal was to put the audience in the shoes of a woman subjected to the male gaze and then watch her kick the entire concept in the balls. I also wanted to experiment with making an action film that was motivated so deeply by character that the emotional journey would be just as difficult to watch as the physical violence presented on screen. And Lastly, I had just made a number of comedic films and I didn’t feel like being funny anymore.
OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
NR: The idea was conceived a little less than a year before it was shot. I knew I wanted to make an action film and that I wanted to work with the two lead actors in the film, but I didn’t know if or when the film would ever actually get made. The film finally got the jolt it needed when Alex Marshall-Brown (who plays the character of Brix) informed me that she was training for a real Muay Thai fight and would be in perfect condition come Spring of 2015. So we used her training schedule as our production schedule, and fellow lead actress Dre Swain joined her in training. Together, they only had one month to prepare and learn the fight choreography. From the time we decided to greenlight the project to its film festival premiere was only about six months.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
NR: The most challenging aspect of making a short film is always in the telling of the story. Its extremely difficult to craft an emotionally compelling character arc in a short amount of time, and that was the case with this film. I needed to establish two characters that the audience would care about enough to invest in, and then bring them through an emotional journey that resolved a conflict presented only minutes prior. I don’t think short films, truly good short films, get enough credit for being a very difficult format.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
NR: The challenge with short films is small budgets and lack of adequate time. We shot this film in 2.5 nights and had a camera malfunction that cost us two hours on each of the nights when we were filming the fight sequences. When you’re concerned with safety and covering fight choreography, losing two hours is a major blow, but we had an incredible team and pushed through to still make our days. This film is really a testament to the passion and collaboration of our cast & crew, everyone involved really elevated one another and created an environment in which we all wanted to give our best work.
OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
NR: Read a lot of scripts. Write a lot of scripts. Edit a lot of footage. And welcome failure, because its the best lesson by which to learn. Other than that, surround yourself with people who are more talented than you are. Filmmaking is a team sport, so the best piece of advice I have for first-time filmmakers is that the sooner you get out of your own way and trust the artists you’ve hired to help you make your film the better it will be.