or the girlfriends or the prostitutes or they are just sort of objects of desire and Julianna Lavin lid a there’s not an original idea in any of that. I was interested in handling women’s sex­ uality in a way that is not supposed to be talk with Artsweek recently erotic. The film is more of a confessional. It's about the type of things that are inter­ esting to someone like me but that you about ber new film, Live usually don’t see much of on the screen. I mean, you really don’t see that many mo­ vies about how women relate to each Nude Girls. A good time other when there aren’t any men around. Did you have a tough time getting those them es across in the dialogue you was bad by all. Heck, we wrote for the characters? No, it was pretty natural. People asked why I decided to do a woman’s movie and learned a lot, too. the obvious answer is that I happen to be a woman. I think “Write what you know” Could you give me som e background is always good advice. I mean, I certainly information on yourself and on Live didn’t nave to do any research for this Nude Girls? film; all the incidents and conversations I was a literature m ajorat Creative Stu­ are based on me and my friends and all the dies and a film studies minor at UCSB. I things that we have said and thought and made a 16-millimeter student film at done. I tried to make it as honest as school that I wrote, directed and acted in possible. which sort of inspired me to want to do How did the film get financed? the same thing on a bigger budget in Hol- My friends and I weren’t able to raise Julianna Lavin first-time director to stretch myself that You obviously m ade this film to get a thin. woman’s perspective out there and wo­ How does it feel to be a UCSB film men are going to appreciate that aspect alumna and to be coming back to show of it. What do you hope the m ale audi­ your work in Campbell Hall? ence takes away from the film? Really good! Coming back to some­ where you haven’t been in a long time re­ I never intended to make a movie that minds you of what you’ve accomplished. only women would like. I like men. My It was a long, hard road for me and some­ boyfriend loves the movie and so do most times you forget. Like right now, I’m in of my close male friends. I think for them the middle of two studio deals and it’s it’s a very voyeuristic experience because great. I’m happy, but I get really em­ ... there’s no way that a man is ever going broiled in all the difficulties and I forget to to experience how women behave in a appreciate what I’ve got. Coming back is a room with no men around. Once he nice reminder. walks in the room, it changes the energy. Do you feel that being a student at It’s the same for women — you can’t go UCSB helped you m ake your film? into a locker room and have [men] con­ Definitely. I had a really positive exper­ tinue to behave as they were before you ience in the Film Studies Department I walked in there. I’ve had men say to me, ‘I studied screenwriting with Paul Lazarus, always wondered if women talked like who was incredibly encouraging. He told that’ or I’ve had men who were offended me point blank that he thought I could by it say that they don’t believe that wo­ make a living writing and encouraged me men really talk like that. I have found that to pursue it.- really conservative men seem to be really W ere there any other classes or profes­ threatened by it and be uncomfortable. sors that you feel helped you? They either don’t like to listen to women Yes. I feel like the production class I talking for an hour and a half or they just took with Dana Driscoll was a great help. don’t particularly want to hear women The principles of filmmaking are exactly talking li k e th a t. They would prefer to the same as they were when I was making think of us as behaving like ladies, and it’s lywood. So, I wrote a script which was enough money from credit cards and sol­ 11-minute, 16-millimeter films in school. threatening to them. But I would hope optioned a number of times. Each time it icitations from friends and family, but in You’re just working with a bigger camera that most men can appreciate a glimpse got optioned, it got a bigger and bigger the end, we were lucky enough to get mo­ and it’s a longer process. I don’t think that into a world that they wouldn’t ordinarily budget, but I got so frustrated that it ney from a company, Republic Pictures, I would have had the nerve to ask to di­ see. wasn’t getting made that I decided to and the movie was optioned by this guy rect if I hadn’t had some production ex­ write another script and make a film my­ Steve White and we got about a million perience and had an idea of what goes on self with credit card money. What turned dollars fpr the gross budget. It became a in the editing room and what’s involved What are the immediate and long­ out came to be Live Nude Girls. real bona fide 35-millimeter film with real on the set. term futures for the film? What’s the film all about? actors. The company continued to allow Well, the distribution process for the It’s a female-driven comedy. It’s basi­ me to direct, which was really important H o w m u ch c r a p d o y o u g e t fo r t h e t itle film is very heartbreaking. Unfortunately, cally the story of a bunch of women that to me, but they would not let me play one of the film? Republic is distributing it themselves. grew up together in the San Fernando of the leading roles because they felt that It’s veiy 50/50. People either love the They are not putting much money into it Valley who are nowin their mid-30s. One my energy should be focused on title or they hate it because all they really care about is seeing of them is getting married and her friends directing. it go to video, so they are doing a lousy job decide to throw her a slumber party, like a Did you agree with that decision? and it’s just opening in about five cities bachelorette party. Initially, no. I was veiy upset because it What’s the idea behind it? nationwide in a small platform release. And that’s where the majority of the was very important for me to act in it. But I get asked all the time if the distribu­ But the good thing is that it has launched story takes place? in retrospect, I think that it was absolutely tion company made me call it L iv e N u d e my career. The film was very well received That’s where the whole film takes the right thing to do. Dana Delaney ended G irls so we would lure people in. The an­ within Hollywood and I’m really happy place. It’s about the women’s friendships up playing the part that I had originally swer is no, absolutely not. I chose the title with how it turned out, so that’s good. I’m with each other. It’s also about female intended to play and she’s a really great myself and I like the title very much. It’s really veiy proud of it The frustrating sexuality, which is the topic of the even­ actress and did a great job. Besides, we making fun of the objectification of wo­ thing is that a lot of people, including me, ing at tiie party. had to get a big name in order to secure men. It’s ironic because at a certain point feel that it had a great commercial poten­ What, in particular, did you focus on the financing and her name was the one in the film, the characters are all nude in tial because it is funny and the acting is in terms of sexuality? that did it. Also, because the character front of each other, but it’s a metaphorical wonderful and it’s kind of sexy and a good Sex on film is veiy biased and predo­ that I was going to play is in virtually eveiy title in that they undress emotionally — date movie. But I’ve made my peace with minantly comes from a male point of scene of the film, looking back, I think they strip down emotionally in front of that and I’ve personally moved on to view. Women in movies are the mothers that it would have been really difficult as a each other. other things. 2 A Thursday, February 22,1996 Daily Nexus dency to say popular song lyrics, making them fit into the to the other teams’ fans.