A world where it seems far easier to employ somebody to simulate the feelings and physicality of people you know and love is the backdrop to Sophia Banks’ atmospheric and dark sci-fi noir, PROXY.
Film And TV Now spoke with the film-maker as she reflected on her film and the subject it explores
FILM AND TV NOW: The character is a classic femme-fatale that is molded from Hitchcock and Sharon Stone. What was the start-off point for the short?
SOPHIA BANKS: Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors and creators of all time! I like this question already.
The starting off point to creating the short is a funny story. Emma Booth and Dominick (writer) and I have been friends for some time and knew we wanted to build a character around Emma. We loved the idea of this woman who had lost her ability to feel anything and had to connect through these proxy situations.
Proxy came about because we read an interesting article about “Boutique Services” in Japan where one can “rent-a-person”. We both thought that was intriguing and felt we could expose the potential dark side to that, in a future world where Proxys have become the new norm.
FTVN: When you were writing the script, what were your key cinematic influences?
SB: As I mentioned, Hitchcock is a huge inspiration for me as a film-maker – the master of suspense. As a film-maker and sci-fi lover I also had to pay homage to Kubrick and Ridley. Space Odyssey and Blade Runner are two of my favorite films, so you may see notice some visual inspiration there. David Fincher, particularly Gone Girl, was also a big influence. I love the cool-toned hues and tones.
FTVN: How long did it take to do from concept to final cut?
SB: It was a very fast project this time around.
I think from the point of concept to completion of the film was just a few short months, including post-production. We ran with it and luckily the timing could not have been more fortunate— shortly after we wrapped production on Proxy we experienced our first lock-down due to Covid-19.
With everything shut down we were able to work with our editor, Billy Rich, from afar as well as VFX Supervisor, Christoph Roth. It allowed is to complete the project in time for us to get it out on the film festival circuit. A real silver lining to the pandemic situation.
FTVN: Tell us about your cast.
SB: I consider myself very fortunate to have had the cast that we did for this project. We knew that we wanted Emma Booth (Hounds of Love) for the lead, who also is a fellow Aussie woman in film that I have been dying to work with.
She read the script and said yes right away which I was so thrilled about. From there we were very selective with the talent that we wanted to have in this film. As a short, it’s so important that you have talent who can deliver a full message in a condensed time frame. The next person we went out to was Erika Christensen (Traffic) who I had also wanted to do a project with for some time. She loved the role and came aboard.
Our three additional talent Shaw Jones, Marcus Coloma and Madison Mason all felt equally passionate about the project and were eager to lend their talents. It was a very smooth process from start to finish.
FTVN: Tell us about your production team.
SB: I recruited my producing partners from Banks Films, David O’Donnell who is the Head of Development for Banks Films alongside Jessica Bradham, who is a Creative Executive and Producer for Banks Films.
Between the four of us we went to work to put together a production team that we knew could get this completed while at the same time ensuring the look and feel of the film was how we envisioned.
We were fortunate to have Nana Fischer (World War Z, Prometheus) as our Hair and Makeup Designer and she really was able to transform Booth into these drastically different characters.
Costume Designer Angela Hadnagy, who had worked with me for my previous sci-fi short Unregistered, completed those looks with her wardrobe execution and once again nailed it.
I also knew I wanted to work with renowned Director of Photography, Joshua Reis and I was lucky enough to snag him at a time that he was in-between and of course what tied the look together was the Production Design team with Rene Navarrette at the helm.
FTVN: Did you do much research into the world of DNA and genetics to get a sense of the world that these characters inhabit?
SB: Our world of Proxys are in fact real people. We did a bunch of research on these real agencies in Japan and the situations that people went into. We then decided to come up with scenarios people would actually go through in this world we built.
Think of them more like an actor who is hire to play out a scene in real time. So, although there was no dive into DNA and genetics, we did a lot of research to look at the business model and activities that are currently going on in Japan.
FTVN: The character does evolve through the influence and practicality of her work, leading to the dark climax. Are there elements of this film that reflect your own desire to connect with the world?
SB: I think that we all have a desire to connect with others, whether you are an introvert or extrovert. We are always looking to connect which is why the advent of social media has gained so much popularity. It’s a way to connect and stay connected at all times.
I feel at times personally torn by the concept. Of course I want to be in communication with my peers but when does that become too extreme? What is the balance between living your life and connection?
FTVN: What issues and themes would you most like to explore in future work?
SB: I am very interested in the subject of social media – I am actually currently working on a project that explores the dark side to it. I also want to touch on subjects of anti-totalitarian control and love writers like Orwell and Phillip K. Dick. It exposes small truths about our world today and expands on that concept to open the eyes of viewers about the potential harms they may cause.
I am also interested in the effects of technology. “Millennials”, for instance, are considered the loneliest people in the world despite all of the ways they have to connect and so I wanted to explore a world where people could not connect despite
I am also interested in the idea of Government and technology and the potential control that dynamic has on peoples lives.
FTVN: Diversity and gender is a big issue in the entertainment industry overall at the moment amidst the obvious impacts of current circumstances. What progress do you feel has been made in the industry to increase awareness and respect?
SB: It’s interesting because when I first started my career, I was discouraged from becoming a director and was told that I should “go into the female departments” which at the time, I allowed to affect me.
I started my career as a costume designer and later became and very successful celebrity stylist as well as a fashion designer. About five years ago I saw that there had been a shift in the industry and a friend pointed out that more than ever, it needed female voices.
That was enough encouragement to get me to see that I should go back to school and pursue this passion of mine. When I shot my breakout short film for Cristian Siriano titled Making it On Time, it featured skater girls wearing couture gowns shredding down the moody streets of LA. I wanted to make a statement that women can be both bold and beautiful.
There is not one side to a woman and there is not one side to a person. We need to see all perspectives of the world we live in if we want to have a true understanding and compassion for each other.
FTVN: You are in Australia shooting a film called BLACKSITE. Tell us about the project.
SB: BLACKSITE centers on a group of officers based in a labyrinthian top-secret CIA black site, who must fight for their lives in a cat-and-mouse game against Hatchet, a brilliant and infamous high-value detainee. When Hatchet escapes, his mysterious and deadly agenda has far-reaching and dire consequences.
The powerhouse producer behind global franchises John Wick and Sicario, Basil Iwanyk, recently announced that he was launching Asbury Park Pictures with RedBox and Rocket Science to focus on moderately budgeted high-concept action and thriller films for global audiences. Asbury Park Pictures is helmed by former Arclight Films Head of Production and Chief Creative Officer, Mike Gabrawy.
BLACKSITE will be not only my feature film directorial debut but it will be the first action film under the new banner.
FTVN: How has COVID-19 affected your development and evolution as a film-maker?
SB: It’s interesting because although Proxy was not affected in any way simply due to timing, the commercial work that I had been involved in made huge shifts and changes. I was no longer able to do the consistent work that I had done in the previous year but what it did do for me was allow me the time to jump into development on my upcoming films and I could focus on working with our production team which was in a way a blessing in disguise.
FTVN: Finally, what are you most proud of about PROXY?
SB: I am most proud of the team that we had on this project. It was such an honor to work with every single person who put just as much of themselves and talents into making this project successful. It was a full effort on the part of each person and it would not have turned out the way that it did without them.
