Doctor, Filmmaker, Dynamo 
Valerie Weiss, founder of the Dudley Film Program, talks about her film "Dance by Design" to be featured at this month's Boston International Festival of Women's Cinema.

By Melanie Turpin

Filmmaker and dynamo Valerie Weiss. Photo Credit: Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard News Office, © 2001 President and Fellows of Harvard College. [Click to enlarge]

Filmmaker and Harvard Med School grad Valerie Weiss is definitely a Renaissance woman -- her endeavors span the trades of film, theatre, and biology. And yes, that's Dr. Valerie Weiss. Her acclaimed, ‘80s-inspired film "Dance by Design" to be featured at this month's Boston International Festival of Women's Cinema is one of a laundry list of accomplishments that, above all, calls to mind the word stamina. NewEnglandFilm.com managed to track Weiss down on the trail of her many exploits-in-progress, which include several scripts for film and television and the upcoming production of her second cinematic project.

MT: When you were growing up, what kind of a career did you envision yourself having?

Weiss: I did a lot of theatre. In the fourth grade, a friend of mine and I were playing around one day and wrote a little musical together that we called "Zingapore." We took it to our music teacher, Mrs. Jacobs, and she taught us how to put the music on paper. We cast all of our friends in it and performed it in the school auditorium for all the kids in school and their parents. For me it was really just like playing around with my friends and I loved it... After that my parents let me take acting classes at the Walnut Street Theatre. I took classes all the way through high school and acted in plays like "Harvey and Little Shop of Horrors."

When I got to college, I continued to act, but my second year of school, I had the opportunity to direct a one-act play by Christopher Durang... I realized at that point in my life I liked directing better [than acting] because I could think about so many more aspects of the production. I directed five plays in college and took every class in theatre that Princeton had to offer. I studied with Ellie Reinfield and Roger Babb and got introduced to experimental theatre... I especially liked the emphasis on movement that the experimental theatre had.

After graduation, I went to New York to work at Richard Foreman's Ontological-Hysteric Theatre in the Village. I worked on the Blueprint Series for New Directors and a production of "Richard's" directed by Bob Cucuzza. After that I came to Boston to go to graduate school at Harvard for biochemistry. I really wasn't sure how one made a professional career out of directing and I loved biology, which had been my major. I thought I would try doing science and theatre and see what happened.

Poster from "Dance by Design" designed by Christine Kerrigan. [Click to enlarge]

MT: Where did your interest in film production begin?

Weiss: I loved directing theatre, but I hated the limitations of it -- that it vanished on closing night; that you could not specifically direct the audience's attention to where you wanted; that you were limited by what you could physically bring to the stage. I decided that, long term, I wanted to direct movies. I directed three plays when I first got to Boston -- "The Public Eye," "The Oldest Profession," and "The American Dream." Then, when digital video became affordable, I decided to start the Dudley Film Program at Harvard in order to teach graduate students how to make short films. I brought in industry professionals to teach everything from screenwriting and directing to editing and distribution and along the way I received a full film education. I supervised the students' production of 10-minute films, which we screen each year at the Dudley Film Festival. This year will be our fourth fest.

MT: Your film, "Dance by Design," is about a woman studying architecture who falls in love with dance. What is your own background in dance like?

Weiss: I love to dance, maybe more than anything else. But I am not trained in it. My sister was a dancer and my family would always dance in the living room practically every night after dinner, so it is a very natural thing for me. I love to go out dancing and in college I took a modern dance class. For me, the best part is improvising and seeing how you can express yourself. I have always added dance to my productions. When I was directing theatre, I added dance sequences where they didn't exist in the play. I think dance is the ultimate form of expression.

MT: You've mentioned "Flashdance" as an initial model for "Dance by Design"; does the movie have particular resonance for you? Did other films of the same genre and time period - those of John Hughes, for example -- inform your vision of this film?

Weiss: The dance is just so incredible in ["Flashdance"] and it is used mainly to express Alex's emotional state. There is little dance in the film that is just for performance purpose. I loved the idea, too, of a woman who was working as a welder in a man's world and then going off and being a very sexy dancer at night. I thought it was a very empowering idea for women. All the ‘80s dance films are wonderful. They are so full of spirit and hope and I think you achieve something through dance film that you can't in a regular picture. What's better than Kevin Bacon's monologue in "Footloose," quoting from the Bible about a time to dance? It is sad that it is not a bigger part of our culture... it is such a great way to connect.

MT: How did you recruit Israeli cinematographer Rafi Landau for the project?

Weiss: I was the luckiest director in the world to work with Rafi. We posted a call for crew on NewEnglandFilm.com and Rafi sent his reel, which was amazing. In addition, he had a lot of experience with musicals and working in video. When we met, we clicked instantly and had an incredible working relationship throughout the whole production. Rafi is going to shoot my second film, "I Love You," this spring.

MT: How did you fund the film?

Weiss: We raised all the money for the film from donations. One of our producers, Wendy Chan, brought us a very generous donation from the Nokomis Foundation. Harvard's Dudley House and Office of the Arts were also extremely generous with the project. Several friends and members of the crew also supported the film, which was tremendously touching. We received a lot of support from Boston area vendors such as Rule Broadcasting, Screen Light and Grip, and Heart Punch Studio.

MT: Who were your co-screenwriters?

Weiss: The screenwriters for the film are an incredible group... [there are] seven of us. They come from a variety of backgrounds: genetics, urban planning, graphic design, English literature, Spanish literature... and we are a very international group, representing Mexico, the U.S., Puerto Rico, Holland, Hawaii, and Spain. It was the first screenplay for all of us and we had the time of our lives writing it. We just all really believed in the character and the project and felt like we had something personal to contribute that would resonate with others.

MT: Is a collaborative effort with such a large group of writers something you would do again?

Weiss: I would definitely do it again... The seven of us was ideal because we had to write this thing in two months to stick to our schedule. With seven, someone was always free to be working on it. I also think it helped in giving the characters different voices.

MT: How did you find the time to do everything: start the Dudley Film Program, direct two student plays, and produce a film while attending medical school?

Weiss: It was hard to do it all, but it energized me to exercise both sides of my brain. It also helped to have the support of people around me like my awesome thesis adviser, Jim Hogle, who believes that you should be a whole person, and my husband, Rob Johnson, who is just so damn wonderful.

MT: Any ideas brewing for future projects?

Weiss: Yes. I am writing several scripts for film and television. I will be directing a short film that I co-wrote with Amy Johnson this spring and I plan to keep directing work that I write and that I option from others.

Melanie Turpin is a freelance writer and screenwriter from Boxborough, Massachusetts.  

Sponsors: