ROFFEKE: Period pieces pose many potential problems. What challenges did you face in the making of this short film set in 1972?
Abbie: Most if not all of my films up until now have been period pieces, I love creating something in tribute to a particular decade and do my best to evoke authenticity with costume, set design and even the dialogue and story. With this piece in particular the most difficult part was finding the van that the kids steal. Unfortunately, we weren't successful in getting an actual 70's van but I think we made a good go with what we have.
ROFFEKE: You were the writer, director and producer of Texas Radio. Which of those three roles would you say was the easiest for you and why? Which of the three was the hardest and why?
Abbie: The short film was actually taken from a feature film script that I had written while at university, so it was difficult to choose which parts to include in the short, so I decided just to show a 'through the keyhole' experience of the whole road trip. In reality, the kids actually travel from Texas to San Francisco and encounter many problems and parties throughout, but I just couldn't show it all in the short.
The directing was super fun and enjoyable as I had such a clear vision, fortunately I had a wonderful crew who shared that vision with me, so that part was probably the easiest. That would leave producing being the hardest part, there were so many little things to remember at all times, not to mention all of the paperwork, permission to film, making sure everyone was in the right place at the right time..... It's a very stressful process but still so fun!
ROFFEKE: Writer. Director. Producer. Art Director. How did you not go crazy during the making of this film? :-) In more diplomatic terms, how did you maintain your mental health? What self-care strategies do you use as a filmmaker to maintain your equilibrium?
Abbie: I think I did go crazy to some extent, but then... so do all filmmakers i guess. With this film I did a great deal of planning in advance and had different stages to the pre production. As i said before, I already had the script written so it wasn't a totally new idea. I'm a very visual person so would scribble and doodle pretty much everything, including the characters and their outfits. In terms of art direction, I am a bit of a hoarder and love a jumble sale, so some of the props and costume I had collected over time. I think one of the best self care strategies I had on this film was the wonderful team around me, by the end of the week we were all like a big family. Sometimes when you are so invested in something you lose sight of looking after yourself, that's where we all took the time to look after each other - you don't get that with big productions usually.
ROFFEKE: As a female filmmaker, what unique perspective did you bring in the writing, directing and producing of Texas Radio?
Abbie: I'm not sure if being a female made any difference to me creating the story, more my love for the culture of the decade, the music and fashion etc.
ROFFEKE: What was your role in the song "Getaway Roy"?
One of the main things I wanted to create for this film was an original soundtrack. I had never written a song before, but I had an idea for an album for this film, and the story of what each song would be about. For Getaway Roy, I wanted a happy - sad country song about a boy that runs away from home. I wrote the lyrics, with no idea how to make it into a song and I gathered the musicians who were already involved in the film and said 'help me make this into a song.' they did a fantastic job over a jam session, and then we took it to the studio.
ROFFEKE: If you could do this all over again, what one thing would you do differently?
Abbie: Shoot it over more time, definitely!
ROFFEKE: Advice for female filmmakers?
Abbie: I would give the same advice to all filmmakers, regardless of their gender. Keep creating, find a crew that you love to work with - and keep working!
Watch Texas Radio here
Abbie Hills is the Company Director and Talent Scout at The Dazey Hills Company
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