Alisa Arnah is the director of the feature documentary Out at Lunch. IndieFlicks was lucky enough to get in touch with Alisa and the producer of Out at Lunch, Emma Brogen, to talk about the film and their experience within the film industry.
IndieFlicks: How did you get into filmmaking?
Alisa: Well I came from acting so I have several years experience of being on set, albeit on the other side of the camera. I got involved with producing a couple of short films that I was also acting in and quickly realised that I really wanted to have a go at directing. One day Emma called me up with this idea and a couple of weeks later we were shooting and making it all up as we went along. We were lucky to find a talented and patient DOP who was great at bridging the gaps in our technical knowledge.
IndieFlicks: Where did the idea of Out At Lunch come from?
Emma: Graduation was drawing near and I wanted to do something to mark the end of what had been, for me, a very special time in my life. That’s where the idea for the lunch came from, as for the documentary, well that was just obvious. A bunch of gay’s trying to persuade their parents to not only acknowledge their sexuality but to come and have a polite meal in a room full of people pretending it was normal! I couldn’t resist. On a more serious note, it meant a lot to me. I wanted to give an honest, open portrayal of what it really meant to be a lesbian and to explore why the prospect of asking their parents to lunch caused near panic in so many of my friends.
IndieFlicks: Did the production face any problems or challenges?
Alisa: Well the whole thing was a great big learning curve for us but looking back it actually went incredibly smoothly.
Emma: Technically, no, unless you count trying to persuade our vertigo suffering DoP to carry out one of the interviews on top of a rather high roof. The biggest challenge for me was persuading everyone that they wanted to go on camera and talk things that were very personal to them. But in the end they were all amazing, they freely opened up and explained so eloquently about their experiences that I had to spend most interview holding back tears!
IndieFlicks: How is the post production process going and when do you expect the film to be completed by?
Alisa: We are currently raising awareness of the film and raising funds for completion. I’m finding the editing process quite daunting with a documentary as opposed to a short film because you don’t have a script, there are so many choices to be made. But that’s what makes it exciting too, we’re hoping to get a final cut finished in the summer.
IndieFlicks: What is next for LifeSliceFilms once Out at Lunch is complete?
Alisa: We still have a long way to go with this project and it really demands all of out time at the moment. But we are keen to start shooting again soon. Our aim is to keep making films that give an insight people or lifestyles that you wouldn’t necessarily be exposed to otherwise. There are fascinating stories everywhere.
For more information on Out at Lunch and LifeSliceFilms please visit their website - Click
Comedy, Documentary | James | 
June 17, 2009 7:10 pm | 
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