ACTORS/ACTRESSES

THE PROCESS TO THE BORDERLINE

Published

7 years ago

February 1, 2017

Paula Ortiz in Borderline

It takes interviews like we had recently with director Pau Masó to really appreciate what it really takes to make a film. His recent release Borderline stars Mireia Vallès and Paula Ortiz who both play two sisters who take a trip into the deep woods in order to relieve their mother’s ashes. The woods begin to get darker and more frightening as the past of both sisters and their own issues and dilemmas start to pop up in their supposed bonding trip between two sisters. From this little synopsis of the film, it seems as though it could be a simple film to put together but as we speak to director Pau Masó, there are so many avenues to filmmaking that needs to be taken into consideration. Whether it is a small budget film or not, all the t’s must be crossed and i’s must be dotted when it comes to film. FERNTV spoke to director Pau Masó about Borderline and how a psychological horror film like this is easy to start but tough to finish.

FERNTV: Can you begin by telling us here on FERNTV, where you shot Borderline and why was this location the most suitable for your film?

Pau: Borderline was shot in different locations in Catalonia, all of them near by the city of Olot. To be specific, the names of the places are as follow: “St. Feliu de Pallerols”, “La Salut de St. Feliu”, “Pla d’en Xurri”, “Les roques encantades“, “Salt de Sallent de Rupit” and “Les planes d’hostoles”. The reason we shot there is because I’ve been going to most of these places since I was a kid and they are meaningful to me. And they are near by where I live. Additionally they are beautiful but can be quite scary as well.

FERNTV: Tell us about casting both Mireia Vallés and Paula Ortiz for this film. Have they worked with each other before? If not how were you able to get them to act a lot like sisters?

Pau: Casting was quite an odyssey. After going through problems with one of the actresses from the original cast, we rescheduled to shoot during July 2015. Paula Ortiz submitted via online and was by far the best choice of all the girls that submitted, because she had what I was looking for in the character and for her age showed a great amount of professionalism and she took her acting career very seriously. Things had to be discussed with her family since at the time of filming she was underage. Mireia Valles was the other find, although much more experienced, she is an acting teacher and graduated at “l’Institut de Teatre de Barcelona”. She was suggested by another actress, and felt that they could work together quite well. They both did screen tests and jumped on board. The truth also, is that when you create something with such little budget, the actors often take a leap of faith on you, because the project can turn out a disaster or a success. I would hope in this case the latter.

It was the first time they performed together, but as we stayed at a rental close to the filming locations, we all got to bond and get to know each other very well. It has been a really great experience for me, and loved working with everyone very much. Including everyone in post production. Feel very lucky to have had such talented people involved.

FERNTV: What inspired this film or how did this come about to you?

Pau: I wrote the script a couple years ago before filming. Originally it was intended to be a story about Slender man and it was very scary. I am a big fan of the tall man and wanted to pay my own rendition, only to find out it was really hard to get permission to use the rights so ended up turning the story into what it is today. Also, with a small budget you can’t rely on special effects and felt it was best to make it something more about mind than visual. So I guess the inspiration came from something totally different than what it is now. I know it sounds weird, but that’s really how it came about. I also have to thank my mother, who helped me through both the writing and filming process. She also gave many ideas that we wrote into the film. Most singing scenes were her idea.

FERNTV: Are there any horror films that has influenced this film Borderline or how you directed it?

Pau: I am a big fan of horror films, and thrillers, but I don’t think any film has particularly influenced me for this one. When you make a film with as few resources as mine, there’s not a lot of opportunity to explore or try things. So I just tried my best to tell this story. Since my first film, I’ve learned a lot of things that I will be applying on future projects. I do feel a big level of growth from the beginning of this journey as a filmmaker, and I do hope to be able to show that eventually, when there’s more money involved. But that being said, I am very proud of this film, and past ones.

Mireia Vallès in Borderline

FERNTV: Is it much more difficult to direct two main actresses in the film rather than an ensemble or a cast?

Pau: Directing Aleksandr’s Price was done individually days before filming, in which I discussed what was expected of each actor, and gave them freedom to put their own input. Nothing was rehearsed. But with Borderline, we did some prep before shooting, not a lot. I think that when the actors are good, the directing isn’t so difficult, and you can only push so much depending on each actor’s ability. I do feel that the older and more experienced the actor, the more you can push them. But really, rather than the directing being difficult in a two actress film, is the writing, to find a point where the story is interesting and won’t get you bored. I don’t know If I accomplished it, but I will find out soon.

FERNTV: What was the most challenging factor of putting this film together?

Pau: Like any other movie with no budget, it is all dependent on one single person, in this case me. I am lucky that my family is supportive of me, and believe in what I do, so it wasn’t that hard. For next time though, it would be nice to have different people to take care of different things. On my projects, I always do everything, on this one I wrote, directed, filmed, edited it, so it does become a little bit of a burden and you lose touch and objectivity on what you’re doing. If I could only do two of these and supervise, it would all really have a different vision, more creativity from more people, which is the goal in the near future. But I also believe that it is better to do it this way than not doing it at all.

FERNTV: What do you like most about this film?

Pau: My favorite parts of the film are the most psychologically charged. I like it when the sisters have disagreements, it feels scary to be lost and not get along. But in terms of the film as a whole, the music and the sound editing I really love because it creates an atmosphere that otherwise wouldn’t exist. In Aleksandr’s Price, I could not afford having the sound mastered, and so the movie sounds flat, and has no real atmosphere (in terms of sound). So I had to rely a lot on the music composer, but an atmosphere was necessary (foley, etc…), but I understand that now.

With Borderline, everything was edited and ADR so the sound is very good, especially when compared to past films of mine. The soundtrack is stunning by the very talented composer Ronnie Minder, and makes the scenes much more intense and scary.

FERNTV: Tell us what is coming up for you in regards to future projects?

Pau: As far as I go, I have always had the dream of being an actor, which is really what prompted me to create my own projects. I had a part on a film from back in 2010, as well as some shorts and music videos, but back then I really didn’t know what I was doing. We’re always learning really. On December 2015 I flew to London to be part of a short (as an actor) called “Saudade” which I was really excited about because it was the first time I got real direction and an opportunity to really act from someone else’s perception, and someone else’s script. I’ve seen the rough cut, and I really like it. We rehearsed the day before for many hours and it really makes a difference when you are on set.

As of right now, I have a couple things in mind I would like to do, which I don’t really want to discuss in case they don’t see the light. I am just going to say they will be psychological and feel I will stick to that for a while, as I feel passionate about that. This time around I want to jump from shooting on DSLR which can look very amateur (especially If you are not a professionally trained cinematographer) and start shooting raw on better equipment, so hopefully by my next film everyone will be able to see improvements. I really do hope those ideas see the light, and feel that people would enjoy it very much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCP7tcf60LM#action=share

Borderline – Official Trailer 2017 – A Pau Masó Film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCP7tcf60LM#action=share)

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Fernando Fernandez

Fernando Fernandez is a graduate of Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto. He became interested in entertainment journalism in the late 2000s writing for online startups. He founded FERNTV in 2009 and focused mainly on the film industry. With over a thousand interviews conducted with all walks of life in film, he is still learning as if every day is day one.