We have something more unique for you today – an interview with Katherine King, director and writer of the short film “The Delicate Cycle.” Katherine is a multi-talented artist being an actress, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She has featured in several films including “More Cake” in 2018, where she received an Honorable Mention for Best Actress in an Indie Film. Additionally, she has appeared in Disney’s “Boyster,” “An Axe to Grind,” “The Downside of Bliss,” “The Last Revenants,” and “Captain Black.” Katherine has also written five full-length plays, four of which have been produced at the Hollywood Fringe Festival as well as being an accomplished singer. So, let’s dive right into it.
Firstly, can you tell us a bit about the film and what inspired it?
I live in Santa Monica and rode my bicycle past a certain laundromat every day, and used to imagine the kinds of people who would cross paths there. It also had a Ms. Pac-Man video game in there and I would go in there with kids to play it-a very nostalgic, old-fashioned kind of activity. This evolved into The Delicate Cycle, where the characters meet in a laundromat! It’s also a bit of a case study for composite characters of different boys and men from my life-I just wanted to have fun with it and explore observations like how they use humour to cope or show unexpected warmth to a child after they presented themselves as stern.
Is there a message you want viewers to take away with them?
There is a retro vibe to the film, I was going for a timeless look and I think the laundromat was probably built around 1979 and hasn’t changed much. In pre-mobile phone days, strangers would strike up conversations all the time. Friendships and interactions like that were possible, and maybe we should think about the value of that spontaneous human connection and the potential for changing each other possibly for the better.
There’s another message in the title: The Delicate Cycle. It’s meant to be a little silly because that’s a setting on a dryer. But it’s also quite a delicate cycle of boy to man to father to son and it’s easy to disrupt that. The characters are a bit comedic, but they are also struggling through that reality of disconnection and need to connect. I hope it encourages viewers to try again with loved ones.
What sort of person is going to love this film?
The artsy crowd who appreciates subtlety. The film has a deliberately conversational fast-paced boy (played by Dean Norris, Jr.) and a man (played by Fred Mancuso) as well as a woman who serves as the eyes of the audience (Yassmin Flores) are alone in a laundromat early in the morning, and they leave changed by their interaction with each other. It’s a lot like a play, and I do have a theatre background.
I think someone who enjoys going to film festivals and revels in discovering subtext will love The Delicate Cycle. It’s also beautifully shot ( by Dave Haws). I’d like to draw in a local audience for the fact that it was shot in the Venice Beach area. Then there are always the viewers who may enjoy my female perspective of the writer and director especially on the topic of boys and men.
What was your approach to creating music for the film?
I knew I wanted to create original music very early in the post-production process. I’ve always been involved with music in one way or another, and realized that I wanted to infuse the musical aspect of the film with my artistry and vision and not hand that off to a “stranger”. When I mentioned that I had shot a film to my friend Jimmy Sloan, he expressed interest in being involved. Long story short, this put us down a several months journey of writing two original songs, which involved Sloan’s relationship with both Steve Ray Ladson, a wonderful, talented musician, and Jimmy Carter, living legend and last surviving original member of The Blind Boys of Alabama.
I was so honoured that Jimmy Carter made himself available to sing on “Sunday’s Best”, which runs over the credits, and I think the song encapsulates the hopeful message at the end of the film.
Did you take inspiration from any artists/composers when it came to scoring the film?
I wrote “Sunday’s Best” specifically for Jimmy Carter and members of the band. We had a very short window of time, one day, in fact, and so I figured I should write it in the style they were used to. They were in town for the Grammys and had one day before they all went their separate ways, in the Southeastern United States. So I listened to a lot of their songs and wrote a fun, upbeat Gospel song that I knew they would groove on easily. The song was written and recorded in a studio, all in one day. And it came out so great!
As for the other song, “My Heart is Broke”, I sang that one myself, so of course I opted for the jazzy, languid lower-register style that suits me so well. Jimmy Sloan at first suggested “Down at the Laundromat’ (Black Randy)-I think he has a love and connection for the punk scene. I was all for it, I loved the funky groove, but then being mind-boggled at how to obtain rights and then just the fun of writing an original song won out. However, some influence, perhaps in the funky, silly lyrics that are part of “My Heart Is Broke”, perhaps made its way into the end result.
At one point, I was inspired by Tom’s Diner (Susanne Vega) for the sort of meandering, walking beat of a song-after all, it is placed at the part where Adam (Dean Norris, Jr. ) walks into the laundromat but I think the song evolved to be quite different. I went through a whole jazz stage a few years back,like ‘40s era jazz-and I think it’s what comes naturally out of me. I got obsessed with Peggy Lee, in her vocals and also maybe that she was a white lady that for some reason really gravitated towards traditionally African-American music genres-especially the more old-fashioned ones.
I’m one of those people who always feels that they are born in the wrong era. Even in something I write, that is more of a contemporary pop song, it has a little jazzy, off-belatedness to it. So again, I guess, I wrote the song to fit who was going to sing it! I also thought it was really fun to include Jimmy Sloan’s son, Otis on the recording, with his oboe, since he was always passing by while we were developing the song, and I love to try to encourage others in their musicianship journey.
What do you think is the most important aspect of a good soundtrack?
I suppose a music soundtrack is like an emotional set piece-it should add to the tone and theme, but without overpowering the story. Since my film is dialogue-heavy, and the two original songs are lyric-heavy, I placed them at the very beginning, when the characters are visually introduced, but before they speak, and then at the end credits.
Then there is atmospheric music, written by Jimmy Sloan and Steve Ray Ladson, which weaves in and out of the dialogue. So In my case, the songs are bookends to the story, to guide you in the emotional tone at the beginning and the end, and the music takes a backseat during most of the film. I don’t know how important the lyrics are for a viewer, but certainly, if you are listening, both songs make fun references to laundromats and washing your clothes. After all, they were written for the film, and so it’s not coincidental!
Do you have a favourite soundtrack?
I recently went to a screening of Killers of The Flower Moon and right away I thought, ‘This music is stand-alone great” even while I was waiting for the film to start. Maybe I liked it so much because it has a fusion of styles and instruments, which I always appreciate. A sort of modern-Wild West music with Native American flutes. Somehow upbeat and ominous at the same time?
I also really enjoyed the documentary “Last Repair Shop” directed by Kris Bowers and the surprise ending where they have the students performing an original orchestral piece. After all, that film is about repairing musical instruments in Los Angeles and how much it means to the students. A director combining both storytelling through music and through the camera seems like a great idea to me!
If you could only give one good reason why you think someone should see this film what would it be?
See if I nailed some of the nuances of male relationships and emotions-because that was my challenge to myself, as a female writer. I think art should be constantly looking for interesting new angles and perspectives, and with all the interest in diversity now, I thought that might be a unique, if very subtle, goal that turns the tables on whether male writers nail depictions of female characters. Ultimately, everything is a personal exercise for me, although I hope it makes you laugh and shed a tear or two as well.
Just a fun one, if someone was going to make your life into a movie, who would play you?
Who else, but Jessica Chastain? My life would make a very interesting movie. I just don’t know what the next plot point is yet, I guess I have writer’s block.
Finally, can you tell us where and when we can see the film?
The Delicate Cycle is just starting the film festival circuit-by the way, we won Best Short Film at our World Premiere at the Chandler Film Festival. We can’t show the film publicly yet, however, you can see the trailer below and keep up with the film via the following social media pages. I look forward to announcing more screenings!
Website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16389956/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedelicatecyclefilm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedelicatecyclefilm/
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