Nancy Ann Norton/Joshua Gibson
isaiahfilms@hotmail.com

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?

My background is in adapting southern fiction for the stage and film. I have adapted several short stories from The Christ Haunted Landscape: Faith and Doubt in Southern Fiction with interviews by Susan Ketchin. From this book, I choose the Doris Betts' story, This Is the Only Time I'll Tell It because of the startling, violent and gothic ending. Coincidentally, the news media was covering several stories of babies being abandoned in dumpsters and ditches. I saw a similarity in the current events and the Betts' story.

2. How long did the production process take?

I wrote to Doris Betts for permission to adapt in October of 1998. The film premièred in September of 2000. During those 2 years there were many stops and starts. Funding took two grant-writing periods. Samples from writers took three months. Location scouting was on-going and moved from Catawba to Stokes to Boone County. Pre-production took about six weeks. Production went smoothly with only nine days over three long weekends in December of 1999. That year we were blessed with perfect weather. Postproduction took nearly six months, largely due to other commitments and the editor moving to California.

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?

Of course nothing happened as originally planned and the lack of financing was always paramount. Low budget restricts the number of locations and what you can ask of people. Changes constantly occur in the process but you get used to an invariable state of flux and actually grow to expect it and even seek it. Usually the deviations turn out better than what anyone planned. I was continually grateful for the kindness and generosity of people, places and things.

4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?

While shooting an exterior scene at the log cabin we had the good fortune of acquiring the use of some goats for the day. In a non-scripted scene, totally unrehearsed the little girl tries to herd the goats for the camera. While coaxing the goats she says, "Find your way home." That one line has become a metaphor for the project for me - find your way home. The locations were inspiring and breathtaking; a log cabin in rural Stokes County, an historic church in Valle Crucis, and an authentic general store in Pfafftown. Watching the cast and crew pull together to make the project happen.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?

That the individual matters, as Doris Betts says, "That no life is insignificant." When the baby is allowed to live and grow into a young girl she touches and affects the lives of all those around her. The lonely eccentric farmwoman, Zelene becomes lighter, brighter, happier while raising Silver. The community pulls together, producing a synergy to help Zelene. Coley becomes a surrogate father to a child he wishes he had. That good story telling matters, with plot and character development being critical.

6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?

Everyone is startled at the abrupt and violent ending -- taking a few minutes to digest. Which is the point - to shake up a complacent world. At the screenings in Virginia and North Carolina everyone loves the story and is familiar with the scripture references and the "ways" of the South. California is another story.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?

Trust your gut instincts. I originally wanted to shoot in a more "timeless" era and let the film have a contemporary slant. The people in the Appalachians still live the way they did in the 1940's. Several recent film adaptations have been successfully set in contemporary frames of time. Secondly, get all the money before you start shooting. It does not magically appear later.

8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on?

The North Carolina Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County just awarded me a small grant to direct and produce an adaptation of a short story, It Had Wings by Allan Gurganus. Mr. Gurganus is a NC author most famous for his novel, The Last Confederate Widow Tells All. I am especially thrilled because the project involves a use of Alfred Hitchcock style storyboards. With only two characters and one location this simple story allows for a high degree of experimentation in cinematic detail.

9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in NC?

For an independent filmmaker, the industry in North Carolina provides the talent and crew necessary to make a first rate film. I am always excited to see film activity in NC. Because of my interest in adapting southern fiction it is advantageous to be able to shoot in the South and not have to recreate it in Hollywood. The NC film industry will only get better and bigger as the sensibilities of the independent productions challenge the Hollywood prototype. Living half the year in California I can attest to the deliberate manner and attraction of North Carolina.