Hi Paula, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. BURNED famously came to you in a dream. How did that initial vision shape your approach to storytelling, and in what ways did the dream evolve as the project moved from inspiration to script?
I’m thrilled to, thank you.
This whole journey has been wild and not your typical approach to storytelling. Before the dream, it actually started with a witch telling me I’d make a film about this, and that’s not a sentence I typically utter, ha!
I initially heard about The Malleus Maleficarum in a podcast (The BBC’s Witch), then posted about how it had essentially been an early rage post, and was told by a witchy friend that I’d be making a movie about it. Now, I love period pieces, but I didn’t see doing 1485 Austria justice within my means, but she insisted. It was right after that that I had the dream where I was introducing my film “where the witches burn back,” and I saw the plot, I saw faces, including my friend and producer, America Young, by my side, and even the color palette.
When I woke up, I essentially copied down what I remembered in a bit of a flurry. That doesn’t usually happen to me, but I certainly wouldn’t mind if it continued. Did that initial script draft evolve over the course of this journey? Yes, especially as I worked with our Historical Consultant, Amy Rowan Parker, and fleshed out the various events surrounding the book’s author, Heinrich Kramer’s obsession with Helena Scheuberin, what court records showed, and what letters from concerned townsfolk illuminated, and then again as we ended up having to cut so much yet stay true to the heart of everything to fit our film into a festival friendly length. Sadly, much of the humorous “burning back” bits also got cut for time, but his oafishness still shines through. It was a tad more Drunk History-esque in early passes. But the impact of the film, the main visuals, and the people involved are literally a dream come true.
The Malleus Maleficarum is a chilling historical artifact. Can you walk us through your research process—what sources did you consult, and how did you ensure historical accuracy while crafting a compelling narrative?
Right after I first learned of this book, I did the initial Google pass, reading what I could and becoming more and more appalled. I mean, this book was only outsold by The Bible and served as a guidebook to legally get rid of any woman you wanted to kill for nearly 400 years. Salem and those trials were toward the end of that – this darn book led to the deaths of around 100,000, and we don’t even have a list of all of their names.
And it is still in print.
So, I got a copy, I read through the ridiculous passages (including the one claiming that women steal male genitalia and keep them in nests, feeding them oats), and I hit the library. As our community grew, we were lucky enough to cross paths with Amy, who offered her Historical Consultant services, as this era and location were her specialty.
It turns out, an emperor was crowned in Innsbruck, Austria, a decade after the events in this film, so the number of tapestries, portraits, documents, and letters from that era that have been preserved is far better than most from that time. She scoured university archives in Europe for us, and we put together a massive document of wardrobe, hairstyles, architecture, and interesting facts (like how the Bishop had gone out at lunch and found a lawyer to call a mistrial in Helena’s case after the hyper-sexually-obsessed questioning from Heinrich).
As I mentioned, some of it got cut for time in this film, as the number of times he was actually kicked out of the town and reappeared became ridiculous. And there are things that we had to make creative calls on. For instance, there were seven ladies total on trial, including Helena, and while we could find that he returned with soldiers and abducted seven women to torture a few weeks later for nearly a month, we couldn’t confirm it was the same seven, nor the exact methods of torture used. We connected the dots and portrayed it as the same seven, and then I researched common methods of torture from the era (nightmare fuel) and chose which to portray.
Media literacy is a central theme in your film. How did you weave this concept into the story without sacrificing emotional impact or historical authenticity?
It is, and it has been lacking for a long time.
It’s still so relevant today in this era where people are quick to believe a meme simply for combining an image and text, or any headline, no matter how misleading, if it’s from their preferred bubble. So I find that even though we are all rather guilty of this, we are still inherently aware of the danger that not questioning a source’s motivations and biases can bring. It pulls on a universal human chord deep inside us, and that same note rings through this story that ended up with such dire consequences for so many.
As is often the case, just showing the larger picture clarifies things for us all. I was able to use the tools that a framed narrative offers to both showcase the historical happenings that led to the book’s creation in the animated portion and offer our maiden-mother-crone dynamic in our Librarian live-action narrators, who could use it as a teachable moment for their youngest member, as well as for the audience. They could bring the point home for Marjorie and for us Ala media literacy. For me, framed narratives like The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story are just delicious storytelling and find it effective in changing hearts to change minds.
The subject matter is both sensitive and urgent, given its legacy of violence against women. What ethical considerations guided your portrayal of these events, and how did you navigate the responsibility of telling such a story?
Being true and yet not overly-triggering is a delicate dance. There are ways to convey the horrors without showing them, as we did with the guard’s interaction with the imprisoned women. We all realize these ladies would have been subjected to other abuses beyond Heinrich’s. It’s sad and heavy that we don’t even need to address that to all know it occurred.
This one is also a graphic motion animation, and there’s a beauty in animation to convey horrible things effectively without showing everything. Sometimes what we DON’T show is what becomes most powerful in the audience’s mind. Think of scenes of loss/grief in anything from Bambi to Up. I love playing in that arena.
There are genres that delight in the graphic nature of things, but I’m usually drawn more to the empowering of those who overcome it.
Casting for BURNED seems almost serendipitous, with dream-inspired choices and immediate enthusiasm from notable actors. How did these unique circumstances influence the dynamic on set and the performances themselves?
I love that word! It was! From meeting Julian Richings (Death in Supernatural) at a fan convention we were signing at and staring awkwardly at him until I had to admit he was in my dream, to sending Cissy Jones (BAFTA winner for Firewatch) an Instagram message late one night only too have her reply seconds later, each person who I reached out to from my dream was game to be a part of this. It’s certainly on theme, but it felt like magic!
They carried that into each rehearsal and recording session and into the shoot itself. This is such a group of talented professionals that I’m eternally grateful to have been entrusted to guide in this journey. They also happen to all be amazing humans. I highly recommend dream-casting and reaching out to artists; we all love to be told something has been written for us.
Were there any casting surprises—actors who brought unexpected depth to their roles, or moments when your initial vision for a character was transformed by the performer?
Every single one was an inspiration. I was so impressed with our newest actors, who brought such a willingness to play, even for just a few lines; their enthusiasm and bravery were so energizing. I was equally tickled by how these amazing veterans of the business, at the top of their game, still brought so much of that same sense of play and creativity to sessions for my little film as they would for massive studio projects.
I mean, I got to hear Tara Platt, Yuri Lowenthal, Steve Blum, Noshir Dalal, Beverly Hynds, and Neil Newbon bring my words to life! Then there’s Robb Padgett – that man edited and scored this film, created the whole sound design, and voiced like 4 roles, each completely different, there’s not much he can’t do! And my three Librarians, Sarah-Nicole Robles, Veralyn Jones, and Cissy Jones, were so very bewitching to work with, pun intended ; )
I think my absolute favorite, though, was getting to see people excel in new arenas – letting Julian Richings be simply smashing in voice over and Cissy Jones shine on camera, that was a real joy.
You mentioned that 1485 Austria felt “beyond your budgetary reach.” What were the biggest financial or logistical challenges you faced in recreating this period, and how did you creatively overcome them?
Well, as I was brainstorming what we’d need budget-wise with my producer, America Young, we were toying with all the ways to bring 1485 Austria to life. That might mean locations, wardrobe, background performers, props, and more, and it was daunting. Then she pointed out that so many of these actors were voice actors and we had booths, what if we used animation? Animation opens up lots of possibilities, but traditionally it’s actually MORE expensive than live action. Her next idea was sheer brilliance, though – she brought up graphic motion. That’s essentially creating a comic book in layers and moving some layers with a fully designed radio play. That was both a lovely way to convey the world inside the book and give us the room to tell the tale fully. And that’s when we bought on our artist, Zack Finfrock.
It was a unique beast for him. There’s an entire folder on our drive of me posing for each and every character to demonstrate the angle and intention I needed, then the actor voicing that character or the supporter who had purchased being portrayed in any given bit of the town recreating that pose/angel for me, the assigned historical hair and clothing styles, and then our artist, Zack’s drawing of the actor as the character in that look.
Independent film production often requires inventive problem-solving. Can you share a specific moment when constraints—budgetary or otherwise—led to a breakthrough idea or a better outcome for the film?
Ha! See above : ) But yes, it is a constant collaboration and series of problem solving, but that must be why we love it as we keep coming back for more.
In tackling such a dark chapter of history, were there scenes or themes you found especially difficult to film or write? How did you and your team support each other through those moments?
I didn’t find it difficult to write this one, more like I had an army of women needing the quill to be retaken standing behind me. But the weight of that responsibility didn’t escape us.
There was a moment while filming where Cissy was so overcome saying the lines about how this book was used to get rid of women you were jealous of, the midwife who couldn’t save your child, the woman who’s land you wanted and more, and how we don’t even have a list of all of their names, that she was moved to tears. Like she felt them all. These were real people after all, not just numbers. But America and I pride ourselves on running our sets with an emphasis on “life first” – as in noting our shared humanity and how we’re not saving lives here, we’re making art. So, while yes, there are time constraints, we can still prioritize people, their needs, their family commitments, their hearts. So we took a moment, we validated her emotion, we regrouped and continued on stronger, still making our day.
BURNED is not just a film but the start of a series of “historical narratives that need reclaiming.” What criteria guide your selection of stories to tell next, and how do you hope future projects will expand on the themes of BURNED?
I certainly hope it is. In the case of this potential series, we identified over a dozen books with real women associated that could benefit from some context or being brought back into the light.
From The Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith (I hope we’re all aware that that one veers widely from the Disney version), Hypatia of Alexandria (Ptolemy’s editor and noted political advisor who was murdered by a Christian mob then had her story co-opted as the basis for the saint Catherine of Alexandria), The Annus Mirabilis Papers (credited to Albert Einstein but rumored to have been largely the work of his wife Mileva, as his breakthroughs all occurred during their time together and dried up after their divorce), The Book of the City of Ladies and more, there are so many books that this format of Librarians taking us into the story could be perfect for. Even Steven King’s Carry and the classic Peter Pan have interesting back stories I’d love to tell. The ensemble potential is exciting, too.
Even beyond the scope of BURNED, though, I’d say that I’m most drawn to stories of social justice that grow empathy, especially through magical realism and the power of fantasy to get us to lean in to problems that might feel hard to examine otherwise.
There’s so much of one’s life and energy poured into bringing a film to life that I find I really have to have that pull toward NEEDING that tale to be out there to open hearts to open minds before I can begin the next big journey. There are a lot of them calling to me at this moment we’re living through.
Given the film’s focus on questioning sources and reclaiming narratives, what advice would you offer to other filmmakers seeking to challenge historical or cultural myths through cinema?
Ohmystars, please do it.
This is such a powerful tool to uplift and elevate humanity, and I cheer on other creatives with all my heart. In an era where propaganda and spin are just part of our daily digital commute, we need more encouragement and tools for seeking and spreading truth and empowering people to be curious and understand motivations.
I find a common theme in my work is to encourage literacy and the reading of actual books. There have been previous eras where that was repressed or lost, and each time it didn’t go well for most humans for a few hundred years afterward.
So… read.
Finally, what incentives or support systems—financial, creative, or community-based—do you believe are most vital for independent filmmakers taking on ambitious, socially relevant projects like BURNED? What would you like to see change in the industry to make these stories more possible?
Excellent question.
Filmmakers want their work to be seen. So much of why we do this is to connect. So, I suppose getting recognized by festival programmers (esp if it’s a hard-to-program/unique beast), by grants and funding sources, getting your work shared via word of mouth, people sharing online, and press is so vital. It makes the effort worthwhile. It’s important work; feeding and guiding and documenting the soul of a society. So thank you for your part in doing so, your time is appreciated too.
What changes would I like to see? I’d love to see the arts supported in the US the way they are in other countries. We lack a lot of the public grants and tax incentives, and programs that some places offer at the moment, and even the studio and crowdfunding options are being consolidated. Power is funneling down into just a few hands here, and that’s not a safe place for a society to be. It’s why indie stories are so key, and why supporting them however one is able is urgently important.
I have a lot of hope for where the future might take us. A lot of fears, too. But there’s something about sitting in a dark theater with strangers experiencing going on the same ride, about stepping into the shoes of a new character, about beginning a new film script or book, about seeing all of the creativity of fellow humans out there as we face challenges together that keeps the hope just a little brighter than the fear.
Thank you for burning back.
For further information on Paula, please visit her official website.
For further information on the FirstGlance Film Festival, visit the festival website.
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