Local Filmmaker Set To Speak at Film Industry Day Next Month

By EMILY HILBERT
ONEONTA

What does it take to be invited to be a “Female Filmmakers Take Center Stage” panelist at this year’s Film Industry Day in Albany? Well, if you ask Lori Bailey, if takes handmade circus tickets, child-like flair, and a dream that began in her back yard.

Lori Bailey is a female filmmaker on the rise who channels local stories into her work. Originally from Oneonta, where she still lives today, her repertoire includes “Garrow,” about serial killer Robert Garrow, “A Roadhouse Coup,” covering the life and crimes of the infamous Eva Coo, and “Mineville,” which explores the American iron-ore industry in Mineville, New York, and for which there is a prequel film, “Switchback,” set to be released soon. But in order to truly understand the success Bailey has had in her career, it is important to start at the beginning.

Bailey describes herself has “a restless soul with a wild imagination” who was “born to create and entertain, and take people on a journey.”

Creating plays in her back yard and garage as a child, she once sold handmade circus tickets to her neighbors for five cents, letting them know there would be a carnival at her home. When the day finally arrived, the whole block came together to “MacGyver” a neighborhood day of fun. It was there that Bailey claims “tall tales, back yard plays, [and] creative writing all just collided, and a filmmaker was born.”

Forty years later, this is still the profession Bailey loves. She also recreated her ticket success, raising $10,000.00 for the production of “Mineville” by selling raffle tickets she made for $5.00 apiece to everyone in town. Not a bad way to secure funding, and it got everyone involved.

When asked what the process is like coming up with new movie ideas, Bailey retorts that “the harder question would be how to stop the madness of so many ideas.” These ideas swim in her head constantly, she said, almost like a bowl filled with too many fish. However, she seems to have an affinity for period pieces and stories that hit close to home. Literally. Her father was a neighbor of Robert Garrow. This can elicit a lot of emotions for Bailey, both fear and joy, but she attributes her years as a nurse to helping her stay calm and think on her feet.

Period pieces can present themselves with a whole other set of challenges surrounding research. Bailey recounts her experience diving into stories like these through her long hours holed up in court rooms reading document after document, transcript after transcript, and pouring over slews of crime scene photos. She claims the research process is not her favorite, especially when it comes to true crime. Such was the case for “Garrow” and “A Roadhouse Coup,” which also required uncomfortable, and sometimes painful, interviews with families of victims, as well as families of the murderer, in the case of Robert Garrow. Films like “Mineville” and “Switchback” were a bit easier on the heart, she said, as she took her time getting to know the mining industry around Moriah, New York and the families who immigrated to America in search of a better life.

Bailey’s strong vision and determination is clearly depicted in her work, as well as in her answer to a question about what sets her apart from other directors, male or otherwise. Without missing a beat, she asserts that it comes from “using [her] five-foot, tenacious, Irish, innocent, girly balls to compete in an industry run by men.” Bailey said she does everything she can to ensure her characters go through a range of human emotions and perspectives, covering everything from love and loss, to triumphs and tragedies, to abuse and sadness. This range is required, she said, because her films are almost always about real people with real lives, ergo her characters must reflect that. Bailey does, however, admit that bar fight scenes are much easier, and more fun to write, than long, peaceful conversations.

Movie making, as many people know, is not a one-man show, and for Bailey, it is not just a team effort, but a family business. Her father and son have served as actors in multiple scenes. Bailey said her father, Richard Kelly, was her biggest fan, and she enjoyed every scene they got to do together. While Kelly is no longer around to lend a hand, having passed away more than 10 years ago, her son, Joel Plue, has become a great help to her productions.

“[It] just came naturally,” said Bailey. “I often think we function from one creative brain. We’ve been storytelling and collaborating since he was very young.”

Bailey describes Plue’s experience in stand-up comedy, and how it eventually led to screenplays and books.

When asked what it is like to work with one’s child, Bailey answers in a classically cinephile way with, “It’s like the box of chocolates on the lap of Forrest Gump. You never know what you’re gonna get when we work on a new project together.”

She claims working with Plue is “fun and wildly abstract,” and reminds her of the “good old carnival in the back yard mentality that we share.” She also adds how he is indispensable when it comes to his tech savviness.

A final question to Bailey about what she hopes audiences take away from her films was met with a concise response: “A brief hour or two of entertainment, memories of a time gone by, and a different view/perspective on whatever topic the film represents.”

Lori Bailey will be a part of the “Female Filmmakers Take Center Stage” panel at the Capital Region and Adirondack Film Alliance Industry Day, which will take place on Thursday, May 23 at the Albany Capital Center in downtown Albany. Deborah Goedeke, coordinator for the event, promises audiences will “experience the brilliance of female filmmakers firsthand as they command the spotlight,” and join them “as [they] celebrate their creativity, resilience, and groundbreaking contributions to the world of cinema.” Other panelists include Tracy Nichole Cring, Michalina Scorzelli, and Arielle Steele. For more information on the event, visit https://www.albany.org/film-albany/.