NOLA Film Scene with Tj & Plaideau
A podcast about acting, filmmaking, and the improv scene in New Orleans.
NOLA Film Scene with Tj & Plaideau
Fiona McQuinn: From Dance to Film
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Fiona McQuinn's journey is anything but conventional, and her story is a testament to the power of embracing new opportunities. Fiona's path to the world of film is a unique one. Even as an introvert, she found herself drawn to dancing, acting, and directing after a transformative experience on the series Underground. In this episode, Fiona shares the valuable lessons she learned about storytelling and the importance of mastering diverse skills in the film industry.
Follow us on IG @nolafilmscene, @kodaksbykojack, and @tjsebastianofficial. Check out our 48 Hour Film Project short film Waiting for Gateaux: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pFvn4cd1U . & check out our website: nolafilmscene.com
Hi, I am Fiona McQuinn. I am a writer, actress and director and I am over the moon to be joining you guys here on NOLA Film Scene.
Speaker 2:Three, two, one. Happy New Year. Happy New Year Yay, yay, Yay.
Speaker 3:Fiona, it's so good to have you. This has been a long time coming.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:This is our second time meeting.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is.
Speaker 2:We met at the Actor Summit.
Speaker 1:It feels like more it feels like more because you know, I think we see so much digitally, virtually of each other. Yeah, what you're saying is Brian posted another picture, brian posted another picture Just a few, but that's good Somebody's got to because you know, the rest of us are like forgetting. We walk out and we're like, oh no.
Speaker 2:I couldn't go to a premiere and it was in Houston, indigo the last days and I just couldn't make the trip and nobody really took selfies. I and I just couldn't make the trip and nobody really took selfies. I'm like have I taught you nothing?
Speaker 1:That will be your legacy, if nothing else which I'm sure there's plenty more but that will be like your paramount legacy Picture Plato.
Speaker 3:We joked about that on set this past weekend. I was saying I always forget. I always forget to take selfies. And that's Brian's first question Do you take any pictures? I forget, and then I pull it out and maybe get one or two in, and by then it's a little too late. I just never have it on my mind to do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you're in the moment and you know, you think you'd learn, because in Regis there's so many moments I wish I was like oh're an inspiration, oh thank you.
Speaker 2:We need on-camera photographers so we can just do our thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:Very true, very true.
Speaker 3:How did you get into this industry? What was the catalyst that got you started down this trajectory?
Speaker 1:Yeah there's. I think, like anything I do, it was like a long, circuitous route. There's nothing that I do ever seems to like be straightforward. No-transcript, it was just for really for fun. You know, I wasn't really thinking of it as a career or anything like that. It was just something a group of friends did and we had a lot of fun and we learned a lot. So it was not like my first exposure that I did some music, I appeared in some music videos and some things like that and then kind of went my way to do my own thing. And you know, I had a career in finance for a while and somewhere along that way I became a professional ballroom dancer.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so I'm sure you guys know Shane LeCope. He was actually my partner.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no-transcript some opportunities on the series Underground and had the opportunity to actually help choreograph and help coach the main actors as well as to appear in it. And I just realized that I always had a love of storytelling. I've always written I mean, as long as I could hold a pencil I've written. So I've always had this affinity for storytelling and I saw this possibility, this amazing possibility to bring these worlds together and I was hooked. So I was like, okay, if I'm going to do this, then I better start learning this craft and really understanding what it takes If I want to do this with some real skill and be able to effectively tell stories, whether it's through the medium of an actress or, you know, be able to write for film. And then now has brought me to a place of directing. I just studied a lot, studied with the people here, everybody from Jim Gleason to James Dumont and went through an NYU program for filmmaking, just consuming everything that I can. And then here I am.
Speaker 2:Sweet Directing, you say need any actors?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's oh, you know, it's starting as well. I mean, I guess original starting as a writer, but not necessarily with the intention of writing for film and then coming to acting, and acting was just something that I hadn't really considered, because I'm such an introvert. I'm a natural introvert. If you told me 30 years ago, you look way down the road of your life, you're going to be in front of a camera, I would have thought absolutely no way, there's no way. I mean, I've done some modeling, but it's completely, completely a thing. It's such a vulnerability.
Speaker 2:I can tell you're so shy right now.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I've had a lot of time. I've had a lot of time to get used to it. I did a lot of public speaking in my early 20s and I think that helped break that shell, helped me break through that shell. I think the process actually of, like, I think, dancing especially, you know, in ballroom dance, I mean all dance you know performance, dance, performance you are telling a story, you know you are conveying an emotion, and I think that was something else that really helped me start to break out of that shell. I would never have dreamed, but I absolutely love it.
Speaker 3:Dancing's a big vulnerability for me. It's something I've never been confident or comfortable doing, especially in public, but I think it's important. It's important in this industry. Since I've gotten into acting, I'm trying to peel back all those layers I'm not a strong introvert, but maybe a little bit and trying to get comfortable on camera to do anything that needs to be done, especially an audition for commercials.
Speaker 3:It's a completely different feel than movies, television, anything else. And there's been things that have come up where you have to dance, even one where you have to sing, and that was even worse. I think that's my two biggest weakest areas. I've taken some singing, but I've never taken really any dance lessons, and I don't know, I don't have natural rhythm.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, we can solve that problem, tj, we can work that out. I definitely can solve that problem for you. Yeah, no, it is. Dancing is all of those things are because you are putting this very vulnerable side of yourself out there on view for the world. And is you know, I think there are a few things, more than our physicality or our voice or our emotions, that make us more vulnerable. Beautiful about film is that we are seeing that vulnerability of other human beings and drawing that relationship to ourselves. We're seeing those little pieces, those little images of ourselves and those actors or dancers, and I think it's just, it's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2:TJ and I were thrilled this year to be a part of the Abita Springs International Film Festival 7 and 7 film competition.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 2:That was a blast. It was.
Speaker 1:Oh, and you guys did a great job. A great job yeah.
Speaker 2:Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:And of course, the 7 and 7 is just a piece of our bigger festival.
Speaker 2:Tell us more.
Speaker 1:So coming up the weekend of January 10th. So January 10th, 11th and 12th, tell us more. Hall, we have some amazing films that are going to be screened. We are still actually in the process of making our final selections, so that will be at the next five days. We'll actually have our notification of who our selections are, and we also have some great panels this year. One of the highlights for last year was our Actors Panel, which was fantastic, and we have another great one planned this year with that. Billy Slaughter is going to be joining us, james Dumont and Mahoney, and we also have a filmmaker panel, which has got some incredible guests. It is something that everybody needs to get their tickets and come out and join us. We're growing quickly. So, even though we're only in our second year, we are already an IMDb qualifying festival, which is something that usually takes five years, but we're already there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's incredible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we've got some great support. Quixote Studios is our executive sponsor for this year, among others, and they've given us wonderful support. It's going to be a really exciting festival.
Speaker 3:That's exciting. I've studied with all three of those people, all three of those panelists that you mentioned Billy, james and Anne, all three.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and probably some more, but we'll wait till they're confirmed to you know to release that, but it is going to be really good. And every year we are doing a different theme. Last year of our initial year was the magic of movies, and so we had some wonderful films and we had Michael Darden who actually opened with a whole magic show for us, which was so much fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and this year our theme is actually going to be Indigenous voices, and so we are focusing. We have some wonderful filmmakers Maya Hernandez-Fitch, who's going to be joining us and we'll be screening her documentary film but we're focusing on films that highlight that are either by Indigenous filmmakers or that highlight stories from Indigenous filmmakers. And really, because we have such, and especially here in Louisiana, we've got this culturally rich heritage and environment here and we really wanted to take the opportunity to highlight that, not just from Louisiana, but really we are an international film festival, so we really wanted to take the opportunity to show that from all over the world and those unique perspectives, so we're pretty excited about that.
Speaker 3:Sweet. How did you come to be involved with this festival?
Speaker 1:I have had the opportunity in the past. I've done some projects with Sherrod and Philippe, who is always looking to bring teams together to accomplish something. He's really, really good at that. I got a phone call from him one day saying hey, I really want to have been thinking about this and would like to put a team together to talk about the possibility of starting a film festival.
Speaker 1:And one of the other people that he had in that group was Yvette Randolph, and she lives in Abita Springs. She's an integral part of that town. She had been having a very similar idea about wanting to host a film festival in Abita Springs and I'm like just on the other side of the city line for Abita Springs. And then Bob Krieger was one of the other board members. We were all there and it just seemed to all fall into place that we had all been thinking the same thing about having this film festival on the North Shore and Abia Springs because it's so centered around artists, and it seemed like absolutely the perfect place and everything, just you know, fell together from there and so we were primarily the founding board for that and we had just a great first year the films that we got you know internationally and for our first year, were just incredible. We were blown away and knew that we had made a good decision and really wanted to keep that up. Anything that we can do to to continue to fuel the Louisiana film industry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because I think it's just and really to put a spotlight on it, not just regionally or nationally, but internationally, and everything that we can do to highlight the ability that we have here but also just the importance that film plays for so many people in Louisiana. It is incredible how impactful film is for so many people on their livelihood, on their artistry, and so that's something we really wanted Our special award that goes to our chosen film, our select film, for to honor a filmmaker who really embodies that idea of the artistry, the dedication to that craft, in a really special way.
Speaker 2:So yeah, nice, I'm trying to formulate the question that's kind of in my head. Let me see if I can pull it up. So you've gone from dancing to acting, producing, directing, festival making, coordinating yes, acting producing, directing, festival making, coordinating and everything that. When I listen to people, even musicians, do, it's all storytelling. Yes, absolutely so what would you tell someone who hasn't gotten into the business, has a story but does not know or isn't confident enough? To share that story with everyone. How would you inspire them?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that it is such an incredibly important. That's one of the reasons that I love and I'm so passionate about being a filmmaker. Maya Angelou has this great quote that I just became aware of not too long ago. I should have known it before, but if I get it slightly wrong, I'm sorry, but the gist is there's no greater agony than bearing an untold story within you. And thought about that and I was like, because we do, we all have these stories to tell and the sharing of those stories is incredibly important. Because this is going to be a long answer, I'm sorry, I'm getting, but I'm getting there.
Speaker 3:No, that's what we're here for.
Speaker 2:We're here to listen to your long stories.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're here to celebrate your story. I mean, that's what we love hearing people's journeys. The longer the story, it's all good.
Speaker 1:And that's really it. I think that for me, you know, when you think about art, right, whether it's visual art, whether it's music, like you said, it's all storytelling, but there is no medium more powerful than film because, it is everything together, this sensory experience that we have as human beings.
Speaker 1:Film captivates and engages, all of it Simultaneously. There is no more powerful way, I think, to move someone, to inspire someone, to evoke empathy, which is something that's really important to me and for people who have these stories. It's so important for them to be heard, because how many people have stories that are not told and will never have the opportunity to tell their story for one reason or another? And so the ones that do have that inclination, that little inkling of an idea of wow, I'd really like to. I don't know, but I don't know if my story is worth being heard. It absolutely is, and somebody out there will relate to it. Somebody out there will benefit from a heartfelt story that is a piece of yourself.
Speaker 1:I think it's incredibly important for people to have that confidence, because there's value in everyone's story, and there are enough people there, especially and this is another reason why I think it's so important to fuel the film industry here we have such a unique film community here, and I would argue that we are uniquely positioned to tell stories that don't get told very often, and so I think that if people are willing to brave reaching out and telling their story and, you know, trying to connect with filmmakers or trying to connect with people who are in a position to help them bring that story out into the world. They absolutely should do it, because there is value in it, there's a place in the world, there's a need for it.
Speaker 2:Damn right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that was really well put.
Speaker 1:Thank you. I just know personally. I mean think about a film that has changed your perspective or that has changed your life or that inspired you to you know whether it inspired you to be an actor or a storyteller or just inspired you to change your perspective on something. I think that film is such an incredibly important and powerful medium. You know, when you read about, you know some incredibly important people in the world took the path that they did. They were inspired to take that world-changing path because of something they saw in a movie, something they saw in a film, in a documentary, and seeing that was the catalyst for them to make a decisive change or take this incredibly bold action in their life that would go on to change other people's lives for the better. I think it's pretty incredible and I want to share that more and more with people.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's beautiful.
Speaker 1:Wait what.
Speaker 2:Look how many astronauts Star Trek has inspired. Oh yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh yeah. I mean think about how many children and this isn't because I'm also an educator, I'm also a teacher and you ask kids taught all ages, all the way up to adults what do you want to be when you grow up? Well, they don't all have the opportunity to go, and you know, and visit the NASA facility or to go and visit the White House to see what would it be like to do this. So I think that those movies, those films, they give that inspiration, they give this picture of possibility to kids and I think that's also something that's really cool. I think every great, I just think that's also something that's really cool, I think every great, I just think that so many wonderful things, so many wonderful ideas are inspired by if you just ask the question.
Speaker 1:I wonder I wonder, and I think that it's an important question, not just for children to ask, but for children of all ages and adults.
Speaker 2:Yeah, children of all ages. Yeah, I get it. Yes, exactly, exactly.
Speaker 3:Man, man, child over there.
Speaker 2:Damn right. Well, like I never thought I could ever be in the acting business because I could never get to Hollywood, not that. I ever tried and I fan of comedy, like we've talked, you know HBO standup specials and all that. Love my fantasy movies. Love movies, love stories, love, love, love, love. And then all of a sudden, kevin Smith comes to town and asks his fans to be in the background.
Speaker 1:It's like okay, right, and the bug bit me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, then I want to take lessons, I want to speak and I've done student films, any film, short films.
Speaker 1:Now I want some SAG yeah Next step.
Speaker 3:Sorry I'm putting that out in the world and I same for me. I started background and I didn't think it was possible. I didn't think there was anything that I had to offer. I didn't think there was anything special about me to be able to be someone doing speaking lines. And he told me all right, here are the steps, here's what you need to do. You need to take some acting classes, get some professional headshots, start doing some student films and just get out there and start acting. And he regularly says always be acting, find a way.
Speaker 3:And had it not been for that one conversation, I might not have ever taken the leap to get into it and start doing it. I'm really glad I did. I just absolutely love it. I've got a passion for it and festivals and things like this where we get together and put these films together. It's inspiring the next generation of filmmakers. There's a film that I was a part of that's releasing next week by some young college students that make film in their off time during the summer's off time breaks. They're the next generation of filmmakers.
Speaker 3:And it's about putting those stories out there.
Speaker 1:Well, that's you know. One of the things that I've had the opportunity and been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do is to teach filmmaking and acting to kids and to help them produce films. So I had to kind of put it to the side this past year just because there was so much happening with the film festival and other things. But I had a group of kids called Wolfpack Films and they were such an incredibly special group of kids and to watch their growth over years, from just learning to be in front of a camera to then taking hold of ideas and figuring out what stories they wanted to tell and realizing that they had a voice, and to see them embrace this medium and use it to tell these stories and to demonstrate in an extremely, extremely vulnerable way these emotions and these experiences that they were having, and especially at these ages like nine to 14, nine to 15, there's so much going on and I was stunned at the things that they wanted, the stories they wanted to tell, the things that they wanted to talk about. They wanted to talk about rejection, they wanted to talk about grief, they wanted to talk about pressure and distress of life and being alienated and these very heavy topics and I was sure you guys want to do it and they did it, and they did it beautifully and there's something so powerful about a child who has realized this power in telling their story and their voice. And then you know, not just writing it, but they acted it.
Speaker 1:So a short film that I did, earth Beneath Me, which is kind of now just getting out into the world. You see this glimpse of what they did and it's so incredibly moving and emotional. The tears that are in this film are real. It is because they wrote this from the heart. It's just incredibly powerful. Yes, the next generation of filmmakers. It's so important to have that example and to have those avenues out there because, yeah, it's wonderful for them.
Speaker 3:That's really cool.
Speaker 1:And inspiring for the rest of us, because some of the things they think of some of the ideas, you know, they're so pure.
Speaker 3:That's right.
Speaker 1:It's such a cool thing to watch. It really is.
Speaker 3:Do you do that through the school system or is it like an after school program?
Speaker 1:It is not through school system, it's a group, because it did come in part from students that I taught in one school or another. But I started actually originally through a private school where I was teaching, but then when I left the kids still wanted to do it and then their friend in the community wanted to. It was kind of a unique setup because we weren't just doing acting and it wasn't just a filmmaker's program. I sort of brought everything together, so some of them would be writers and some of them would be the director and some of them would be behind the camera and they would switch roles. You know, they wanted to learn it all. I didn't really advertise. I kept it very selective because I wanted the ones that were truly dedicated and really really passionate and it was incredible what they were able to accomplish and the growth that they demonstrated. I miss it. I'm going to have to get. I'm going to have to get back to that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's cool If only we had more hours in the day.
Speaker 1:That's, that's exactly that is, yeah, sort of story, story of my life, because I there's so much that I am passionate about and I wanted and I want to do, but it's, you know, it is, yeah, I guess, something of a juggling act, and I have two of my own. I've got 15 year old twins who are also actors and they are also filmmakers, and my 15 year old son has probably more and daughter of them probably have more crew film crew hours than a lot of adults I know at this point. But they, you know, they love it, they love to learn every aspect of it.
Speaker 3:That's awesome. They'll be well-rounded by the time they reach adulthood. They'll be well-rounded by the time they reach adulthood.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely, I don't know if they're going to continue to pursue that as a career. I think one or the other of them very well may, but they've gotten so much out of you know. I know there's some people that are like hesitant about having their kids in the film industry, and I think if you do it right, and especially with the film community that we have here, it provides some opportunities for wonderful experiences for them, and they've only benefited from it. It has broadened their horizons in a way that could never have been done otherwise, and for the better.
Speaker 3:Yeah, my 14-year-old daughter is an introvert but she acts. She's doing the Nutcracker right now and she's done a lot of different stage plays, musicals, musical theater and I brought her along when we did the seven and seven and she huh.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's that too that I was thinking, the 48, but you did both.
Speaker 3:Yeah, she well, for the 48, she was only able to be there for just a few hours, but for the seven and seven she stayed with us the whole time and PA'd and started learning about grip and she's quiet and doesn't ask a lot of questions and doesn't speak up a lot, but she was soaking it all in and she had a great time being on set. They treated her just like any other crew member and I think that was really important for her to learn the behind the scenes stuff. And I think it's important for actors too, to understand how all the different aspects of it work to bring that story to light.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3:With everything that's involved sound, lighting, set, decoration, everything. And, you know, in keeping with what you said, trying to get her involved early on when she's able, wants to come back and work on another film project.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, no, I think it's a wonderful opportunity for them and they get to learn so much about you know different, different, you know different kinds of people, different personalities, and both of mine had the chance to PA on well, a number of different things, but most recently on a film I did with Ghostwrite Media and Matthew Judd that we went to LA Film Prize and so they got to be a part of that and see that with some incredible actors. My son has worked extensively with Hick Jeremy and they're like their buddies, you know.
Speaker 1:So it's been. Yeah, they've had some really phenomenal experiences.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know, carlos. Carlos is a good guy.
Speaker 1:Carlos is great. Yeah, yeah, and congratulations on his engagement to Janet.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Congratulations, congratulations, that poor girl. No, I'm just kidding, that's my standard joke. You know, this is my better half.
Speaker 1:Run.
Speaker 2:You know, it's what they all said to Cherie when she married me. No, I'm just kidding, that was only my mother-in-law, but that's a whole other story.
Speaker 3:That could be a whole episode by itself.
Speaker 2:Ooh need a couch for that one and a therapist.
Speaker 1:But back to the film festival, I really would encourage people to come out and see these films because we've got some, you know. Being that we are an international film festival, we have films that you're probably not going to encounter anywhere else. Some of the ones that we had last year told some really powerful stories. Just to see inside, take a glimpse inside, not only those cultures, but also learning a little bit about the experiences of filmmakers in other countries. In other countries, some of which it's very easy to make a film, and other places where it is very difficult to make a film and share it with the world, to see those stories and to see just the beauty in their artistry and the power of their stories, coupled with the knowledge of what they had to go through just to get those films made and out into the world, was very inspiring. As a filmmaker, we take for granted, honestly, how relatively easy it is for us.
Speaker 1:You know we have these resources and these opportunities available to us, but it's not that easy for everybody. That's one of the special things about our festival.
Speaker 3:How many films total will be included in the watch list?
Speaker 1:We're not sure yet Got about 48, I think right now that we need to go through to make our final determination of what's going to be selected and screened. We'll know in the next week. Everybody can check out our Facebook page or our website and we'll have a good idea by then.
Speaker 3:Do you know how many, from how many different countries people are participating?
Speaker 1:Let me see.
Speaker 3:I mean I'm sure it changes from year to year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it does, and I'm trying to think I might be able to give a better number from last year. We had at least a half a dozen different countries.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Probably more, and I would say that we probably have comparable this year. So from all over, I mean all over the place.
Speaker 3:That's incredible.
Speaker 1:Every continent almost.
Speaker 2:So what's the website where they can buy the tickets?
Speaker 1:If they go to abitafilmfestorg, they can find all the information there, as well as our Facebook page. We have a lot of regularly updated information there as well.
Speaker 3:Fiona, thanks so much for joining us. You have an incredible story. You have a lot of different hats that you wear. All of them seem to be centered on telling stories, and that's very fascinating to me.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for having me Really enjoyed the conversation and seeing you both.
Speaker 2:Good seeing you and I can't wait till you start selling the storytelling hats. Yes,
