Work in Progress: Finding Distance
Think of the movies you’ve seen that involve fencing. Or, if you will, sword fighting. Most of them are likely period films set in less than modern times, highlighted by directors like Ridley Scott and Akira Kurosawa. If your tastes run to earlier eras, perhaps you favor performances by Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks – junior and senior. But when it comes to finding film or television examples of fencing, like, Olympic-style fencing, the options are slim.
Recently, we’ve had Wednesday (Addams) following her father Gomez’s footwork, but like most interpretations of the inside of a fencing salle d’armes, the grandiosity of the space shown hardly reflects the reality most of us have faced at our respective clubs. That could be a couple of strips inside a non-descript storefront or an industrial park club sporting a dozen or more grounded strips. What the filmed versions utterly fail to convey is the textural quality of fencing and fencing clubs. The smell of sweat and leather, the sounds of clashing blades and bell guards, the squeak and boom of rapid footwork. A powerful lunge’s termination. Shouting and exclamations. Then, there are the competitions. Walking into a modern NAC or Nationals and seeing an aircraft hangar-sized space transformed for the coming battles and filled with metallic strips, tables, machines and lights, without mentioning the hordes of fencers, coaches, parents, officials and vendors everywhere you look. It can be an intimidating sight, most especially the first time.
One film that almost tried to bring salle life to the screen in the 1990s did such a poor job of it I won’t even mention its name. For those who are fortunate not to know this forgettable bit of cinema, I’ll say only this: the film’s director thought “lunge” was a silly name and so re-named it the “hinge.” Which, if anything, is even sillier. The movie falls down from there and never gets back up.
Screenwriter Jodi Levitan
However, I have good reason to hope an opportunity to more realistically showcase the realities of the sport of fencing may actually come to pass in the form of a feature-length screenplay I recently had the privilege to read. Written by award-winning screenwriter Jodi Levitan, whose son Daniel competed and medaled nationally, “Finding Distance,” the script’s working title, tells the story of a teenage girl with a physical disability who faces bullying, family struggles and personal doubts. When she discovers fencing through a local club, she finds a way to channel her struggles in a way that ultimately transforms her life and relationships.
“Write what you know” is a commonly heard directive for authors of any sort and screenwriter Jodi Levitan has come up with a story reflecting the experiences she had while watching her son learn, grow and compete as a fencer under the tutelage of Olympian Jon Tiomkin (foil, Athens 2004) at his club, 5T Fencers on Long Island. Jodi experienced for herself the manner in which her son was treated by Jon, the lessons her son took away and his growth as a person, qualities directly attributable to his time as a fencer. The welcoming nature of that club, the care Tiomkin took with his students, the expectations that were set and the responsibility exhibited by both coach and student to navigate the successes and inevitable failures that come with any athletic pursuit, laid the groundwork for Jodi’s imprint for what fencing should be and how to write about it. The regard Jodi has for Tiomkin’s approach to his students is clear in the relationship she has created between her fictional coach and students.
Jodi has teamed up with the independent film producer/director Jon Cring and together they have created a proof-of-concept video to showcase the look and feel of the story. Cring has characterized himself as a renegade and his credits lend credence to that title. His career arc has examples of a wide variety of film genres, and his early career was spent making films on micro-budgets where any task left undone would fall to him. That time spent learning the craft has honed his mastery of every aspect of filmmaking. The passion he has for this story was evident from the conversation we had. His grasp of the character’s inner story, while not informed by a background in fencing, comes from recognizing the struggle and commitment required of anyone who commits to achieving personal goals. Fencing success comes by way of sacrifice in the form of time, sweat and conflict, and these things are the common thread for anyone pursuing high-level achievement in any sport. Making films isn’t really that much different. Less stabbing, but other struggles inevitably surface.
Behind the scenes during the video shoot.
The video Jon and Jodi have crafted is the calling card that can get them into the room with people who finance films both large and small. My own career in film has now lasted over 35 years but has mostly been lived within the relative comfort of small production companies and large studios. The wilderness of the independent filmmaking world is one with constant ups and downs. You work towards making a meeting that may be the next step towards finding the people who will believe in your project enough to commit resources or financing. It’s a long, arduous process that can be equally exhilarating and frustrating. I have mad respect for those that see it through. Discussing “Finding Distance” with Jodi and Jon gave me the chance to hear firsthand their passion for this project and plans for moving it through the independent filmmaking maze, in preparation for landing in the bullseye where the stage is lit and cameras roll. That passion, coupled with the excellent script Jodi has created plus the vision and experience Jon brings to the table, makes for a strong team with a highly marketable pitch. Getting in the room with the right partners, with a little luck to match the hard work of getting there, hopefully comes next.
One thing about this story that resonated with me personally is the disability with which the main character is living. She has a congenital birth defect – one malformed hand. One of my college teammates had a similar condition and I witnessed how he dealt with his discomfort and the perception of others. Born with a withered left arm, at the end of a bout he wouldn’t shake with his unarmed hand. He grew up in Oakland – a big, tough kid overcompensating for his handicap through aggression. What he was like in that environment at a younger age, I can only guess. I didn’t meet him until my first day in the salle at San José State University and from then on, we were teammates and friends. We battled constantly against each other in the salle, then closed ranks when it was time to take down opponents from other schools. Our coach, Michael D’Asaro, Sr., had run with street gangs while growing up in Red Hook in Brooklyn, and I think Michael saw something of himself in my teammate. Fencing took Michael away from that world. Fencing, for a time, did the same for my friend.
In “Finding Distance,” the main character, Alex, projects a tough exterior to mask the difficulties she faces; in her relationship with her father, the loss of her mother and the birth defect some of her classmates view as her sole defining characteristic. The story follows her as she discovers both a scholastic outlet, and a physical outlet through a local fencing program. Jodi Levitan has created a screenplay capturing a perfect tone for Alex. She is believable as a whole person, emotionally damaged, perhaps, but present and willing to work to achieve a goal.
A great film about fencing that isn’t far-fetched or too steeped in the fantastical would be a great thing to have out in the world, so that fencers could point others to an example that resonates with the actual experience. There is a lot to be optimistic about with this project. They have a solid, experienced creative team and an idea that may be hitting at exactly the right moment in time to get “Finding Distance” to that ultimate goal for a film project – the green light.
If you would like to know about investment opportunities or other ways to help bring Finding Distance to the screen, please contact writer - Jodilevitan123@gmail.com or director- jrcring@gmail.com.