Lindsey Marks, also known as Lady Jack, is a performer and producer in Chicago primarily working in the field of variety and burlesque entertainment. As a burlesque performer she has appeared extensively locally, as well as nationally, including the New Orleans and New York Burlesque Festivals. Lady has written full length physical theatre pieces for stage for ensemble and solo work and appeared recently as a feature performance artist at TEDx Midwest.Lindsey arrived in Chicago with a BFA in Theatre from University of Louisville and has been making her way into film work over the last few years appearing in film shorts and music videos. She is currently working on the feature film "Heaven is Hell" in which she plays the lead character of Faith, and will be taking on a more conceptual development and writing role for the webseries "Hitwomen"
For more information and a full bio you can visit LadyJackEntertainment.com
What is the current project you are working on?
A new action and dark comedy webseries called Hitwomen with Producer and Director Christopher Sato...we are currently raising funds on Kickstarter!
Did you always want to be a filmmaker?
My "what do you want to be when you grow up" sheet in 1st grade read, in no particular order, Writer, Actor, Singer, Psychologist. So the answer is...kind of. It's only been in the last few years that I've been afforded the opportunities to start working on film and I love it. I am primarily a physical theatre performer, Burlesque and Performance artist under the stage name Lady Jack, I produce Burlesque shows...I also work with photographers and fine artists.
What inspired you to become filmmaker?
Hitwomen will really be the first project where I'm taking an active role in the conceptual development of the idea and writing. I've worked on films as an actor prior to that, and I just deeply connect to the process. I've found that many of my ideas in terms of my own solo or group live performance work are inspired by film, are starting to incorporate multi-media ideas, and are starting to actually be short film concepts. I had worked on several projects of Chris Sato's before this, and most incorporated some level of action, and since it's my now not-so-secret goal to be an action star, it's worked out well. I love the choreography that goes into a well-executed action scene and the extreme excitement that comes with the juxtaposition of wit and violence, and exploring a fully developed character's motivations in those kinds of scenarios And, particularly in more comic-base genres, the concept of archetype and how that manifests is something I really connect with and want to pull into some of the work I do.
Who is is your favorite filmmaker?
I enjoy Tarantino, Coen Brothers, Danny Elfman to name a few
What are some of your favorite American films? Foreign films? Television shows?
Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, No Country For Old Men, Fargo, The Matrix, Whale Rider, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Little Miss Sunshine, Sunshine Cleaners (Definite sunshine trilogy there) The Dark Knight, Lost in Translation, Nightmare Before Christmas, Network, Best in Show, Kung Fu Hustle...Seinfeld, Buffy, The Muppet Show...Hard to narrow down a list.
What's your opinion on crowdfunding and recent crowdfunding scandals?
I'm not sure about scandals, but I think crowdfunding is absolutely fantastic. I used to work for a organization that offered business support for non-profit arts groups, and really there has been very little structured funding for individual artists available. I think having a more institutionalized support system due to the glory of the internet should be a welcome development.
What is the casting process like?
We prefer to hand-select from our network, and gear roles around people we are close with, like Jolie Roberson who will be playing Raven in Hitwomen and is also working on the show in other capacities. Of course, if there is something specific we're looking that we don't have in our current group we'll hold more open auditions.
How does independent film differ from the mainstream?
I think independent anything differs from mainstream anything in that it doesn't tend to have the same high financial stakes, and therefore enjoys more freedom of complete expression. When money becomes a main motivating factor, and you are dealing with mass quantities of people, making something at least somewhat easily consumable is number one...sometimes that's in line with a vision and sometimes it's not and that's where you can get a diluted piece of work.
You could go back in time and see any classic film being made. Which film would it be and why?
The Great Dictator. Such a phenomenal film, and I'd love to see how Chaplin approached that.
What's your favorite movie quote and why?
Right now it's "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" because I just watched Network and now realize why my father used to say that all the time.
You could have any super power. What would it be?
Oh I'd fly...shapeshift perhaps. This is the most difficult question...
What is your opinion on movie remakes?
Mostly my thought tends to be "Was that really necessary?" And...I suppose it's really not, but they can be good and particularly interesting if it's a remake of a movie made several decades prior.
What is your opinion on book to movie adaptions?
I'm all for it. People will inevitably have a preference of which they like, and often they are not stylistically spot on to each other. And also, often it's more a marketing device than a real desire to spread a story. That said, I think re-telling stories in different formats is valuable whatever the motivation.
Thank you for doing the interview Lindsey AKA Lady Jack. I can't wait to see Hitwomen. Keep me posted on the series' progress and let me know when it's on the web.
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