» STORY

[Background]

Julia joined forces with Elle magazine to make her directorial debut. Her first project will be the short movie “Raving”, based on a story in the magazine’s October “Personal Style” issue titled “The Dress That Changed My Life.”

Besides directing Julia also is writing the story line, tells a rebellious young woman who has a chance encounter with a lonely older man. Zooey Deschanel and Bill Irwin have both been booked to star in.

On “Raving” Julia hopes the film expresses “how the seemingly simple act of getting dressed shapes one’s identity.” The film will be available for viewing on Elle.com.

[Synopsis]

Omen and Mona Lisa Smile star Julia Stiles makes her directorial debut with this short film shot in collaboration with Elle Magazine and detailing a chance encounter between a beautiful young rebel and a lonely older man on a New York street corner. Produced by Plum Pictures and starring Zooey Deschanel and Bill Irwin, Stiles’ film was inspired by an Elle article that originally appeared in the magazine’s October 2006 Personal Style issue entitled “The Dress (shirt, boots, jacket, jewels…) that Changed my Life.” In the article, twenty-five well-known celebrities from a variety of backgrounds discussed how the clothing choices they made helped to shape their identity. Featuring costume and style consulting by Elle Style Director Isabel Dupré, hair and make-up by Elle Beauty Director Emily Dougherty, and cinematography by Mona Lisa Smile Director of Photography Anastas Michos, Raving, as well as additional behind-the-scenes footage of the production, would both be featured on the official Elle Magazine website.

© Allmovie


» CAST

Zooey Deschanel as – Bill Irwin as Dito – Andy Konrad as Balcony guest

Bill Irwin … Dito
Michael Wright … Security Guard
Marcia DeBonis … Woman in Street
Valerie Filipovna … Waitress
Kate Blumberg … Neighbor
Zooey Deschanel
Wynn Everett … The Other Woman
Andy Konrad … Balcony guest
Julia Stiles

Entire castlist @ IMDB

» DIRECTOR

“I knew I was going to direct it because I could see it so clearly in my head while I was writing. I just wasn’t sure the magazine would go for my story, because it’s not what you would expect from a fashion magazine.”

“It [Raving] was a great opportunity; I said yes immediately and just wrote the script.”


» JULIA SAYS

“The editors at Elle wanted to produce a short film, and they asked me to write and direct something. They knew they wanted it to center on the impact of clothing, but that was it. I wanted to tell a story that would go deeper and be something unexpected from a fashion magazine, so I started to really think about the idea that an article of clothing could change your life. I thought, “No, it can’t!” Then I was intrigued by the idea that it is not the actual object, but what it represents-the memories attached to it, the person who wore it, the story behind it-that gives an article of clothing its significance.”

“The worst memory I have is of the day I lost a shot of Zooey at the sprinkler in a park, because we didn’t have time to go to the location. I was really wedded to that image, but it probably wouldn’t have ended up in the edit anyway, so things work out.”

“I started coming up with the characters first and then the circumstances that would bring them together, so I naturally approached directing from a character-driven perspective. I think, as an actress, I know how much fun it is to be given a scene to play as opposed to a speech telegraphing who you are and where you came from. So I tried to write something my actors could have fun with. It’s especially fun to play a scene where there is more going on than meets the eye, like where one character is lying or hiding something or trying to manipulate the other. That’s pretty basic drama, but it works.”


» DVD INFO

Raving is now available to download on iTunes for free. You can also watch it on Elle.com and visit the official MySpace.


» LINKS

IMDB – Official Site – Wikipedia