Sean Baker talks about his ‘Florida’ project

Willem Dafoe (left) and Brooklynn Prince in “The Florida Project”

Lucky students and film buffs had the chance to chat with Sean Baker, the acclaimed filmmaker behind “The Florida Project.”

The “live online Q&A” was held at the Cine Adarna in UP Diliman recently, after the screening of Baker’s latest film, for which Willem Dafoe was nominated for best supporting actor at this year’s Academy Awards.

The Film Producers Society, which aims to support independent producers in their marketing and distribution efforts, organized the screening and forum.

Baker, who was in Seoul, South Korea at the time, generously shared his time with the viewers, answering their questions regarding the movie and his process.

The maverick director explained that his latest movie, which focuses on families living in poverty in the United States, is a testament to the “joy, humor innocence and resilience of childhood.”

During the cyber chat, Baker explained how he was able to elicit such refreshingly honest performances from the film’s young actors Brooklynn Prince, Aiden Malik and Valeria Cotto.

According to Baker, he was “mindful” not to expose the kids to the dire, dark elements in the film’s narrative.

“The only way to go about it is to do it in the most responsible and appropriate way possible,” he related.

For example, when it came to the profanity in the script, he worked closely with the minors’ parents and an on-set acting coach.

From left: Sean Baker, Bria Vinaite and Brooklynn Prince

“We made it clear to the kids that these were words to be used only in character and not in the real world,” he recalled. “They were not allowed to swear during rehearsal. They only swore during the actual takes.”

He described the youngsters as “wonderful” and “natural.” The key was letting the child actors be themselves, he recounted.

“We gave them the foundation. They memorized and rehearsed their dialogue,” he said. “But on the day of the shoot, they could say the memorized lines in their own words. They could add jokes. They could be free in the moment.”

To think, Baker almost gave up, after having difficulty finding the right 6-year-old girl for the part of Moonee, which Prince eventually bagged.

“I had to halt production … then one day, Brooklynn entered the room,” he looked back.

Baker’s instinct was on target; Prince later won 11 acting awards for the film.

Baker stumbled on Bria Vinaite, the actress who was tapped to play Moonee’s mom, Halley, through social media.

“I was intrigued by Bria’s Instagram account,” he owned up. “She has a rebellious nature. She was quite witty.”

The Lithuania-born “Instagrammer,” however, had no prior acting experience. “We flew her to Orlando. She read for us. She showed a lot of potential, but it wasn’t perfect.”

As exemplified by his 2015 breakthrough movie “Tangerine,” Baker has a knack for collaborating with fresh talent. (“Tangerine” featured transgender actresses who were movie newbies, as well.)

“Bria worked closely with an acting coach for a month leading up to the shoot,” Baker said. “She was under a lot of pressure. She had to hold her own with Willem Dafoe!”

He offered sage advice to independent-minded Filipino filmmakers. “It’s what I say to any filmmaker from anywhere: Don’t wait. You pretty much have the tools now. You can do it basically for free. Take out your cell phone. Shoot the film. Edit it [on your computer]. Put it on video. Get your film out there.”

“The Florida Project,” which is distributed locally by Reality Entertainment and Cobalt Productions, is currently showing in cinemas.