讀後心得

Sean Baker frequently works with non-professional actors, such as Brianna Evigan and Brooklyn Prince, who starred in "The Florida Project." After his previous film "Tangerine," he faced funding difficulties, attempting to secure $15 million to produce "Anna," but was unable to find financing. Eventually, he collaborated with Mark and the Duplass brothers to create "The Night Is Young" with a shoestring budget, filming entirely on an iPhone and receiving critical acclaim. Subsequently, he successfully raised over $2 million to produce "Red Rocket," which portrays the lives of society's marginalized, and the outstanding performances of the two non-professional actors became highlights, with some cast members receiving Oscar nominations.

Sean Baker often selects amateur actors, such as the two protagonists, Bria Vinaite (right) and Brooklyn Prince (left), in "The Florida Project."

After the release of "Tangerine," Sean Baker's prospects seemed to improve, but he unexpectedly encountered difficulties in fundraising. He planned to shoot "Anna" with a budget of $15 million, but could never find the funding. He also attempted to make "The Florida Project" with a budget of $2.5 million but hit another wall. At that time, he was already in his forties and had been borrowing living expenses from his parents for three months, feeling a deep sense of shame and low spirits.

In this predicament, Sean Baker remembered that Hollywood director brothers Mark and Jay Duplass were fans of "The Broadway Prince," so he proactively reached out to them. They decided to support him in making a super low-budget film titled "The Florida Project," which tells the story of a just-released streetworker who discovers her boyfriend's betrayal and, in anger, decides to expose the other woman with her friends, only to get caught up in more lies and disappointments. Due to the tight budget, Sean Baker shot the entire film using an iPhone and, as usual, selected amateur actors. The film received widespread acclaim after its release, was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival, and successfully found a distributor.

In 2015, while promoting the film in Taiwan, Sean Baker revealed that to save on costs, he completed the post-production solo, resulting in him losing 7 kilograms from working long hours.

With his rising popularity, Sean Baker successfully raised over $2 million to film "The Florida Project." He co-wrote the film with Chris Bergoch; it depicts the lives of a mother and daughter, Hailey and Moonee, living in a rundown motel called “The Magic Castle” outside the Disneyland in Orlando, Florida, reflecting the conditions of society's marginalized individuals. Actor Willem Dafoe, who plays the motel manager, received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for this film. Sean Baker candidly admitted that he initially thought having more funds would make filming smoother, but experience taught him that even with a larger budget, it was still insufficient.

At that time, the crew worked hard to control the budget, and the filming process only exceeded the schedule by an hour. He hoped to involve many children in the cast, using 35mm film throughout, and the filming conditions in the Florida summer posed many challenges for the team. The mother and daughter characters, played by Bria Vinaite and Brooklyn Prince, were both amateur actors. The former was discovered by Sean Baker through Instagram; the latter was chosen months after auditioning in Florida from among 200 child actors, and her lively performance seemed to bring the character to life, becoming a highlight of the film.