In the Sundance Festival, Award Winning film, Grace is Gone (2007)—Stanley Philips (John Cusack) is faced with the heartbreaking task of telling his two daughters their mother has been killed, while deployed in Iraq. The path he takes to prepare himself emotionally for the task is endearing as he decides to give his daughters a few days of total freedom and reckless abandonment before breaking the life changing news.

The quality of the script is what grabs you in this film, which mirrors the times. You wait for Stanley to find the right moment not only for himself but, for his daughters; and the moment he chooses-the simplicity and the raw emotion which ensues, provides the perfect closure not only to the film—but for the audience. If there was a doubt he couldn’t handle the responsibilities, not only of telling them their mother is dead, but also raising his daughters alone, they are erased in this moment.

And a quality script is exactly what the ladies of Plum Pictures, the New York City production house responsible for bringing the screenplay (written by James C. Strouse) to life, seek when sorting through the stacks of submissions they acquire. Plum prides itself on producing heartfelt and intelligent feature films.

“When reading submissions what makes a script great and keeps our attention? Great writing is an absolute must and an interesting, compelling main character that can attract a big name (actor). We are generally drawn to scripts with character’s in their 20’s and 30’s since actors in that range are big draws for both investors and the audience,” explains Plum Pictures co-CEO, Celine Rattray, during a phone interview while on location in L.A. She was in L.A. in pre-production for Plum’s next project Labor Pains, starring Lindsay Lohan.

In an industry where actors like Parker Posey used to be the poster children for Indie Film, and now it’s the‘Who’s Who of Hollywood’, I asked Rattray her opinion of why this has changed over the years. “10 years ago, a $2 million film with all (or mostly) unknown actors could get funding and do well. The market has become more competitive-it is saturated with films and production companies. Having a big name actor helps line up funding, and helps for marketing and publicity. The bigger named actors can get spots on talk shows and magazine covers, which does so much for a lower budget film.”

“There is a common philosophy in the industry called, ‘one for us, one for them’, where agents and actors will alternate projects, one with the big studios then the next will be an Indie film. It works to their advantage; actors like Cusack, who we worked with in Grace is Gone, gain strong critical praise by taking roles in Independent films.”

Rattray is not alone in this venture. In 2003, she partnered with long-time friends, Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Galt Niederhoffer, who run the company with her. All of these ladies brought experience, love of the industry and passion to the table. Their staff consists mainly of other women from the entertainment industry, from various outlets and venues. When asked how the trio knew the synergy was right for a working relationship, Rattray explains, “No one ever really knows how it’s going to turn out until you are actually working together. You figure it out as you go; it’s sort of like a marriage, you never know what it’s like until you have lived with someone and get to know their strengths and weaknesses and hear their needs. The company has become more solid over time because we know each other better as partners. Working with friends also means there is more at stake than just a working relationship; you also have to work to keep those relationships strong.”

Their biggest obstacles when starting up included being based in New York when the bulk of the industry is in L.A. It meant having to be in L.A. as much as possible and to have a presence there. And she confided that being a woman also has its obstacles but the more you go along and establish yourself, the less it matters. “Finding funding and making this into a real business with stable revenue has been a challenge. We just broke even in 2008 after four years,” added Rattray.

According to Rattray, [film] investors look for projects with big names and low budgets-which they see as safe and are good ways to protect their investments. An actor’s foreign value tells if he has a good draw. “Again, an actor such as [John] Cusack, who can sell a film internationally is something that makes investors more comfortable putting their money behind a film,” she says.

It sounds like a huge undertaking consisting of sacrifice and lots of commuting. So what is a day in the life of Celine Rattray like? “[While in pre-production] I am up at 7:30am. I spend the day organizing shoot schedules and logistics, casting, etc. I spend another part of the day helping the director with any issues he/she has. We usually wrap up our day at 10/11PM. I don’t get much personal time on any given day.”

Would she go back to working at HBO? Not likely! I asked Rattray how it feels in comparison. She exclaims,“It’s exhilarating! But, one has to be mentally ready to run a business. You have to wake up every morning and be ready for the ups and downs. Especially in production, one can face failure every day but, no matter what, you must keep moving forward. I definitely feel this business was the right course of action for me.”

Rattray absolutely feels women should follow their dreams and that it is worth the risk. Her advice for other women who desire to enter into the film industry, at least in production, she suggests four routes to follow: 1) By working your way up into physical production from another position within a production company (Coordinator, Production Manager etc). 2) Developing and using associations with talent (actors, directors, etc) because this will open doors and attract more talent to you. 3) Having access to funding and being the intermediary between the money and the product. 4) Find great material (screenplays) to work with. She adds, “This is a great way to not only learn the business but also make those needed connections.”

“Figure out which of these four things you enjoy and do well, then go in that direction,” she suggests. And what character trait or quality does she possess she feels assisted her infinding success in a male dominated industry? “Stubbornness! As a child, to my parents’ grievance, I was very stubborn and one definitely has to be stubborn to be a producer.”

For more information on Plum Picturesplease visit: www.plumpic.com.

Thank you, Celine, for taking time from your ultra busy schedule to allow us the pleasure of an interview. We will be on the look-out for future Plum endeavors and wish you all the success.

 Photos provided by C. Rattray