Manipulation of Truth Thematically: An Interview with ‘Cold Copy’ Writer-Director Roxine Helberg

An ambitious journalism student falls under the thrall of an esteemed yet cutthroat news reporter whom she’s desperate to impress, even if it means manipulating her latest story…and the very idea of truth itself.

There’s an unexpected complexity when it comes to telling the truth, honestly. It seems simple, yet repercussions await you on the other side – good or bad (hopefully good). And when it comes to journalistic integrity – there is that fine line, especially in the throes of social media warfare. As stated in Cold Copy from a seemingly emotionally intelligent young man “All the good things win” – we get that sense of hope and more from filmmaker Roxine Helberg’s directorial feature debut.

Writer-director Roxine Helberg recently spoke with Script about what inspired her to explore the story and its thematic elements, the creative collaboration with her cinematographer and editor, and provides advice for first-time filmmakers. 

This interview has been edited for content and clarity.

Sadie Dean: What inspired this story for you?

Roxine Helberg: So, on a personal level, I've always been interested in journalism - growing up, I wanted to be a journalist. And then I discovered documentary filmmaking - that's how I got into filmmaking. But how this specific story came about was that I was noticing this sort of shift in the way we were interacting and this sort of pressure to present a perfect version of ourselves because of social media. And what was really interesting was that something parallel was happening in journalism, with the rise of clickbait and self-creating stories.

So basically, this attention economy was emerging that was sort of bleeding from the internet out into the culture at large. And it wasn't just affecting the way we were communicating; it was really affecting what we were consuming. And so, we ended up in this system that doesn't reward being truthful and instead teaches people to prioritize being quick and interesting and provocative. And I wanted to explore the effect of that, psychologically, what that does to us on a personal level. What it does to us to live in a society that rewards being interesting, as opposed to being truthful. And I've always loved writing transgressive flawed women. So that was the angle I decided to take on it and the sort of power dance between two female characters who are increasingly corrupted by this desperate need to present themselves and their work in a certain way.

Sadie: Did you write this with the intention for this to be your directorial debut?

Roxine: Yeah, I did. I started working on it ages ago. It really evolved a lot over the years. But I think in a way, it sort of reflects the kind of movies that I want to make in the sense that, it sounds cliche, but I just want to make movies and films that people want to talk and think about afterward. And make movies that ask questions that I don't have answers to, and that say something about us and about how we think and about how society makes us think.

Sadie: In terms of your writing process for this and the world-building from the page to the prep work as a director, was there any creative liberation or roadblocks that you encountered along the way?

Roxine: So, the writing, it sort of all started making sense when I started sort of seeing this as a Frankenstein story. Where, like Frankenstein, he creates this modern Prometheus because he can, and he doesn't consider the ethical complexities and the fallout of his actions. And it's the same with Diane, she creates Mia in her own image, because it's validating and it gives her this inner circle, and it's fun, but she doesn't consider what the fallout might be, and it destroys her. So that was a really helpful way to think about their relationship.

I think my approach to writing them - the characters - all came down to realizing that these are two women who at the core have the same drive, and that success is a door to validation. And I think they seek status because they feel deprived of connection. And the dance they then get to do throughout the film is rooted in the fact that they're superficially so different, but centrally very similar. And it's these two characters that are circling one another, and gradually realizing they share something fundamental, only for that similarity to destroy the relationship as one betrayal follows the other.

Going from then writing to directing, it's like a practical rewrite, you're sort of taking everything that's on the page as you imagined it, and you're trying to manifest it, all the while realizing that certain things are impossible and other things are gonna be different than how you envision them. So, it's very transformative in that way, where every decision you made as a writer across so many different drafts, you now have to completely remake as a director. And the director’s eye I think, is necessarily way more ruthless, because you're actually doing the thing. But that's also what's so exciting about it the way it transforms, like, the way the actors bring their characters to life and give them new facets you never thought of, or a happy accident in a particular shot that might tease out the theme in some new way.

Sadie: I'd love to talk about your collaboration with your DP [Matteo Cocco] from the color palette, which also hinted at the central theme and I would assume heavily influenced the costume design – just building out that design to paint this world.

Roxine: We really wanted the film to feel kinetic and propulsive with energy and movement and represents sort of her sense of drive and urgency and I wanted it to feel vibrant and alive and not clinical. The visual style approach was that it was anchored in realism, but with a twist, because it felt like a perfect way to sort of explore the idea of manipulation of truth thematically. 

So, we played a lot with the idea of contrast, combining sort of opposing elements like colors, or realistic lighting with maybe more camera design…the film, it's an American story and production, but the DP is European - he's Italian, I think does have a European sensibility - and that we wanted to keep this about the intimate personal impact of truth and manipulation. And that's how I approached it in the directing, making sure that every decision was about echoing Mia’s downward journey on that intimate level rather than trying to make any sweeping statements about the state of truth.

Sadie: Yeah, it makes me think of the visual motif with Mia’s handheld camcorder, and how she's capturing the truth, and then with some movie magic on her end she’s able to manipulate it. When it came to post-production and working with your editor Arndt [-Wulf Peemöller] what was that creative collaboration like?

Roxine: Arndt and I had worked together on a short, so I knew what a talented storyteller he was - from characters to structure, the pace - I just think he has a very natural understanding of visual language and how to affect viewers emotionally. And we have very similar sensibilities and tastes. 

So, because we made this short together, it was very helpful in the collaborative process, because we're operating from the same frame of reference, there's this sort of preexisting shorthand that you're using, that just makes everything run smoother. And I think it also meant that each of us always understood the vision the other had for the film, or even a particular moment in it, it was easier to be creative, or to find a solution to a problem, because there was always this base level of mutual understanding. And he had many ideas I hadn't thought of that made some of the scenes much more interesting. That's the magic of collaboration.

Sadie: What was your production schedule?

Roxine: We shot in 20 days. You don't have time to nurse your wounds, you have to sort of adapt in the moment and keep moving. So, that speaks to how amazing the whole cast and crew were, that even without a minute to spare during shooting, everyone came together and navigated the insanity very beautifully.

And I think that really speaks also to the importance of choosing the right people to work with, because film is an assemble and so like Tracee [Ellis Ross] isn't just a talented actor, she's also a really great person. And she's interesting in the way she thinks about life. And the same can be said about my DP Matteo or my editor Arndt, they're talented, but they're also really interesting. So, all these, you know, things are coming out from these people and that ends up in the movie. So basically, you learn to not be too precious about what's in your head, because ultimately, it's never as raw and invigorating as what happens on the day. To me, it's really about being as present as possible on set to see what's happening in front of you.

Sadie: Any advice for writer-directors with the goal to shoot a feature themselves? Maybe something that you wish you had known before filming, or something that you learned during the process of making the film and that you'll be carrying with you moving forward?

Roxine: I do think that ultimately, the way to learn to direct is by directing. I think filmmaking is about having ideas and really committing to them, and really being courageous about your vision, but also practical. And I think that the real key is specificity. I think the narratives and stories that really resonate with people tend to be those that are really specific. So, I would encourage filmmakers to pay attention to that. 

Cold Copy is now available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu.