The Good Fight

The thoughtful process behind a tender boxing tale

Video 2023 © Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON Premista 80-250mmT2.9-3.5

Mentally, spiritually, or physically, there comes a time when we all must fight to survive. In art as in life, the very heart of the hero’s journey is grounded in overcoming insurmountable odds. Chosen by or thrust upon us as it may be, the decision to face off against what challenges us most is absolute.

This powerful idea is the foundation of Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart’s latest short-form film Defender. Working, once again, alongside collaborator and writer Cindy Kitagawa, the pair have crafted a moving picture, focusing on one boxer’s journey of sporting glory and empowerment.

“I actually started as an actor,” Jessica, the film’s director, reveals. “But every project I ended up doing, I couldn’t get out of a director’s mindset. I did direct when I was studying theatre, mostly through a desire to keep performances moving. For film, it never happened until I found a story I had to tell.

Video 2023 © Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON Premista 80-250mmT2.9-3.5

“I love all the elements of film, and in the director’s seat, you get to be part of it all. I also like to play with my intuition. For some reason, when I step in as a director, that’s when it comes to me the loudest.”

For lifelong filmmaker Derek, the project was an opportunity to return to his roots.

“I started with cameras,” he recalls. “Growing up in LA, my dad was a rental manager, servicing Hollywood productions. I always had a culture of cameras, lenses, and cinematographers as part of my upbringing. When I got out of college, where I studied film, I went to work as a prep tech at a different rental house. My career has pulled me more into the post-production realm since then, but this was the perfect excuse to get back behind the camera professionally.”

“I’m spoiled having Derek by my side because I prefer to work based on what I want to feel, or how I want to see the image,” Jessica adds. “He knows way beyond most people how to bring that to life.”

Video 2023 © Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON Premista 80-250mmT2.9-3.5

Like many creatives, the sparks that ignite Jessica’s and Derek’s narrative ideas are real-world experiences. In the case of Defender, it was a fateful meeting with an inspiring boxer. Almost a decade later, the film took form.

“Many years ago, in our collaboration as storytellers, Cindy Kitagawa and I met a young woman boxer. Her story as an athlete was incredible, but she wasn’t ready to tell it,” Jessica explains. “Still, we became interested in the topic of post-traumatic stress and boxing as a tool to overcome it, as well as how empowering boxing is for women more broadly.

“Our short has been changed quite a bit since that initial inspiration. Much more recently, we met Maureen Shea, a world champion, who is nicknamed the Real Million Dollar Baby because Hilary Swank used her to shape her role. Maureen grew up in the Bronx facing a lot of hardship, and her journey helped us tailor the film. Boxing became lifechanging for her. It can be such a rough sport, but like anything physical, it becomes a means of channeling energy. That’s what we utilized for the script, more than anything else.”

Video 2023 © Jessica Hester and Derek Schweickart | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON Premista 80-250mmT2.9-3.5

With the exception of Melissa Leo, Defender’s cast is almost entirely comprised of non-professional actors. Likewise, locations were chosen over constructed sets – a decision that added a documentary air to the otherwise fictional work.

“This was a fairly low-budget project, so trying to photograph sizable production events like a boxing match took thought. Everything became about finding the reality as much as possible, which is a challenge with a narrative project because you’re also trying to adhere to a script and form,” Derek notes.

Throughout an accelerated schedule, Derek had to remain responsive in what he likens to a dance of cinematography. His tools, too, were crucial for maintaining a compelling look within such circumstances. A set of FUJINON Premista zoom lenses were mounted on FUJIFILM GFX100S, with FUJIFILM X-H2S as a second camera.

“When you don’t have full control over the environment, you need to turn your focus to the things that are consistent. For us, that meant leaning into the camera and lens set,” he continues. “I might not have the time to flag off a scene, adjust the lighting, or reset. So, starting with a great loadout put us way ahead in terms of getting the best image – and that shows in the film.”

Though focused on boxing, as Jessica alludes to, the film delves into deeper themes. Moving motifs of hardship are wrapped up in the sporting action. For Jessica, it’s a deeply personal ideal.

“I’ve had my own trauma, and lived through the traumatic experiences of my loved ones. It’s huge, learning how to live our best lives and overcome the hard stuff,” she considers. “The question of how exactly we do that has always been interesting. You could dive into religion or spirituality – and we do in this film – but there’s also the simplicity of considering how we store trauma in our body. Through outlets like boxing, perhaps we can release it.

“Maureen’s character, Alejandra, is working through the boxing to believe in herself. There’s a drive to win this match, but also let go of the past and be who she really is, rather than a sum of traumatic experiences,” Jessica explains.

“I had a sense it was better to get out of the way and let Jessica work with her actors,” Derek picks up. “You just want to get that magic on camera. I felt my role was more about staying on my toes than any sort of heavily crafted approach with the camera, to try to create intimacy.”

Distilling a longer film into a short work is always a challenge. And, as ever, a story continues to evolve during production. For Defender, both the narrative beats and visual language took on new life as time went on.

“One thing, which is unusual and sort of terrific, is that the child actor who played young Alejandra came to represent a spiritual idea of learning to love your younger self,” Jessica states. “We gave her dialogue with adult Alejandra, where we see the teachings of her coach coming through her younger self. That came from realizing how compelling she is – she’s so pure that it becomes really powerful.”

“We also eventually made the choice not to use slow motion when filming the boxing,” Derek says. “We wanted to keep it as realistic as possible. That’s interesting because, elsewhere, the film does use high frame rate. In the flashbacks, slow motion feeds into the experience. But we always wanted to be very present with the fight.”

With the film scheduled to hit the festival circuit in the near future, Jessica and Derek’s parting thoughts concern impact.

“I’m working on another feature film that deals with trauma. This opportunity to explore creating a more visceral experience, as a way to process and examine the cathartic experience in storytelling, was invaluable,” the director effuses. “I don’t have an answer to those ideas yet, but I’m exploring it, and this short has helped me get closer to some possibilities. By the time we make our next film, I’ll have more tools to build with.

“In the meantime, I’m hoping Defender creates a conversation, to have people discuss what’s possible when it comes to dealing with trauma in your life. I want people to ask how they can step out of it, become empowered, and not be controlled by those experiences.”

“On boxing specifically, having talked to a lot of people in that world throughout production, overcoming trauma was a common theme,” Derek concludes. “We hope people will be inspired by that. Maybe, if they haven’t had comparable experiences, they will consider it – or find coaches and trainers in different niches who can help them connect with themselves.”

To learn more about the gear used in the Defender project, shop FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJIFILM X-H2S today and read the full specifications here. Read about the FUJINON Premista Series here.

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