From Dahmer to Katie Holmes: Stark County native hopes to inspire future filmmakers

CANTON − Jennifer Klide didn't dream of working in film during her days at McKinley High School.

Her post high school career path began with a degree in elementary education from Ohio State University. Then she headed west, settling in San Francisco.

Unable to find a teaching job at the time, Klide spent the next seven years growing a custom sewing and design business out of the industrial loft she was living in.

Eventually, the Canton native was inspired to pursue film, drawn to a long desire to work with "clothing and varied materials" learned from her late grandmother, a master tailor trained in Greece.

A photocopied sign advertising a job for a costume designer changed everything.

"I thought that sounded cool," Klide recalled, admitting she had no idea what the job entailed at the time. But "I got hired, worked for free, and the rest is history."

Starting in the costume department before moving to art, Klide now works as a production designer in independent films and other sectors of the movie business.

And she will share some of those insights and experiences when she participates in a question-and-answer session Friday following the 7 p.m. showing of "My Friend Dahmer" at the Canton Palace Theatre as part of the Canton Film Fest.

Who is Jennifer Klide?

Klide worked in the art department for the 2017 movie, which has gained more notoriety recently following the Netflix release of a 10-part series about the former Akron-area resident and serial killer: "DAHMER Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story"

More:Canton Film Fest movie explores serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's youth in Akron area

"My education has all been hands-on from the start," the Cleveland resident explained in an email interview. "And I've worked almost every position in some capacity because I progressed through the rough-and-tumble world of independent films, oftentimes working many different jobs, not only the one that made it to the credits."

Also set to be shown in the Canton Film Fest is "Emily the Criminal" at 7 p.m. Thursday. Saturday's event will include the 7 p.m. presentation, "Chase Crawford Talks Back on Film Distribution."

The 2021 film "Terror Trips" will be shown 8 p.m. Saturday followed by a Q&A with director and writer Jeff Seemann, a former Stark County resident who was recognized in 2017 in the shorts category at the Canton Film Fest.

A $25 pass can be purchased for the entire film festival; $10 tickets are available for individual days at https://cantonpalacetheatre.org. The theater box office can be reached at 330-454-8172 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

'You can be, do or have any experience you want in the wild world of production!'

Film credits for Klide's production design work include "Turtles All the Way Down," a movie based on a novel by bestselling author John Green and yet to be released. Klide was also involved with "Queenpins," (2021) starring Kristen Bell and directed by Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet, as well as "Miss Meadows," (2014) directed by Karen Leigh Hopkins and starring Katie Holmes.

Klide served as art director for "Take Shelter," (2011) starring Michael Shannon and directed by Jeff Nichols.

"Let my experience be an example of just how far you can go, even from a tertiary (some would say a quaternary) market in the Midwest," she wrote. "You can be, do or have any experience you want in the wild world of production!"

More:Stark County filmmakers, PBS awarded for documentary about Marion Motley

Klide works with directors, cinematographers and others, including producers, costume designers and hair or makeup artists, and visual and special effects departments, depending on the project, "to create the visual world centered around the project's script."

"I begin with my vision of how everything looks and feels, then collaborate with the other departments and my team to bring the script to life."

More Jennifer Klide:The Stark County native serves as a freelance production designer for films

Dedication is crucial to working in film, Klide said. "Any way you slice it, the world demands all your time and energy when working. There are a lot of personal sacrifices at times."

Working in various areas of film helped her find a niche and specialty. Even working for free was valuable and allowed her freedom to explore and experiment in the movie industry. Bad experiences taught her lessons, too, including "knowing how to extract the learning, then picking yourself up and moving on."

Canton Film Fest mission is to encourage future filmmakers

James Waters, a Stark County-based filmmaker and director of the Canton Film Fest, said Klide helps fulfill the mission of the event, which is to show Ohio residents and aspiring filmmakers it's realistic to pursue a career in various aspects of movie production.

"Emily the Criminal" is another film with strong Ohio ties, he said, noting co-producer Tyler Davidson is from the Cleveland area.

"I wanted to get a deeper understanding from (Davidson and Low Spark Films) of what does it mean to be a Northeast Ohio-rooted producer company that is kind of playing in that pool of Hollywood, which I think is kind of cool," Waters said.

Low Spark is a Cleveland and Los Angeles-based company specializing in the production and financing of feature films for the worldwide theatrical market, the company's website says.

"In a perfect world, we'd pack the house," Waters said of the local film festival. "But if we can just have one person leave ... and have a positive effect and join the film community and start making movies and telling stories that matter, we have done our job, and that's what it's all about ― giving people the accessibility and the confidence that even from here you can be part of the film business and making movies."

"The talent that we have in this region is pretty impressive," said Waters, who has been the director and creator of the Canton Film Fest for the past 10 years. "And a lot of people who worked on (My Friend Dahmer) are Ohio locals."

'If we can't find it, we build it from the ground up.'

Although she didn't seriously consider working in film until she was an adult, Klide enjoyed watching television as a child, "finding its array of episodic offerings, blockbuster hits and Saturday afternoon B-movies a diversion from real life, and they inspired me."

After working on independent films, she would go on to focus on "designing the look" of movies "and collaborating on the feel and atmosphere of films," she explained. "That was a natural progression that simply happened on its own."

Part of the art department, Klide said she's among those tasked with acquisition and management of basically everything seen on camera.

"If we can't find it, we build it from the ground up," Klide said, noting the props department, graphics, construction, paint, concept art, model makers and sign painters fall under the art department.

And equally amazing was being allowed to film in the Dahmer house

Klide helped make the world of a young Jeffrey Dahmer come to life in "My Friend Dahmer."

A shed was built where Dahmer had stored decomposing roadkill on the property of his Bath Township home in the Akron area, she said.

Through color palettes, motifs and hundreds if not thousands of reference and inspirational photos, the art crew focused on ensuring "we told a cohesive visual story," Klide wrote.

"Each character had an arc, and it was important to us that we showed them," she said. "Of special note, (the movie) had an invaluable partner in Derf Backderf, who wrote the graphic novel our film was based on.

"And equally amazing was being allowed to film in the Dahmer house, whose current occupants are wonderful people who supported us as best they could."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebaintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton native's film work includes Dahmer, Katie Holmes, Jeff Green