SINGLE GIRL Directed By Kristen Swanbeck

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Kristen: It’s about a girl who develops a crush on a co-worker after he sees her stealing at their factory job. She follows him home after work and then a whole lot of misunderstanding ensues.

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

K: I try to write through the characters, and then stuff inevitably happens.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

K: I’m just finishing the graduate program at NYU’s Tisch film school. This film was part of my coursework there, so the crew consisted of my classmates.

IE: How did you find your cast? 

K: There were so many auditions. I would go to people’s apartments, hang out with them and record them. I found my main girl through a friend of a friend. She was a musician and had never acted before. I went to see her perform a show and fell in love with her.

IE: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

K: The whole process took over a year. Post-production can take so much time!

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

K: It was very personal to me, in terms of the writing. In directing I tried to establish a very intimate trust with each of the actors – which is a lot of work, and takes a lot out of you, emotionally. But actors give so much of themselves already, that I think it’s important for directors to meet them there.

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

K: Trying to get a 3 year old to pretend to sleep. It was impossible.

IE: Any particular moments from filming that stand out for you?

K: Singing old folk songs, which my mother used to sing to me as a child, to a 3 year old who won’t pretend to sleep. The whole crew was surrounding us, the camera waiting, and all you can hear is my voice singing where have all the flowers gone? I felt very exposed after that.

IE: Tell us about the film’s festival experience so far?

K: It premiered at NYU’s First Run film festival in April. And then it played at the Worldwide Film Festival in Toronto earlier this month.

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

K: Watching other films and meeting people!

IE: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far?  What was your favorite question?  How was the dialogue afterwards?

K: There was a Q & A in Toronto. A woman asked me what happens immediately after the last scene of the film. For some reason that question really affected me. I had gotten used to my ending as something final.

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

K: I love American films from the 70s, especially the neo-detective stories starring Gene Hackman. Also I love current Argentinean films. Lucrecia Martel inspires me in a way I couldn’t articulate. And many more, of course.

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

K: The power of images and how everyone can be moved by a story. 

IE: What is next for you? 

K: I’m finishing a feature length screenplay right now.

IE: What is next for the film?

K: To continue the festival circuit, and then I would love to get a distributor that specializes in the niche market of short films.

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

K: Preparation is everything. And make sure at every point that you’re making the film that you want to make.