May 15, 2025 • 50 mins
Today’s guest is writer/director Natalia Leite. This director is one of the bravest filmmakers I’ve ever met. Her work on the VICE documentary ‘Life as a Truck-Stop Stripper was breathtaking. Not only did she direct the piece but one of the subjects in the film as well. Take a look below at her amazing work.Everyone knows what charming places strip clubs can be, but perhaps there is no club so charming as one in Moriarty, New Mexico—a truck stop with taxidermy and the bras of former employees on the walls, a few poles, a shitload of black light, and plenty of titties. Never mind that The Ultimate Strip Club List website describes it as the place “where strippers go to die.” Natalia Leite and Alexandra Roxo go Gonzo as they pose as strippers and experience something that can be best described as a Marina Abramovic performance crossed with a bizarro episode of Wife Swap directed by David Lynch’s daughters, set in the type of place where a one-eyed guy who shot himself in the head dispenses meditation advice to two naked women.Natalia Leiteis a Brazilian writer/director. Her work has been described as having “a bracing, assertive style” (Variety), “emotional intelligence and sensitivity” (LA Times), and as “cementing the reign over highly stylized, sexually progressive dramas” (Slant).
Her feature film “M.F.A.”, a psychological thriller centered around rape crimes in a university, premiered at SXSW 2017 and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize. The film stars Francesca Eastwood and was released in theaters October 2017. Her feature film debut, “Bare,” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015, starring Dianna Agron.The film was released by IFC Films and Paramount Pictures. Natalia has created original content for Vice Media, most notably the provocative Vice show “Every Woman” which has garnered over 11 million views. She co-created and starred in the series “Be Here Nowish,” and has directed and shot documentaries internationally.Natalia is a contributing writer for Talk House and has been a featured speaker for NY Women In Film & Television, Apple Store Talks, IFP Filmmaker Conference, and numerous Universities. She also directs branded content for Vans, The North Face, Nasty Gal, and other companies. She recently signed with bicoastal production company Humble, her first commercial representation, and directs branded content for Vans, The North Face, and other companies.
Enjoy my conversation with Natalia Leite.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.
Her feature film “M.F.A.”, a psychological thriller centered around rape crimes in a university, premiered at SXSW 2017 and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize. The film stars Francesca Eastwood and was released in theaters October 2017. Her feature film debut, “Bare,” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2015, starring Dianna Agron.The film was released by IFC Films and Paramount Pictures. Natalia has created original content for Vice Media, most notably the provocative Vice show “Every Woman” which has garnered over 11 million views. She co-created and starred in the series “Be Here Nowish,” and has directed and shot documentaries internationally.Natalia is a contributing writer for Talk House and has been a featured speaker for NY Women In Film & Television, Apple Store Talks, IFP Filmmaker Conference, and numerous Universities. She also directs branded content for Vans, The North Face, Nasty Gal, and other companies. She recently signed with bicoastal production company Humble, her first commercial representation, and directs branded content for Vans, The North Face, and other companies.
Enjoy my conversation with Natalia Leite.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
You are listening to the IFAH podcast Network.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
For more amazing filmmaking and screenwriting podcasts, just go to
ifahpodcastnetwork dot com.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Welcome to the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, Episode number four nineteen.
Do what you love, because when you're six feet under,
you're going to realize the race that you were running
was only against yourself. Mango Wilder broadcasting from a dark, windowless.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Room in Hollywood when we really should be working on
that next draft. It's the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, showing you
the craft and business of screenwriting while teaching you how
to make your screenplay bulletproof. And here's your host, Alex Ferrari.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Welcome, Welcome to another episode of the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast.
I am your humble host, Alex Ferrari. Now, today's show
is sponsored by Bulletproof Script Coverage. Now. Unlike other script
coverage services, Bulletproof Script Coverage actually focuses on the kind
of you are and the goals of the project you are,
So we actually break it down by three categories micro budget,
(01:06):
indie film, market and studio film. There's no reason to
get coverage from a reader that you used to reading
temp pole movies when your movie is gonna be done
for one hundred thousand dollars, and we wanted to focus
on that. At Bulletproof Script Coverage, our readers have worked
with Marvel Studios, CIA, WME, NBC, HBO, Disney, Scott Free,
Warner Brothers, The Blacklist, and many many more. So if
(01:28):
you need your screenplay or TV script covered by professional readers,
head on over to covermiscreenplay dot com. Now today on
the show, we have writer director n Italia late It
and she is easily one of the bravest filmmakers I've
ever run into. She's a documentary filmmaker as well as
(01:49):
a narrative filmmaker and has had films premiere at south
By Southwest and Tribeca, and was even nominated for Best
Picture at the south By Southwest Film Festival for her
film MFA. She has worked with Vice on multiple projects,
one being one of the most interesting things I've ever
(02:10):
seen a filmmaker do. And this young filmmaker threw herself
into this documentary in ways that I have not seen
before that she actually became not only the writer and
director of this but the subject of the piece. And
the film is called Life as a Truck Stop Stripper
and Natalia did this for Vice and it's been downloaded
(02:32):
and watched over eleven million times on YouTube. It is
a heart wrenching documentary, wonderfully done, and I advise everyone
listening to definitely check that piece out among all the
things that she's done. But I will put links to
all of that in the show notes at the end
of the episode. So without any further ado, please enjoy
(02:55):
my conversation with Natalia late It. I like, welcome to
the show, Natalia late It. Thank you so so much
for being on the show. Thank you, alex I, thank
you so much. No, it's it's I was. I was
showing your work and introduced to your work recently, and
I have to say I'm fairly impressed.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Yeah, there's a wide range of things that I've been
doing here.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
So before we get into it, how did you actually
get started in the business.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
So I actually came from a visual arts background. I
went to art school. I didn't have a proper film education.
I thought I wanted to be making visual art and
then quickly realized that that maybe wasn't the medium for me,
and I started getting into film just just out of
(03:45):
my own curiosity, and you know, eventually assisting other directors,
one thing led to the next, started writing my own
scripts and just kind of like DIY being scrappy doing
it myself and realized that I to telling stories in
this medium and.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
What was what? So you basically that was the genesis
of you wanted to be a directors. You've just kind
of fell into it and like I really.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Like this, right, yeah, I fell into it and discovered
that I really liked it.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Honestly, it wasn't really in my radar.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I grew up in Brazil and I just I don't know,
it just wasn't like presentable a career path that was
like presented to me ever that I really thought this
could be an option, you know, but I knew I
wanted to do something creative, and I knew I wanted
to tell stories. It was just like taking another form
back then. And it all like one thing led to
(04:40):
the next. Like I was assisting a lot of other
directors and producers for a while, and I started writing
my own work and the first thing that sort of
started to put my work out there was be Here Now,
which was Wish be Here Now Wish, which was a
web show that I you know, started, directed, wrote, produced,
(05:04):
did the sound sometimes like just.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Like Craft Services got it.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, Aircraft Services did everything with a handful of friends,
and that you know started kind of putting the wheels
in motion in terms of me doing this as a career.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Which is fun because I actually saw a little bit
of that show and it actually looks really good, like
it actually has great production value for being such a
scrappy little show. So congratulations on that.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
I'll credit that to Dalmar who was our DP. Dalma,
we've were mad since she's shooting High Maintenance now on
HBO and she is just the queen of just like
let's figure it out and still make it look gorgeous.
So yeah, she's really lucky to have her as a
friend and DP on that.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
You definitely need people like that on your crew as
a director. Yes, let's figure it out and like let's
still make it look gorgeous. That's always a yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
It's like we're like pulling in, you know, like whatever
we could find, just like bringing in lamps and just
you know, attaching things like just trying to be creative
of how we're going to get a good image and
not make it look super low quality. So she's she's
really creative in that way.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
So let me ask you, how did you get that
first project, that series up off the ground. I mean,
obviously you need some money. Where did you find money?
How did you put this whole thing together? How did
you put that show together?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:26):
So the show we you know, it really started off
as Okay, let's do this on weekends with friends, like
I just want to get I just want to get
work out there in the world, right, And then so
everyone was working for free. But then obviously, like there
came points when okay, we really do need money. We
can't just like keep this going for nothing. And we
ended up doing a Kickstarter. We raised twenty thousand on
(06:50):
that Kickstarter.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Nice, which was like a lot of work.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
It's like, not a lot of money at all for
making a series. You know that ended up being like
an hour and a bit long. But we really stretched
it out and made those twenty k on Kickstarter and
and through that met like other investors. It was actually
a pretty successful campaign for us because we just met
(07:16):
a lot of people that then ended up financing other projects.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
And where and where is it being shown now?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
So be here now?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
Is is still on We ended up selling the first
season to a company called Aura, so they have it
on their site. And then the second season we had
it with full screen, which full screen no longer exists.
So now it's just up on our Vimeo, and we're
trying to figure out if we can just like throw
it up on YouTube because for us at this point,
(07:47):
it's just about, you know, letting people watch it. I mean,
it's it's you know, it's older. It's old now I
consider it for.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yes ancients, like three years old. It's like three years old.
My god, then it's like the eighties.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
But I want people to still watch it. You know,
I've aged a bit since I was doing that.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yes, yes, oh yes, yes, you look aggared lately. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yes, it's my youth, so you can go back to
your youth.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Is my youth is fading away in front of you? Yes,
those three years really killed it. Now what is it
for you? It's ferally ask you, So what is your
process when you're creating or selecting a project?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
My process?
Speaker 4 (08:31):
So I need to gravitate towards things that I feel
a personal connection to, that I feel really passionate about, because,
as you know, it's just You're going to work on
this thing for so long sometimes you don't even know
how long, and you got to just like love it.
And I feel like, for me, I need to feel
it's an instinctual thing, Like I need to feel like
there's like a chord from my heart to whatever the
(08:54):
script or concept is. That's like pulling me towards it.
And there's been a lot, you know. Now I'm reading
other people's scripts, deciding like what to do next, writing
my own stuff as well, But for me, it's always
just like I have to just check in intuitively too.
Is there a really strong pool, like do I feel
(09:15):
called to absolutely have to do this?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
You know?
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Otherwise I might love a story and be like, oh
this is great, but I'm not feeling so passionate about
It's probably not for me, like I shouldn't be the
one to do it, you know.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
And I think it's really good to discern that.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Well, tell me a little bit about your work with
Vice and how that came about, especially that amazing documentary
every Woman Life as a Truck Stop Stripper, which is
when I saw that, I was like, I have to
have her on the show. I need to hear all
about this Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
So I had been writing on my own a script
for my first features called Bert and a big part
of the script took place in a strip club.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
But I didn't want.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
We'll be right back after a wh from our sponsor
and now back to the show.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
But it's sort of like a strip club in a
small town, and I was looking for something that was like,
you know, just off off the highway ideally, right, Like
I didn't want like a big nightcluby.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Strip club in the city, in the city, right right.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
And I had friends at the time. I didn't know
where I was going to shoot, but I had friends
who were living in Albuquerque, and I went there on
like a month you know, hiatus while I was writing
the script to go live in Albuquerque and ended up
like touring all the strip clubs in the area as
I was like doing research and ended up finding out
(10:40):
about this club that is about forty five minutes away
from Albuquerque in the middle of nowhere.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Like you're driving on.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
Highway forty nothing, nothing, nothing, you pass the Walmart, then
there's nothing, nothing, nothing, and then and then there's like
the signs that are just like tapless and then there
is like Club two, O three and it just catered
to truckers.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
So the truckers passing by.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
They can tune into a CB radio and they'll pick
up the signal and it'll be someone at the club
being like tonight on stage is candy and you know
whatever they say, and they'll like turn off into the
side of the road. And I found out about this place.
I went there alone for the first time and I
was just like, what what is this?
Speaker 1 (11:21):
It sounds it sounds like it sounds insane.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Yeah, it was just like it was like straight out
of a David Lynch movie.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I was expecting people to start talking backwards and there'll
be a little person just walking by from no.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
I was like, wow, this is really fascinating. And it
was just you know the Ryan who's the guy who
owns it. It was like very much no rules type
of place, and that there was like in terms of
the dancing, like you could do whatever you want. They
had this rocking horse that they would pull on stage
sometimes and there was like, uh, you know, just like
a mom and dad daughter dance Like it was like yeah,
(11:59):
there was like serving stuff going on too, And I
was like, I don't know about this. That's just Okay,
a lot of stuff that didn't end up in the piece.
But anyway, so I was like, wow, this place, aside
from I wanted to put it in my feature film
as a location, it deserves a piece on its own, right,
So I put I pitched Avice. Well, I went there,
(12:21):
you know, I had gone there alone, filmed a little
bit of just films on my own, a little bit
to show a sample of like what this really is,
and then went back and then went to Vice with
my friend Alexandra who was working with at the time,
to pitch as like a standalone piece and Vice. This
was like Eddie Moretti, who was the the you know,
(12:43):
creative there. He was like, ah, you know, we get
pitched like stripper concepts all the time, like we're not interested.
And I was like, no, no, no, you don't understand, Like
I want to go and work there. And he's like, oh, okay,
like you're that's that sounds crazy. So it sounds gave
us so luny right, yeah, And we went and worked
and lived there for about ten days.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
All right, So before we continue that story, how did
you get to Vice? Because I know a lot of
filmmakers would love to have that conversation with somebody advice,
How do you how do you approach a company like that?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Yeah? So okay.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
I went to a panel where Eddie Muretti was speaking.
It was a Tribeca Film Festival organized panel, and at
the end of the panel, I cornered him.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
To say, you accosted him, got it?
Speaker 3 (13:28):
I did, so did like thirty other people right.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Right, as you do at panels.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
As you do it panels.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
And I was like, I have something that you're going
to be really interested in seeing. And he's like, yeah, okay, great,
reach out and just gave me his assistants email, you know.
And I reached out and I sent him a link
to a piece that I had shot in Cuba. This
was like before every Woman that was very like I had,
(13:56):
you know, edited it like really fast, very like vice style,
and I just tend the link and I didn't say
much else and he called me like right away.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
It was like, get come in, come in tomorrow. You know.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
It's like that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
Yeah, And it's just sometimes that stuff works, you know,
but you got to be like smart about how you're
approaching it, Like you people, these people don't have time, right,
so it's like hey, like what's going to grab their attention?
And what what do I have that they want?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Right?
Speaker 4 (14:24):
And that was it, like I just met him in
a panel. There was no you know from there like
it opened up the scope and then we did every
Woman and then he called me back to do you know,
direct other things, and but that stuff is possible, like
the just cold calling sometimes were it does.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
And I'm actually I'm quite jealous because I am actually
Cuban and I've never been to Cuba yet. So when
I saw that piece that you did, I was like, oh,
that would have been amazing.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Yeah, he has really special place.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
I felt really lucky to be there and at that
time especially and film it.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
So all right, So so now you're back at the club.
Was it club too two.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Two o three because that's just the highway exit, right.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
So you're a club two o three and you're there
for ten days.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
I'm there for ten days and that was me Alexandra
who came and was working with me at the time
and vice sent us with one producer. This was prior
to Viceland, so it was a little bit like still
you know, no rules, like I mean, we were putting
ourselves in dangerous situations like I think that that would
fly today.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah you think I saw it? I saw it? Are
you are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Yeah? Really dangerous.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
And I don't know that I would do it today
because now I know a little more.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Well, obviously you're much older. Obviously I'm so much older.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
I have a lot of gray hair. A good thing
to interview, isn't a video?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Not want to see what I.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Look like exactly exactly? No, I mean, I mean when
I saw it, I was like, this can't be. I
can't believe that these girls did this, Like this is
so and the guys you met work, I know, I mean.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
It was intense. Yeah, I think what I realized too.
But you know, the whole idea about it was I
wanted to go in there to try to debunk what
are the stereotypes of a stripper and like why women
decide to do this and the stereotypes of a truckers
that go into these clubs, right, And I really feel
like it sort of opened my mind to what's possible
(16:24):
or what kind of you know, what what the our
like own limitations are of who those people are. And
you know, there's like one woman who we interviewed Daisy
who was talking about how she feels like it's for calling,
it's she loves doing the work because she feels like
she's a therapist to these men, and that's sort of like, oh,
we we never stopped to think about that, you know,
(16:46):
maybe yeah, like that, that's a version of it. And
also some of the guys all across the board, but
people just wanted someone to talk to in a connection,
and I think it was like a less about being
naked and more about them feeling like someone was caring
for them and wanting.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
To listen to their stories. You know.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Of course that's just there's also then like this the
creepy guy who tries to like grab you, and there's extremes.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
There's the extremes of both ends.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Right exactly.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
But it's not all bad, you know, And we definitely
saw that. And some of the stories from the men
were really intense and it was hard to listen to it.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Well, let me ask you a question when you were
in that when you were in that moment, how, i
mean psychologically, how was it for you, Because I mean,
I'm watching this and I'm going I'm just thinking to myself,
this is your young lady who's put herself in this
situation with her friend for god knows what reason. And
I'm thinking, how, what's the psychology, What's going on? Because
(17:49):
this is not one one night thing. You were there
for ten days, so this was a day in, day out.
It's not like I'm going to try this for one
night and I can go back home. You came back
and again and again, and like, how did that wear
on you? Not only as the subject of it, but
also as I mean, you were directing that as well. Correct, Yeah,
(18:10):
so how did you do that?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
I think a lot of sometimes I look back and
I think about my best work is stuff that I'm
terrified to do or terrified to talk about, and it's almost.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Like I just keep but I just keep the ball rolling.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
And then you know, and then eventually it hits a
moment when there's no turning back right and you're like, ah,
this is happening, Like this is now out in the world.
And I feel like this project was exactly that. Like
I was terrified to be there. I mean, I was
also having fun with it, but it was just like
really intense, emotionally draining and physically draining, and I was
(18:50):
terrified of like putting this out in the world, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Because you're exposing yourself and not not in that way,
but you're exposing your you're basically your soft thunderbelly to
the entire world.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah, exactly. So it was just a lot of exposure.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
But you know, eventually you just hit a deadline and
you're like you're just pressed send and that's it and
then it's out. It's like has a mind of its
own and it's going to be whatever it needs to be.
But I think it was just, yeah, like every day
it was a bit of a challenge, but you just
kind of keep going because that's there's no way, there's
no other way around it, you know, just put yourself
to keep going.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Now, you are, from what I see in your work,
you are extremely raw and vulnerable. Is that something that
comes naturally to you or do you have to work
at it to be able to kind of expose yourself
as an artist?
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Yeah? No, I think it comes naturally to me. I
think I'm just naturally.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Have a can tap into that sensitivity and being very empathetic,
and you know, I do end up just feeling things intensely,
and then sometimes I wonder if that's a hindrance, but
more so now I feel like that's an advantage.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
We'll be right after a word from our sponsor and
now back to the show.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
That I'm able to.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
You know, when I'm connecting with actors, just like feel
what they're feeling deeply, and just look at performance and
scenes and just be really connected on an emotional level.
I think it's actually really important for my work, and.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
You and you agree that that's probably some of your
best work. Is the more scary it is, the more
extreme it might be, more vulnerable it might be. Is
where you find that your work really shines.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
Yeah, I do, And because that's what I want to be,
you know, pushing the conversation forward, and I want to
be just doing stuff that is making us think about
things differently, making us feel more connected, and that sometimes
times goes and you know, deal with things that we're
(20:56):
not talking about. So like, for instance, and even to
be here now is there was I wanted to do
a storyline about a guy who was HIV positive and
how do you deal with that in the dating world? Right,
So like there's it's just a little piece of it
in the in the series, but it's like why are
we not talking about this?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Right?
Speaker 4 (21:15):
Like, I have a cousin who's HIV positive and and
these stories are interesting to me, and there's just not
enough of these conversations out there. So but it's always
scary because you're like, oh, this is kind of going
into a dangerous territory.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
That is it going to offend someone?
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Like right, Like, you just don't know, and I'm I
always try to push myself to to have those conversations
re least open it up.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I find that, you know, by doing the kind of
work that I do, and also just being a filmmaker myself,
that it's it's extremely difficult to be raw and vulnerable
with your work. And I find that so many filmmakers
hide behind falsehoods or create these walls that you can
smell on their work. You can just smell it like, oh,
(22:03):
they didn't go all the way. Oh they just they
pulled back at the last moment. And it's only the
ones that go all the way that you go, oh,
there it is. And you see that in performances, you
see that in directors, you see that in writers. So
that's why I find your work so interesting because you
are still early on in your career. I know you're ancient,
but you're still early on in your career, and I'm
(22:25):
really curious to see the kind of work that you'll
do in ten years, because you only, by the way,
being someone who's older than you, you only get braver.
I feel as you get older, because you start giving
less of a shit.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Yeah, you know, it's good to remember that. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
I always like, yeah, I always feel like I have
to push myself and it's always scary. But I do
feel like it's sometimes like you're just standing on the
edge of the cliff and you're like, oh my god,
am I gonna do Am I gonna do it? And
you just have to jump into the waterfall or whatever.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
You just have to do it.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
But that's why we're here. That's why we're here. Why
are you going to play it safe? That's not that's boring.
I mean, I'm not going to go and be a
stripper for ten days at a truck stop in Albuquerque
because that's just not my path and really I would
get no tips.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
But uh.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, nobody wants.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
To see that.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Nobody wants to see that documentary, I promise you. So
what was it like with your first feature film Bear,
which was based uh, not based on but kind of
uh it's in the world of every Woman. When I
got accepted to Tribeca, I mean, what was that experience?
Like I always anytime I have a filmmaker who gets
(23:38):
into like Tribeca or Sundance or can or something like that,
I always want to hear the story of when they
find out.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
I mean so thrilled.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
You just don't know, Like you go into it all
just hoping for the best, and it was the best.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
It was really the best cause scenario for me.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
It was like I wanted so vallely a premiere there
and you're just.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Waiting and waiting, and.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
I was so thrilled, and I was so impressed because
the festival they do such an amazing job. They take
such good care of their filmmakers. We weren't we didn't
know what to expect, but you know, they gave us
the red carpet, they gave us a party, like it was.
It felt incredible.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
It was really Yeah, it was really phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Now I see, I see that you're like putting yourself
in yourself in your work. How do you handle being
in front and behind the camera.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
So it's a little challenging for me, which is honestly
why I'm not putting myself in my work as much anymore,
because I feel like it's hard for me to focus
on two things at once, being totally focused on my
character and then also like directing the scene.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
So I still will like throw myself a little scene
just for fun because.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
I like that, you'll pop yourself in once in a while,
share you'll do your hitchcock.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Got it.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Yeah, But I just really am staying by behind the
camera right now because I want to craft the story
and I think like just staying you know, more connected
to the actors and the whole picture is really important.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
I really don't know how.
Speaker 4 (25:09):
People are managed to do that, and like being the
lead of a movie and also like directing, it seems
really hard to.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Me, Like the Clinice Woods of the world and the
George Colonies of the world, Like I'm like, how do
you how do you do that?
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Right?
Speaker 4 (25:21):
I mean maybe like there's a point when you have
the really solid support system that you can you can
lean on them. I think for me, I'm still building
out like who those people are, and when I find
crew that I love, I'm just like Okay, like we're family. Now,
you're coming with me everywhere because it's so you know,
(25:42):
being on side is so intense, So you just want
to have that rapport with you just want to assemble
the family that you're going to carry around to every
project without question.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I mean my last film, The Future, I just directed,
I was in it unfortunately, and uh it was it
was difficult. For the one scene or two scenes that
I did. I was just like, oh, how do you do?
How does people do this?
Speaker 4 (26:04):
No, it's really hard because you can't you can't be
in the moment and also be thinking big picture at
least I care right.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Or unless you unless you have that trust behind the
camera that you're like, Okay, my DP is going to
cover me while I'm in this scene. And and and
then you just after you yell cut, you like was
it good? I have no idea?
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Right, That's how I was like, did I do good?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Is that any? Is there?
Speaker 3 (26:26):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Really? And then all of a sudden you turn Intoto
the actor. You're like you're looking for like approval, liked
did I do good? Can I do it again?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
But then no one wants to tell you now.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
But that's when you want that DP to go, dude,
did did do it again? Just but generally they're going, no,
it's the light was off, And I'm like, I don't
care about the light. I care about the performance right
right now? What do you enjoy to create more narrative
features a series or documentaries?
Speaker 4 (26:59):
I I love narrative features. I love like having an arc,
like a very clear troductory beginning, middle, and end that
we're going through and thinking about how like the character
is transforming in that. I think series like it can
just go on forever, right, so there's like less of
that clear hook. I like just even like as someone
(27:22):
who like reads so many psychology books and thinks about
how we transform as humans in the world, like, I
love that beginning to end journey. But yeah, but I
also think, like sometimes on the like features is so hard,
I would say, like, because you have to have a
(27:42):
clear end, right, Like you can't just be like and
then maybe in season two this happens, right like it
has to stop. And I like crafting that and the
dock stuff for me is just fun because I like
dealing with real people so more so, I've been trying
to find ways to merge the two, right, Like, put
real people in my scripted work and then also get
(28:05):
actors to be in nonscripted situations and sort of create
a fusion of.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
That, kind of like what Sean Baker does.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
I love Sean Baker. Yeah, I'm a big fan of
his work.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Sean's awesome. I mean, the Florida Project. I have no
idea why that was not. It didn't get more. It
should have won more stuff. It was just amazing.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
Oh great, he's a Yeah, he's lovely and we've talked
a few times and just been really supportive.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Awesome, throned as well.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Now, tell me a little bit about your film MFA,
which having gone chance to see the movie, but I
saw the trailer and I was I was again blown
away by the by the subject matter and how you
twisted something that normally doesn't get shown that way.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Yeah. So MFA. Leah McKendrick was the writer on it.
She wrote it and she is also.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
An actress, and she had just seen my work and
just send me a cold email and was like, Hi,
I'm looking for director.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I love for you to consider this.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
And normally I'm like, oh, I don't you know, Like
normally this stuff is not good. But when I get
these emails. But I read her log line and she
sent me the script and I was like, oh, wow,
like this is really really strong, and it was just
surprising to just get an email like that. And so
her and I started talking. She already had some financing
(29:21):
in place. It was a small movie, so private investors
piecing it together and yeah, and then we were shooting
pretty quickly, but it was it worked out really well.
It was like also one of those magical collaborations because
we didn't know each other at all. I didn't know
any of the people that she had already assembled, you know,
producer wise for the project, but we all got along
(29:45):
really well and made something really special. And the story,
you know, has I had like a deep personal connection
to it, having gone to art school.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
I had been sexually assaulted when I was in art school.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
So it was almost like, oh, I have to make
this project right.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor,
and now back to the show.
Speaker 4 (30:14):
And Francesca Eastwood, who played the lead, was just I
was just so blown away by her and her performance
and throwing herself into some pretty difficult scenes like talking
about like things that make you terrified right. Shooting that
rape scene with Francesca was terrifying to me, and I
(30:35):
was so and we did so many different cuts of it,
and I was so worried that it was because it's
truly disturbing, Like a lot of people of course, brought
that scene up as like it's too raw and real
and but yeah, you got to just push yourself to.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Go there.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
And and again. When you do that is when it
starts to show. The work starts to shine more and more.
If you would have held back there, the movie might
have had the same impact.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Yeah, So can you tell, just tell the audience a
little bit that the log line if you will love
the movie.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
So, MFA is about an art student getting her Masters
of Fine Arts and she has a crush on a
boy in her class, which is played by Peter Vack,
and he ends up raping her at a party she
asks she kind of from then on ends up seeking
revenge and hunting down slash killing the rapist on campus.
(31:31):
So it's a rape revenge story, but in a very
different tone than what we've seen before.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
It's not as much I spit on your grave, not
at all.
Speaker 4 (31:39):
No, No, it is very raw and emotional. It's very
much her point of view and really into her.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Yeah, and it is.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
It is a kind of a like you were saying,
it is a little bit of a combination of the
real and the fictional. Because of the way you shot it,
at least from the trailer, it doesn't look like a
Hollywood fly She film, but it also doesn't look like
a documentary. It looks a little high Brish, high British.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Yeah, it does.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Yeah, And I wanted it to be accessible to people, right,
So I think about that too, like who's the audience
for this? And I want I want it to be
fast and fond too. And there's a version of it
that could have just been a really depressing movie, and
I didn't want that to.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Be it, you know.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
I wanted you to be like cheering for her and
excited when she gets her revenge. And there is a part,
especially in the second half of the movie, where it
really is more like playing off of the fun and
excitement of her getting what she wants.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Oh, there's some humor in the trailer without questions, so
I could only imagine, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (32:40):
There's definitely humor in it too. It's kind of like
a bridge of different genres.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Here, which isn't which is an interesting take on the
subject matter, because you're right, it could have. It could
have just gone straight dark real quick and stayed there,
and it's hard to get an audience back from that.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
And I thought about it, I was like, nobody wants
to watch that. You know, we need to also have
some levity and fun with it. We need to be able.
It needs to feel cathartic for people watching it.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Now, what are some of your greatest challenges about the
process of making films?
Speaker 3 (33:11):
Greatest challenges?
Speaker 1 (33:12):
I mean on set, creative, dealing with Hollyweired, dealing with
money Hollywood for sure, how does that work? Like, I
just can't see you in a room with an agent
talking about this stuff, like, no, it's Holleyweird.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
I mean, I'm I'm an East Coast guy, so I've
been out here. I've been out here for ten years,
so I have a completely different perspective on living out here.
I wasn't raised out here, so I see it and
I've been around long enough to just go, yeah, this
is hollyweird. But I just like, because so many times
here in Los Angeles, people just don't get things that
are outside the box. Where you live outside the box,
(33:56):
you're not ever in the box. And any of the
work that I've seen, so I would just love to
be a fly on the wall. See you have a
conversation with a Hollywood agent or Hollywood producer or Hollywood
studio like, so to Talia, what would you like to
do next? Well, you know, there's this stripper thing that
I have going.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Yeah, I've been really into body horror lately.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
I've been pitching body horror.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Idea body what is it? Body horror?
Speaker 4 (34:26):
Body horror so like Horrorberg. Yeah, Oh, it does a
lot of that right where it's like horror, but it's
really like happening to you and to your body, very very.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I think Disney's involved. I think Disney you get involved.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
It's really interesting and some people, you know, I just
keep trying to remind myself, because you can try try
to remind myself to like stick by my integrity, stick
by my morals, just do what I feel is right
and not get persuaded by these the hollyweird part of it,
which is a lot of people who you know, you know,
(35:02):
maybe they're even presenting you with like a shiny opportunity
and it looks really good and you want to go there, right,
but you're like, wait, this isn't me. I can't do this,
or it's an opportunity that means you'd have to like
like burn bridges on something else or upset of you know.
So it's like you just have to stay there. It
(35:22):
is a crazy industry and you have to. I just
keep always like checking back in with myself and be
like does this make me feel good?
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Is this me?
Speaker 4 (35:30):
Like do I really want to do this? Like does
this represent what kind of work I want to put
out in the world? And I think that's so important.
I mean, I'm lucky right now because my agents are
actually really awesome, my managers as well, the people that I'm.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
In touch with.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
But I've circled, I've cycled through agencies, you know already,
even in the like short career that I've had, already
like jumped around to different agencies. So hopefully this is
the one that I stay with like long term because
I really like these people. And it's all about the
relationships you know, that you're building.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
And do you have any what's it like the greatest
challenge of you like on set, Like, what's the biggest
thing that you have to deal with on set? That
is just a big challenge for you.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
Collaboration, I think collaboration and always trying to be super
clear with your vision like from day one because other
people might not get it. Making sure you're on the
same page. But it's always hard when you want to push.
Sometimes it's hard to explain things right like in MFA,
I like really want to push for a certain thing,
(36:32):
but it's not one hundred percent my project. And the
more of work you do, or the bigger the work gets,
the more that's going to be the scenario right where
there's other producers and other people and weighing in on
what the final outcome is and it can't only be
your way, so and all that can be quite amazing
(36:53):
to have that collaboration.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
It is also like a huge.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
Challenge sometimes how to get people to do what you
really ultimately want out of it.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Oh yeah, I agree with you one hundred and ten
percent of that hard, but.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
You know you have to like make some sacrifices too.
And I felt like in every project like that, it
was like all right, you know, you get this, but
then I have to keep I have to keep this sting.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
The you know one thing trying to go I'm sorry,
they're gonna in shorpt you No.
Speaker 4 (37:21):
That's it just trying to find a compromise, like let's
let's split up, like so we're both happy here.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
I find that, you know, I've been you know, in
my career, I've been challenged on set by crew people,
by actors, by egos constantly. How do you deal with it?
Because I could only imagine it being even more difficult,
you know, being a female director, it's getting easier, and
I can't say from my perspective, it seems like it's
(37:47):
getting a little The doors are opening cracking just a
slight bit more nowadays than they were twenty years ago.
But I can only imagine it being a little bit
more difficult, especially if you have a rough crew or
something like that. I'm just curious on what you do
and how you deal with that.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
It's like, yeah, I think it's it's a challenge. I
think also I present, you know, I'm small, I'm like
five four, I'm petite in size to you know, like
Latin small woman and look and you know, people like
don't it's and I'm also like I want to be
really friendly with the crew, you know, I want everyone
(38:25):
to feel good that they're here on set, but that
sometimes that gets like misinterpreted and people think they can
just yeah, and I've had to just turn you know,
be really firm. Sometimes they're really like call call out
the bullsh like, hey, do you want to be here?
You do actually want to do this? Because you don't
(38:45):
have to you can walk away like I've literally said.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
That to someone, you know, oh yeah, absolutely, and yeah.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
And then you call them out on their bullshit, they'll
be like oh no, no, no, whoa, whoa whoa, like they'll
snap out of it, you know. But I think it's
always better to be super upfront and call it out,
and even if that means having a super awkward conversation
then to pretend like it's you know, to like go
around to other people or pretend like it's not happening,
or just be giving someone shady look.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
Right, yeah, it's it's I feel sometimes it's like a
prison yard, like they're going to test you to see
what they can get away with. And season crew, season crew.
If they don't respect the director, it's done any crew
for that matter. But if a season crew like a
season dp a season you know, gaffer and and a
(39:35):
production designer. If these guys or girls don't respect you
or think that they can pull one over on you,
it becomes a very difficult shoot.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
It's really difficult.
Speaker 4 (39:45):
I've also had situations where, you know, I was working
with like season men particularly who were like a lot
older than me and who just couldn't even look me
in the eye.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor
and now back to the show, you know.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
Like they would be addressing my producer even though the
question was to me, and it was so odd, right,
and I just felt like I was like, I have
to say something because it's so obvious that this person's
uncomfortable that I'm in this position with them, right they
came and look at me in the face, you know,
and yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
You have to just I think the best advice is
you just got to call them out on your shit,
on their shit right away, because if you let it fester,
it can actually grow as a cancer on the rest of.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
The set, right and exactly, and all of.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
A sudden, you've got a mutiny on your hands. And
if you're on a ten day shoot, twenty days shoot,
it's going to be hell and it's going to be
tough to get them back.
Speaker 3 (40:48):
So, you know what.
Speaker 4 (40:51):
The other thing that makes me think of is just
like I think sometimes too because people I've had so
many people tell me like this is the right way
to do it, right, and I'm like, what is the
right way.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
To do There's no right way to do anything. There's
no right way to do it.
Speaker 4 (41:04):
And just because like, yeah, I didn't go to film school,
I don't know what the right way to do it,
but this is the way that I want to do
it because I think it works, you know, and having
people let go of like their ideas of what is
how it's supposed to go.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
You know.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
I'm not talking about like union rules or anything, just
like forms of directing or putting things together. It's just challenging.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Well no, yeah, I had a conversation with the filmmaker
the other day that, you know, he does all of
his films improv. He does it the you know, Mark
Duplus style, Joe Wamberg style, you know kind of work.
And I gave the example of like, look, you know,
if you give you know, Jason Jackson, Pollock, Van goh
and Dolly a canvas and paint. They're going to paint
(41:48):
a picture differently, right, the only common denominator is the
canvas and the paint in the brush, And only common
denominated in filmmaking is an actor, a camera and a lens.
You know, and how you tell that story is completely
up to you. You know, as long as you get
that story that in that camera. Somehow it's all relative.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (42:10):
Any you have to like push for what is your
vision and your style, otherwise everything ends up the same.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
And one piece of advice I got from a director,
an old school director. I've never done this. I haven't
had the balls to do it, but I think it
would be fantastic to do it just as a gag
the very first day on any set, nobody knows who
you are, bring one of your friends on and fire them.
Just bring they're just they're they're not supposed to be there.
(42:36):
Just bring one of your friends, tell them that they're like,
you know, a part of an apartment and they do
something wrong, and literally fire them as loudly as you
can in front of everybody and let them take off,
and that will set the tone for the rest of
the shooting.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
That would totally set the tone that was terrify people.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
You know, But I'm not sure if that's the vibe
you want on set. But I've always wanted to do
something I've never done. I've never had the balls to
do it, but I think it would be hilarious.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
That would be hilarious. That was so funny.
Speaker 4 (43:08):
I mean, that's not my style, right, we want people
to just get along.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
Exactly like you know, Ron Howard's not doing that. You know,
James Cameron.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
Probably would maybe, yeah, I would.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
It all depends on the style of directing that you do.
So tell me a little bit about your commercial work.
I see that you've gotten gotten into that world a bit.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:28):
So on the commercial side, I've been working with a
production company called Humble and I signed with them earlier
this year and it's been amazing, really good team there,
and they've we've crafted you know, they've sent me like
already to different parts of the world for different shoots.
So I did a doc style shoot in India for Vans.
(43:49):
We did a thing for north Face here and I
actually just got back from Saudi Arabia to do another
commercial out there, which was pretty wild. So it's been
a really and fun part of my career to be
able to travel, deal with real people, and have obviously
like the money support behind it as well. Yes, when
(44:11):
you're writing, your steps can be very lonely and the
bank account can be very low.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
Yes, I agree. I do commercials and series and stuff
every once in a while between my features as well,
So I completely understand what you're saying.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
Yeah, so's it's been wonderful working with them.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
So I'm gonna ask you a few questions. I ask
all of my guests what advice would you give a
filmmaker wanting to break into.
Speaker 4 (44:33):
The business today, I would say, do you have to
have a lot of grit and you have to really
stick by what is it that you're putting out into
the world. I don't think it's enough to just you know,
here's like, oh, here's like an entertaining story. Like we
live in a world where there's like a lot of
(44:55):
change happening constantly, and I'm all about, like.
Speaker 3 (44:58):
What are you saying with this?
Speaker 4 (45:00):
Why does this deserve to be here in the world
for people to watch, right, And just like don't give up.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
There's going to be there's so many people that give
up along the way.
Speaker 4 (45:11):
You know, it's like there is just be patient and
persevere and that's how you get it.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
You know. It's like not.
Speaker 4 (45:20):
People want a lot of like immediate gratification, and it's
like you have to enjoy the journey too. I constantly
keep reminding myself of that, like, yeah, I want to
do this big thing, but it could take years.
Speaker 3 (45:30):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (45:31):
I just have to keep going, but I know I'm
going to get there.
Speaker 3 (45:33):
You know.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
I always love when actors or film directors or writers
come to LAN and they go, I have a six
month plan, right.
Speaker 4 (45:43):
I would love for these things to happen in six months,
but if they don't, then don't give up.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
It's a minimum.
Speaker 4 (45:50):
Well, you have to have the five year plan. I
have my five year plan like every every and I
reevaluate it every year. I'm like, Okay, here's where I
want to be five years. What are the steps to
getting there? Like here's this crazy big budget project that
I've been wanting to do already for a few years,
and I feel so strongly about it. I'm not going
to give up on it. I'm just going to keep
(46:12):
finding ways to get there. You know, having that like
long term vision is really important.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Now, can you tell me the book that had the
biggest impact in your life or career?
Speaker 4 (46:31):
Well, I mean this is a hard question, just.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
One book, But I once everyone comes to your mind,
you know.
Speaker 4 (46:39):
I think Rebecca Soulnett comes to my mind right now
because I've read all of her books and I love
her writing, and I feel so connected to her voice
and how she thinks about the world. And it's just
always like I've reread her books and it just always
like opens up possibilities for me.
Speaker 1 (46:59):
Awesome. Now, what is the lesson that took you the
longest to learn, whether in the film industry or in life.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
Confidence. I'm still learning.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
It that you need that we need to have some.
Speaker 4 (47:16):
That that the lesson being just like you gotta believe
in yourself.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
You know.
Speaker 4 (47:22):
It is the lesson of believing in yourself. It's just
like so easy to forget that your voice is important.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
Now, what are the three What are three of your
favorite films of all time?
Speaker 3 (47:37):
Three your favorite films? Opayly think for a second. I'm
gonna say I love the Piano.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
That's a great movie. I love that movie.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
It's a great movie.
Speaker 4 (47:55):
I've watched that film a few times and more just like,
oh so beautiful and there's so much emotion behind it.
Holly Hunter is incredible.
Speaker 3 (48:06):
I love oh the movies. This is hard. Wait, let
me come back to it.
Speaker 1 (48:15):
It could it could just be like, it's not gonna
be on your gravestone, so just three of your favorites.
Speaker 3 (48:20):
Don't put it on my gravestone.
Speaker 1 (48:21):
No, No, it's whatever three movies come to your mind today.
Speaker 3 (48:24):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (48:25):
I loved Fish Tank. That's been like a film that
I referenced a lot that was Relliant Love and dre Arnold.
There's this filmmaker called Lucia Puenzo that did a film
called x x Y.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
Have you seen it?
Speaker 1 (48:39):
Yes, yes, yes, I know that movie.
Speaker 3 (48:41):
Yeah, I really like her work.
Speaker 4 (48:43):
I thought that film was just so subtle and emotional
and just a strong subject matter. Very cool, the same
vein right now. Maybe that's just how I'm feeling in
the moment.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
It listened tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (48:55):
I asked you this question, Yeah, something else exactly.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
It's it's again, it won't be on your so don't worry.
And where can people find you online?
Speaker 4 (49:07):
You can find me on Instagram or Twitter or on
my website, which is just my name Natalia elated dot
com and I love to stay in touch with people.
Speaker 3 (49:16):
I love to talk to people. I always right back,
so unless you're sending me like a creepy comment.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
So Natalia, thank you so much for sharing your journey
and your process with us. And you are an inspiration too.
I know a lot of filmmakers who are going to
be listening to this, so thank you again for taking
out the time.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
Thank you so much, Alex.
Speaker 1 (49:38):
I want to thank Natalia for coming on and dropping
those knowledge bombs and sharing her process on how she
brings her creativity to life. If you want to need
links or trailers, or just want to watch some of
the amazing work that Natalia does, head over to our
show notes at Bulleproof Screenwriting dot tv. Ford Slash for nineteen.
(49:59):
Thank you so much for listening to guys as always,
keep on writing no matter what. I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (50:05):
Thanks for listening to the Bulletproof Screenwriting podcast at Bulletproof
Screenwriting dot tv.
You are listening to the IFAH podcast Network.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
For more amazing filmmaking and screenwriting podcasts, just go to
ifahpodcastnetwork dot com.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Welcome to the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, Episode number four nineteen.
Do what you love, because when you're six feet under,
you're going to realize the race that you were running
was only against yourself. Mango Wilder broadcasting from a dark, windowless.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Room in Hollywood when we really should be working on
that next draft. It's the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, showing you
the craft and business of screenwriting while teaching you how
to make your screenplay bulletproof. And here's your host, Alex Ferrari.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Welcome, Welcome to another episode of the Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast.
I am your humble host, Alex Ferrari. Now, today's show
is sponsored by Bulletproof Script Coverage. Now. Unlike other script
coverage services, Bulletproof Script Coverage actually focuses on the kind
of you are and the goals of the project you are,
So we actually break it down by three categories micro budget,
(01:06):
indie film, market and studio film. There's no reason to
get coverage from a reader that you used to reading
temp pole movies when your movie is gonna be done
for one hundred thousand dollars, and we wanted to focus
on that. At Bulletproof Script Coverage, our readers have worked
with Marvel Studios, CIA, WME, NBC, HBO, Disney, Scott Free,
Warner Brothers, The Blacklist, and many many more. So if
(01:28):
you need your screenplay or TV script covered by professional readers,
head on over to covermiscreenplay dot com. Now today on
the show, we have writer director n Italia late It
and she is easily one of the bravest filmmakers I've
ever run into. She's a documentary filmmaker as well as
(01:49):
a narrative filmmaker and has had films premiere at south
By Southwest and Tribeca, and was even nominated for Best
Picture at the south By Southwest Film Festival for her
film MFA. She has worked with Vice on multiple projects,
one being one of the most interesting things I've ever
(02:10):
seen a filmmaker do. And this young filmmaker threw herself
into this documentary in ways that I have not seen
before that she actually became not only the writer and
director of this but the subject of the piece. And
the film is called Life as a Truck Stop Stripper
and Natalia did this for Vice and it's been downloaded
(02:32):
and watched over eleven million times on YouTube. It is
a heart wrenching documentary, wonderfully done, and I advise everyone
listening to definitely check that piece out among all the
things that she's done. But I will put links to
all of that in the show notes at the end
of the episode. So without any further ado, please enjoy
(02:55):
my conversation with Natalia late It. I like, welcome to
the show, Natalia late It. Thank you so so much
for being on the show. Thank you, alex I, thank
you so much. No, it's it's I was. I was
showing your work and introduced to your work recently, and
I have to say I'm fairly impressed.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Yeah, there's a wide range of things that I've been
doing here.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
So before we get into it, how did you actually
get started in the business.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
So I actually came from a visual arts background. I
went to art school. I didn't have a proper film education.
I thought I wanted to be making visual art and
then quickly realized that that maybe wasn't the medium for me,
and I started getting into film just just out of
(03:45):
my own curiosity, and you know, eventually assisting other directors,
one thing led to the next, started writing my own
scripts and just kind of like DIY being scrappy doing
it myself and realized that I to telling stories in
this medium and.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
What was what? So you basically that was the genesis
of you wanted to be a directors. You've just kind
of fell into it and like I really.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Like this, right, yeah, I fell into it and discovered
that I really liked it.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Honestly, it wasn't really in my radar.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I grew up in Brazil and I just I don't know,
it just wasn't like presentable a career path that was
like presented to me ever that I really thought this
could be an option, you know, but I knew I
wanted to do something creative, and I knew I wanted
to tell stories. It was just like taking another form
back then. And it all like one thing led to
(04:40):
the next. Like I was assisting a lot of other
directors and producers for a while, and I started writing
my own work and the first thing that sort of
started to put my work out there was be Here Now,
which was Wish be Here Now Wish, which was a
web show that I you know, started, directed, wrote, produced,
(05:04):
did the sound sometimes like just.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Like Craft Services got it.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Yeah, Aircraft Services did everything with a handful of friends,
and that you know started kind of putting the wheels
in motion in terms of me doing this as a career.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Which is fun because I actually saw a little bit
of that show and it actually looks really good, like
it actually has great production value for being such a
scrappy little show. So congratulations on that.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
I'll credit that to Dalmar who was our DP. Dalma,
we've were mad since she's shooting High Maintenance now on
HBO and she is just the queen of just like
let's figure it out and still make it look gorgeous.
So yeah, she's really lucky to have her as a
friend and DP on that.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
You definitely need people like that on your crew as
a director. Yes, let's figure it out and like let's
still make it look gorgeous. That's always a yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
It's like we're like pulling in, you know, like whatever
we could find, just like bringing in lamps and just
you know, attaching things like just trying to be creative
of how we're going to get a good image and
not make it look super low quality. So she's she's
really creative in that way.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
So let me ask you, how did you get that
first project, that series up off the ground. I mean,
obviously you need some money. Where did you find money?
How did you put this whole thing together? How did
you put that show together?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (06:26):
So the show we you know, it really started off
as Okay, let's do this on weekends with friends, like
I just want to get I just want to get
work out there in the world, right, And then so
everyone was working for free. But then obviously, like there
came points when okay, we really do need money. We
can't just like keep this going for nothing. And we
ended up doing a Kickstarter. We raised twenty thousand on
(06:50):
that Kickstarter.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Nice, which was like a lot of work.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
It's like, not a lot of money at all for
making a series. You know that ended up being like
an hour and a bit long. But we really stretched
it out and made those twenty k on Kickstarter and
and through that met like other investors. It was actually
a pretty successful campaign for us because we just met
(07:16):
a lot of people that then ended up financing other projects.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
And where and where is it being shown now?
Speaker 3 (07:23):
So be here now?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
Is is still on We ended up selling the first
season to a company called Aura, so they have it
on their site. And then the second season we had
it with full screen, which full screen no longer exists.
So now it's just up on our Vimeo, and we're
trying to figure out if we can just like throw
it up on YouTube because for us at this point,
(07:47):
it's just about, you know, letting people watch it. I mean,
it's it's you know, it's older. It's old now I
consider it for.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yes ancients, like three years old. It's like three years old.
My god, then it's like the eighties.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
But I want people to still watch it. You know,
I've aged a bit since I was doing that.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yes, yes, oh yes, yes, you look aggared lately. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yes, it's my youth, so you can go back to
your youth.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Is my youth is fading away in front of you? Yes,
those three years really killed it. Now what is it
for you? It's ferally ask you, So what is your
process when you're creating or selecting a project?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
My process?
Speaker 4 (08:31):
So I need to gravitate towards things that I feel
a personal connection to, that I feel really passionate about, because,
as you know, it's just You're going to work on
this thing for so long sometimes you don't even know
how long, and you got to just like love it.
And I feel like, for me, I need to feel
it's an instinctual thing, Like I need to feel like
there's like a chord from my heart to whatever the
(08:54):
script or concept is. That's like pulling me towards it.
And there's been a lot, you know. Now I'm reading
other people's scripts, deciding like what to do next, writing
my own stuff as well, But for me, it's always
just like I have to just check in intuitively too.
Is there a really strong pool, like do I feel
(09:15):
called to absolutely have to do this?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
You know?
Speaker 4 (09:17):
Otherwise I might love a story and be like, oh
this is great, but I'm not feeling so passionate about
It's probably not for me, like I shouldn't be the
one to do it, you know.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
And I think it's really good to discern that.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Well, tell me a little bit about your work with
Vice and how that came about, especially that amazing documentary
every Woman Life as a Truck Stop Stripper, which is
when I saw that, I was like, I have to
have her on the show. I need to hear all
about this Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
So I had been writing on my own a script
for my first features called Bert and a big part
of the script took place in a strip club.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
But I didn't want.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
We'll be right back after a wh from our sponsor
and now back to the show.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
But it's sort of like a strip club in a
small town, and I was looking for something that was like,
you know, just off off the highway ideally, right, Like
I didn't want like a big nightcluby.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Strip club in the city, in the city, right right.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
And I had friends at the time. I didn't know
where I was going to shoot, but I had friends
who were living in Albuquerque, and I went there on
like a month you know, hiatus while I was writing
the script to go live in Albuquerque and ended up
like touring all the strip clubs in the area as
I was like doing research and ended up finding out
(10:40):
about this club that is about forty five minutes away
from Albuquerque in the middle of nowhere.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Like you're driving on.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
Highway forty nothing, nothing, nothing, you pass the Walmart, then
there's nothing, nothing, nothing, and then and then there's like
the signs that are just like tapless and then there
is like Club two, O three and it just catered
to truckers.
Speaker 3 (11:01):
So the truckers passing by.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
They can tune into a CB radio and they'll pick
up the signal and it'll be someone at the club
being like tonight on stage is candy and you know
whatever they say, and they'll like turn off into the
side of the road. And I found out about this place.
I went there alone for the first time and I
was just like, what what is this?
Speaker 1 (11:21):
It sounds it sounds like it sounds insane.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
Yeah, it was just like it was like straight out
of a David Lynch movie.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I was expecting people to start talking backwards and there'll
be a little person just walking by from no.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
I was like, wow, this is really fascinating. And it
was just you know the Ryan who's the guy who
owns it. It was like very much no rules type
of place, and that there was like in terms of
the dancing, like you could do whatever you want. They
had this rocking horse that they would pull on stage
sometimes and there was like, uh, you know, just like
a mom and dad daughter dance Like it was like yeah,
(11:59):
there was like serving stuff going on too, And I
was like, I don't know about this. That's just Okay,
a lot of stuff that didn't end up in the piece.
But anyway, so I was like, wow, this place, aside
from I wanted to put it in my feature film
as a location, it deserves a piece on its own, right,
So I put I pitched Avice. Well, I went there,
(12:21):
you know, I had gone there alone, filmed a little
bit of just films on my own, a little bit
to show a sample of like what this really is,
and then went back and then went to Vice with
my friend Alexandra who was working with at the time,
to pitch as like a standalone piece and Vice. This
was like Eddie Moretti, who was the the you know,
(12:43):
creative there. He was like, ah, you know, we get
pitched like stripper concepts all the time, like we're not interested.
And I was like, no, no, no, you don't understand, Like
I want to go and work there. And he's like, oh, okay,
like you're that's that sounds crazy. So it sounds gave
us so luny right, yeah, And we went and worked
and lived there for about ten days.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
All right, So before we continue that story, how did
you get to Vice? Because I know a lot of
filmmakers would love to have that conversation with somebody advice,
How do you how do you approach a company like that?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Yeah? So okay.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
I went to a panel where Eddie Muretti was speaking.
It was a Tribeca Film Festival organized panel, and at
the end of the panel, I cornered him.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
To say, you accosted him, got it?
Speaker 3 (13:28):
I did, so did like thirty other people right.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Right, as you do at panels.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
As you do it panels.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
And I was like, I have something that you're going
to be really interested in seeing. And he's like, yeah, okay, great,
reach out and just gave me his assistants email, you know.
And I reached out and I sent him a link
to a piece that I had shot in Cuba. This
was like before every Woman that was very like I had,
(13:56):
you know, edited it like really fast, very like vice style,
and I just tend the link and I didn't say
much else and he called me like right away.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
It was like, get come in, come in tomorrow. You know.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
It's like that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
Yeah, And it's just sometimes that stuff works, you know,
but you got to be like smart about how you're
approaching it, Like you people, these people don't have time, right,
so it's like hey, like what's going to grab their attention?
And what what do I have that they want?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Right?
Speaker 4 (14:24):
And that was it, like I just met him in
a panel. There was no you know from there like
it opened up the scope and then we did every
Woman and then he called me back to do you know,
direct other things, and but that stuff is possible, like
the just cold calling sometimes were it does.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
And I'm actually I'm quite jealous because I am actually
Cuban and I've never been to Cuba yet. So when
I saw that piece that you did, I was like, oh,
that would have been amazing.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Yeah, he has really special place.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
I felt really lucky to be there and at that
time especially and film it.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
So all right, So so now you're back at the club.
Was it club too two.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Two o three because that's just the highway exit, right.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
So you're a club two o three and you're there
for ten days.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
I'm there for ten days and that was me Alexandra
who came and was working with me at the time
and vice sent us with one producer. This was prior
to Viceland, so it was a little bit like still
you know, no rules, like I mean, we were putting
ourselves in dangerous situations like I think that that would
fly today.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah you think I saw it? I saw it? Are
you are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (15:35):
Yeah? Really dangerous.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
And I don't know that I would do it today
because now I know a little more.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Well, obviously you're much older. Obviously I'm so much older.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
I have a lot of gray hair. A good thing
to interview, isn't a video?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Not want to see what I.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Look like exactly exactly? No, I mean, I mean when
I saw it, I was like, this can't be. I
can't believe that these girls did this, Like this is
so and the guys you met work, I know, I mean.
Speaker 4 (16:03):
It was intense. Yeah, I think what I realized too.
But you know, the whole idea about it was I
wanted to go in there to try to debunk what
are the stereotypes of a stripper and like why women
decide to do this and the stereotypes of a truckers
that go into these clubs, right, And I really feel
like it sort of opened my mind to what's possible
(16:24):
or what kind of you know, what what the our
like own limitations are of who those people are. And
you know, there's like one woman who we interviewed Daisy
who was talking about how she feels like it's for calling,
it's she loves doing the work because she feels like
she's a therapist to these men, and that's sort of like, oh,
we we never stopped to think about that, you know,
(16:46):
maybe yeah, like that, that's a version of it. And
also some of the guys all across the board, but
people just wanted someone to talk to in a connection,
and I think it was like a less about being
naked and more about them feeling like someone was caring
for them and wanting.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
To listen to their stories. You know.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Of course that's just there's also then like this the
creepy guy who tries to like grab you, and there's extremes.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
There's the extremes of both ends.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Right exactly.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
But it's not all bad, you know, And we definitely
saw that. And some of the stories from the men
were really intense and it was hard to listen to it.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Well, let me ask you a question when you were
in that when you were in that moment, how, i
mean psychologically, how was it for you, Because I mean,
I'm watching this and I'm going I'm just thinking to myself,
this is your young lady who's put herself in this
situation with her friend for god knows what reason. And
I'm thinking, how, what's the psychology, What's going on? Because
(17:49):
this is not one one night thing. You were there
for ten days, so this was a day in, day out.
It's not like I'm going to try this for one
night and I can go back home. You came back
and again and again, and like, how did that wear
on you? Not only as the subject of it, but
also as I mean, you were directing that as well. Correct, Yeah,
(18:10):
so how did you do that?
Speaker 3 (18:13):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
I think a lot of sometimes I look back and
I think about my best work is stuff that I'm
terrified to do or terrified to talk about, and it's almost.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Like I just keep but I just keep the ball rolling.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
And then you know, and then eventually it hits a
moment when there's no turning back right and you're like, ah,
this is happening, Like this is now out in the world.
And I feel like this project was exactly that. Like
I was terrified to be there. I mean, I was
also having fun with it, but it was just like
really intense, emotionally draining and physically draining, and I was
(18:50):
terrified of like putting this out in the world, you know.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Because you're exposing yourself and not not in that way,
but you're exposing your you're basically your soft thunderbelly to
the entire world.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah, exactly. So it was just a lot of exposure.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
But you know, eventually you just hit a deadline and
you're like you're just pressed send and that's it and
then it's out. It's like has a mind of its
own and it's going to be whatever it needs to be.
But I think it was just, yeah, like every day
it was a bit of a challenge, but you just
kind of keep going because that's there's no way, there's
no other way around it, you know, just put yourself
to keep going.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Now, you are, from what I see in your work,
you are extremely raw and vulnerable. Is that something that
comes naturally to you or do you have to work
at it to be able to kind of expose yourself
as an artist?
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Yeah? No, I think it comes naturally to me. I
think I'm just naturally.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Have a can tap into that sensitivity and being very empathetic,
and you know, I do end up just feeling things intensely,
and then sometimes I wonder if that's a hindrance, but
more so now I feel like that's an advantage.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
We'll be right after a word from our sponsor and
now back to the show.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
That I'm able to.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
You know, when I'm connecting with actors, just like feel
what they're feeling deeply, and just look at performance and
scenes and just be really connected on an emotional level.
I think it's actually really important for my work, and.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
You and you agree that that's probably some of your
best work. Is the more scary it is, the more
extreme it might be, more vulnerable it might be. Is
where you find that your work really shines.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
Yeah, I do, And because that's what I want to be,
you know, pushing the conversation forward, and I want to
be just doing stuff that is making us think about
things differently, making us feel more connected, and that sometimes
times goes and you know, deal with things that we're
(20:56):
not talking about. So like, for instance, and even to
be here now is there was I wanted to do
a storyline about a guy who was HIV positive and
how do you deal with that in the dating world? Right,
So like there's it's just a little piece of it
in the in the series, but it's like why are
we not talking about this?
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Right?
Speaker 4 (21:15):
Like, I have a cousin who's HIV positive and and
these stories are interesting to me, and there's just not
enough of these conversations out there. So but it's always
scary because you're like, oh, this is kind of going
into a dangerous territory.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
That is it going to offend someone?
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Like right, Like, you just don't know, and I'm I
always try to push myself to to have those conversations
re least open it up.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
I find that, you know, by doing the kind of
work that I do, and also just being a filmmaker myself,
that it's it's extremely difficult to be raw and vulnerable
with your work. And I find that so many filmmakers
hide behind falsehoods or create these walls that you can
smell on their work. You can just smell it like, oh,
(22:03):
they didn't go all the way. Oh they just they
pulled back at the last moment. And it's only the
ones that go all the way that you go, oh,
there it is. And you see that in performances, you
see that in directors, you see that in writers. So
that's why I find your work so interesting because you
are still early on in your career. I know you're ancient,
but you're still early on in your career, and I'm
(22:25):
really curious to see the kind of work that you'll
do in ten years, because you only, by the way,
being someone who's older than you, you only get braver.
I feel as you get older, because you start giving
less of a shit.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Yeah, you know, it's good to remember that. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
I always like, yeah, I always feel like I have
to push myself and it's always scary. But I do
feel like it's sometimes like you're just standing on the
edge of the cliff and you're like, oh my god,
am I gonna do Am I gonna do it? And
you just have to jump into the waterfall or whatever.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
You just have to do it.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
But that's why we're here. That's why we're here. Why
are you going to play it safe? That's not that's boring.
I mean, I'm not going to go and be a
stripper for ten days at a truck stop in Albuquerque
because that's just not my path and really I would
get no tips.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
But uh.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, nobody wants.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
To see that.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Nobody wants to see that documentary, I promise you. So
what was it like with your first feature film Bear,
which was based uh, not based on but kind of
uh it's in the world of every Woman. When I
got accepted to Tribeca, I mean, what was that experience?
Like I always anytime I have a filmmaker who gets
(23:38):
into like Tribeca or Sundance or can or something like that,
I always want to hear the story of when they
find out.
Speaker 3 (23:44):
I mean so thrilled.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
You just don't know, Like you go into it all
just hoping for the best, and it was the best.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
It was really the best cause scenario for me.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
It was like I wanted so vallely a premiere there
and you're just.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Waiting and waiting, and.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
I was so thrilled, and I was so impressed because
the festival they do such an amazing job. They take
such good care of their filmmakers. We weren't we didn't
know what to expect, but you know, they gave us
the red carpet, they gave us a party, like it was.
It felt incredible.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
It was really Yeah, it was really phenomenal.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
Now I see, I see that you're like putting yourself
in yourself in your work. How do you handle being
in front and behind the camera.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
So it's a little challenging for me, which is honestly
why I'm not putting myself in my work as much anymore,
because I feel like it's hard for me to focus
on two things at once, being totally focused on my
character and then also like directing the scene.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
You know.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
So I still will like throw myself a little scene
just for fun because.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
I like that, you'll pop yourself in once in a while,
share you'll do your hitchcock.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Got it.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
Yeah, But I just really am staying by behind the
camera right now because I want to craft the story
and I think like just staying you know, more connected
to the actors and the whole picture is really important.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
I really don't know how.
Speaker 4 (25:09):
People are managed to do that, and like being the
lead of a movie and also like directing, it seems
really hard to.
Speaker 1 (25:15):
Me, Like the Clinice Woods of the world and the
George Colonies of the world, Like I'm like, how do
you how do you do that?
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Right?
Speaker 4 (25:21):
I mean maybe like there's a point when you have
the really solid support system that you can you can
lean on them. I think for me, I'm still building
out like who those people are, and when I find
crew that I love, I'm just like Okay, like we're family. Now,
you're coming with me everywhere because it's so you know,
(25:42):
being on side is so intense, So you just want
to have that rapport with you just want to assemble
the family that you're going to carry around to every
project without question.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I mean my last film, The Future, I just directed,
I was in it unfortunately, and uh it was it
was difficult. For the one scene or two scenes that
I did. I was just like, oh, how do you do?
How does people do this?
Speaker 4 (26:04):
No, it's really hard because you can't you can't be
in the moment and also be thinking big picture at
least I care right.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Or unless you unless you have that trust behind the
camera that you're like, Okay, my DP is going to
cover me while I'm in this scene. And and and
then you just after you yell cut, you like was
it good? I have no idea?
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Right, That's how I was like, did I do good?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Is that any? Is there?
Speaker 3 (26:26):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Really? And then all of a sudden you turn Intoto
the actor. You're like you're looking for like approval, liked
did I do good? Can I do it again?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
But then no one wants to tell you now.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
But that's when you want that DP to go, dude,
did did do it again? Just but generally they're going, no,
it's the light was off, And I'm like, I don't
care about the light. I care about the performance right
right now? What do you enjoy to create more narrative
features a series or documentaries?
Speaker 4 (26:59):
I I love narrative features. I love like having an arc,
like a very clear troductory beginning, middle, and end that
we're going through and thinking about how like the character
is transforming in that. I think series like it can
just go on forever, right, so there's like less of
that clear hook. I like just even like as someone
(27:22):
who like reads so many psychology books and thinks about
how we transform as humans in the world, like, I
love that beginning to end journey. But yeah, but I
also think, like sometimes on the like features is so hard,
I would say, like, because you have to have a
(27:42):
clear end, right, Like you can't just be like and
then maybe in season two this happens, right like it
has to stop. And I like crafting that and the
dock stuff for me is just fun because I like
dealing with real people so more so, I've been trying
to find ways to merge the two, right, Like, put
real people in my scripted work and then also get
(28:05):
actors to be in nonscripted situations and sort of create
a fusion of.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
That, kind of like what Sean Baker does.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
I love Sean Baker. Yeah, I'm a big fan of
his work.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Sean's awesome. I mean, the Florida Project. I have no
idea why that was not. It didn't get more. It
should have won more stuff. It was just amazing.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
Oh great, he's a Yeah, he's lovely and we've talked
a few times and just been really supportive.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Awesome, throned as well.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Now, tell me a little bit about your film MFA,
which having gone chance to see the movie, but I
saw the trailer and I was I was again blown
away by the by the subject matter and how you
twisted something that normally doesn't get shown that way.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Yeah. So MFA. Leah McKendrick was the writer on it.
She wrote it and she is also.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
An actress, and she had just seen my work and
just send me a cold email and was like, Hi,
I'm looking for director.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
I love for you to consider this.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
And normally I'm like, oh, I don't you know, Like
normally this stuff is not good. But when I get
these emails. But I read her log line and she
sent me the script and I was like, oh, wow,
like this is really really strong, and it was just
surprising to just get an email like that. And so
her and I started talking. She already had some financing
(29:21):
in place. It was a small movie, so private investors
piecing it together and yeah, and then we were shooting
pretty quickly, but it was it worked out really well.
It was like also one of those magical collaborations because
we didn't know each other at all. I didn't know
any of the people that she had already assembled, you know,
producer wise for the project, but we all got along
(29:45):
really well and made something really special. And the story,
you know, has I had like a deep personal connection
to it, having gone to art school.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
I had been sexually assaulted when I was in art school.
Speaker 4 (29:59):
So it was almost like, oh, I have to make
this project right.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor,
and now back to the show.
Speaker 4 (30:14):
And Francesca Eastwood, who played the lead, was just I
was just so blown away by her and her performance
and throwing herself into some pretty difficult scenes like talking
about like things that make you terrified right. Shooting that
rape scene with Francesca was terrifying to me, and I
(30:35):
was so and we did so many different cuts of it,
and I was so worried that it was because it's
truly disturbing, Like a lot of people of course, brought
that scene up as like it's too raw and real
and but yeah, you got to just push yourself to.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Go there.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
And and again. When you do that is when it
starts to show. The work starts to shine more and more.
If you would have held back there, the movie might
have had the same impact.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Yeah, So can you tell, just tell the audience a
little bit that the log line if you will love
the movie.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:07):
So, MFA is about an art student getting her Masters
of Fine Arts and she has a crush on a
boy in her class, which is played by Peter Vack,
and he ends up raping her at a party she
asks she kind of from then on ends up seeking
revenge and hunting down slash killing the rapist on campus.
(31:31):
So it's a rape revenge story, but in a very
different tone than what we've seen before.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
It's not as much I spit on your grave, not
at all.
Speaker 4 (31:39):
No, No, it is very raw and emotional. It's very
much her point of view and really into her.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
Yeah, and it is.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
It is a kind of a like you were saying,
it is a little bit of a combination of the
real and the fictional. Because of the way you shot it,
at least from the trailer, it doesn't look like a
Hollywood fly She film, but it also doesn't look like
a documentary. It looks a little high Brish, high British.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Yeah, it does.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Yeah, And I wanted it to be accessible to people, right,
So I think about that too, like who's the audience
for this? And I want I want it to be
fast and fond too. And there's a version of it
that could have just been a really depressing movie, and
I didn't want that to.
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Be it, you know.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
I wanted you to be like cheering for her and
excited when she gets her revenge. And there is a part,
especially in the second half of the movie, where it
really is more like playing off of the fun and
excitement of her getting what she wants.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Oh, there's some humor in the trailer without questions, so
I could only imagine, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (32:40):
There's definitely humor in it too. It's kind of like
a bridge of different genres.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Here, which isn't which is an interesting take on the
subject matter, because you're right, it could have. It could
have just gone straight dark real quick and stayed there,
and it's hard to get an audience back from that.
Speaker 4 (32:55):
And I thought about it, I was like, nobody wants
to watch that. You know, we need to also have
some levity and fun with it. We need to be able.
It needs to feel cathartic for people watching it.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Now, what are some of your greatest challenges about the
process of making films?
Speaker 3 (33:11):
Greatest challenges?
Speaker 1 (33:12):
I mean on set, creative, dealing with Hollyweired, dealing with
money Hollywood for sure, how does that work? Like, I
just can't see you in a room with an agent
talking about this stuff, like, no, it's Holleyweird.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
I mean, I'm I'm an East Coast guy, so I've
been out here. I've been out here for ten years,
so I have a completely different perspective on living out here.
I wasn't raised out here, so I see it and
I've been around long enough to just go, yeah, this
is hollyweird. But I just like, because so many times
here in Los Angeles, people just don't get things that
are outside the box. Where you live outside the box,
(33:56):
you're not ever in the box. And any of the
work that I've seen, so I would just love to
be a fly on the wall. See you have a
conversation with a Hollywood agent or Hollywood producer or Hollywood
studio like, so to Talia, what would you like to
do next? Well, you know, there's this stripper thing that
I have going.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Yeah, I've been really into body horror lately.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
I've been pitching body horror.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
Idea body what is it? Body horror?
Speaker 4 (34:26):
Body horror so like Horrorberg. Yeah, Oh, it does a
lot of that right where it's like horror, but it's
really like happening to you and to your body, very very.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I think Disney's involved. I think Disney you get involved.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (34:41):
It's really interesting and some people, you know, I just
keep trying to remind myself, because you can try try
to remind myself to like stick by my integrity, stick
by my morals, just do what I feel is right
and not get persuaded by these the hollyweird part of it,
which is a lot of people who you know, you know,
(35:02):
maybe they're even presenting you with like a shiny opportunity
and it looks really good and you want to go there, right,
but you're like, wait, this isn't me. I can't do this,
or it's an opportunity that means you'd have to like
like burn bridges on something else or upset of you know.
So it's like you just have to stay there. It
(35:22):
is a crazy industry and you have to. I just
keep always like checking back in with myself and be
like does this make me feel good?
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Is this me?
Speaker 4 (35:30):
Like do I really want to do this? Like does
this represent what kind of work I want to put
out in the world? And I think that's so important.
I mean, I'm lucky right now because my agents are
actually really awesome, my managers as well, the people that I'm.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
In touch with.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
But I've circled, I've cycled through agencies, you know already,
even in the like short career that I've had, already
like jumped around to different agencies. So hopefully this is
the one that I stay with like long term because
I really like these people. And it's all about the
relationships you know, that you're building.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
And do you have any what's it like the greatest
challenge of you like on set, Like, what's the biggest
thing that you have to deal with on set? That
is just a big challenge for you.
Speaker 4 (36:11):
Collaboration, I think collaboration and always trying to be super
clear with your vision like from day one because other
people might not get it. Making sure you're on the
same page. But it's always hard when you want to push.
Sometimes it's hard to explain things right like in MFA,
I like really want to push for a certain thing,
(36:32):
but it's not one hundred percent my project. And the
more of work you do, or the bigger the work gets,
the more that's going to be the scenario right where
there's other producers and other people and weighing in on
what the final outcome is and it can't only be
your way, so and all that can be quite amazing
(36:53):
to have that collaboration.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
It is also like a huge.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
Challenge sometimes how to get people to do what you
really ultimately want out of it.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Oh yeah, I agree with you one hundred and ten
percent of that hard, but.
Speaker 4 (37:06):
You know you have to like make some sacrifices too.
And I felt like in every project like that, it
was like all right, you know, you get this, but
then I have to keep I have to keep this sting.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
The you know one thing trying to go I'm sorry,
they're gonna in shorpt you No.
Speaker 4 (37:21):
That's it just trying to find a compromise, like let's
let's split up, like so we're both happy here.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
I find that, you know, I've been you know, in
my career, I've been challenged on set by crew people,
by actors, by egos constantly. How do you deal with it?
Because I could only imagine it being even more difficult,
you know, being a female director, it's getting easier, and
I can't say from my perspective, it seems like it's
(37:47):
getting a little The doors are opening cracking just a
slight bit more nowadays than they were twenty years ago.
But I can only imagine it being a little bit
more difficult, especially if you have a rough crew or
something like that. I'm just curious on what you do
and how you deal with that.
Speaker 4 (38:03):
It's like, yeah, I think it's it's a challenge. I
think also I present, you know, I'm small, I'm like
five four, I'm petite in size to you know, like
Latin small woman and look and you know, people like
don't it's and I'm also like I want to be
really friendly with the crew, you know, I want everyone
(38:25):
to feel good that they're here on set, but that
sometimes that gets like misinterpreted and people think they can
just yeah, and I've had to just turn you know,
be really firm. Sometimes they're really like call call out
the bullsh like, hey, do you want to be here?
You do actually want to do this? Because you don't
(38:45):
have to you can walk away like I've literally said.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
That to someone, you know, oh yeah, absolutely, and yeah.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
And then you call them out on their bullshit, they'll
be like oh no, no, no, whoa, whoa whoa, like they'll
snap out of it, you know. But I think it's
always better to be super upfront and call it out,
and even if that means having a super awkward conversation
then to pretend like it's you know, to like go
around to other people or pretend like it's not happening,
or just be giving someone shady look.
Speaker 1 (39:14):
Right, yeah, it's it's I feel sometimes it's like a
prison yard, like they're going to test you to see
what they can get away with. And season crew, season crew.
If they don't respect the director, it's done any crew
for that matter. But if a season crew like a
season dp a season you know, gaffer and and a
(39:35):
production designer. If these guys or girls don't respect you
or think that they can pull one over on you,
it becomes a very difficult shoot.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
It's really difficult.
Speaker 4 (39:45):
I've also had situations where, you know, I was working
with like season men particularly who were like a lot
older than me and who just couldn't even look me
in the eye.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor
and now back to the show, you know.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
Like they would be addressing my producer even though the
question was to me, and it was so odd, right,
and I just felt like I was like, I have
to say something because it's so obvious that this person's
uncomfortable that I'm in this position with them, right they
came and look at me in the face, you know,
and yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
You have to just I think the best advice is
you just got to call them out on your shit,
on their shit right away, because if you let it fester,
it can actually grow as a cancer on the rest of.
Speaker 3 (40:38):
The set, right and exactly, and all of.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
A sudden, you've got a mutiny on your hands. And
if you're on a ten day shoot, twenty days shoot,
it's going to be hell and it's going to be
tough to get them back.
Speaker 3 (40:48):
So, you know what.
Speaker 4 (40:51):
The other thing that makes me think of is just
like I think sometimes too because people I've had so
many people tell me like this is the right way
to do it, right, and I'm like, what is the
right way.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
To do There's no right way to do anything. There's
no right way to do it.
Speaker 4 (41:04):
And just because like, yeah, I didn't go to film school,
I don't know what the right way to do it,
but this is the way that I want to do
it because I think it works, you know, and having
people let go of like their ideas of what is
how it's supposed to go.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
You know.
Speaker 4 (41:18):
I'm not talking about like union rules or anything, just
like forms of directing or putting things together. It's just challenging.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Well no, yeah, I had a conversation with the filmmaker
the other day that, you know, he does all of
his films improv. He does it the you know, Mark
Duplus style, Joe Wamberg style, you know kind of work.
And I gave the example of like, look, you know,
if you give you know, Jason Jackson, Pollock, Van goh
and Dolly a canvas and paint. They're going to paint
(41:48):
a picture differently, right, the only common denominator is the
canvas and the paint in the brush, And only common
denominated in filmmaking is an actor, a camera and a lens.
You know, and how you tell that story is completely
up to you. You know, as long as you get
that story that in that camera. Somehow it's all relative.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (42:10):
Any you have to like push for what is your
vision and your style, otherwise everything ends up the same.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
And one piece of advice I got from a director,
an old school director. I've never done this. I haven't
had the balls to do it, but I think it
would be fantastic to do it just as a gag
the very first day on any set, nobody knows who
you are, bring one of your friends on and fire them.
Just bring they're just they're they're not supposed to be there.
(42:36):
Just bring one of your friends, tell them that they're like,
you know, a part of an apartment and they do
something wrong, and literally fire them as loudly as you
can in front of everybody and let them take off,
and that will set the tone for the rest of
the shooting.
Speaker 4 (42:51):
That would totally set the tone that was terrify people.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
You know, But I'm not sure if that's the vibe
you want on set. But I've always wanted to do
something I've never done. I've never had the balls to
do it, but I think it would be hilarious.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
That would be hilarious. That was so funny.
Speaker 4 (43:08):
I mean, that's not my style, right, we want people
to just get along.
Speaker 1 (43:13):
Exactly like you know, Ron Howard's not doing that. You know,
James Cameron.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
Probably would maybe, yeah, I would.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
It all depends on the style of directing that you do.
So tell me a little bit about your commercial work.
I see that you've gotten gotten into that world a bit.
Speaker 3 (43:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:28):
So on the commercial side, I've been working with a
production company called Humble and I signed with them earlier
this year and it's been amazing, really good team there,
and they've we've crafted you know, they've sent me like
already to different parts of the world for different shoots.
So I did a doc style shoot in India for Vans.
(43:49):
We did a thing for north Face here and I
actually just got back from Saudi Arabia to do another
commercial out there, which was pretty wild. So it's been
a really and fun part of my career to be
able to travel, deal with real people, and have obviously
like the money support behind it as well. Yes, when
(44:11):
you're writing, your steps can be very lonely and the
bank account can be very low.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
Yes, I agree. I do commercials and series and stuff
every once in a while between my features as well,
So I completely understand what you're saying.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
Yeah, so's it's been wonderful working with them.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
So I'm gonna ask you a few questions. I ask
all of my guests what advice would you give a
filmmaker wanting to break into.
Speaker 4 (44:33):
The business today, I would say, do you have to
have a lot of grit and you have to really
stick by what is it that you're putting out into
the world. I don't think it's enough to just you know,
here's like, oh, here's like an entertaining story. Like we
live in a world where there's like a lot of
(44:55):
change happening constantly, and I'm all about, like.
Speaker 3 (44:58):
What are you saying with this?
Speaker 4 (45:00):
Why does this deserve to be here in the world
for people to watch, right, And just like don't give up.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
There's going to be there's so many people that give
up along the way.
Speaker 4 (45:11):
You know, it's like there is just be patient and
persevere and that's how you get it.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
You know. It's like not.
Speaker 4 (45:20):
People want a lot of like immediate gratification, and it's
like you have to enjoy the journey too. I constantly
keep reminding myself of that, like, yeah, I want to
do this big thing, but it could take years.
Speaker 3 (45:30):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (45:31):
I just have to keep going, but I know I'm
going to get there.
Speaker 3 (45:33):
You know.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
I always love when actors or film directors or writers
come to LAN and they go, I have a six
month plan, right.
Speaker 4 (45:43):
I would love for these things to happen in six months,
but if they don't, then don't give up.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
It's a minimum.
Speaker 4 (45:50):
Well, you have to have the five year plan. I
have my five year plan like every every and I
reevaluate it every year. I'm like, Okay, here's where I
want to be five years. What are the steps to
getting there? Like here's this crazy big budget project that
I've been wanting to do already for a few years,
and I feel so strongly about it. I'm not going
to give up on it. I'm just going to keep
(46:12):
finding ways to get there. You know, having that like
long term vision is really important.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Now, can you tell me the book that had the
biggest impact in your life or career?
Speaker 4 (46:31):
Well, I mean this is a hard question, just.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
One book, But I once everyone comes to your mind,
you know.
Speaker 4 (46:39):
I think Rebecca Soulnett comes to my mind right now
because I've read all of her books and I love
her writing, and I feel so connected to her voice
and how she thinks about the world. And it's just
always like I've reread her books and it just always
like opens up possibilities for me.
Speaker 1 (46:59):
Awesome. Now, what is the lesson that took you the
longest to learn, whether in the film industry or in life.
Speaker 3 (47:08):
Confidence. I'm still learning.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
It that you need that we need to have some.
Speaker 4 (47:16):
That that the lesson being just like you gotta believe
in yourself.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
You know.
Speaker 4 (47:22):
It is the lesson of believing in yourself. It's just
like so easy to forget that your voice is important.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
Now, what are the three What are three of your
favorite films of all time?
Speaker 3 (47:37):
Three your favorite films? Opayly think for a second. I'm
gonna say I love the Piano.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
That's a great movie. I love that movie.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
It's a great movie.
Speaker 4 (47:55):
I've watched that film a few times and more just like,
oh so beautiful and there's so much emotion behind it.
Holly Hunter is incredible.
Speaker 3 (48:06):
I love oh the movies. This is hard. Wait, let
me come back to it.
Speaker 1 (48:15):
It could it could just be like, it's not gonna
be on your gravestone, so just three of your favorites.
Speaker 3 (48:20):
Don't put it on my gravestone.
Speaker 1 (48:21):
No, No, it's whatever three movies come to your mind today.
Speaker 3 (48:24):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (48:25):
I loved Fish Tank. That's been like a film that
I referenced a lot that was Relliant Love and dre Arnold.
There's this filmmaker called Lucia Puenzo that did a film
called x x Y.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
Have you seen it?
Speaker 1 (48:39):
Yes, yes, yes, I know that movie.
Speaker 3 (48:41):
Yeah, I really like her work.
Speaker 4 (48:43):
I thought that film was just so subtle and emotional
and just a strong subject matter. Very cool, the same
vein right now. Maybe that's just how I'm feeling in
the moment.
Speaker 1 (48:54):
It listened tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (48:55):
I asked you this question, Yeah, something else exactly.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
It's it's again, it won't be on your so don't worry.
And where can people find you online?
Speaker 4 (49:07):
You can find me on Instagram or Twitter or on
my website, which is just my name Natalia elated dot
com and I love to stay in touch with people.
Speaker 3 (49:16):
I love to talk to people. I always right back,
so unless you're sending me like a creepy comment.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
So Natalia, thank you so much for sharing your journey
and your process with us. And you are an inspiration too.
I know a lot of filmmakers who are going to
be listening to this, so thank you again for taking
out the time.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
Thank you so much, Alex.
Speaker 1 (49:38):
I want to thank Natalia for coming on and dropping
those knowledge bombs and sharing her process on how she
brings her creativity to life. If you want to need
links or trailers, or just want to watch some of
the amazing work that Natalia does, head over to our
show notes at Bulleproof Screenwriting dot tv. Ford Slash for nineteen.
(49:59):
Thank you so much for listening to guys as always,
keep on writing no matter what. I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2 (50:05):
Thanks for listening to the Bulletproof Screenwriting podcast at Bulletproof
Screenwriting dot tv.
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