Leah's One Step Guide to Forget Emily
Short about two strangers who spend a night together knowing they won't remember a thing the next morning.
Interview with Writer/Director Nicolas Alvo
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The original idea behind this was just making a story that my friends would enjoy. I wanted to come up with something simple and sprinkle little details within it that people I know would watch and think "oh, it makes so much sense that this would be in Nico's movie". After the full idea was developed, it also became about exploring what you are willing to admit and do when you don't think there can be any repercussions, and what happens after when you do want to remember what you thought you didn't.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think the biggest value of this film relies on it being a conventional story that is filled with unconventional resolutions. The premise is very simple: a boy meets a girl that helps him get over a funk. However, it is not a perfect love story as usual rom-coms go. They are both conflicted characters, and because of this, the short concludes in a conflicting manner.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
As I mentioned before, a bunch of little details in the project come from my own experiences. However, the main plot has no relation to my personal life. The main theme of this film is that relations are actually not as perfect as we paint them out to be. Being with someone takes some effort, and even what could seem like a perfect night is not necessarily so when looking at it from outside.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
This was my first script that I've written and taken into a finished product. Because of this, there were a particularly high number of iterations, both of the script and the cut once we shot it, that we had to go through before calling it done. One of the main things that unlocked the true potential of this story was figuring out how to create conflict within the characters. In the beginning, everything seemed to easy, everyone was good or bad. It wasn't until those colors started mixing that the truly fun stuff began to come out.
The true point of inflection was when I finally had the idea that the two characters were making a conscious decision to take as many drugs as necessary to not remember what was about to happen the next day. It only made sense then that by the end of the night they both would want to remember, but would not be able to because of their actions a few hours before.
The script had seven different drafts before I felt comfortable starting pre-production. This being my directorial debit, I felt the need to make sure that I heard everyone's opinion before I went on to doing anything.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
In general people have been really impressed that this is the first film we ever directed. They seem to be having a lot of fun with it, and the little twist at the end of the movie has been well received by almost everyone.
Having shot this almost two years ago, I can definitely see many places where it can be improved, but I still love (and hate sometimes when I watching it with other people) every second of it.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I haven't been terribly surprised by most of the comments so far. I think this is because I've been able to successfully remove myself from the short a bit and try to watch it with an objective eye. A lot of my opinions have seem to be aligning with what other people think of the short.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Honestly, all I want is to keep finding innovative ways of telling stories. I would love to use this platform to get to meet more fellow artists and to find more people to collaborate with. I would really like to get my first feature going (I already have two scripts ready) so if this helps at all for that then I could not be happier.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I think the best way to amplify this message would be by attempting to create a feature film version of it - and hence needing producers. One of the main things that I get excited about with this film is how to use the anachronistic nature of film to create twists and emotions in the audience. I would probably keep exploring this idea to delve even further into the messy nature of relationships.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Mostly I think I would like people to see this and realize how easy it is to make something with virtually no money - even with almost no experience. I was lucky enough to know some people that were also starting up and got excited about the project, but it is truly easy to just grab a camera and go shoot something decent. All you have to do is get creative.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Whenever people are wondering what the beginning of a millennial relationship might look like in New York, they need to look no further than this.
Would you like to add anything else?
Just to thank you for the awesome opportunity to write something about this short!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Rebecca just finished writing her first feature. She is also working on producing an original play and working on a magazine that she publishes.
I am just finishing writing my second with the DP Loic. We're trying to secure funding for this film (we made it specifically cheap so it would be plausible for us to shoot). I'm also trying to get a play I just acted in to go tour Latin America. We'll see how that works out.
Interview: November 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Leah's One Step Guide to Forget Emily
Short about two strangers who spend a night together knowing they won't remember a thing the next morning.
Length: 19 minutes
Director: Nicolas Alvo and Rebecca Scolnick
Producer: Primordial Jam Productions
Writer: Nicolas Alvo
About the writer, director and producer:
Nico is an actor, writer and director born in Santiago, Chile and currently based in NYC. He spends most of his time shooting short comedic content and summoning up crazy stories.
Rebecca is an acting graduate from NYU who doubles as a writer for all sorts of forms, including but not limited to, stageplays, film scripts and magazine articles.
Key cast:
Nicolas Alvo - Trevor
Andrew Bridges - Michael
Desi Domo - Leah
Looking for producers
Funders: crowdfunded
Made in association with:
Stonestreet Studios
Where can I see it in the next month?
Probably online as we're coming to the end of our festival run.