Amazon 2019 – Classic Alice
Living Life One Book at a Time.
Interview with Writer/Producer/Actor Kate Hackett
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was asked to write something that would straddle between a kind of hosting a show that would give out book recommendations based on YA novels fans liked… but I didn’t want to do hosting, so I told them that I’d write something with more of a narrative. Basically: a vlog because that would be easy to shoot, but it would have a story, so it would be scripted. I wrote the first one in a mockumentary style and wrote six more episodes, then when the company moved on to other pastures, I decided to go ahead and make the show myself!
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If you love modern takes on old classic novels, I think this would be your jam! If you DON'T love that, you might stick around for the comedic love story.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Obviously, they're peppered throughout just by nature of being so tightly related to classic novels -- and those are full of universal themes. But I think they play a bigger role in our last batch of books (8 and on) because Alice and the crew are allowed to grow up a little and experience The Real World and all that entails. College can be very protected; moving into a broader environment is a shock. We play a lot with "what's a young adult's place" as well as themes of love, love lost, and our reactions to disappointments.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
We worked in iterations; the first book was shot first, then books 2-7, and then books 8-13, as funding came through. I don't think the scripts morphed much from draft to final (I tend to edit as I go) BUT we did tweak scenes (sometimes ON SET, yikes) and the story moved in a more adult direction over the last shoot.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People love it! I love that people love it. We had a crazy successful run on YouTube and then shifted over to Amazon.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It reaffirmed that there are still nerds out there who read!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would love to connect to a broader audience and bring this little episodic story to a bigger group of people.
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 we're okay -- but if distributors think we can push this further, that'd be great!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would love for it to continue to inspire younger writers to pick up that pen.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I love the Dracula arc; our fans hated it. I look forward to hearing about that again!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
The Long Dig (sci-fi short film we're hoping to turn into a backdoor pilot). Check it out: www.thelongdig.com
Kate is also very active on Patreon/her own platform, Patronage: www.katehackett.com/patronage
Interview: September 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
Classic Alice
Living Life One Book at a Time.
Director: Assorted
Producer: Kate Hackett, Bam Productions
Writer: Kate Hackett
About the writer, director and producer:
KATE HACKETT: I have always been a writer; I think all writers will tell you that. In elementary school, I wrote books — two of which ended up in the local branch of my county library. In middle school, I wrote plays for my local community theater. In college, I wrote dissertations to fulfill my history major and stories to fulfill my creativity. And after college, I realized that I have a powerful tool to move my career forward in the entertainment industry: I write, I act, and I produce. So I started writing sketch comedy which gave way to a mammoth set of productions to create two feature-film-length seasons of Amazon’s Classic Alice, after which I returned to my sketch roots to create Not a Plan, also streaming on Amazon, and followed that up with a traditional sitcom pilot. Not content with so much comedy, I co-write The Long Dig, an upcoming sci-fi dramatic short film, which I subsequently produced. I’m excited to continue to build worlds, shape characters, and create stories with a voice that is underrepresented in the industry.
Key cast: Kate Hackett, Tony Noto, Elise Cantu, Chris O'Brien
Facebook: Classic Alice
Twitter: @TheClassicAlice
Hashtags used: #ClassicAlice
Website: classic-alice.com
Other: YouTube
Made in association with:
Funders: www.katehackett.com/patronage
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Amazon - Anytime!