Vancouver International Women in Film Festival - Oh, I Get It
Seattle-based queer comedians are changing comedy using their own brand of humor, proving that social change is best served funny.
Interview with Director Danny Tayara & Sara McCaslin
Watch Oh, I Get It here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The film was made in 5 days for the 2015 International Fusion Doc Challenge. We made it because we wanted to represent our own communities on screen, and lift marginalized voices.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Because you like to laugh, and you like to feel good doing it.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Getting on stage as a standup comedian means being in a pretty vulnerable position. We got to learn a lot about our subjects through our interviews, but in large part, their jokes are a good insight to their personal lives and what they laugh about or struggle with (sometimes both) on a daily basis due to their identities. You might be surprised at what you can relate to, despite any differences between you and the comedians featured in the film.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
It was a 5-day filmmaking adventure, so it developed quickly! The first day was pre-production, then we did two days of shooting and two days of editing. The biggest shift we made in the editing room was around timing of standup comedy jokes, which would ideally be a responsibility left to the comedian, but we had to splice the clips somewhere.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
There's a different audience reaction at every festival. Progressive audiences seem to love the film. Suburban areas without much exposure to the queer community are a little quieter and apprehensive. It's interesting to see who laughs (or doesn't laugh) at each joke.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Feedback is always welcome, although we don't often receive it. Our hope is that even if an audience doesn't provide immediate feedback, they at least have a dialogue about it amongst themselves or continue to think about how comedy and injustice intersect and show up in other parts of their lives.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are in the very early stages of developing this short film into a feature film. Please follow us for updates! We'll be announcing our fundraising campaign (and putting the short film online for free!) once we get deeper into pre-production. Any contributions are appreciated!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Yes, all of that! Mainly we'll be looking for an Executive Producer and other donors, so we can fund production. Word-of-mouth is probably the most effective way to spread the message about fundraising campaigns, so even if your only contribution is to share on social media, you're helping us out!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Two things: We want other queer people, people of color, people with disabilities, women, and any marginalized group to feel recognized in this film. We also want to shift the culture of comedy in favor of the underdog that constantly ends up being the butt of a joke.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Perhaps not a question, but a bit of light reading. We recommend this piece by one of our featured subjects, Ijeoma Oluo: Comedy & The War On Free Speech.
Would you like to add anything else?
If you see us around at a film festival, please come say hi! Visit dannyanimation.wordpress.com to see other films by Danny Tayara and a list of festivals we play.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are currently workshopping the short film and its trajectory toward becoming a feature. Production is scheduled for fall of 2017. Exciting stuff!
Interview: March 2017
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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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Oh, I Get It
Seattle-based queer comedians are changing comedy using their own brand of humor, proving that social change is best served funny.
Length: 8m 31s
Director: Danny Tayara & Sara McCaslin
Producer: Stacia Beer / Union Street Films
About the writer, director and producer:
Sara McCaslin is a photographer, filmmaker and editor dedicated to creating media on underreported stories. Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, Sara is passionate about creating work on issues like class, race and gender inequality. She also serves as a youth and adult media educator for various organizations around Seattle.
Currently Senior Programmer with Three Dollar Bill Cinema, Danny Tayara is Festival Director for TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival and assists in programming for Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival. Past projects include The Curse, You've Got Tail, While We're Asleep, and a Behind-The-Scenes featurette for Megan Griffith's feature film Lucky Them.
Key cast:
Danielle K.L. Grégoire
Kathleen Nacozy
Ijeoma Oluo
El Sanchez
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/page.oh.i.get.it
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohigetitfilm/
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Executive Producers & Donors
Made in association with: Blanket Fort Films
Where can I see it in the next month?
Visit our website and follow us on social media for the release of the short and updates on the feature!