Salute Your Shorts / Hollyshorts 2019 – Consent: a short comedy about a serious subject
A singer ignores her fan's consent in this romantic comedy gone wrong. An allegory about sexual assault with absolutely no sex.
Interview with Writer/Actor Rebekka Johnson
Watch Consent: a short comedy about a serious subject here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The #MeToo movement brought many accounts of sexual assault, harassment and rape to the forefront of American conversation. After posting, "You say why didn't she leave. I say why didn't he stop." on social media, I had many debates with friends and coworkers about the difference between sexual assault and a bad date. Consent: A short comedy about a serious subject is inspired by that grey area. I decided to tackle this dark subject with a comedic lens, using allegory, to make the emotional journey of a victim easily relatable. I wanted to entertain while encouraging people to think about sexual coercion in a new way.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It's a funny take on a serious topic. The music's catchy and the story is relatable yet surprising. It's the culmination of my life's work. I hope you like it... no pressure.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
As a comedian, I process pain with jokes. After writing a personal essay about the topic, I decided to use my experience with sexual assault to help people that are not victims understand the frustrations and difficulties that come along with feeling like you are being forced to do something you don't want to do. I flipped the traditional gender narrative and wrote songs detailing the point of view of an assaulter ("I Want To Sing To You" and "No Means Maybe"). At the end of the film, I had singer Jackie Tohn represent the right way to respect consent with her song "Tell Me Once".
Bill (Tate Ellington) and Manny (Oscar Montoya) watch Jackie Tohn perform
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I knew I wanted to show the journey of a victim but I didn't want to show an actual sexual assault (cause there's nothing funny about that...). It took me some time to come up with the perfect allegory. Once I decided to replace sex with music, I mapped out a bad date gone wrong by subbing in music for sexual coercion. I taught myself ukulele so I could portray the main character, Libby. I worked on the music with the powerhouse, Cyrus Ghahremani and we finessed the lyrics together.
Excerpt of the rollicking country-inspired song - "NO MEANS MAYBE":
No means maybe and maybe means yes -Just give over to me
I know best trust me baby -You will surely see
No means maybe, maybe means yes yes means more more more
You don’t have to say a thing I know what you're Asking for
No means Maybe and Maybe means yes and yes means more more more
Don’t walk away, get back inside, why don’t you close the door
You’re sayin’ no
Shaking your head back and fort
But I know (You’re scared!)
I’m the one who knows your worth
Where are you going?
Just where are you running to?
Don’t go running? I’ll run right after you.
Trust me, baby, when you say maybe, I know that you mean yes
Just take my hand and come with me I’ll take care of the rest
No means maybe, maybe means yes yes means more more more
You don’t have to say a thing I know what you're Asking for
In terms of the non-musical parts, the director, Kimmy Gatewood helped me edit and push the script to ride the line of the realistic yet absurd comedic tone we were going for.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have won some awards! 1st Place at Just For Laughs in Montreal, 2nd place at JFL in Vancouver, Best Writing at Blackbird to name a few! I have heard from several women that said they relate to Bill as a victim. The most interesting response has been from men who previously shrugged off some of the more minor #metoo stories. Many felt it opened their eyes to the toll being assaulted takes on a victim. Our response has been fantastic. People are laughing! And then thinking! And then talking! It's extremely gratifying.
Libby (Rebekka Johnson) sings to Bill (Tate Ellington)
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was surprised to be embraced by the comedy community with this film. Winning at Just For Laughs was a shock.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would love to get as many eyeballs on the film as possible. I hope to continue the conversation started by the #metoo movement and change how we view consent in our culture. Ultimately, I'd like to get funding for the feature version that I am writing and also make a graphic novel about consent for adolescents. The most important takeaway from my film is that we should all respect each other's consent. I hope it reaches the people that need to hear that most.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We would love to have distribution, access to more festivals, many more features and articles. It will help the film reach a broader population.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I only want to change the world. End rape, assault and sexual coercion - all while making people laugh. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What is the difference between a bad date and sexual assault? Why should I care?
Director (Kimmy Gatewood) and Rebekka Johnson discuss edits on day two of filming
Would you like to add anything else?
I would like to add that this film really hinges on the victim, Bill (Tate Ellington), portraying the subtle nightmare that is sexual assault. Tate is such a fantastic actor and I am so grateful that he was so open and thoughtful.
Also, Kimmy Gatewood directed the first day of shooting after coming off a night shoot on another project and had literally no sleep. She is a creative beast and I am lucky to partner with her on all things comedy.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Kimmy, Jackie and I are on Glow on Netflix. Season 3 comes out on August 9th! Kimmy is also directing an upcoming feature and many television shows.
I am currently writing and developing several films and television projects and just got hired to write for a new Netflix series based on Trolls 2.
Tate Ellington will be starring in Lincoln for NBC. Look out for it!
Jackie Tohn also has a musical project called, Powerfox and she is one.
Interview: August 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
Consent: a short comedy about a serious subject
A singer ignores her fan's consent in this romantic comedy gone wrong. An allegory about sexual assault with absolutely no sex.
Length: 13:53
Director: Kimmy Gatewood
Producer: Matthew C. Johnson
Writer: Rebekka Johnson
About the writer, director and producer:
KIMMY GATEWOOD is an actor/director who recently directed an episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for CW and Just Add Magic for Amazon. Kimmy directed the documentary Nerdcore Rising, which premiered at SXSW, the Clio Award Winning digital series Junketeers, Rachel Bloom's I Don't Care About Award Shows which opened the 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Show. She also plays Stacey on Netflix’s Glow and can put you in a headlock.
REBEKKA JOHNSON is a comedian who has served as a writer, actor and director on various comedic projects. She is a cast member on the hit Netflix show, Glow, and with her co-stars, was nominated for 2 SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Rebekka is also one-third of the critically acclaimed comedy trio, The Apple Sisters. She wrote and starred in the award-winning film, Consent: a short comedy about a serious subject and is working on a feature script with similar themes.
MATTHEW C. JOHNSON is a Los Angeles based producer & director. He directed Beerfest: Thirst for Victory, CW Seed’s first streaming feature film. He has worked with many of the major digital studios including Maker, CollegeHumor, Youtube and AwesomenessTV. He was the showrunner of the Buzzr Games channel for FremantleMedia, which won a Cynopsis D Award for “Best YouTube Original Channel”.
Key cast: Rebekka Johnson (Libby), Tate Ellington (Bill), Oscar Montoya (Manny), Jackie Tohn (Jackie Tohn), Sarah Lowe (Reyna), Dwayne Colbert (Bouncer)
Looking for: distributors, buyers
Facebook: Rebekka Johnson
Twitter: @HelloRebekka
Instagram: @hellorebekka
Hashtags used: #consentcomedy
Website: consentcomedy.com
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Nerd Ranch Productions
Funders: www.seedandspark.com
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Hollyshorts/Los Angeles August 16 at 7:30pm; Salute Your Shorts/Los Angeles August 18 at 2:45pm; Lake County Film Festival/Illinois Gender Studios 101 9/6 8:15pm, 9/7 2:45pm 9/8 6:15pm"