Safety Work
A jaded young actress ends her day at a budget motel where she must face her choices. Dedicated to the invisible woman of the “Time’s Up” and “Me Too” movements.
Interview with Writer/Producer/Actor Alyssa Kompelien and Director/Producer Cheryl Isaacson
Watch Safety Work on Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
AK: I wrote the first draft of Safety Work out of fear of the choices that I might face as a young actress just beginning my career in an industry that was just beginning to show its dark side with the #metoo and #timesup movements. I wrote the film because of a few personal experiences on sets and in auditions that made me see my career choice in a different way. I was often left feeling like I was doing something wrong if I made a big deal about the things that were being said to or asked of me and guilty for not speaking up after seeing that there were no repercussions for these people. Situations like this are so complicated and twisted, which is why it is so difficult to tell someone what they should have done in a situation. In each instance, I did what I felt I needed to do to stay safe, which is where the title of the film comes from. Safety Work is the conscious or unconscious actions women take every day in order to stay safe.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
AK: While the setting of the story is in the film industry, there are themes in the film that are universal to all industries and all women. We hope to continue to add to an important conversation around consent, the Time's Up Movement, and the things we as a culture need to be doing to continue supporting, protecting, and respecting women.
CI: The film is a short ride into the tangled space of transactional relationships. We’re just beginning to look honestly at this stuff and I’d like the film to start some conversations.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
AK: Even though Safety Work is a short film, it touches on a few big themes including consent, the Me Too movement, the Time's Up movement and the dark side of the film industry, and of course, safety work. We chose Safety Work as the title because it is a term that we have found people often haven't heard of, but know exactly what it is. When I tell any woman the definition of the term, they immediately resonate with it and begin to tell me examples of safety work they have adopted. I think it's something women are taught starting at a young age, but it's rarely talked about openly. Putting a name to what we are doing all the time whether we are aware of it or not is freeing and comforting to know that you are not the only one with this underlying awareness or anxiety about safety.
CI: Women’s choices are never simple. As a woman who has spent many years in a male-dominated industry, this script feels familiar.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
AK: The first draft of Safety Work was fairly bare bones. I approached Cheryl with it asking her to just give me any notes and advice. I didn't realize it at the time, but in talking to Cheryl about the story I had written and the back story of the protagonist, the heart of the story came to the surface and it was Cheryl who was able to point that out to me. I am very thankful to Cheryl and the people on our team who saw what this story was about and helped me to refine it. The film went through many drafts and the interesting thing is that the final film is actually very close to what the first draft was with a few key differences we made to clarify the story. The heart of the story is still there with the clarity needed to tell it effectively.
CI: On the practical side, budget and location constraints are the creative boundaries that shape indie projects like ours. We lost our planned audition location the morning of the shoot and had to scramble to reblock a planned scene when our motel room was no longer available. Filmmaking is often about calm re-thinking on the clock.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
AK: In pre-production, we were having a lot of people read our script drafts. We heard a lot of different feedback about the choices the protagonist made and the things that end up happening because of those choices. I think the film elicits different reactions from people because of our own personal experiences. Some people have said they relate to Lily, but some people have also shown anger or even sadness, concern, fear.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
AK: Some of the feedback was surprising to me, but made me realize how situations like this are so fragile and murky. One incident can be interpreted in so many different ways because of our own experiences in life and personally formed viewpoints. It's easy for someone on the outside to look at a situation and say what another person should have done, but there are so many more emotions and thoughts surrounding these situations that inform decisions in these types of terrifying situations. The feedback has challenged me to look at many different viewpoints, even if I do not agree with them, which in turn has helped me to refine the story and the message we want to share.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
AK: We are just hoping to spread the word about the film and continue in this conversation. We are eager to be telling this story and even though it is a short film, we believe it can be a mighty tool in the conversation around consent, Time's Up, Me Too, and Safety Work.
CI: I’d also like to have more people become familiar with Alyssa’s work. She was a joy to work with on this film and brings a real sense of decision to her performance of Lily. I’d love to see her have more opportunities to sink her teeth into other roles.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
AK: We are currently submitting to festivals so getting the word out about our film and making relevant connections is important to us right now. I personally hope that this journey with Safety Work will be the beginning of a journey into the next steps of my career. So connecting with producers, directors, and other filmmakers is important to me too.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
AK: At this point, my hope is that we will have a really good festival run with the film and have the opportunity to continue in the conversation around the themes of our film. The film is small and there is a lot we want to say through it so it feels good to be able to explain our intentions around the film and the reasons we felt passionate about making it.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
AK: I think a big question that sparks a lot of comments around the film is "why would someone make the choices Lily made at the beginning of the film and why would she change her mind in the end?" I have found a lot of people almost asking this question naturally after seeing the film and it usually starts a really interesting conversation.
CI: In the wake of the public outing of a man who has used his power to harass, control and assault women, we often hear a conversation around his artistic value and how much we supposedly lose if these "auteurs" are removed from our culture. What we don't often see is the story of the women whose potential they erased. I’d like Safety Work to start people thinking and talking about that invisible woman's story and her potential.
Would you like to add anything else?
AK: I'll add that the story is dedicated to all the women who walked away from pursuing their art because of what happened to them, to the women who were blacklisted because they said “no”, to the women who said “yes” out of fear of what might happen to them otherwise, and to all the women whose voices were silenced and whose talent and voice will not be shared with the world. Our voice and our art is our power and we hope this story will help to continue necessary conversations about change. We have a lot we want to say through this film and are excited to be able to have conversations around these topics.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
AK: I am currently in post-production with another short film I also wrote, produced, and acted in titled Run. It's a dark comedy and mostly just a fun story. I'm also always busy with wardrobe and set styling in the Bay Area.
CI: I write and direct branded content by day with my production company, Lincoln Street Studios, but I’ve got a narrative project simmering as well. My last film, BLiP, just finished its festival run and another short, as well as a potential feature, are in the works. One of my other films, The Fetch, was selected for a female filmmaker anthology that will have screenings to benefit the Times Up Legal Defense Fund. And, I always have my eyes peeled for new projects center nuanced women in unexpected ways.
Interview: July 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
Safety Work
A jaded young actress ends her day at a budget motel where she must face her choices. Dedicated to the invisible woman of the “Time’s Up” and “Me Too” movements.
Length: 5:00
Director: Cheryl Isaacson
Producer: Alyssa Kompelien and Cheryl Isaacson
Writer: Alyssa Kompelien
About the writer, director and producer:
CHERYL ISAACSON is a Director / Writer who is drawn to unlikely female-driven stories with nuanced characters. A commercial director by day, Cheryl helms Lincoln Street Studios. Cheryl was also Creative Producer on Cleaner Daze, a tragicomic web series centered in a teen rehab facility. The show won Best Writing at ITVfest, Best Series at Austin FF, was nominated for a Gotham Award, and named Indiewire's #1 Web Series of 2018. www.cherylisaacson.com - www.lincolnstreetstudios.com
ALYSSA KOMPELIEN is an actress, stylist and filmmaker based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Alyssa studied at SJSU and received her B.A. in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Performance Studies in 2013. 2018 and 2019 brought opportunities for Alyssa to write, produce, and act in her own films one of them being Safety Work. Alyssa is honored to have the opportunity to be telling this story inspired by her own experiences. www.alyssakompelien.com
Key cast: Alyssa Kompelien (lead: Lily), Bradley Winch (Supporting: Casting Director), Michael Abts (supporting: driver)
Looking for: journalists, film festival directors
Instagram: @akfilmstagram
Hashtags used: #safetyworkfilm #metoo #timesup #timesupnow #femalefilmmaker
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Lincoln Street Studios
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? We will have our official screener in the next week and then we will be submitting to festivals beginning in July. We will announce our premiere as we hear back from festivals.