Chanteuse/bon vivant Scout Durwood has spent most of her adult life singing in New York supper clubs and dive bars, fostering a meaningful connection between audience and performer. Now living in Los Angeles, where IRL seems IR-elevant, she’s stepping onto the biggest, strangest stage of all: The Internet.

Interview with Writer/Director/Actor Scout Durwood

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

In 2017 I made a hybrid comedy/music album with Blue Elan Records called Take One Thing Off. As we started to shoot music videos, it immediately became apparent that the music on the album didn't quite feel complete without the comedy elements to go with them. So, we went back to the drawing board and I came up with the idea of a sketch-into-song digital series, et voila! Take One Thing Off: The Digital Series was born.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Our film is like a quiet attack on society: a steady erosion of all the norms and practices that hold us down. It taps into the wave of social change that is happening right now, but it's also really funny, visually interesting, and easy to watch.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

All of the vignettes are inspired by real life. These small little moments are poignant on their own--like how the fact that palm trees aren't actually trees is both an interesting tidbit of information, and also speaks to the much larger illusion of Hollywood.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Logistical challenges absolutely informed a number of the choices we made in terms of what was written on the page and what actually made it into the movie. That said, I was lucky enough to have some amazing collaborators on the project, so I am thankful for all the texture having to troubleshoot on the day added to the script.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We've had an incredibly positive response! Our series articulates a worldview that is just slightly to the left of center. For a lot of people who share our beliefs, it's refreshing to see them represented in a visual narrative. We're definitely a niche show, but in many ways, I'm really proud of that. Producing on the indie level is exactly where you can take risks and get away with it. So far, I am incredibly proud that we did.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Not my point of view, exactly. If anything, it's encouraged me to go deeper and "be the strange person I wish to see in the world." It did inform the structure, however. My second visual album is designed as a single narrative rather than as vignettes. More of a big meal rather than a series of hors d'oeuvres. We made twenty-two non-serialized, stand-alone episodes, but I think audiences wanted a little bit of plot to go with it. That hugely informed the writing of my follow up project.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Grassroot is everything. If there's one thing I've learned from taking on a project of this scope without a major studio attached, it's that you can't do anything without a community to support it. Producing Take One Thing Off has led to so many collaborations, large and small. I honestly believe indie production is less about "making" people work with you and more about "letting" them collaborate on a project they believe in.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Because our project was funded by a music label, we were under contract to release the videos online within a pre-determined timeframe, which meant we didn't have a ton of opportunities to pursue outside distribution. Distribution continues to be a huge goal of ours, as well as opportunities to serialize our narrative on a larger scale. Eventually, I'd like to serialize this "millennial odyssey" on a much larger scale, as either an episodic series or a series of feature-length narrative visual albums.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I suppose one always hopes for a positive impact and a warm reception. Let's go with that!

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What social traditions and norms that currently exist are helpful to society, and what ones are holding us back?

Would you like to add anything else?

Oh, no thank you. I feel I've already said quite a lot.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I have a scripted half-hour comedy series in development with a studio. Blue Elan Records is executive producing another visual album of mine, which Kacy Boccumini is also working on along with Kourtney Gleason.

Interview: October 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

Take One Thing Off

Length: 1:19:49

Director: Scout Durwood, Sammi Cohen, Bruce Allan

Producer: Kacy Boccumini

Writer: Scout Durwood

About the writer, director and producer:

SAMMI COHEN recently directed College Humor's scripted series Kingpin Katie. Other credits include Hollywood Darlings for POP TV and YouTube's Foursome.

BRUCE ALLEN is an award-winning live-action and animation director with extensive experience in visual effects.

SCOUT DURWOOD starred in MTV's scripted series Mary + Jane as well as Oxygen's Funny Girls. Take One Thing Off is her debut studio album with Blue Elan Records.

KACY BOCCUMINI works as an Executive Director at Sony Pictures and starred on Showtime's The Real L Word.

Key cast: Scout Durwood, Scout. Graham Beckett, Bing. Cory Robison/Joshua Charles Parker, Bong. Allison Scagliotti, Inner Monologue

Looking for: distributors, buyers, journalists

Facebook: Scout Durwood

Twitter: @scoutdurwood

Hashtags used: #TakeOneThingOff

Website: www.scoutdurwood.com/take-one-thing-off

Other: YouTube

Made in association with: Blue Elan Records

Funders: Executive Producer Blue Elan Records

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? We are currently on YouTube and were recently nominated for a 2019 Streamy Awards for Best Indie Series