When a phone scammer exploiting the elderly makes one last late-night call, the woman on the other end gives her much more than she bargained for.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Julie Sharbutt

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

After a successful festival run with my last short film, 3 Days, I spent the pandemic writing feature script after feature script, as well as short scripts and humor pieces. I had written Scam for a fellowship that ended up falling through, but I loved the piece and my friend Whitney Wolanin, a phenomenal producer, said, "Why don't we just make it?" I think it's a timely piece that speaks to the malicious underside of our exploitative society, but does so in a nuanced and darkly funny way that I hope makes a difference in public awareness of phone scams.

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

I love horror and I love comedy, especially when it's driven by women characters and creatives, and if you're in the audience, that's why I imagine you're watching as well. However, the subject at the heart of this film, phone scams on the elderly, is becoming more ubiquitous, and I find audience members often have family members who've been victims of these kinds of scams, and they see their own experiences reflected.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Everything I write is inspired by something deeply personal. I like to observe nuanced elements of social infrastructure, and then investigate it from an angle or genre that illuminates it in an unusual way. In this case, I liked the idea of taking a person who might be seen as a victim, the Woman on the phone, and turning her into a figure of mystery and possibly some supernatural power.

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

The idea and script came quickly, and then had to be finessed through production to accommodate the pace. The film has a fast, improvised pace that could only be achieved with precision, performance and editing.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Overwhelming enjoyment. The film is short, dark, and funny, and sometimes people underestimate it until they think about it a week later. By and large, we are so excited by how it's been received and how relatable people find the subject matter.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Not yet, though I'm curious to find what deeper thoughts it provokes as we screen it for more and more audiences.

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

I'm hungry to tell more stories, I love telling stories about things I find beautiful and important, and I'm deeply curious. I hope by making this film more visible that it will spark longer conversations between my professional peers and audiences alike that will lead to making and sharing more and more films.

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

We are early in our festival run, so any interest from film festival directors is very exciting and appreciated, as well as any support from journalists.

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

I would love for people to see this film as a piece of art that provokes action to help protect and have conversations with their loved ones about exploitative scams. I would also love the film community to see it as an example of women making cool and extraordinary horror comedy films, and giving them the resources to make more.

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

Do you know someone who has been involved in a phone scam, and what kind of person would do that to someone?

Would you like to add anything else?

I am so honored to be included in We Are Moving Stories' platform to support women creatives and women's stories.

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

I have several finished feature film scripts that I hope to produce when the time is right, including one based on the short film, Scam.

Interview: June 2023

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

Scam

When a phone scammer exploiting the elderly makes one last late-night call, the woman on the other end gives her much more than she bargained for.

Director: Julie Sharbutt

Producer: Whitney Wolanin

Writer: Julie Sharbutt

About the writer, director and producer:

JULIE SHARBUTT is an LA-based Genre and Comedy filmmaker and writer. Her films include Scam, 3 Days (Alter), Cupids (Co-Writer), Moved (Amazon), and several unproduced award-winning scripts. Humor writing has appeared in The New Yorker and McSweeneys.

WHITNEY WOLANIN is a Nashville-based Producer, Director and Editor. Her company TopNotch Entertainment produces commercials, music videos, feature and short films and more.

Key cast: Julie Sharbutt (Stef), Jackie Welch (Woman), Ted Welch (Ted)

Looking for: film festival directors

Facebook: Scam Short Film

Twitter: @juliesharbutt

Instagram: @jcsharbs

Hashtags used: #Scam #ScamShortFilm

Website: www.juliesharbutt.com

Made in association with: TopNotch Entertainment

Funders: Self-funded, family & friends

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Nevada Women's Film Festival/Las Vegas, NV - June 24
Wyoming International Film Festival/Cheyenne, WY - July 7