Butt Stuff
A man's sentient sex toy becomes jealous when its owner forms a relationship with a human woman.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor/Actor April Yanko
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
This isn’t the sexiest answer, but I made the film for three reasons. 1, I just finished my first film: This is a Garden and wanted to try my hand at directing solo. 2, I knew my friend had a puppeteering experience. And 3, I thought the term “front butt” was funny, so I built a story around it. (This is a Garden link)
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Well, hopefully, the idea of a killer sex toy is what got you into the theater in the first place. But also, I made the film because it was something I was really entertained by. From writing the script all the way through editing, I continued to amuse myself with the ridiculousness of the story. I was always funny. So audience members should feel excited because they will feel the pure joy I did while making it as they watch. And also marvel at the flawless acting of Cassie the Butt in her debut role.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Yes, Butt Stuff is a film about a sex toy come to life, but it’s also about what happens when our emotions run wild, how jealousy manifests and controls us, and how we can still find a happy ending even if we experience tragedy in our lives (not that kind of happy ending). It’s a film about how we can find our perfect match, no matter how impossible we may think that desire is.
The universal themes in Butt Stuff are present, but mostly, I want viewers to just enjoy the film for what it is: the horror rom-com story of a sentient sex toy. You don’t have to look deeper to truly “get” the film unless you want to. My hope is that a viewer can spend 8 minutes of their life laughing at its absurdity and forget about the shitty state of the world for a little bit. If someone sees Butt Stuff and finds it funny and familiar-but-new, I would consider that a success.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
When I started writing Butt Stuff, I only knew what the ending was. Incredibly helpful, yes! But I wasn’t sure about the horror aspect until I worked my way backwards. I knew Cassie was alive, I knew she was in a relationship with Jason, my main actor, but I didn’t know what the conflict was. I will say I’m incredibly happy with what it turned out to be, which also made for an incredibly fun set to be on.
Because the film is silent, I was able to direct during takes. That urge to ask my actors to just try this way or that allowed me to play with a lot of options while editing. It also let me shout a lot of weird things during takes which, fortunately, or unfortunately, you cannot hear in the final cut.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
While I want to say I didn’t care about others’ opinions because I just love the film so much, I will say the positive feedback has definitely given me a huge head, and now I’m just insufferable.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I think I’ve been surprised that people are so on board with the story. We’ve received comments about the tone shifts being fun and keeping the viewers guessing what will happen next. We’ve been told it was a sweet and wholesome film, which was 100% my hope. We’ve been asked questions on Cassie’s history, i.e. has she always been alive? Which honestly I haven’t really thought about but maybe there’s another story there for a future film.
Best of all, we’ve been told that the vibe is Adult Swim-y, which I was really aiming for.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
My super duper dream with Butt Stuff is to sell it to Adult Swim. Truly though, any worthwhile home for my little butt baby would be a place that honors and amplifies weirdly wonderful work. I hope that the more publicity and reach we can achieve, the more likely this goal becomes a reality.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Well, all of the above. Besides selling to Adult Swim, another goal of mine is to get literary representation. I think Butt Stuff’s appeal is broad in that it’s funny and charming, and not X-rated in the slightest (ha). I feel like there’s a perfect fit for it somewhere, and I’m incredibly open to any people joining my team that want to help us find that fit.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want people to finish Butt Stuff feeling like they just saw something that evokes a weirdly comforting nostalgia, like when you’re with your friends at 2 AM going on a journey through the depths of YouTube. A career goal of mine is to create comfort movies and TV, so hopefully Butt Stuff is the start of this journey.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I want people to question if Butt Stuff has a bad guy, and if so, who is it? Are the actions Cassie takes justified? At the very end of the film, you’ll briefly see my character: hopefully people will also wonder what happened to her (a nice ambiguous answer for you!)
Would you like to add anything else?
While Butt Stuff is intentionally very odd and whatnot, I hope I always come off sincerely when I say how much this film means to me. When people watch it and laugh, it warms my heart. When people ask me questions about it, I’m thrilled to answer. When someone shows interest just because of the name, I’m so hopeful that it lives up to expectations. I can be a pretty sarcastic person, but I am always genuine when I talk about my work and my feelings for it, even when that work is about a sex toy I got from Wish.com.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Right now I’m working on multiple original pilots to have my portfolio ready for my writing career. I am on the Pack Theater’s sketch house team Kickball, which allows me to regularly write and perform sketch comedy. As for future films, besides the 48, I’m still trying to find the next idea that really captures my interest and is feasible to make. Butt Stuff felt weirdly effortless, although time-consuming, and fortunately was easier to make with the resources I had available. Other ideas may capture my interest, but I know it’s important to work within my means.
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
Butt Stuff
A man's sentient sex toy becomes jealous when its owner forms a relationship with a human woman.
Length: 8:25
Director: April Yanko
Producer: April Yanko
Writer: April Yanko
About the writer, director and producer:
APRIL YANKO is a writer, actor, and all-around weirdo originally from Pittsburgh. She’s studied sketch and improv at UCB and the Pack Theater with incredible teachers like Sam Brown (WKU'K), Keisha Zollar (Astronomy Club), and Eric Moneypenny (Eric Andre). April performs with the Pack Theater house sketch team Kickball. You can catch her starring in The Party, a D&D webseries on YouTube. April’s a fan of cats, game shows, and pasta. All of her Neopets are alive and well.
Key cast: Jason Sealy, Elena Falgione, Cassie the Butt
Looking for: buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Twitter: @post_march
Instagram: @post.march
Hashtags used: #dwfla #weirdcore #femalefilmmaker #wtfdidijustwatch #womeninfilm #funnylady #whiteandnerdy #adultswim
Website: www.aprilyanko.com/buttstuff
Other: YouTube
Made in association with: Artie the Augury, Little Pinwheel Productions, VisionRey Entertainment
Funders: Seed & Spark
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Dances with Films/TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood - July 1st 11:45PM