We did another video Sketch Cram! It was so much fun- I am so impressed with the insane depth of talent and creativity in our community. Even with the insane restraints of social distancing we made so many great videos! I’d just watched The Taking of Pelham 123, so I wrote a sketch where the criminals forgot to take any hostages and was very bad at pretending otherwise. The amazing Tom Levin directed it and brought it to life!
On Saturday, Sketch Cram put together an entire show that we wrote, shot, and put up on Twitch in a day! Even though we can’t be together in person right now, Sketch Cram wanted to do our show. We decided that a video-only Cram would work well, and I’m so glad we did it. It was a little different than a normal Cram- we paired writers with video directors, and let the writers know what the video directors were working with ahead of time. For example: someone quarantining with their wife who is a comedian and can act on screen, someone quarantining with their non-comedy partner and a baby, or someone who is quarantining alone but has a bunch of wigs! Then the writers crafted their pitches to those resources, and we met on Zoom at 9AM and pitched like usual! The writers went off and wrote, and then we did a table read with the directors who peeled off to make their videos.
I was directing for Michael Hartney, and he wrote TWO funny videos that I thought I could pull off in a day. I just barely made it in time for the 11pm deadline! Phew! It was such a crazy day. Then, we hosted the show on Twitch, which I thought was an amazing platform! We had over 150 people watching live, and it was very cool to see our friends comment on the show live. I think when this is over I’ll want there to be a way for people to comment on our live shows live! I had a blast, and if you’re particularly interested, the two sketches I directed are at 21:36 and 55:27.
I wrote this PSA about dads who want their families to stop complaining about how hard they are to shop for last year at Christmas Sketch Cram. Of course, by then it was nearly Christmas and too late to make the video, so I saved it and made it this year. It was a very straight-forward shoot, which made it really easy and fun to direct the performances of the four dads! Rob, Doug, Kevin, and Zack are all so talented and actually real dads! Minki helped me out with the sound again, which is why it is good! Merry Christmas!
I made the video for Sketch Cram last Saturday! The way it works is that the writers write a bunch of video scripts in the morning, and then at 12:30PM I do a table read of them and choose which one I want to work on. Then I shoot, edit, and get the file to the theatre by 11:30PM. It’s a crazy turn-around!
As soon as I read this sketch by the hilarious Lani Harms I knew I wanted to try to film it! It’s a lot more complicated than the last sketch I did for Cram, which was two people sitting and having a conversation. This sketch required multiple locations and set-ups. I knew it would be a challenge, but I wanted to push myself, and also thought it was too funny to pass up. I don’t think I did great with the technical aspects of the shoot, especially the sound (you’ll hear how bad it is if you watch), but considering the whole thing was shot in three hours, I’m not too upset about it. I AM really happy with the performances and the comedy of the video. In fact, I am frustrated that the sound is so bad because I think this is one of the best examples I have of directing really funny performances from actors! Alex, Kelly Anne, Iman and Mike killed it. I really like directing actors for film, I think more than stage! I hope I get more opportunities to do it where I get to work with a DP and don’t have to wear every hat. Also, super special thanks to the doorwoman of my building who was SO game to be in this silly little vid!!!
I really like running, but I also acknowledge that it’s a very, very stupid thing to do- especially very long races. Humans should run when they’re escaping a predator or trying to beat their competitors to the most delicious berries on the tree or whatever. The first person who ran a marathon dropped dead at the end! That is where the idea of a marathon came from! So why do we do this to ourselves? That’s what THIS very silly sketch is all about. Directing Claire Burns is so much freaking fun. She is absolutely not afraid of being silly and physical, so we had a great time. Except for the helicopters landing and taking off constantly during the entire shoot. I can’t believe the sound actually turned out passable, considering, and that’s probably thanks to Minki Kim, who helped me with the sound! The only thing I really wish I had done different with this video is gotten a lot more shots of the extras. That B roll would have been nice, but I didn’t really understand how I was going to edit this when I started. Again, learning about how directing is a lot of managing people is very interesting! A huge thank you to everyone who was able to be part of this shoot.
My good friends Marina & Nicco were kind enough to let me direct one of their videos! This one was hard to edit because there were SO MANY good improvised takes from them that they made it nearly impossible to choose! I struggled a bit with sound for this one. We were in a room-rental type of space, and the room next door at one point had a child’s birthday party going on. It’s difficult to edit around screaming children, it turns out. There’s definitely something to be said for shooting somewhere you know you can control the sound. Still, the performances are so funny I’m really proud of this. You should check out the rest of Marina & Nicco’s work here!
Wow. I just returned from Nantucket, where I participated in a three week writers retreat at the Screenwriters Episodic Comedy Colony. We lived on a beautiful farm in the middle of the island. It was myself and three other insanely talented writers, in the second picture above: Mike Roma, Kat Kraft, and Callum Smith (learn their names- they are all going to be doing big things). We had writers rooms (in a barn!!!) where we gave each other feedback, and also received feedback from the amazing Eric Gilliland, plus Barbara Wallace, Tom Wolfe, and Bill Gullo. It was such a joy to focus solely on one pilot without any distractions for that long, and I’m so happy with where my script is headed. It’s definitely some of the work I’m most proud of. Then, we had the opportunity to pitch our shows to Susanne Daniels, of YouTube. It was an incredible privilege to get actual feedback on a pitch from an executive with so much experience and know-how. Also, to have other people take my work so seriously made me feel a million times more confident. Maybe this whole writing thing can work out after all? (Talk to me again in a month when I’m a ball of anxiety once more.) It all culminated with sharing our work at the Nantucket Film Festival. I was also honored as a finalist at the Showtime Tony Cox Brunch (first picture above). It was a very good brunch! The whole festival was beautifully run and excellently programmed- I loved all the films I saw, especially the comedy shorts, of course. So thankful for this entire experience, and now that I’m back in Brooklyn, ready to keep making stuff!
Here’s my latest video, SmartFinger! Stacey wrote the very funny script and I learned a whole lot shooting this party scene. First of all, we should have gotten more extras to fill out the “party” part of it, but that aside, I’m pretty happy with how I set up Stacey slipping from group to group for each beat. I’m pleased with how that looks. The end certainly would hit harder with a few more people, but now I understand that. With that in mind, this was still the MOST people I had ever dealt with on a shoot to date. It was a little overwhelming! I didn’t anticipate how managing this set would be different. Actors were waiting for long chunks of time, which made me feel guilty and rushed. There was also so much material to fit in, and with more people around keeping focus was harder. I had never noticed how managing the set’s tone is part of a director’s job. I think I got a little snippy, so I’ll be more prepared for the pressure next time (And I think I was. Stay tuned for my next sketch with more than TEN extras!). I also accidentally shot the ENTIRE SKETCH on the wrong shutter speed. On the plus side, I think the sound in this video is pretty good! Considering what a large undertaking this was (for me, a beginner filmmaker), I’m very happy with how it turned out!
The Nantucket Film Festival named me one of three finalists for Showtime’s Tony Cox Episodic Screenplay Competition. I am so thrilled to be a finalist. The pilot I submitted, Watch Out Gals!, is one that has a lot of problems! I kept re-working it for about eight months, until, exhausted, I gave up on it and sent it out in its current form. It’s funny, because a few pilots before this one, I wrote the script that won me the MINY Writers Room Fellowship, and I got SUCH great feedback on that from everyone, and NO good feedback on this one. People don’t like it! But it also has a female protagonist struggling with feminism! What I’m trying to say here is…send your stuff out! Don’t worry about! The lesson I’m taking from this, or rather the thing I am re-affirming from this, is to write write write and show people your stuff. Get it out there. Keep going. Take notes, BUT- you have no idea why certain things do or don’t connect with certain people. It’s why I LOVE Shrill but one of my good friends doesn’t. So you might as well put your stuff out there. Yes! Let’s do it!
I wrote this guy for Sketch Cram. It didn’t do great onstage. It’s a really quiet sketch, and it was surrounded by much higher-energy sketches, and I think for a midnight crowd it was just too small. But I really enjoyed how dumb it was, and thought that the energy of it might lend itself to a video. I’m very, very happy with how this turned out, and I think it might be my most successful effort in terms of it looking “ok” so far. Obviously the actors are lit here, but I think the romantic warm-colored gels help the tone a lot, and I don’t care too much that they look so lit. There’s only one shot where I think Ann Marie is really out of focus. So that’s one big thing I learned: don’t be afraid to shine some light on your subjects! Using natural light is great, but sometimes you need to use lights. I also really like the way shooting in my bedroom looks vs. shooting on my couch. I definitely learned from this one that where you put your actors matters. My couch’s background just looks drab, and I wish that I had shot Georgie’s engagement video elsewhere. Speaking of actors! Matt and Ann Marie are two of the funniest people in the game, and I think the casting was spot on here. Casting is an important part of a director’s job, I am learning! I think I always work with funny people, but it felt so easy to direct these two because I think their “types” work to help you make assumptions right away that help the joke of the scene. I hope you enjoy this one!
Stacey Kulow wrote this very funny script and I directed it! I find it very amusing because it definitely has two unusual things, and the sketch wouldn’t work without either of them. So sketch students, feel free to use this as ammo against me when I tell you to take out unusual things from your scripts!
Me! That was nearly two years ago when I proposed to my now-spouse, but in THIS sketch, you must actually guess who got engaged. Georgie wrote this and stars in it, I direct, and Alex and Iliana are hilarious. I learned J cuts and L cuts were a thing by watching some random Youtube editing tutorials, and I think the editing here is a lot better! Unfortunately, I still can’t figure out why the video looks so unsharp and pixelated on Youtube. It’s really bugging me, but nothing I try works! Welp, nothing to do but keep trying. My mantra: make stuff, make stuff, make stuff, make stuff…..
Eric Cunningham wrote this for Sketch Cram. I thought it was so funny I had to ask him if I could make it! Luckily I was able to get the amazing Mike Smith Rivera to act in it. I don’t know if it looks slick enough, but I was pretty nervous trying to shoot in front of the bank. We chose a Sunday for the shoot, since I figured no banks would be open on a Sunday, but then learned that TD Bank is KNOWN for being open on Sundays! Ah!!! We started to shoot, and the security guard walked over. My heart sank into my stomach. I hate getting in trouble. He watched us as we did a take, then just started laughing. PHEW. So, please enjoy this TD Bank Security Guard Approved sketch!
This started as a sketch I wrote for Cram. We ended up going with a different scene that day, but I really enjoyed the concept of how a mother would feel if a big-time sexy celeb like Ryan Gosling murdered her son. Leslie and Joseph totally slay in this one. I’m still figuring out how to do lav mics correctly, but I just keep telling myself this Andy Warhol quote I recently read: “Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” On to the next shoot this Sunday!
I had a little time to kill a few weekends ago and started watching You on Netflix. Like most people, I could not stop watching it. Joe! What a little freak! Beck! What an annoying drip! Gosh if I couldn’t figure out what either one of them was going to do next, and that’s great tv. It really got under my skin. When it came time for Sketch Cram, I came armed with several You parody pitches, but no one had watched the show!!!! So I decided to take matters into my own hands and shoot this dumb little parody. It’s the most complicated thing I’ve shot so far, and I’m pretty happy with it. I realized a lot about point of view when I sat down to edit that I’ll take to my next shoot. But despite my mistakes I think it’s better than the last videos I made, so I’m happy. To think that a year ago I was too afraid to shoot real actors, it really makes me feel like I’m making progress. Chris and Lani make a great Beck and Joe, and I hope you enjoy the vid!
I did it! I finally became a real comedian. I have a podcast. It’s not a comedy podcast, though. It’s a sports podcast. About the the greatest sport there is, women’s soccer. We’re calling it Settle the Score and it is all about the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Any time people are snobby or exclusive about fun things, I get very frustrated. Music, wine…sports. I think sometimes people like to make things seem rarefied so that they feel cooler for liking that thing. I remember always wanting to get into sports more as a young girl, but feeling intimidated by the dudes at school looking at me like I was an idiot if I couldn’t rattle off statistics. Even as an adult, I can be sitting in a bar, wearing a JERSEY for the team I’m watching on the TV, and men will come up to me and start quizzing me to test if I’m a “real” fan. It’s bananas, and I hate it.
The funny thing is, the best part of sports is the storyline! The types of things that anyone can easily follow. Essentially, soccer is a soap opera. Who’s better: Ronaldo or Messi? Can Neymar’s ego get any bigger?! Will Harry Kane put together a coherent sentence in this interview?!!? Oh the drama! These are factors that require minimal knowledge of the game. And I don’t think it’s fair that women and girls get excluded from this (and that soap operas are derided as a “woman’s medium”). And here’s the thing- women’s soccer is EVEN BETTER than men’s. There’s 100% less faking of injuries and just as much drama. So this podcast is for anyone who wants to follow the Women’s World Cup this summer. It’s your insight into all the storylines and will have you primed to fully enjoy the tournament. Follow us here or wherever you get your podcasts! And follow us on Twitter at @ScorePod Thanks for listening!
My friend Georgie wrote a very funny sketch for Sketch Cram in August, and I figured we should make it! I hope I did it justice. I’m still learning so much about video. Every time I film a new video I make so many mistakes, but learn so much for next time. This time around I used lav mics for the first time, and definitely will re-think how I do them in the future. I also would have shot the end differently now that I tried to edit it, but I think it comes across okay. Check it out and enjoy Georgie’s very, very funny writing! She, Ann Marie, Meredith, and Aileen were also joys to direct, as always!
Very exciting! My sketch, “Awful Voice,” was accepted into the Iron Mule Short Comedy Film Festival! You can see it on the big screen at Alamo Drafthouse (I mean, where else?) on Monday, December 3rd at 7PM! What a great excuse to eat the best popcorn in the world! Tickets and more information can be found here.
The voting PSA I made was a finalist, and now it is playing at Alamo Drafthouse! I saw it before First Man. First Man was an extremely pointless movie, but I didn’t care because I got to see my work on the silver screen (actually, the real reason I didn’t mind watching First “They Actually Made Ryan Gosling Boring” Man was because I ate an entire bowl of truffle parmesan popcorn by myself during the movie, but I’ll pretend it was the professional accomplishment that really brought me the joy). You can check it out now through November 6th at the Brooklyn Alamo!
This past weekend at Sketch Cram I got the opportunity to direct the video! Sketch Cram is a sketch show that's made in less than twenty-four hours, including a video sketch. I was pretty nervous about getting all the shots I needed and editing it in time, especially since I'm still learning how to shoot. Luckily, I think it turned out great! Becky and LaGina are both amazing actors, so I barely had to get each shot more than once. And David Iscoe wrote a hilarious script! Next time I'll make sure the sound is better, but I'm very happy with it!