When a dopey young exterminator discovers there’s another version of her out in the world, she begins to question her life choices. Having its Texas Premiere in the Narrative Shorts Competition, we talk with THE OTHER MORGAN director Alison Rich.
Is this your first SxSW experience?
It is! I am so thrilled. SXSW always seems to find the coolest, most interesting, most exciting new material. I feel very honored to be included and I cannot wait to check out the other shorts and features.
How did you first hear about SxSW and sending THE OTHER MORGAN into the festival?
I first heard about SXSW when I saw various filmmakers I admired getting into the festival over the years like Paul Briganti who now directs at Saturday Night Live and Jocelyn Deboer and Dawn Luebbe who made their feature debut at Sx in 2019 with their film GREENER GRASS.
Tell me about the idea behind your project and getting it made!
The idea for this film was born out of the fact that I have this bad and unhelpful habit of comparing myself to other people. It’s as if I cannot know how I feel about myself unless it’s in relation to someone else. And then I decided to explore that theme through this outlandish set up because I’m always drawn to over the top expressions when I’m making art. I just feel like what is the point of creating something if you’re not creating it in the biggest, brightest, weirdest, caps-lock way.
Who were some of your creative inspirations for THE OTHER MORGAN?
I love Taika Waititi, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle because all of them are able to strike that perfect balance between deeply hilarious and deeply emotionally resonant. I often struggle to balance humor and genuine emotion, so I try to keep those artists in mind when I’m negotiating that line.
How did you put this together from a technical viewpoint?
One of my producers Hannah Settle found our cinematographer Allie Schultz. Allie is an absolute pro. She came out of the AFI program, so she brought together a very talented crew and was able to get us excellent equipment including an Arri Amira thanks to a deal with Panavision. Allie and her team really elevated the project from just some comedy sketch to a real film.
Being all virtual this year, what do you hope to get out of the virtual SxSW experience? And where is your project going next?
The virtual experience provides an awesome opportunity for a more expansive connection. I’m hoping that people who would not have been able to make the in-person festival are now able to enjoy SXSW through this virtual version. I don’t know that attending a film festival is something the average person who is not in the entertainment industry does, but perhaps the virtual format will make film festivals more accessible to communities at large.
What would you suggest to film festivals as a way to show more short films or make them more accessible to audiences across the country?
I wonder if festivals could strike a deal with certain streaming services such that shorts are played before features or tv shows the way Pixar does with its films. I know nothing about that side of the business, but it seems like shorts are not a part of the general public’s consumption of entertainment the way movies and tv are. So I think injecting shorts into the forums where people view movies and tv seems could be a promising way to go.
If you had one piece of advice to offer someone to get their start as a creator or filmmaker in the industry, what would you suggest?
Just start making things in whatever way you can and do not be too precious about creating any kind of perfection. If you’re willing to endure the discomfort of making mistakes and making bad art, you’ll get to making something you actually like much more quickly.
And finally, what is your favourite short film of all time?
I absolutely love the short films of Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe, particularly their short BUZZ.
This film and many others like it will be showing at the virtual South By Southwest taking place March 16-20th. For more information and to register for the festival, point your browser to www.sxsw.com!