“ASPIRATIONAL SLUT is a romantic sex comedy about a woman learning how to become a SLUT shot in the style of a Quentin Tarantino film.” Director Caroline Lindy on ASPIRATIONAL SLUT which screens at SxSW 2022.
Welcome to SxSW and congratulations! Is this your first SxSW experience?
This is my first SxSW experience! My family isn’t allowed to attend the premiere, because my film is very inappropriate, but everyone at the festival is invited.
How did you first hear about SxSW and wishing to send your project into the festival?
Some of my all-time favorite movies have come out of SxSW like A QUIET PLACE, KNOCKED UP & BRIDESMAIDS. The festival is a champion of new voices; it takes risks and isn’t afraid to make a statement. My film is genre-cracking, bold and SxSW felt like a natural fit.
Tell me about the idea behind your project and getting it made!
I got dumped and started dating a lot even though I’m basically a monogamous creature. ASPIRATIONAL SLUT is a story that came out of this period, and is an attempt to reclaim the word “slut” and remove the element of shame. Sometimes we need to separate love from sex in order to grow and change. After I wrote the script, I gathered a bunch of friends and shot the film in two days. The shoot was a lot of fun with only the occasional awkward moment. It’s hard to direct your best friends having sex.
Who are some of your creative inspirations? Any particular filmmaking talent or movie that inspired you for the short?
I am a huge Nora Ephron and Quentin Tarantino fan. Nora Ephron’s movies are drenched in heart. She tugs at my heartstrings like no other filmmaker; she makes me hope, dream, cry, feel. Quentin Tarantino does the same thing to me, but in a different way. He shocks me with his creativity and his ability to twist things and challenge us. ASPIRATIONAL SLUT was heavily influenced by KILL BILL and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY.
How did you put this together from a technical viewpoint? What sort of cameras/lenses did you use and/or did you have any creative challenges in making it?
The film was shot on a RED Dragon and, because we we were going for a Quentin Tarantino stylized look, we used vintage Cooke zoom lenses and played around with shadows, spotlights and rich, dark colors.
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?
Have more online screenings!
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 movies! Whether it’s 30 seconds long or two hours, just start.
And finally, what is your favourite short film of all time?
THE SNOWMAN by Dianne Jackson and Jimmy T. Murakami.
This film and many others like it will be showing at South By Southwest taking place March 11-20. For more information point your browser to www.sxsw.com!