Kat Kemmet | Interview | TIFF
TIFF : Who are your biggest filmmaking influences?
Kat : When I look at filmmaking I am thinking about story and character first and foremost. Filmmakers that lean into the characters to drive the plot forward and their relationships with each other are what I have found most stick with me over time. One of the biggest films that I think about regularly when I work on a piece myself is No Country for Old Men. That film sticks with me as a filmmaker because it doesn’t shy away or hide from moments of stillness and silence, it leans into them. Everything from tension to plot is driven by the characters and their decisions and actions and nothing feels forced. While the stories I write and direct are not of a similar tone, I think about the expertise that went into that film and I can always turn to it for inspiration or at character and relationships.
TIFF : How do you develop your characters?
Kat : As with many filmmakers, I pull from life. As a writer, the stories come from either my own inner sense of truth and perspective or come from specific stories in my own life. I think about this in terms of character especially- it’s important to ensure all characters have their own voice and agency and feel like unique and like genuinely individual people- honest and raw, and this can be difficult. If I find myself getting stuck in a rut when writing character- I workshop my scripts with actors to see how they would be naturally inclined to say the lines or work through the beats. I have had times when I completely reworked entire scenes because the flow the actors found when improvising the scene worked better than what I had originally written on the page. As a director, one of the most important jobs you have is to find and hire the right cast. Everyone is going to bring a different energy and interpretation to a particular role, and finding a cast that brings out a unique color and their own ideas to the role is extremely important to me. Filmmaking is a collaborative process and finding a great cast can really bring new life to characters as written and liven the relationships that are on the page.
TIFF : How has the film industry changed since you started?
Kat : I’ve only been working in the film industry for about the last ten years, but even in that short timeframe I have seen significant changes. Most especially in terms of casting. I like to be involved in the casting process and see how the actors engage with their space and each other. It gives me a sense of how I want to film to flow. I would much rather work with actors in a room than receive self-tapes simply for the benefit of seeing how they engage with their space in a more open way- see what happens when they are given the freedom to play and also how they take redirection in real time.
TIFF : How important is the script to you in the filmmaking process?
Kat : I seek to maintain the integrity of the script while allowing for a full collaboration from my team, and ensuring continuity with the themes and writer’s intent. It’s the foundation of the entire film and recognizing the intent and the relationships and themes as written is extremely important. When I am not working on a script I have written myself, I specifically choose to work with material that has well written characters and thematic chords throughout and I explicitly consider this when directing in terms of finding ways to enhance the writing instead of working against it for the sake of ‘vision’.
TIFF : How do you see the role of film in society?
Kat : Film serves two functions and both are important. Film serves a function of entertainment- pulp that we can use to disconnect from stressors of our day-to-day lives and give us a break from traumatic experiences wherein we can escape and disengage. The other hand of this, and I would say the opposite side of the coin is the function of film as a tool of reflecting and engaging with our frailty and fallibilities as human beings. It can be used as a tool to engage with political strife, criticize and dismantle injustices by pointing out the inherent flaws in logic and reason that create them, and to build empathy and understanding in worldviews and perspectives we may not have in out daily lives. Film can make us face the music and ask questions that are uncomfortable or even taboo and come to terms with what makes us human and what that means at its deepest, darkest, and most intimate levels.
TIFF : What is your style of directing?
Kat : The way I operate as a director is to engage with the more Apollonian aspect of filmmaking- troubleshooting how all the pieces fit. I engage with every film a little differently and my style and vision are always evolving but the responsibility of a director is to find the right team and right cast to bridge all elements of the story in a cohesive and compelling way. Ultimately the vision is about engaging with all elements in a way that best tells showcases the thematic core of the story and eliciting a strong emotion response from the audience. I’m currently in a state of wanting to showcase humanity up close in a personal way- what are conversations we have with our innermost selves or those closest to us- where do we have pains that we hide from the outside world and how do those show up in normal conversations or arguments. I don’t tend to gravitate towards significant changes in color or angles. I prefer wider shots and guerilla style filmmaking that doesn’t feel overly polished.
TIFF : How do you handle conflicts or disagreements within the team?
Kat : It all depends on the disagreement. I’ve been very fortunate in films I have directed to have very little conflict on set. That said, the moments where I have had an issue- I prefer to handle things one-on-one with the person and keep the morale high for the rest of cast and crew. Especially on long-shooting days, it’s important as the director to keep things on a positive tilt as much as possible because filmmaking can be a draining process. There are of course always times when the issue cannot be resolved and that’s when you have to make hard choices and sometimes figure out how to best move forward with the project- and sometimes that means sending someone home early and taking up that mantle yourself or figuring out how to come together as a team to complete the project.
TIFF : How do you approach filmmaking on a limited budget?
Kat : I have always had a limited budget, so I would say- lean into what you have. Take stock of your resources. When I am looking for a script or I am writing my own- my focus is quality first. I tend to focus on locations I have easy access to or can use for free or relatively cheap- I work with the same teams as much as possible and lean into the expertise of my team in pro-production to make sure we are getting as much ground covered as seamlessly and quickly as possible. I would say having a solid team behind you and taking the time in pre-production to plan out as much as possible can save you tremendous headaches down the line and is work budgeting for. Use what you have- in terms of locations, props, set design. Focus on quality as much as possible. A simple story executed well is oftentimes better than a story that has extreme demands in terms or sets or editing, especially when working on a minimal budget. Write and direct for the budget you have- not for the budget you wish you had.
TIFF : What kind of impact do you hope to make with your films? How do you measure success?
Kat : Ideally, I hope that my films leave people thinking about them days after because it struck a chord. I hope to create films that have a lasting impact on some of my audience members because they relate to the plight of the characters or the heart and themes of the story in some way. Even if my films don’t change hearts and minds, I consider my films are successful if they send people with lingering thoughts and emotions about the plot and characters. I am always drawn to stories that reflect a plight that we, as human beings, often tend to avoid or downplay as black and white when reality tends to exist purely in varying shades of grey.
TIFF : Independent filmmaking often involves taking risks. How do you balance risk and reward?
Kat : The biggest risk in filmmaking is the decision to spend the time, energy, and money committed to a project. Creating a film is a massive undertaking and demands a certain level of respect for process and craft and all the elements that go into telling a cohesive story. Once you have chosen that risk- the other elements of ‘risk-taking’ are really more a matter of asking the question – ‘What best tells this story?’ or ‘What best engages the audience to the heart of this theme?’ and going from there. The reward is having a completed film that you can share with others. As long as you maintain the commitment to the initial risk of choosing to be a filmmaker and creating your project- following it through to the end insofar as it has an audience to view and respond to it- that’s the reward: following through on the initial risk to completion. In that way, I view risk and reward as directly tied to one another.
