Please tell us about your decision to become a filmmaker. 

I don’t think you make one single decision to become a filmmaker; I feel like you make a series of decisions. I started out in theatre and always had a fascination with movies. Who doesn’t like movies? With filmmaking, I had to learn through doing it. I grew up near a video store in Lasalle, Ontario. There was this special deal: three movies, three days, three dollars. In college, I watched a ton of stuff and powered through the classics, and eventually thought about how to make that transition from theatre to film. 

Which scene was your favourite to write?

There’s a bar scene in The Lower Plateau where two different conversations are happening at the same time. I loved writing these separate, incongruous experiences happening within the same space. One is happening on the phone by text; one in ‘real life’.

Which scene was your favourite to shoot?

It didn’t make the final cut but we shot a scene that was really tight in this place, Barfly. We also shot one at Cinéma du Parc. I always wanted to shoot in a movie theatre and I got to cross that one off my list. The character is just watching a movie. Another scene was shot during a blizzard, where three characters are having a conversation. A lot of the joy is watching the great acting and these great artists at work.

“Human relations. The importance of addressing conflict quickly, directly, even if you’re busy on set. Relationships are very important on set; they should be a priority.”

How autobiographical is your work?

I would argue that everyone’s work is autobiographical. You’re writing from your perspective. You’re inspired by people you know. The less aware or intentional you are, the more likely you are to write yourself into the story. I think you reveal yourself even further in subconscious ways. Stuart Hall talks about cycles of production. Every artist is consuming art and then adding their own lens to it. Walt Whitman said, “You shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself”.

What is the hardest lesson you learned while writing?

You’ll never be done and it’ll never be “perfect”. If you’re also shooting it yourself, the production will turn out different. There were all kinds of things I would’ve loved to see in the final cut, but off the page were not doable. A mistake that I made in early drafts is that I don’t think Jaine’s objectives were clear enough. We ended up rearranging the cut to address that more. 

What is the hardest lesson you learned while directing?

Human relations. The importance of addressing conflict quickly, directly, even if you’re busy on set. Relationships are very important on set; they should be a priority.

In terms of the craft, I think I should’ve moved the camera more in The Lower Plateau. I think there were a lot of long talking scenes and not enough movement. I love long takes, like the ones from Manhattan.

Whose work is most exciting to you right now? 

Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman). Issa Rae. Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The Duplass Brothers. Jeff Barnaby (Blood Quantum). My tastes are very mainstream. I like artists who bridge comedy and drama, who have a strong perspective, whose work is really personal. That tends to stand out for me. 

What is your go-to feel-good movie or TV show?

Sideways. The Office.

In what specific area would you like to see the industry change?

I would like to see greater transparency across the board. I think we should be more open about how budgets are built, how things get financed. I read about how Lena Dunham got financial backing for Girls with a one-page pitch. Phoebe Waller-Bridge… I used to think, “Holy shit, she’s a year younger than me!”, and then I found out that she’s basically royalty.

The Oscars drive me crazy. The industry argues that we should give based on merit, not on “diversity”. How can we talk about the so-called “best”, though? How do people even get to create those products and compete at that level, being able to afford to even do the thing at all? It’s not to say that these people aren’t talented folks, but let’s not believe for one second that they get what they get on talent alone. There are many other factors. 

[BLANK] is a f*cking perfect movie/TV show.

Philadelphia. I wouldn’t change a thing about it. BoJack Horseman for TV, except I would re-cast the character of Diane!

Watch the full version of The Lower Plateau here.