Interview: Laurel Vail on Directing And Writing WHAT METAL GIRLS ARE INTO
Michael Pementel
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Part of being an artist is evolving; developing their craft and interests allows artists to explore their potential and create. For Laurel Vail, much of her artistry has involved acting. She’s starred in various short films and features, but you may know her from Contracted: Phase II (where she played Brenda). It’s after years of acting that Vail decided to start a new direction in her career. As of last year she released her debut short film, What Metal Girls Are Into. Making the film has become a means of exploring herself as an artist. Not only did Vail direct, write, and produce the film, but she also stars in it.
In regard as to why Vail wanted the change in direction, she says, “Being ain actor often means waiting for someone to give you permission to do what you love doing. But if you make your own content, you take back that control. So that was one reason: I wanted to make something for me to star in at the time rather than wait for someone else to do it. I’ve also always wanted [direct and write a film], but never had confidence that I could. Then in 2016 I did a depression treatment called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which worked as well as anyone could have hoped. It cleared away the depression clouds in my head so I could finally focus on my goals. That summer I began pre-production on my first film.”
What Metal Girls Are Into follows three metal head girlfriends who find themselves in a dangerous situation while attending a concert. Clocking in around 15 minutes, the short presents a splendid blend of comedy, horror, and action. For the most part the short is hilarious, and in particular, will grab the attention of metal heads.
When it comes to stories about metal, women aren’t primarily the focus. They are typically lumped in with stereotypes (e.g., holding the boyfriend’s jacket while he moshes or a non-metal head love interest). In What Metal Girls Are Into, Vail has the characters flip these stereotypes on their head. They are just as rough as they are brutal and hilarious. For anyone who loves the music and has ever talked about it with friends, the dialogue between the characters will be immediately relatable. If you know a metal head in your life, you will easily think of them when you see/hear these characters.
Vail appreciates horror that plays around with comedy, and having that balance in her film was a key factor. “I just love horror-comedies,” she says. “It might stem from my fraidy-cat roots, but having that laugh to cut through the tension makes a movie more fun sometimes.”
She continues, “For this story, it had to be funny because they don’t leave when they clearly should. I usually hate it when a character makes a stupid choice for no reason other than to further a plot. In my film, they make a stupid choice, but they have a reason. A pretty ridiculous reason to the audience, but a reason nonetheless. I like when a film rides the line of ridiculous, but the characters all play it straight. Robert Rodriguez is good at hitting that tone. That’s kind of what I was going for.”
Vail spent much time developing the story and characters for What Metal Girls Are Into. Even while struggles arose during the film’s production, Vail continued to persevere, following her passion. “[For crafting the story], it’s the same strategy I usually use. Note cards, then an outline, then revise the outline a bunch, then draft the script, then revise the script a bunch up to and including when you’re on set. [I also] find honest, but constructive friends for notes along the way.”
“I started it in the fall in 2015, but in early 2016 I shut down from depression and didn’t get anywhere with it for several months. When I got out of that funk, I was much more focused. I wrote the villain older initially, then changed it to be a younger man. When I couldn’t find an exact location for the action I wrote, I found a place and re-wrote the action to fit that location. That’s the nice thing about being a writer, director, and producer; making those choices goes much faster than trying to reach a consensus. It’s also three times the work though!”
Vail also shares a special moment of hers during the film’s shooting. “After a shoot day went very, very long, the next day I gathered the cast and crew, and thanked them for working so hard the day before in sometimes freezing conditions. I remember saying, ‘Someday we’ll look back and laugh.’ And I think it’s true. At least, I hope so. I think most, if not all, of them have fond memories from the shoot. I’m proud of that moment because I convinced a bunch of amazing, hard-working, talented folks to spend five days in the desert, in December, to make this little film of mine.”
But with special moments also come lessons. “Don’t rush pre-production,” she states. “It’s very stressful. Plus, you might find yourself running out of time for things like story boards; these help you keep track of what shots you want so you don’t forget when you’re running low on time on set.” She also adds, “Get a producing partner. I don’t love producing. I had a great line producer that I brought in after I raised money, but I’d like to have a partner for the whole process. Directing requires a lot of focus and producing was another distraction.”
The director is excited for the film to be seen, both for the sake of enjoyment and for her career. “I am hoping it gets enough attention that I get to do more projects,” she says. “If you are a director, you need a film to show you can direct. This is my business card. I don’t think it defines my style necessarily, but it’s my style for this particular kind of thing. The hope is that it will at least open a few doors for me. And it would be nice if it gets distributed somewhere so more people can see it. For viewers, I hope they have a good time. I hope they get a little satisfaction from the film and the feminist themes. I hope metal fans feel seen.”
If you’ve seen What Metal Girls Are Into and loved it, you can expect more of Vail’s work in the future. In regard to making more films, she says, “Yes, please. I’m trying to get more writing done now so that later this year, after the short is finishing up a year of festivals, I can use the film and some scripts to try to get a manager. I figure it doesn’t hurt to come in with some ideas and writing to be taken more seriously as a director.”
“I have a lot of early outline drafts I need to revise and write out, mostly horror or sci-fi. I recently finished a first draft of a feature that’s very unlike me. It’s a romantic drama. I’ve been describing it as a Nicholas Sparks movie with way more swearing. It’s a little subversive, too I guess. For now, I’m not sure what’s next. I just need to keep working on some scripts so I’m ready when one of those doors open.”
In the end, What Metal Girls Are Into turned out to be a phenomenal time for Vail. “It’s been one of the best experiences of my life,” she shares. “I’m a lot more confident in my creativity and filmmaking skills. I learned so much about so many parts of the process, and I know I still have a lot more to learn. I’ve also realized I love directing and I’ve been shifting my focus to writing and directing instead of acting. While shooting I realized that I sort of felt like being in the film was a bit of a distraction from directing it. I’m not swearing off acting, but I’m not actively pursuing it. I just feel like directing might be my future now.”
To keep up to date on new info on the film you check out Facebook, or follow Laurel via Twitter. The next screening for What Metal Girls Are Into is July 6th at the Atlanta Shortsfest.
Categorized:Editorials
