On Production and Episodic Film Writing: Kate Tolo and Connie Saltzman of Project: Girl (Part 2)
The Project: Girl crew on set this February
Photo by Alexandra Nielsen
Hey y'all!
We're back again with the rest of the interview with Kate Tolo and Connie Saltzman of Project: Girl. Last time we talked about creative input and film as a creative medium. This time, #BossBabesATX staffer June Chee opens the floor to talk about fears, inspiration, and what you can expect from the great babes of Project: Girl.
Read below for great words of wisdom:
5. Who inspires you? Who inspires your work?
Kate: Oooo I love Puberty Blues, an Australian TV show about going through adolescence in the 70's
Connie: Ah! I love Lena Dunham and the last season of Girls--her candidness and honesty is inspiring. Also, the film Moonlight really stuck with me--I was inspired by how the drama never felt added or unnatural. We were simply following a boy through his life and experiences and the power of somebody's personal story is what carried everything.
6. What scares you? Did you have any concerns or unexpected setbacks when creating Project: Girl?
Kate: Ahh something that scares me is that I don’t want a girl to watch one of our episodes and not be able to relate to it at all--I recognize that I am Western and white, and my upbringing can be completely different to someone on the other side of the world--or even just in another neighborhood. Something we talk about a lot is making sure we reach out and bring people into this project who are able to provide completely different perspectives and stories.
Connie: Yes, definitely what Kate said. We get the importance of diversity and we want to bring in as many different perspectives as possible, so it’s always a concern. Girlhood is not one thing. Other than that, the setbacks have just been learning curves: financial, and trying to figure out how to fund the series, how to create the connections so that the series will be seen by as many people as possible...
Kate Tolo, Connie Saltzman, and Stephanie Bonner, co-founders of Project: Girl
Photo by Alexandra Nielsen
7. What do you see as the final outcome of Project: Girl? Will it ever be finished?
Kate: I love this question. I want to see a database of women’s stories that is a new resource for girls to comb through when they feel alone in their experience. Aaaanndd I hope there’s never an end.. It would be great for eventually the community we’re building to take it on themselves.
Connie: Oh! So much, but I try not to get ahead of myself. I really love the structure of our films--each one based on a true story, following one girl, and under 5 minutes. I would love for there to be Project: Girl groups in schools and organizations around the country so girls and women can be collecting and sharing their own stories and making their own films. What that would hopefully lead to is Project: Girl screenings and film festivals with talk-backs and amazing female-empowered sponsors and prizes and conversations about girlhood and what it means to be a girl!!! How fun would that be!
8. Where can people submit their experiences to Project: Girl?
Connie: We've been collecting stories from girls and women and have written 10 scripts based on the stories we've received. We shot two of those scripts, and are currently fundraising to shoot the rest of them.
Kate: Stay tuned for our story submission area on our website that we're working on--in the meantime, please email (projectgirlseries @gmail.com), facebook message, instagram direct, or bling our hotline. We are also always looking to expand our team, so please connect if you want to be a part!
You can find Kate Tolo on Instagram and on her website, and you can find Connie on Instagram as well.
And if you're in NYC this coming week, you can check out Project: Girl's launch event this Thursday, June 1. We highly recommend!
Tickets and more information available here.