Why Making a Film is the Only Thing That Can Ever Really Prepare You for Making Your First Film

The quality of this summer’s offering of independent films has just been utterly ridiculous. There have already been so many new voices, new perspectives, and unique stories hitting the big screen and now we can add Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West to the list as yet another standout title. The film, which earned the coveted Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance follows Ingrid Thorburn, an unhinged social media stalker, frenetically brought to life by Aubrey Plaza, who moves to LA in an attempt to make friends with her latest obsession, the boho-chic social media influencer, Taylor Sloane, a character that’s oh-so convincingly played by Elizabeth Olson. Even with a hilarious cast and chuckle-worthy premise, it's hard to call Ingrid Goes West a comedy, in the truest sense of the word, because, well, it is really, really, creepy. The disturbing tone carefully planted beneath the film's shimmering Los Angeles foreground will stick with you long after you've left the theater.  For Spicer, who penned the film along with David Branson Smith, this was the culmination of a ten-year journey from screenwriter to director. He joins us this week to discuss the steps he took to make this film happen, the pros and cons of social media’s new role in the film industry, and how making a film is the only thing that can ever really prepare you for making a film.

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