5 Questions with Tom Levin

In “Robyn & Robin,” a new satire directed by Tom Levin, a pair of wealthy young activists describe their brand of celebrity worship. We asked Levin how the project started, what the biggest challenge was, and what comes next for him…

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I first got interested in filmmaking when I was a kid- I would watch movies, draw pictures afterwards of what I had just watched, and then have my mom film me presenting the drawings. In high school I started making short films with my friends, and that never really stopped. I moved to NYC and became very involved in the UCB, which is where I met most of my closest collaborators. Nearly everything I’ve ever directed has had some element of improvisation.

2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?

Langan and Aaron had this initial idea of playing a couple that thought of themselves as ground-breaking activists, but in reality were just very, very dumb. We fleshed out a few ideas in advance we knew we wanted to film, and the rest of it was improvised and found on the day.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the best, and the least?

The biggest challenge in this film was the editing- we had a ton of footage, and there were several different directions it could’ve gone. The first cut was much longer, and we ended up cutting out a bunch of stuff we loved but that didn’t quite fit in the final thing.

Generally speaking, my favorite part of the creative process is organically finding something new and exciting on it’s feet. Many of my favorite moments in projects I’ve done in the past were things that weren’t planned, but ended up feeling more interesting than what we had initially attempted to do. My least favorite part of the creative process is pre-production. Basically all of the logistical challenges you face in between the idea and the first thing you shoot.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

Leave No Trace, directed by Debra Granik. It’s a lovely, beautiful story that’s told in a very subtle way, and goes in some unexpected directions.

5) What’s next for you?

I made a movie with Connor Ratliff at the end of September called “Connor’s Pizza”, which I recently started editing. We are hoping to have that released sometime next year.

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Website: http://tomlevinfilm.com

IG: @ninetenlevin
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