5 Questions with Lauren Ireland
The colorful, fast-paced, “Turyn Goes to the Club,” by director Lauren Ireland, leads us through a surreal night at a dance club. We asked Ireland how how it all came together, what she’s influenced by, and what comes next…
1) Can you talk a bit about your background, and how you got into filmmaking?
Ok! I studied experimental theater in college, and wanted to explore video as a medium once I graduated. I started writing, directing and editing sketches with my friends, and putting them online under spATULA Comedy. That was a lot of fun.
2) How did “Turyn Goes to the Club” get started?
I spent a couple years learning sketch structure, with UCB and the PIT, and a couple sketch teams and comedy websites that I had worked for. After a while, I realized that I had wanted to get back into exploring darker themes through absurdism, so I made the first Turyn for Quickie Fest in 2017.
3) I love how absurd it all is, and how quickly everything shifts. How did you piece it together? Like, what was your writing process like? Did it come together like you thought it would, or did it end up feeling differently once filmed?
Thanks! That was what I was going for. I had written more Turyn scripts out before I had settled on this one, but decided that this one dealt more directly with violence (which is an undercurrent in a lot of the things that I write for myself.) I guess while I was writing, I did a lot of checking in to see if I was still writing for myself, or for what others expected of me. Before we went into shooting, in fact, I was advised to change some lines because I guess they were too self-aware? Ultimately, I decided to ignore that suggestion, because the movie is about gender roles and sexual violence, and so much of our English language is coded with those power structures.
4) What is a recent movie you’ve seen, new or old, that you think lives up to its hype? Also, if you care to talk about influences on your work, either film influences or otherwise.
I just watched Glenn Close in “The Wife” last night, and I think I want the last 30 minutes of that movie tattooed on my calf. What a fun anti-hero! I also really loved, "The Favourite," and appreciated Yorgos Lanthimos' departure from the primarily masculinized interpersonal violence of his prior films. Woooooo Olivia Coleman!
Influences...I saw the Vesturport Theater Company's production of '“Woyzeck” at BAM back in 2008, and ever since then I haven't been the same? Something about gallows humor and beautiful imagery has always resonated with me.
Also, our DP Adam Uhl made it mandatory that I watch Terry Gilliam's “Brazil” before we shot, which I for some dumb reason or another, hadn't seen. Growing up, I had watched a lot of Monty Python's surrealism, so seeing Terry's take on the dystopian was pretty cool, and definitely (100%) informed a lot of our shots.
5) What’s next for you?
I co-wrote a short film called "Faceblind Love" with Trevor Williams for Nerdist & Legendary Picture's Alpha Channel, so that should be coming out this year, which is exciting.
Contact Info
lauren.e.ireland@gmail.com
IG: @laureneireland
Twitter: @laureneireland