5 Questions with Kate Hopkins & Emily Kron ("Deceased Ones")
Emily Kron (left), Kate Hopkins (right)
1) Can you talk briefly about your backgrounds, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
Kate studied acting at NYU in the experimental theater wing and Emily has a liberal arts degree from Middlebury, where she studied theater and psychology. We first worked together when Emily asked Kate to direct a web series she was making about wayward, pot-smoking babysitters and so naturally, a magical collaboration was born! We connect to our shared love of the filmic medium because we feel the type of darkly comedic storytelling we're compelled by is most effective in that forum. For a few years, we created digital media content, including web series and music video, and then began to dip our toe into film and tv writing/directing/producing. Deceased Ones is a short film, which also functions as a proof of concept for an episodic series, and really encapsulates our tonal interests as artists.
2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?
A shaman told Emily that she was a reincarnation of her dad's dead sister. We developed this seed into a story about role play in the context of grief.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?
We shot this film in LA. We went out to LA in the winter of 2019 with very little money, no housing and the hope of shooting this script. We relied heavily on our community and received great recommendations for crew and collaborators, whereupon we found an incredible DP (Ludovica!) and a fabulous location, in which we shot the entire project. So honestly the hard part was money; it always is. This isn't very sexy to say but it's the truth. The easiest part was getting onto set and feeling how palpable and natural the chemistry was amongst the actors and their ability to dive into the circumstances of the story.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
We recently watched Adaptation together, Emily for the first time and Kate a rewatch. It really is such a truly brilliant and insane film that tackles the agony of being an artist in such a visceral, hilarious and relatable way. We don't necessarily want to make art about making art but we are interested in storytelling with a meta nod or frame that continues to peel back layers of identity, so this movie was particularly inspiring to us in this moment.
5) What’s next for you?
We shot a short film this past fall and are super excited for the upcoming festival opportunities for that project! We are also developing the episodic series of Deceased Ones and pitching the show to producers and production companies. (If you wanna hear the pitch - call us, baby!)
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https://www.grandmasbeachhouse.com/ | IG: @katelady | @emkron | Twitter: @EmilyKron1