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Director/writer Kelsey Taylor delivers on her feature directing debut with To Kill A Wolf. Tagged as a modern day take of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, the immersive narrative centers on Dani (Maddison Brown), a teenage runaway whose path intersects with a man billed simply as “The Woodsman” (Ivan Martin). Taylor spent over seven years on To Kill A Wolf, and she talks about why that long road was worth it.
One insightful advice Kelsey Taylor gives as a screenwriter is to write two versions of your story if you also plan on directing. Crafting a screenplay that is a gripping read should be your first script, with the second screenplay made for shooting.
“Reading a screenplay is a very different experience than shooting one,” said Taylor. “There’s so much more nuance when you see something on the screen, we get it, we remember it. We’re visual people. But in a screenplay, you’re trying to get someone’s attention.”
“I just have met so many people who will read a screenplay in an hour,” added Taylor. “People are just used to reading very quickly. It’s hard to get a sense of pacing in a screenplay, and I try to write in a way that you get that in my work at least. But yeah, I would definitely do two different versions to try to sell the execs on one and then shoot the one that is more trimmed down.”
As for the seven plus years it took to make To Kill A Wolf, Taylor must feel thankful for the film’s critical acclaim. Currently resting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, this movie will hopefully garner momentum as the weeks progress.
“It’s overwhelming and it makes me feel like it was all worth it,” said Taylor. “Every time I start to think, ‘Oh man, this movie’s been rough, was the last seven, eight years worth it?’ Yes, 100%. Every time it connects with someone. Every time it does a little bit to make someone feel better. Someone had just walked into one of our New York screenings and she said that she was just having a bad day and went to the movies and she loved the film, and it made her day a little better. You get caught up in a system. Wanting to put it out there on the right platform and in theaters and stuff. But it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how people get the film or see it. I just want to make films that have a message and that change people for the better.”
Check out Kelsey Taylor’s full interview below and also please check out To Kill A Wolf’s release schedule. Certain dates will have Q&As with Taylor and her crew:
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