Cutter Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Cutter directed and written by Lindsay Young + Dan Repp as part of the Pendance Film Festival.

What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?

CUTTER is the title. We wanted to be straightforward about the subject of the film.

Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.

It all started with setting a goal to make a horror short with well-developed characters and a memorable monster. We decided to take on self-harm because it is an issue that is hard to talk about and not talked about enough.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

Visually we were inspired by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury films with a focus on the color and style of their hard to watch feature INSIDE. Kudos to our DP John Knudsen and our Colorist Candice Mars Williamson for bringing that inspiration to life and putting their own style to it

What is the goal of the film for you?

In addition to the goals mentioned earlier, we realized CUTTER is a mother and daughter drama at heart, so we tried to get as many women involved in the project as possible. We ended up with a majority female cast and crew, and we feel that the feminine energy we had on set and in production is felt in the film.

What has the journey been like getting the film into production?

From the start, we decided not to rush any aspect of production. We took the time to get it right, starting with writing 22 drafts of the script over about a year. We were lucky to already know a lot of talented people who we were able to involve. We especially benefited from the experience and guidance of our friends and producers, Bears Rebecca Fonte and Scott Honea.

One thing you learned from this project?

Dan – I learned how to process criticism and how to really listen to everyone involved. I feel that everyone from the Production Assistants to the Special Effects Team contributed something to the film. Even when Lindsay and I did not agree with certain criticism, it still forced us to look at the issue to see what made it stand out to the person who pointed it out.

Lindsay – I learned to trust that everything will work itself out, as long as you keep going. I kept waiting for things to get easier during this process, but one thing just leads to the next. Everything that shifted created an opening for someone/something else we hadn’t originally intended – that’s just a part of the deal with filmmaking. Expect the unexpected. You’ll be fine.

How can folks find you and your film online?

The film is only screening at festivals right now, but they can keep up with us and find out where we are playing by following our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cutterthefilm

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

Dan – My film career path changed once I started networking and working with filmmakers that had more experience than me. It is a challenge to get out of your comfort zone, but after I did, I learned so much and found a ton of inspiration. A second thing I learned was if you hire someone with more experience, don’t be afraid to challenge them and demand their best. In the end, it is your vision.

Lindsay – Get as much feedback as possible. It can be scary to ask for, because it means signing yourself up for more work and possibly bruising your ego. But oftentimes, people will point out things that you already knew, and you just needed someone else to say it to confirm your own instincts. That’s actually a great feeling. Take feedback that rings true to you and ignore the rest.

The Pendance Film Festival runs from March 10-13, 2022.

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