6. Kaitlin Scott
KAITLIN SCOTT CULTIVATES VISION.
She is a woman with a gentle and kind demeanor, underneath which lives a fierce sense of drive. I first got to know Kaitlin by getting into conversations with her at gatherings of our mutual pals. Kaitlin quickly became the friend I would seek out at parties because I know it will always be an interesting and deep discussion. At one of these parties, I told her I was looking for female music video director with strong vision for my music video idea for “Burn the Book” if anyone came to mind. I don’t think I knew her well enough to know that directing was her thing yet, and her response to this ask both charmed and inspired me. Smiling, she replied gently but confidently, “Well, me!” Since then, Kaitlin has directed two of my music videos with poise and vision, bringing to life my dreams of visually expressing “Minute” and “Burn the Book.” Learn more about how she preps to create her music videos and what she does to stay focused on achieving her dreams below.
Illustration by Emily Ohlrich (Ink+Oil)
This interview has been edited and condensed.
What do you do?
I’m a writer and director.
How long have you done it for?
Directing, not too long. 2 years, maybe. I’ve been writing off and on since college.
Where did you grow up and how does that influence your work?
I grew up in a suburb of Dallas, TX, a city called Coppell. It’s obviously very different than living in NYC. Film wasn’t really a thing people were doing in my community, aside from my friends who would make skateboard videos for their friends. But, I was always into art - I grew up drawing a lot. Drawing got me into fashion and making fashion sketches, which brought me into studying fashion design in school. I really did think coming to New York I would be doing design work, and I worked in costuming departments. I loved being backstage at theater productions. I loved being behind the scenes and creating costumes. Both my parents taught in the Theater department at North Lake College, so that was my first exposure to the world of production, even though theater is very different than film. I was always hanging out backstage or going to plays that my mom was directing.
What project are you working on now or will be working on that you are most excited about?
I am currently working on a short film script that is the prologue to a feature-length screenplay that my friend Rico Turrubiarte wrote a couple years ago. We want to eventually shoot the full feature, but we will submit the short film to festivals to give it some exposure. It’s a story about two rival gangs in a dystopian version of Los Angeles, where a female gang member ventures out on her own to start a new gang and save her younger sister. It’s fun and gritty and raw, very different than anything I have done, and I’m excited! It’s been in the works for over a year now, so it’s been a lot of rewriting and fine-tuning the script. It’s finally in a good spot, and we’re reaching out to producers and production companies and trying to find funding for it. It’s been submitted to grants, so hopefully we will get to shoot later this year!
How did we meet?
Through our badass lady friend, Anna Dempsey.
What is one hope and dream you have for the next year?
It’s hard to pick one, honestly. I would love to have opportunities to learn, to become a better director - better at a communicating and better at leading. I would consider it a very successful year if I come out of it with a lot of growth in those areas.
Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
I would love to meet Paul Thomas Anderson. He makes really unique films, and I admire his work a lot.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Music. It’s tough for me to hop on the subway or run an errand without listening to music. It’s cool because there’s so much music, and you can never hit the bottom of discovering something new. It’s inspiring to my work, so anytime I’m making a treatment for something or have an idea for a film, I always make a playlist. It’s the first thing that I do to get in the right headspace.
What is your most treasured possession?
I always keep handwritten cards. Those mean a lot to me.
What is it that you most dislike?
Definitely smacking or when people eat with their mouth open. For some reason, it hits a deep nerve in me.
What's the wallpaper on your phone?
My phone background has my goals for the year listed on it, so I see it every day. So I have on here, it’s just text. It’s a white background with black text: “5 commercials. 3 short films. 3 music videos” and that’s like minimum. Hopefully will do more than that!
Who is the last artist you listened to?
Miya Folick.
What is your favorite emoji?
The rosy cheeks, ‘ooh!’ Like the warm excitement emoji. Or the side smirk. But I actually heard - there’s apparently two camps of people on the meaning of the side smirk emoji. Some people see it as a ‘meh’ face, which is not how I see it. I always use it as like a ‘hey hey’ face, and then people will be like ‘Oh no, why did you say that?’
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Probably being freed from comparison, in all aspects - career-wise, in relationships. I think we spend so much time getting down on ourselves because our work doesn’t look like someone else’s or we physically don’t look like someone else. We envy what other people have, and it can very quickly lead to a lot of unhappiness. The opposite would be to really fully celebrate other people’s success, and count their success as our success.
Kaitlin Scott is a director that creates content that speaks to authenticity. Having collaborated closely with musicians, creative directors, fashion brands, corporate companies, and fellow indie filmmakers, she’s passionate about the process of creativity regardless of scope.
After studying Fashion Design in Texas and Design Process in Paris, Kaitlin began working with costume designers on short films and theater productions, where she was able to see behind the curtain of the production world and gain her first experiences on set. Captivated by the energy and pace of production, she gradually found herself pursuing her own film projects, where she wrote and produced her own work. When she moved to New York in 2016, she began collaborating with other filmmakers, musicians, and fashion companies, focusing on the process of visual storytelling through various mediums.
Kaitlin also hangs here: Insta | Website