Wesleyan University graduates Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy met on a film set in Coney Island. They immediately bonded over a shared love of character-driven stories and juicy filmmaking styles. They have collaborated on numerous music videos, shorts, and writing projects. “Blow the Man Down” is their first feature-length film.
“Blow the Man Down” will premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 26.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
BSC&DK: “Blow the Man Down” a film that looks at the bonds between women in a small Maine fishing village. The story asks the question: How far would you go to protect your sister, even if she wasn’t so innocent?
W&H: What drew you to this story?
DK: We wanted to tell a story about the women we know in our own lives—our grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and sisters. We tried to come up with ways to showcase the special power they wielded in our lives, a kind of feminine power. We also were excited about taking characters that are usually in the background and side roles in films and putting them at the center of our story.
BSC: We were drawn to telling a story about a fishing town, because like many, we both feel a strong connection to the sea. In this film, the ocean represents a sense of timelessness. This tale is contemporary, but we hope to invite viewers to think about women of generations past, and all the untold stories that have unfolded by the sea.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
BSC&DK: We hope the film inspires viewers to look at their grandmothers, aunts, and sisters in a different light. What are they capable of? What secrets lie in their past? We hope viewers can look at their own female relatives as three-dimensional characters with a whole world of backstory and inner life outside of their familial role.
We also hope viewers have fun watching this film.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
DK: I’d say time. Our cast and our team were incredible, braving the harsh Maine elements with smiles. Beating the clock each day to get all the shots we wanted was always what felt like the biggest battle.
BSC: Two Nor’easters that shut down production, rain that washed away the snow causing continuity challenges, and sub-freezing temperatures that made performing outside a real challenge for the actors. Basically, if it looks cold in this movie, it really really was.
We like to say that Maine weather was brutal to our crew but great to the movie. We cherish our snowy exteriors and dramatic icy breath and we feel that this film was meant to look “weathered,” in all senses of the word.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
BSC&DK: Our producers, Secret Engine, were the ones who found us an incredible partner in Tango, our financier. It’s worth mentioning that getting the film funded was just one of many chapters in trying to push the film forward and closer to a shoot.
In retrospect, that whole first leg of the journey—finding our producing partners, development, casting, and trying to get the film financed—was all about a waking up every day and asking, what does the movie need today? And then doing everything possible to make it happen. It felt like a challenge of trying to balance persistence and patience.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
DK: Steven Spielberg. My eighth grade speech was about him. And my dad, I think. He was always making home videos of me and my sisters when were kids.
BSC: I had a longer path than Danielle. Making goofy movies with my friends was always pure stupidity and procrastination. It never occurred to me to take them seriously. About halfway through college I remember watching “Lost in Translation” and “Morvern Callar” in the same week and feeling so elevated by both films—it was like a slow-motion realization that somebody made these and it was their job.
I could feel the filmmakers trying to say something, and I really connected to the main characters. And I think the fact that they were both directed by women really helped me recognize that it was a possibility.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
DK: Best advice I got was in trying to get the movie made, to get to production. A fellow woman filmmaker said to me, “You’re not crazy. It is this hard.” And that gave me a lot of energy to go on. I can’t remember any bad advice because I think I just tuned it out!
BSC: I’d like to quote Danielle quoting Jon Favreau when he was making “Swingers”: “If not us then who?” That saying really amped me up when I ever had doubts about this insane career path. People focus on production with making a movie, but for us it was years of writing and development, all while juggling day jobs.
That reminds me of another key piece advice I once heard Sarah Silverman say: “Keep your overhead low.” As a writer and filmmaker, your time is your most valuable commodity, and you need to make sure you can take time off from working day jobs in order to crank your script, throw it out, and try again.
The worst advice: “You should apply for your next job before you quit your current job.” That just drives me nuts. There is no better feeling than quitting a job you don’t like.
DK: Bridget has always inspired me to quit jobs and I love her dearly for it. She motivates me to keep it real!
BSC: If you could put “Inspired others to quit their jobs” on my gravestone, that would be great.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
DK: Fight hard to get to production and then keep fighting for your vision. Find collaborators who will help you stay energized all the way through.
BSC: I couldn’t have said it better.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
DK: We might have the same answer here! Lynne Ramsay’s “Morvern Callar” is one of the “all-times” for both of us. The storytelling and the visual style are so expressive. It feels so hungry for the world and for emotion. It reminds you what being alive is about.
BSC: You know me too well Danielle.
W&H: It’s been a little over a year since the reckoning in Hollywood and the global film industry began. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
DK: We’ve been pretty consumed with making the movie, but even from down the edit room we’ve felt the tides turning for better. A new level of thoughtfulness is becoming the standard, both in terms of representation on screen and industry practices.
Responsibility, inclusive representation, and respect at last feel like they’re becoming shared values of both people who make movies and people who go to see movies. We still have ways to go, but these issues are at the center of the conversation and that’s heartening.
BSC: I think that is beautifully put. One thing that I have found is that you feel much less likely to experience sexual harassment when you are in a leadership position than when you are working as a PA or support role. Danielle and I both know all too well what it’s like being the only girl in an all-male crew environment.
On our own sets we were able to choose people we love to work with who helped create a safe on-set environment. The more we put women in leadership positions, the less women across the board who will have to experience toxic work environments.
