Rows of young fans stretch across Broadway. Many selfies were taken in the crowded lobby. Wild applause as anticipation built inside, followed by periodic screams during the opening speech of Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal. Screening of a short film that turned into a pop concert, complemented by singing.
It is safe to say that this was not your standard event at the film festival. But what else do you expect when the festival, now in its 20th year, decides to leave the newly formed Dr. Taylor Swift to consider making films in honor of her short music video called All Too Well: The Short Film ? Released in November and directed by Swift herself, it fits in like a glove at the festival, as the production partly took place in the actual Tribeca district of New York.
Swift herself chose a moderator: Mike Mills, a director close to Swift’s colleagues at The National, including their 2019 short film I Am Easy to Find. “I’ve watched it so many times, but every time I watch it, I go through every range of the most intense types of emotions,” Swift said in his reflection, proving that even events like this make the artist think of every detail.
After a screening of the 15-minute short film starring Stranger Things actor Sadie Sink, during which the audience sang key lyrics (“Fuck the Patriarch!”) And applause for each frame of credit, Swift and Mills discussed her approach. bright detail; one artist is a fan of the other and vice versa.
Taylor Swift is performing her song “All Too Well” after discussing her short film All Too Well: The Short Film at the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday. Photo: Elise Ryan / AP
“(That’s) I’m out of what I usually do, which is to write songs and sing them,” said Swift, who noted that she first decided to direct after trying to find a female director for her a music video for 2020 for The Man, except for the fact that all of her best picks have been reserved. So Swift just directed it herself.
“It was a vulnerable moment when you were on the verge of discovering something new and you just really hoped to do everything perfectly,” said Swift, who stepped into the craft with trepidation and came up with such a detailed plan for her video that Mills said he never he has never seen anything like it. “It’s also important to remind yourself that you don’t have to do everything perfectly because you have to learn and grow.”
Swift’s initial hesitation to put on his director’s hat became a recurring theme. “I had this cheater syndrome in my head, saying, ‘No, don’t do this.’ Other people who went to school do that, “Mills said.” I didn’t go to school for that. ” “Oh, it’s fantastic to hear that,” Swift said. “It makes me feel better.” Swift also noted that life on the set prompted her to try her hand at directing. “I would say in my head, ‘I love doing this,’ or ‘I’d do it differently.’ So the list of things I devoured became so long that I finally thought, “I really want to do this.”
However, Swift’s inherent power when it comes to making and implementing this decision is not lost on it. “I am extremely aware of my privilege when it comes to being a female director, because I managed to finance this film myself,” she said. “I have to be constantly aware that no matter how exciting a challenge it is to do this, I also understand that it is extremely difficult for women to make films and always keep an eye on this reality, how happy I am to even get close to a camera.”
Meanwhile, the story of the song itself is a frequently repeated legend, which is supposed to be torn from the real life tale of it and the stormy romance of actor Jake Gyllenhaal, red scarf and everything else. Would Swift reveal the reality behind what she had invented? “The look of Sadie’s character’s journey in the video is very reminiscent of some of the experiences I’ve had,” she said with a wink. “I think one thing I’ve learned throughout this process is to really rely on supportive people who believe in you.” Meanwhile, All Too Well star Dylan O’Brien surprised the audience by answering some questions with a colleague. Sink, who probably had the biggest dig in Gyllenhal, whose character is believed to depict: “My character (in the video) is not a monster. He is a narcissist, a selfish child. “
Of course, there was a penchant for another Swift villain, Scooter Braun, who sold the Swift catalog, prompting Swift to rewrite it entirely. Swift described it as a devastating blow, explaining the scandal: “I lost all my job … It was a very difficult moment for me,” she explained to a quiet crowd as she carefully selected her words. “Many of my most difficult moments, or moments of extreme grief or loss, have been driven by what my life is like now, and I am very happy with where my life is now.”
As for where the music industry itself is now, Swift welcomes the resurgence of vinyl and the democratizing effect that applications like TikTok have on the industry. “Fans have somewhat undermined the label’s model: ‘We sit in a conference room and choose the songs you like.’ And you guys say, ‘Um, no!’ I find it so radical and wonderful.”
As the conversation ended, before Swift found herself alone on stage, strumming a red guitar for anything other than live performance at All Too Well, she reflected on the longevity of what had become a 16-year career.
“I’m just trying to listen to the heartbeat of what the fans want,” she said. “It’s so exciting to have been doing this for so long and to have so many memories. I just listen and have fun and do things. It’s very cool that they want me to keep doing it. “
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