Raised in the wilds of Eastern Washington, writer/DGA director Kelsey Taylor attended Loyola Marymount University where she earned a degree in Film Production with minors in Film Studies and Music. Starting as cinematographer and camera assistant, the writer and DGA director is widely known for her second unit/AD work in the action comedy High Heat and the action western The Escape of Prisoner 614. She has also directed a wide range of short films, including Lincoln Boulevard, The Sun Also Sets, and Sweet Somethings. Her breakthrough sci-fi short film, Alien: Specimen was created through an initiative with 20th Century and has accumulated over 6 million views. Most recently, Film Independent selected Kelsey as one of six fellows in their 2024 Episodic Directing Intensive.
In the mystery drama To Kill a Wolf, Kelsey directs a modern re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood. In the film, a social pariah discovers a teenage runaway in the Oregon Wilderness and does his best to help her find a way home. The film stars Maddison Brown, Ivan Martin, and Kaitlin Doubleday.
What prompted you to write this film?
Kelsey Taylor: I’m always drawn to adaptations and subverting expectations. I like playing with the story you think you know and finding new ways of looking at it. This fairy tale got into my head and I kept thinking what real-life story would have inspired this fairy tale. What types of things these days would want to make people stray from their path? Where would we go if we looked at it from a modern perspective?
As writer/director, you wore two hats in bringing this film to life. What was that like?
Kelsey: In some ways, it makes it easier. It streamlines the process by not having to go back and forth with someone else. But sometimes it’s nice to have that outside perspective that keeps you from getting lost in your own tunnel. And I like to have a creative partner like Adam Lee who was very much part of the writing process from the very beginning. So I’m not working in this black hole by myself. But I’d love to find a writer to collaborate with someday. That would be awesome.
How did you go about casting? What were you looking for in the leads?
Kelsey: I imagined the Woodsman to be this very stoic guy in the woods. I saw Ivan in another film and fell in love with him as an actor. He offered us some unexpected choices and I like an actor that surprises you. He inspired a rewrite of the script. So his character ended up in a very different place. He was very talented and I was eager to figure out how to work with him.
How did your cinematography and second unit background help you in writing and directing?
Kelsey: Coming from a cinematography background, I inherently think in visuals. And I think being a writer helps in developing shot lists. What I remember most about making them is how little you need to do to communicate something visually. For example, when Ivan’s in the woods, you don’t need to see it four or five times. In terms of second unit work, you have to find the right locations and the right time of day. Some of our dusk sequences had to be shot over five days. It’s a luxury that big-budget studios have over a small nimble crew that we had. I have great respect for cinematography and its importance in filmmaking. If you’re building a world, good cinematography is critical. Because you want to bring people into that world. And it’s gotta be beautiful.
So when you write a scene, do you see the cinematography in your head?
Kelsey: I see each shot unfold. Because the camera is what’s telling the story. It sees her story unfold.
I felt that Dani was a lost wolf who needed to be rescued from her own trap. Can go into that a bit?
Kelsey: I love that. Many people have come up with different interpretations of that. I love that people have to interpret who is the wolf here.
When The Woodsman talked about the wolf that chewed off its foot to free itself, I couldn’t help but compare that to The Woodsman losing his foot in the car accident to free himself from guilt.
Kelsey: The scenes are back to back. It’s a bit heavy-handed. More often, I don’t think people will get it.
What challenges did you face in filming in the woods?
Kelsey: We arrived on location. It was beautiful, sunny, and springtime. Then a couple of days later it snowed. It covered everything in snow. In one shot, the cabin was covered in snow; in the next, it had no snow. We were a small crew so we had to go back and reshoot scenes for consistency. The schedule changed every day, every hour and we were out in the cold.
You’ve been in the film industry for many years. What have you learned about filmmaking that surprised you?
Kelsey: That’s a great question. I would say, how little I needed to be technically and creatively immersed on a daily basis. It’s much more about politics and trying to figure out how to get things made. It just takes such a long time to get the money and physically make it happen. I wish I could flex my creative muscles more often. Money was a challenge but I loved that it was such an intimate experience with a small crew. You’re really a family by the end of the film. We shot for 25 days, most features with low budgets are like 12 days.
What advice would you give young, aspiring filmmakers trying to break in or just starting out?
Kelsey: Just do it. You have to say you’re doing it and believe that. You can’t do it without money because it is a job and it’s more complicated. I’m lucky because I worked in commercials and was able to arrive at a lifestyle that allowed me to make this movie. But you have to keep working on your own stuff. Even if you don’t want to be a writer. If it’s something you can do, do it to keep the creative juices flowing. Just practice the skills of filmmaking and you’ll get better and better. Then when the opportunity comes, you’ll be ready.
What were you like in high school? The girl most likely to….?
Kelsey: I was always interested in film and directing. I played a lot of sports and was in the band, playing musicals in the orchestra. I was always involved in creative things—making backyard videos as a kid.
What movie or actor drove you to pursue a film career?
Kelsey: Actually, it started with books. I did a lot of reading. In terms of films, it would be Lord of the Rings. I loved the music, the characters, and the story.
To Kill a Wolf will be having a US premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October.
