AFF 2012 Interview: Kit Pongetti, 'Stakeout'

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Juliette Goglia and Elizabeth McLaughlin in Stakeout

Kit Pongetti is a grad of the RTF program at The University of Texas in Austin who now resides in Los Angeles. Her directorial debut, Stakeout, will premiere at Austin Film Festival as part of Shorts Program 9 - The View from Outside (Friday 10/19 at 3:30 pm and Thurs, Oct. 25 at 4 pm at The Hideout). The comic short depicts two 1980s-era teenage gals who sit in their car and watch their peers at parties.

I asked Pongetti a few questions over email to find out about her first directing experience.

Slackerwood:  What is your connection to Austin?

Kit Pongetti: I completely romanticize Austin. Or is it just kind of romantic already? I grew up in the Houston suburbs and fell in love with Austin after a trip there my senior year of high school. I ended up going to UT for five years. Can't just stop at four.

I did a bunch of firsts there, too... first freedom, first love, first band, first road trip. I was in a band called Those Who Dig and we played all over town for four years back in the 90s. The hills, the water, the music, the bbq ... My relationship with Austin is ongoing and starry-eyed.

Explain how you came up with the idea for your short film Stakeout.

Pongetti: Stakeout came after my friend Jessica Sheets and I wrote the feature-length version Guy Spies. I wanted to apply for a great program at AFI called The Directing Workshop for Women, and I wanted to write a short, quirkier version of Guy Spies -- told more from one character's POV -- because I knew the characters so well. I thought it'd be a great piece to try my hand at directing. The story is so close to my heart. Oh, and it's semi-autobiographical!

How was your first directing experience?

Pongetti: Amazing. Fun. Hard. It was like our month-long honeymoon in India- - life-changing and extremely challenging. AFI has high standards and set strict boundaries to mimic the studio system, so many of us were experiencing professional filmmaking for the first time. It definitely was my first time working with a large and professional crew.

As an actor myself, I particularly loved working with the actresses -- Elizabeth [McLaughlin] and Juliette [Goglia] are phenomenal and so different. I loved the challenge of communicating to them in a specific way. Working with a tight schedule is not, however, my favorite part! But it was great to have a well-oiled machine around me to help us stay on track. Definitely had to squeeze some time in there for the actors to improv and play around a little.

I learned so much in such a short time -- all my cells regenerated so quickly -- I feel like a completely different person. Yeah, I guess life-changing covers that.

How long did it take to make Stakeout?

Pongetti: Two weeks to write, five weeks of pre-production, five shoot days, one month to lock picture and six months to score and color and sound mix. All in all, about a year. And I used every single day of it. I scored much of the movie myself.

What are you working on next?

Pongetti: Jessica and I are polishing the script Guy Spies. That is definitely the goal -- to make that feature. Maybe shoot it in Austin? Defintely looking for some Texan suburbs.

Any old haunts you’re looking forward to visiting during the fest?

Pongetti: Ok, I ran with a weird crew. We used to go "biscuiting." We'd buy those pop-and-fresh rolls of biscuit dough, you know, Pillsbury, in the refrigerator section? And throw them at cars. So I plan to drive around Bee Caves Road with a roll or two of biscuits, and see if I can stir up any trouble.

And also, have to get queso/migas/pancakes at Magnolia Cafe and Kerbey Lane. Have to have Salt Lick. Do they still have those great french fries at Hyde Park Bar and Grill? Dan's Hamburgers. Texadelphia. Would love to catch a show at La Zona Rosa or the Hole in the Wall if time permits.