Honorable Mention – “Pole” (USA)

Title: Pole
Runtime: 10 min
Country: USA
Creator: Stefanie Woodburn
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: March 31, 2017

Synopsis: A rising financial analyst steps out of her comfort zone to partner with her best friend in a pole dance competition.

CREATOR Q&A

GS: What was the inspiration for your film?

SW: I’ve been wanting to create a dance film about pole dance since I started taking classes. On a personal note, pole has empowered and strengthened me physically and emotionally through foot surgery, breakups, moves, job changes, and depression.  I wanted to show pole as the beautiful art form it is and to tell the story of a woman’s journey through pole, depicting its positive impact from a female perspective.

GS: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?

SW: I had been taking pole classes for years before endeavoring to make this film.

GS: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?

SW: Telling a meaningful story in a short amount of time, while incorporating a visually beautiful dance.

GS: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?

SW: Getting my feet wet in new aspects of production.  Fundraising through Twitch with an incredibly supportive community was a new experience, as was co-writing, co-producing, shopping for swimsuits and rhinestoning them to create costumes, learning the choreography.  There’s a lot to learn that, as an actor, I hadn’t previously been in charge of, such as where everyone is going to park, how much that will cost per day, make-up, locations, how many days, scheduling for everyone’s availability.  It’s terrific to work with a talented and dedicated team on this project.

GS: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?

SW: Just do it.  The pride and satisfaction of creating your art, mixed with amazement and gratitude at the community and festivals who support it, will motivate and inspire you to keep going.  It’s rewarding to take the creative reins in your own hands.