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ABOUT CHICK: THE SERIES
USTH: The story of Chick involves a woman who wants nothing more than to become a superhero. What inspired you to create this series? KS: Part of the reason I've been so open about my past relationship with my boyfriend is because it was the inspiration for Chick. It started out as a feature film where a group of young women goes around beating up men who are assholes. I was basically working out my anger <laughs>. As it evolved, I came across a story about a woman in New York City who patrolled the bars protecting women, who had drunk too much, from men whose intention was to take advantage of them. I found her story fascinating and wondered what propelled her to do this. It seemed to mesh well with the psyche of the main character in my feature film and so I reworked it to evolve around her desire to become a superhero instead of beating up men. I don't really look at Lisa as "a woman who wants nothing more than to become a superhero," I think she's really just a woman searching for a sense of purpose and she's latched onto the idea of being a superhero since that has such huge meaning in our society and connection to living on purpose.
USTH: Do you have an interest in comic books in general? If so, what comics did you read as a child or are reading now? KS: You know, I've always found comics fascinating but never spent a lot of time with them as strange as that may seem. We created a comic called Misteria to be featured in the Chick web series and the process of making that has re-ignited my curiosity with comics in general.
USTH: You went to San Diego Comic-Con in August 2009 to introduce the series to the attendees. Tell us what that experience was like for you. Had you ever attended a comic book convention before? KS: I loved it! I'd never been before so it was a lot of adjusting to the craziness of the event. People responded favorably to Chick and me strutting around in my Fantastica outfit. The biggest challenge for us being a small independent project was competing with all the big studio projects promoting there. But that world is definitely a place for Chick to be, so we'll be back. I think the most fascinating part of the experience was discovering how kind, receptive, and passionate the people who attend this event are. I really enjoyed meeting the people.
USTH: Who are the recurring characters in Chick ? So far, we've met Lisa – played by you – her boyfriend Hunter, and the woman he cheated on Lisa with known only as "Wildfire." Will you be adding more characters to the cast? KS: I love my cast. Yes, there are a few more characters showing up in the remainder of season one. I don't want to give anything away, but there is one character who will be integral to Lisa's journey going forward and I can't wait for her to show up. There's a lot of sentimental feelings connected to that character. Well, really all the characters have connections to my real life.
USTH: How would you describe Lisa as a character? She seems a little unsure of herself to say the least. KS: Yes, that's what I love about her. She's unsure but still committed to her journey and that's what I hope makes her endearing. After watching the series my brother described the show this way: Chick is refreshing; Chick is spontaneous; Chick is apprehensive at times, but determined. I think that's also a great way to describe Lisa.
USTH: Why does Lisa want to be a superhero? KS: Lisa is trying to figure out who she is. I think we all sense we are meant for greatness but we can't always tap into what we need to do to realize it. For Lisa, she thinks her greatness is connected to being a superhero. Quite simple on the surface, but as her journey continues, she discovers there's a lot more to being a superhero than what she first thought.
USTH: Do superheroes actually exist in the world of Chick or is Lisa simply delusional? KS: LOL! Superheroes exist but not in the stereotypical way we've been conditioned to expect. I think what we plan to explore with the superhero icon is risky because it puts a different spin on what/who a superhero can be. She does seem a little delusional in her pursuit, but I think in life you have to have a little crazy up in you to pursue your dreams, so it works for me.
USTH: Describe the overall tone you are trying to achieve with Chick. On the one hand, you have whimsical elements like superheroes and breaking the 4th wall. On the other, you have a character who tried to commit suicide in the first episode and who makes her life choices with a coin toss. KS: Yes. I'm not sure we completely have the tone down yet, but I wanted to explore serious life issues with a light touch. Overall, I think whimsical is in the right area. I've used the expression "magic realism" when describing the show. Even the way we approached her jumping off that building was done with a sense of humor and lightness so in that sense I think we've been consistent. Even making life choices with a coin toss is magical to me. Have you ever tried it? If nothing else, it helps you get clarity about what you really want. Often, if you toss that coin and it makes the decision you didn't want, you will have an immediate gut reaction to the choice...and in that instant you have been given clarity about what you really want.
USTH: What are the main similarities and differences between you and Lisa? KS: Lisa is basically me so there aren't many differences. I may be a little further along the self-awareness journey than she is, but she definitely represents me in the years of my bad relationship and before.
USTH: In episode 2, where did you shoot the original falling sequences? Was it at a professional studio of some sort? KS: Jeri Kalvan, our stunt coordinator, has an amazing facility in the back of her house where we shot the still sequence. She was the stunt double for Kirsten Dunst in the Spider-Man movies, so she is no joke. She kindly opened up her facility to us where she has five and thirteen foot ledges I could fall from. When I first visited the facility I thought no problem I can jump from the thirteen foot ledge. But I never even got there. I stood on the five foot ledge and was terrified. Jeri was awesome training me for a day before we actually shot. All I have to say is after that experience, I bow down to stunt people. My body felt like it was in a major car wreck the next day. Sandra Valde, our director of photography, shot endless stills of me falling off this ledge in different positions. We also shot exterior shots of the building Lisa falls from and then superimposed the two. It's amazing what you can do with limited funds, but a lot of creativity.
USTH: In episode 7, Lisa asks the audience, "did you ever feel like you were destined for greatness, yet feel like a total loser at the same time?" Is that something you've ever asked yourself? If so, how did you answer that question? KS: Well, like I said, Lisa is pretty much me, so almost anything she says I've probably said in one form or another at one point. I think I'm very critical of myself, so things can be going great and I'm focused on what could have been done better. There's some goodness to that, but only if done with the right attitude. Like I said, I think we all feel we're destined for greatness in one form or another, and I think when we go through moments when things aren’t clicking, it can make you wonder why you aren't realizing the potential you sense inside of yourself. Of course if you want to get really deep, you realize that even the not-so-cute times are part of the plan and necessary for the greatness to manifest. I wouldn't be where I am now, feeling very much on purpose, if it hadn't been for the experience I went through with my ex-boyfriend.
USTH: In episode 8, Lisa goes down to Hollywood Blvd. to interview the superhero street performers. Were those your fellow actors or did you interview real street performers for that segment? Was that really Samuel L. Jackson or a wax replica of some sort? It looked real! KS: LOL. You're making me laugh with these questions. I love it. Yeah, didn't Samuel look real? He was a wax replica and me going up to it was just a spur of the moment thing I did at the end of our shoot for fun. But when I started editing the episode he seemed to fit in well and so I used it. The superheroes were real street performers. We paid them a tip like they expect from tourists who want to take a picture with them and then interviewed them. They were great since it was all improv. I just asked them where the Secret Academy was [the place that Lisa/Fantastica is searching for so she can train to become a superhero] and they took it from there.
USTH: How many episodes are there going to be in the current storyline? Will this storyline conclude at the end of the season or will there be a cliffhanger into Season 2? WILL there be a Season 2? KS: Right now, it looks like there will be 20 episodes for season one. In one sense, this storyline will end, but then in another sense it won't. I know [that's] cryptic, but that's all I've got for you. There will be a cliffhanger at the end of the season, and heck yes there will be a season two. We're really just getting started. It's going to be crazy fun in season two and with the experience of season one under our belt, I hope even better. I hope to have lots more audience interaction in season two with opportunities for the audience to participate in realizing their greatness as Lisa does…I can’t wait to explore the ideas I have.
USTH: Have you any plans for future storylines and will they continue off the current premise of a woman trying to be a superhero or will Chick go in a different direction?
KS: I have some ideas for a spin off with a couple of the characters, but the premise of woman trying to or maybe :) being a superhero will be the main through line for Chick. I'm fascinated with exploring human potential and I think the superhero persona is the perfect motif to explore that in.
USTH: With a web series, you are in total control and that must be fulfilling, but right now there's not a lot of money to be made. If you were to sell the idea to Hollywood, it would be more lucrative, but you'd likely have to give up some control. How much control would you be willing to give up in order to take Chick into the mainstream? KS: Right now, I want to hold onto everything Chick. It's my baby and serving me in so many ways in terms of my own exploration as an artist and a person. I chose to do this web series partly to have complete control and explore whatever I wanted, and I'm not ready to give that up yet. But that's not to say down the road that won't change. Since the only thing we're guaranteed in life is change, I remain open. :)
USTH: Would you ever want to do a comic book version of Chick ? Have you contacted any comic book companies to gauge their interest? KS: I haven't contacted any comic book companies yet, but that's definitely one of the many ideas I have for Chick. I've created Chick to have the potential to be a franchise. People have scoffed at me when I say that, but I can't explain the vision since a lot of it just sits in my head waiting to be given life, but there's something powerful about this project that is way bigger than me. I kind of feel like I'm just the conduit to get it out there...but I guess time will tell.
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