Interview (Part 1): Kryzz Gautier

My interview with 2021 Black List writer for her script “Wheels Come Off.”

Kryzz Gautier wrote the screenplay “Wheels Come Off” which made the 2021 Black List. I had the opportunity to chat with Kryzz about her creative background, her script, the craft of screenwriting, and what making the annual Black List has meant to her.

Today in Part 1 of a 6-part series to run each day through Sunday, Kryzz discusses how her creative journey started in the Dominican Republic, led to film school in the United States, and eventually to Hollywood.

Scott Myers: Reading your biography, there’s so much activity and projects. You got TV. You got film, video games, and theater. It’s hard to know where to start, so let’s go to the beginning. You were born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I’m interested in how those experiences may have eventually led to your interest in filmmaking and storytelling.

Kryzz Gautier: When I was born in the Dominican Republic in ’89, there was no such thing as an entertainment industry on the island. In the last decade, Pinewood Studios has built massive sound stages and one of the world’s most prominent water tanks. There’s also a branch of government specifically created to incentivize foreign productions to shoot locally. That has attracted companies like Netflix and other big-budget studio productions, making us an actual filming destination for Hollywood. There’s the possibility of a semblance of a film career today. Back then, that wasn’t even on the list of options.

My mom now loves to tell the story of how my filmmaking adventure started. When I was about five, we went on vacation to Universal Studios in Orlando and got on the “Jaws” ride. I don’t know if you ever rode it. You got on the boat, the shark came out of the water, and there was fire everywhere — the whole spectacle. According to my mom’s version of the story, I got off the ride, looked her dead in the eye and told her, “Mom, I know what I want to do now. I want to make movies like that.” Fast-forward twenty-five years, I sold my first show to Universal. That came full circle. That’s how that started.

Scott: Another person inspired by Bruce, the mechanical shark. [laughs]

Kryzz: Exactly! [laughs] The mechanical shark got it all started.

Scott: That had a beautiful symmetry there, that the first thing you sold was to Universal. That must have developed because you attended Emerson College and got a BA there in film studies.

Kryzz: I actually got a BA in Directing Narrative Fiction. By the time I was thirteen, I knew I wanted to go to Emerson. It was the only school I applied to and got in early admission. Looking back, I always had a pretty clear path. I decided on filmmaking when I was five and set my heart on Emerson in middle school. I studied the school’s admission requirements every year between then and when college applications started. I ensured that I was tailoring everything I was doing for Emerson so that I was the ideal candidate and they couldn’t say no to me.

Scott: How did you find out about Emerson?

Kryzz: I started doing research. I knew I wanted to study in the US and live here after graduation. I’ve always been a stubborn person, so I had tunnel vision. The thought process was: “Okay, I want to be a filmmaker. How do you become a filmmaker? You go to film school. What are the best film schools in the world?” Then I started reading up on it. I’m an overachiever, and immediately, my goal was to get into one of the top five universities. In the US, you can narrow down those top schools to: USC, AFI, NYU, Emerson, and CalArts. Then the question becomes, “Which am I the best fit for? Which one do I like the most?”. Emerson was the easy choice.

From there, we go on to the next thing on the list: “How do you become the person that Emerson will admit?” I decided to mold myself into someone I knew would be undeniable for admissions.

Scott: What was that experience like? Did you enjoy the film school experience?

Kryzz: Oh my God. Yes. I would never take it back. My four years at Emerson were some of the best years of my life. I met some of my best friends there. But also, it was a completely transformative experience regarding who I am as a filmmaker. Look, I get it; school isn’t for everyone and not everyone can afford it. There are a lot of heated discussions on the topic of film school. There are two opposing camps with strong feelings about it. Personally, I think film school is the way to go. I’ll never back down from that. I firmly believe that anyone who wants to get into film and TV should go to school for it. That’s where you get your foundation. Many people say, “you only learn with hands-on experience!” Sure, duh! At Emerson, and all the best film schools for that matter, you get a camera in your hand within the first semester. Or first year, depending on how your schedule pans out. Point is, you’re “doing it” almost since day one. It’s also where you become a well-rounded filmmaker. You learn the history of film. You gain the knowledge of how to think about film analysis and theory critically. The time there gives you the groundwork for everything you need to learn to become truly great at this job.

Over the years, I’ve met many people working in this industry who don’t have the very basics, the fundamentals needed to be a good filmmaker or creative. A lot of people these days go to “Twitter Film School” and “Superhero Blockbuster University”. None of that does an artist make. When you’re forming your cinematic language around and acquiring media literacy from the inane opinions of people on the internet and superhero movies, you end up with a plethora of terrible stances regarding media and plenty of gaps in your knowledge. Controversial opinion. I know. Can’t wait to see the Twitter takes on this. Better people than me have been chewed alive for saying this, but it does need to be said. Long story short, no, I would never take back the four years I invested in school.

I don’t know. I think education is essential. I have an insane amount of student loans because of Emerson. Not everyone wants to go into that. To me, they’ve been worth it. I wouldn’t take it back. I think my experience was terrific. I appreciate the four years I spent there, the people I met, and the knowledge I got from it. In my book, that doesn’t have a price tag.

Scott: It seems to have paid off, at least in terms of work. I’m looking to IMDbPro. Wow. You’ve been quite busy. Let’s break it down into these various areas, like TV. The “Gordita Chronicles” HBO series. Can you tell us anything about that?

Kryzz: I don’t know how much I can say at this point since there’s not even a trailer out. I can say that it was produced by Zoe Saldana, Eva Longoria, Sony, and obviously HBO. It’s a comedy set in 1980s Miami and loosely based on the real life of our Dominican creator, Claudia Forestieri. That’s about as much as is out there and probably about as much as I can talk about.

Scott: On the feature side, I saw that you had a Nicholl semifinalist script that got set up somewhere. Is that right?

Kryzz: That’s this Black List script.

Scott: That’s this one.

Kryzz: Yeah. That’s “Wheel Come Off.” The project is currently set up with Julie Oh, the producer on “Tick, Tick… Boom!” I’m also directing, which I’m stoked about. There’s some really, really exciting stuff happening that I don’t know I can share either. I hate being this cryptic, but it’s the nature of the work we do.

Tomorrow in Part 2, Kryzz discusses her varied professional background which includes writing for video games, adapting comic books, and directing theatrical plays.

Kryzz is repped by CAA and Rain Management.

Twitter and Instagram: @KryzzGautier.

Website: www.KryzzG.com.

For my interviews with dozens of other Black List writers, go here.