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Interview

Bo Turnham Eighth Grade

Bo Burnham on Eighth Grade

Comedian, musician, actor and writer Bo Burnham talks with College News about the upcoming release of his directorial debut Eighth Grade, anxiety and life as a comedian.

College News: Let’s talk about your directorial debut, Eighth Grade. What has the response been so far?

Bo Burnham: The response has been really lovely so far. We’ve only shown it at a few festivals, but it feels like it’s connecting with people which is very, very nice and relieving.

CN: Eighth Grade centres around shy 13-year-old Kayla. You have spoken often about the character being the vessel with which to voice your own thoughts and feelings on the world. Were there any challenges you faced when it came to writing her character and how did your initial character ideas evolve as you wrote the film?

BB: The challenge was always trying to capture this voice authentically. My disconnect from her was two-fold: I was never a 13 year-old girl, and I was never 13 years old right now. And I knew both of those things lent themselves to a specific experience that I couldn’t fully understand. And the answer was just to research—and Generation Z is very easy to research. They post literally everything about themselves in real time online. As far as the ideas evolving, it all evolved once Elsie Fisher [actress who stars as Kayla in Eighth Grade] got involved—I told her every day that I wanted this movie to come to her and not the other way around. Once real kids got involved I deferred to them for the sort of nuts and bolts “truth” of the thing.

CN: When conceptualizing and writing the screenplay for Eighth Grade, what themes and topics were you keen on portraying through the characters and the plot?

BB: I wanted to talk about the internet and about anxiety. I have struggled with anxiety a lot in my life and have felt that my anxiety has deep ties to the internet in some way. And this story felt like the best way to explore it. I think the internet makes eighth graders out of us all.

CN: There is a pivotal, sexually awkward scene during the film that sees Kayla apologise to older character Riley for not being intimate with him. Was this scene written with the current political/social climate and #MeToo movement that’s currently engulfing Hollywood in mind?

BB: Definitely not. This was written two years ago and shot last summer—but I’m happy that people see that scene as in alignment with the values and concerns of the #MeToo movement—as I think it’s a vital and insanely overdue public conversation. And we still have a long way to go, especially with young people, in educating them on consent and sexual behaviour.

CN: You have had an extensive and thriving career as a comedian. How would you describe your comedic style?

BB: Trying very, very hard. Effortful!

 “I have struggled with anxiety a lot in my life and have felt that my anxiety has deep ties to the internet in some way”—Bo Burnham

CN: A common reaction that comedians and comediennes receive is backlash and criticism for using un-PC language or satirising socially sensitive topics. Has there been a particularly standout moment where this has happened to you? How do you deal with that kind of backlash personally?

BB: Oh sure I’ve dealt with backlash for things I said, especially when I was younger, 17 or 18 years old just trying to say the most offensive things because that’s what I thought comedy was. I tend to only look back on that stuff cringing at myself, not at the people objecting to it. I feel like comedians get to express themselves all the time, so they shouldn’t start complaining when the audience wants to express back.

CN: Can you tell our readers about how you got your break in the industry and how your career evolved into the realm of film and television?

BB: [I] started posting videos on YouTube and those sort of took off. And then it was just a sort of long, weird journey of performing stand up everywhere and quietly writing scripts in my free time. And then when it felt like I had gotten enough momentum in the comedy world to justify getting a small budget for a movie, I dropped stand up and started working on this movie. And here we are! And death next, I think!

CN: Writing is very much central to your career having written for your own comedy performances, television shows and now film. Can you tell us a little bit about the writing process for you? How do your ideas emerge and manifest into full-rounded projects?

BB: Honestly, they are often not full-rounded until the very end—if they get there at all! The initial point for me, usually, it just reading books or watching movies and just getting excited about things I like. And then trying to daydream and find any sort of ledge I can grab onto to start climbing towards something. My ideas usually start very specifically with an image or a scene or a moment—not with a THEME or some BIG SWEEPING IDEA. I like to start from a moment or image that I really love and then work outward. Because it’s really the moments that I’m going to be working on, and it’s the moments that people will experience, so if a moment can’t work out the gate, it feels not worth the time. That may make no sense.

CN: What three key pieces of advice would you give to budding young comedians, actors and writers that you wish you had been given yourself when you were starting out?

BB: I would say relax and enjoy it. I do believe that the best part of the creative process is available to everyone—just doing it. Just starting the process of picturing things and making things and seeing how they turn out and editing and making yourself better. Just start and jump in and don’t worry if you suck out the gate. This is what I try to remind myself of all the time. Just focus on what you can control which is your work and your ability to get better by your own standards. Just do the work and enjoy it. The whole reason to do creative things is to be able to do something interesting and enjoyable and the interest and enjoyment is available right away!

CN: Do you have any new and exciting projects on the horizon for 2018 and early 2019 that our readers should keep an eye out for?

BB: Just Eighth Grade. Hopefully in the next few months I’ll bang my head against a wall and something will fall out. But I’m only seeing tumbleweeds at the moment. Help!

> Watch Eighth Grade at cinemas from July 2018.

Further reading: Summer Blockbusters 2018

Ron Pope

Ron Pope Interview

Defining independent artist of the moment Ron Pope has sold more than two million digital tracks worldwide, has racked up over 200 million streams on Spotify and 150 million views on YouTube. On the release of his latest album, Worktapes, he talks music, almost giving up and what’s in store for 2018.

It was in 2012 that I first heard A Drop in the Ocean (2007), one of Ron Pope’s most listened-to tracks on YouTube (with 53 million views at the time of writing). That song marked the beginning of a lifelong love of all things acoustic, so when the opportunity to speak with the man himself arose, I jumped. We’ve just a 20-minute slot in which to speak, but Pope is relaxed, optimistic and ready to go. Naturally, the conversation begins with the release of his highly anticipated EP, Worktapes. “The response has been great,” he tells me. The EP comes just months after the release of Work, the first in the two-album series. “I kind of thought of it as one project, but I wanted to divide it just to give people more manageable, more bite-sized pieces.” Pope explains that with the advent of technology and smartphones (“little computers”, he calls them), musicians have to compete with everything out there now. “Because there is so much that people are doing, and so much in their faces, I think it’s easier on my audience if I give them 10 songs at a time or seven songs at a time and not 20, or whatever.”

 A nod to the past   

Worktapes is a nostalgic trip to the musician’s earlier albums—slow, quiet and vulnerable tracks that have earned him his distinct sound and reputation. I ask Pope if this was a conscious decision. “It’s intimidating writing quiet music. If a crowd makes noise and you’re in a band, you can just play louder, you know? If you’re playing quiet music live, if people aren’t quiet, then it’s ruined, it’s a waste of time. So you have to really believe that people are going to listen to it if you’re going to create it… [quieter music] has come back into my life in a very real way in the last handful of years.” Pope is truly in touch with his intuition and it’s his connection with his emotions that makes his deeply authentic music so attainable to his fan base. “You make music for yourself, and then you release it for your audience, so I’m creating music that feels good to me; I’m shaping the music and I could never manipulate that [process]. What sounds good to me right now is what I will create, that’s why the records sound different from album to album, that’s why sometimes there’s loud songs and sometimes there are quiet songs and it really has to do with what feels right to me.”

On giving up

The indie star attributes the freedom he has to create the music he wants to his label Brooklyn Basement Records, a company that he runs with his wife, Blair. “Music is really keeping me off the streets—which is good for me and good for the streets,” he jokes. But it hasn’t always been an easy journey; Pope’s past encapsulates the old ‘struggling musician’ adage almost entirely. Has there been any point where he considered giving up? “There were definitely times early on where I thought about giving up,” he recalls. “I was playing in the subway, I was paying my rent in rolled change and I was living off, like, hot dogs. One day, when I was down in the subway playing and I hadn’t eaten all day and I didn’t have any money and I was freezing… It was the middle of winter, nobody came, I played a bunch of songs and it was just so cold down there and at some point, I just started crying. I couldn’t control it and I just started crying.” This would become a defining moment for Pope, one that would change his attitude to hard graft in the coming years. “The adversity I deal with in running a business and being an entrepreneur and trying to compete on a global level with the giant multi-national corporations…Even when that gets overwhelming, at least I’m not starving. I try to have perspective.”

 2018

So what does 2018 have in store for the captivating artist? “It’s been 10 years since my first solo album Daylight came out, so I’m probably going to do some ‘stuff’ around that,” he chuckles. “I say ‘stuff’ because I’m not going to tell you what that is yet.” That’s unfair, I think, but I can’t wait. 20 minutes goes by so quickly, doesn’t it, I say; it does, he replies in his cheerful, chippy tone.   

“Music is really keeping me off the streets—which is good for me and good for the streets”—Ron Pope

Ron Pope in the Hot Seat

 CN: If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?

RP: [Laughing] I really don’t have any other skills, so I have no idea—thank God I am a musician.

CN: Which animal would you be and why?

RP: My dog has the best life in the world. If I could be any animal, I would be my dog.

CN: If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?

RP: I would be an old telecaster [guitar], kind of beat up and rough around the edges but still plays pretty good.

CN: Top piece of advice for budding musicians?

RP: Don’t give up! If you’re meant to be a musician, you don’t need me to tell you not to give up—but don’t give up. When everybody else quits, keep going.

CN: Tell us a secret…

RP: I’m still wearing my pyjamas and it’s 1.20pm!

Further reading: Ron Pope Releases Seventh Studio Album

Interview Mistakes

Avoid These Interview Mistakes

Spring time is around the corner which means new jobs are almost ripe for the picking, however the interview process does all the choosing. Being a fresh face in the work force or even if you’re a seasoned veteran can have its intimidating moments when you’re looking for that perfect new job. It’s understandable that an interview isn’t as easy as one, two, three, but with a few easy reminder tips, that looming interview will be a simple stroll through the park.

1. Not doing your research

Doing your homework on an establishment before even applying for the role is imperative as it will save everyone’s time. Knowing the hours of operation, what some customer reviews say, or even asking an employee what a typical day is like at the prospective company is nothing to be ashamed of. Everything mentioned down to not knowing what you’re interviewing for can lead to a failed interview. Always remember that your time is as valuable as a potential employer’s.

2. Not knowing what you want

After investigating your potential opportunity always remember firstly what it is you want out of this job and second what you want out of this interview. As much as you’re walking in to the interview and hoping the employer chooses you, keep in mind that you should also be in a position to walk away from the meeting knowing more about this new venture than before you walked in. Generally not knowing the job spec could backfire and be a waste of time for both parties.

3. Don’t rely on your comfort zone

A group setting-style interview may mean that you will be interviewed alongside other potential candidates or interviewed by multiple senior staff members. Both scenarios are uncomfortable and not very appealing but both require your full attention and both need you to leave a lasting impression regardless. Don’t rely on your comfort zone during a make-or-break conversation.

4. Remember! Try and always give an answer

Whether you’re about to take on your first interview or your fifth interview, it’s key to always answer the questions. During a “get-to-know-each-other” conversation, there’s not too may wrong answers you can give when the interview is all about you as a candidate for employment. Over-thinking questions can lead to a mind blank for answers but taking a few seconds to gather your thoughts isn’t something to shy away from.

5. Not having examples ready for behavioral interview questions

This one ties in with point number four, however, this can tend to be a bit trickier for those with not much work experience and those with plenty. In her 5 Biggest Job Interview Mistakes article on Linkedin, career coach Lori Bumgarner writes “Behavioral questions are asked not to see how you would potentially handle a certain situation, but instead to see how you’ve handled that situation in the past. This is because past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.” This is a great question because it’s an opportunity to paint a picture of how you handle situations.

6. Do Not answer in generalities

Specific and definitive answers are the best and only way to go in to any kind of interview. You should be able to walk away from a talk knowing what answers you gave and what questions were being asked of you. Your personality shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to a question regarding your interest in applying for the job.

7. Being distracted

The last thing you want is to be distracted—or distract your interviewer­—during an interview. Avoid fiddling with something in your hands, rambling, slouching, chewing gum, and not make eye contact. These things can make you come off as being uninterested because all of these things are, in one way or another, a distraction. A straight posture, a focused yet relaxed demeanor, and an on-topic discussion about why you’re there is the best path to stay on.

8. Not having questions or notes prepared

Lastly, a common mistake potential candidates make is to arrive to an interview empty-handed. A great and easy way to stand out and give you a better understanding of what you’re signing up for is to have a few questions of your own prepared. If needed, also be ready to take notes. Think of questions that no one is probably asking like what the company’s work ethics are or what opportunities will you be given to climb the career ladder. This is an effective way to get a genuine interest going in you as a possible new employee.

Further reading: Free Courses to Boost Your Resume