Indie Filmmaking with Isabelle Barbier

Writer-performer ⁠⁠Isabelle Barbier⁠⁠ shares all of the details of her creative process including her journey from improv to scripted projects, where all of her plentiful ideas live, how she turns an idea into a full fledged film, and the impact of professional training (acting school!) on creativity.

Isabelle and Jess discuss the importance of community and collaboration, the ins and outs of indie filmmaking, and the role of humor in addressing sensitive topics such as sexual trauma.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever been curious about making your own work, have a story you’ve been wanting to tell, and are curious to engage in everyday feminine rebellion.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Isabelle Barbier

01:30 Journey of an Artist

03:37 Improv to Scripted Work

05:09 Acting School

09:52 Confidence and Community

14:49 The Challenges of Acting School

18:55 Rediscovering Uniqueness

20:06 The Birth of 'Grrrl Guts'

28:11 The Impact of #metoo

35:01 Understanding Trauma Responses

38:50 The Healing Power of Writing

41:03 Navigating Auditions and Creative Control

47:09 Idea to Final Product

50:07 Creating Indie Short Films

54:28 Wildest Dreams

About Isabelle

Isabelle Barbier is an NYC-based writer-performer who’s obsessed with women talking. Her work tells very silly and very serious stories of everyday feminine rebellion. Her recent screenplays have been finalists for the Academy Nicholls Fellowship, Blacklist X WIF fellowship, and winner at SF Indie Fest.

She’s recently appeared as an actor in The Other Two (HBO Max) Actual People (Mubi) and CRSHD (Tribeca Film Festival). For playwriting, she received The Judith Campion Launch commission from Atlantic Theater company, and after a sold-out workshop at Ars Nova ANT Fest, she’s developing her new show Rip Her To Shreds for an off-broadway run.