Annika Ivarsson - The World’s Worst Horse Girl
7:03, 2009A short documentary about horses, my mother, myself and Bonanza.
DirectorAnnika IvarssonCameraAnnika Ivarsson, Robert Eklund
CountrySwedenSubtitlesEnglishEdition2010 Compilation program (2006 2014) 1/3
< overview
Who is Annika Ivarsson, and how did you start with film?
I’m a filmmaker and screenwriter living in Gothenburg, Sweden. The reason I started making films is absolutely accidental, when I was 15 years old I really wanted to move out from my parents house and live on my own. The only way I could do that was if I went to a high school in another city. So I choose between filmmaking and glassblowing. And I got accepted at the film school and that’s how it started.
Where did you get the idea for "The World’s Worst Horse Girl" from?
It was a story I used to tell people as a joke about myself. I guess I thought it would make a good film. It’s a bit tragicomic and I like that.
It’s a personal project, did that make filming easier or more difficult?
It does make filming easier, as the subject, myself, is always available and didn’t need to be persuaded. (Except for my mother). The hard part is to look at yourself from the outside and be honest and make the best film instead of trying to make yourself look good and sound smart. I have made documentaries about other people before and I think it’s a big responsibility to represent another person in a film, a person who has little control of how the film turns out. It depends on how you work of course, but I do think it’s a dilemma.
Could you tell us some of the problems you faced during the process?
The World’s Worst Horsegirl is actually a remake. The older version was based on interviews with horsegirls which I had animated on whiteboard. It was kind of an experiment and it took me ages, and when it was finished I wasn’t that happy with the result. But I felt I wasn’t finished with the story so when I got my energy back I wanted to make the film again, not animate it this time and instead of trying to do something universal about horsegirls as a phenomenon, I decided to focus on me and my mothers story. So because I’ve already made the film once I could avoid making the same mistakes again.
Your film is pretty fast paced, there’s constantly something happening, was this intentional?
I didn’t want the film to be too long. I like short films, most films are too long. Especially when you are watching them on the internet.
Do you follow strictly the storyboard from A to Z, or do prefer to go with the flow?
No I’m not a storyboard person, unfortunately. I don’t have time for that sort of detailed planning. But I do have the film in my head, and as long it’s a smaller project it works fine for me.
How important is humour in film for you?
I think it’s essential. That doesn’t mean I don’t like depressing films, but the best films are those who’ll both make you cry and laugh.
How did you come up with the title?
Titles are really hard to come up with. I do like superlatives, I like to exaggerate and I think the title The world’s worst horsegirl says something about how you think when you’re a kid. The world seems a bit black and white, if you are good at doing something you are the best, a pro, but if you are bad you really really suck.
What are you working on now (or what is your future project)?
I have a whole bunch of future projects with different people, I like working with others, it gives you the extra energy you need to finish a project. At the moment I’m more into fiction than documentary. For example I am working on a web series about three lesbian girls in Stockholm. I’m interested in distribution over the internet. It’s fantastic that you have the possibility to reach such a large audience at practically no cost for copies or marketing campaigns.
< overview
< Artists interviews
CountrySwedenSubtitlesEnglishEdition2010 Compilation program (2006 2014) 1/3
< overview
Interview
I’m a filmmaker and screenwriter living in Gothenburg, Sweden. The reason I started making films is absolutely accidental, when I was 15 years old I really wanted to move out from my parents house and live on my own. The only way I could do that was if I went to a high school in another city. So I choose between filmmaking and glassblowing. And I got accepted at the film school and that’s how it started.
Where did you get the idea for "The World’s Worst Horse Girl" from?
It was a story I used to tell people as a joke about myself. I guess I thought it would make a good film. It’s a bit tragicomic and I like that.
It’s a personal project, did that make filming easier or more difficult?
It does make filming easier, as the subject, myself, is always available and didn’t need to be persuaded. (Except for my mother). The hard part is to look at yourself from the outside and be honest and make the best film instead of trying to make yourself look good and sound smart. I have made documentaries about other people before and I think it’s a big responsibility to represent another person in a film, a person who has little control of how the film turns out. It depends on how you work of course, but I do think it’s a dilemma.
Could you tell us some of the problems you faced during the process?
The World’s Worst Horsegirl is actually a remake. The older version was based on interviews with horsegirls which I had animated on whiteboard. It was kind of an experiment and it took me ages, and when it was finished I wasn’t that happy with the result. But I felt I wasn’t finished with the story so when I got my energy back I wanted to make the film again, not animate it this time and instead of trying to do something universal about horsegirls as a phenomenon, I decided to focus on me and my mothers story. So because I’ve already made the film once I could avoid making the same mistakes again.
Your film is pretty fast paced, there’s constantly something happening, was this intentional?
I didn’t want the film to be too long. I like short films, most films are too long. Especially when you are watching them on the internet.
Do you follow strictly the storyboard from A to Z, or do prefer to go with the flow?
No I’m not a storyboard person, unfortunately. I don’t have time for that sort of detailed planning. But I do have the film in my head, and as long it’s a smaller project it works fine for me.
How important is humour in film for you?
I think it’s essential. That doesn’t mean I don’t like depressing films, but the best films are those who’ll both make you cry and laugh.
How did you come up with the title?
Titles are really hard to come up with. I do like superlatives, I like to exaggerate and I think the title The world’s worst horsegirl says something about how you think when you’re a kid. The world seems a bit black and white, if you are good at doing something you are the best, a pro, but if you are bad you really really suck.
What are you working on now (or what is your future project)?
I have a whole bunch of future projects with different people, I like working with others, it gives you the extra energy you need to finish a project. At the moment I’m more into fiction than documentary. For example I am working on a web series about three lesbian girls in Stockholm. I’m interested in distribution over the internet. It’s fantastic that you have the possibility to reach such a large audience at practically no cost for copies or marketing campaigns.
< overview
