Actress, writer and producer, Robin Rose Singer. Photo Credit: Alexandra Turshen.

Actress, writer and producer, Robin Rose Singer. Photo Credit: Alexandra Turshen.

GALO: How much time do you yourself spend with technology on a daily basis, be it your phone, the Internet, television, apps, etc.? Do you find yourself addicted to any of it, or perhaps dependent on it? Maybe there is a device you cannot picture living without? After all, technology certainly makes some aspects of our lives more comfortable and easy, and it can lead to a lot of innovation in the creative space, too.

RS: Far, far too much — I am a workaholic, and unfortunately my smart phone and laptop enable that. I work as a freelance artist — acting, writing and producing — so having a portable office in my phone and laptop allows me a lot of freedom. I’m required to communicate quite a bit for various projects, so it’s nice that I can take my dog to the park and still be technically working. I try very, very hard, however, to disconnect from it when I can. For me, it’s not the technology itself I’m addicted to — it’s the fact that it enables me to work more efficiently and way more often. I don’t actually own a television, and I really don’t like streaming content on my computer. I prefer to go to the theater or the movies whenever I can. As for social media, I use it pretty sparsely — I don’t Instagram my coffee cup or anything like that. Pretty much all the social media use in my life is work-related.

I do use my phone an awful lot — I read scripts on it, send e-mails. I’m definitely in love with the IMDB app. I use that all the time. And the voice recorder is pretty great for saving ideas. I was trying to learn Italian for a while with a language app. Things like that are kind of neat to me, because I’m a big fan of productivity, like compulsively so. Then again, sometimes I do need to put the brakes on.

GALO: Speaking of which, Luke LoCurcio said, in the director’s statement, that we might be becoming “so dependent on our relationship with technology that we don’t even realize what it is costing us.” In the film, this is evidenced by what happens to Emily at the end when she and her crush meet in person. While clearly this film serves as a warning of what can happen if one becomes too reliant on technology, I’m wondering how you foresee the near and distant future in terms of social communication between people, and what do you think individuals ought to do to correct this before it truly becomes too late? Can it even be corrected or are we in too deep already — is technology even now too ingrained in our lives?

RS: It’s never too late! Write letters to each other! I would love that so much. Honestly, I think there are A LOT of things that we miss out on because of the tech boom. Jack Marchetti’s [recent] film, Evolution of a Gen-X Music Purchaser, is a fantastic example. When I was growing up, buying a CD was a ritual. I still remember exactly where I was standing when I bought [my] Rage Against the Machine CD at the Crystal Mall, and unwrapping it in the food court next to a Panda Express, smelling the ink of the booklet and thinking, ‘Damn, this band is CRAZY, and my life is about to change for the better.’ I scrutinized the lyrics for weeks, listened to it on repeat [and] made mixtapes for my friends who didn’t have it. I remember the people I listened to it with and headbanging like a moron with my sister, jumping around on her bed. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Ask me how much I remember about the last album I downloaded on iTunes. I don’t even remember what it was. I skip songs, lose albums somewhere in the upgrades… I guess what the lyrics are unless I bother to google them, and I don’t even know what the artists look like. I probably bought the album standing in line for something because I was bored — tragic. I say we all go back to vinyl and letter writing.

And calling to place orders, too. I’ve spoken to a lot of very nice customer service reps lately. A little human interaction won’t kill us. We might even learn something.

Also, please, PLEASE be aware of what you are posting on social media. Not everything is THAT important.

GALO: Going off that, do you think people are unable to communicate without their devices, especially younger generations? And do you think the problem stems from how fast paced our lives are becoming, especially in terms of work? I’m also curious as to your thoughts about giving young children tablets and cell phones — how do you think this will affect them going forward?

RS: This is a MAJOR thing for me. I am terrified to see what a generation raised on iPhones will look like. Even though my generation had video games, we couldn’t play them at the dinner table. It’s worse than plugging your kid into the TV. They’re not even interacting with you anymore. They don’t hear you when you talk

People’s anatomy is actually changing too because we are always craning our heads forward and down to look at things like cell phones. Seriously, look it up. Unfortunately, your lower back isn’t made to support an additional 14 pounds of weight pulling on it. It also causes headaches, migraines, and all sorts of other weird mechanical issues.

Kids being raised now though are completely intuitive in their use of technology. In a way, it’s interesting to imagine what a world will look like when every child has the full knowledge of the Internet at their fingertips. It’s an equalizer in terms of education, which I think is incredible in parts of the country where the educational system is lacking. Of course, you need to make sure they’re not just playing World of Warcraft or something [like that] instead. And that they are still being raised with practical knowledge of nature, social behavior, and the world around them. It’s a pretty complicated issue. Overall though, I’m more concerned than excited.

GALO: We’ve been discussing how technology can be harmful and in finding that balance, however, I’m curious as to how it has helped you creatively throughout your life as well as in the conception of this film?

RS: Creatively, technology is not incredibly useful to me. I get very distracted by it. I usually turn my Internet off completely when I’m working because I can’t focus with it on.

I prefer to write things with pen and paper when I can, although things like scripts, obviously, need to be typed. My most creative moments are always when I am present in the world around me, talking to people, and/or showering or drinking wine. Walking my dog is also one of those places inspiration tends to strike.

I can say I like having a digital notepad in my pocket, absolutely. For me, technology does not enable creativity whatsoever — it enables productivity. As a filmmaker, I very much appreciate the way it has democratized film, because it used to be a very difficult medium to work in. Now it’s much more accessible. Of course, there are cons to that too, and I appreciate the need to put blood, sweat, and tears into your work. If I ever find myself with a real budget, I absolutely would prefer to work with film stock one day.

I do appreciate the way technology has sped up communication for work purposes. I do an awful lot of e-mailing, Dropboxing, WeTransferring, and Google Docs-ing. For work productivity, it’s great. But when I need to let my creativity take over, I turn it all off.

GALO: Apart from the obvious, what else would you like viewers to take away from this film? And how has the entire experience as well as the feedback been like for you at Tribeca?

RS: If people think twice about the way they interact with tech, I will be a happy lady. Whenever you get that flash of anxiety, realizing your phone is on three percent battery life, and act like a drug fiend begging for a charger or an outlet — please just take a minute and think, ‘Hey. Six years ago, this thing didn’t even exist, so maybe this is not life or death.’ And also, let’s just all remember that our online personas on Facebook are not reality. Your friends have bad days too, and sometimes they take 50 pictures just to post one good one.

The feedback we’ve gotten at Tribeca has been incredibly supportive. The festival does a wonderful job of creating a positive atmosphere where filmmakers feel like their work is appreciated and important. Personally though, I’m DYING to hear from people who watch the film online or on their cell phones. Hopefully, they’ll have some sort of small epiphany.

GALO: After the festival, how will viewers be able to find this film? Do you plan to release it online?

RS: After this festival, we will be taking the film to the shorts market at the Cannes Film Festival to negotiate its distribution in Europe, and hopefully to other festivals in America. We have submitted to quite a few, but haven’t announced any officially yet. When we do, the information will all be available on our Web site. You can also subscribe to our mailing list there to get all the future release information. Eventually, we will release [the film] online as well.

GALO: I’ve read that you’ve got quite a bit of projects coming up once Tribeca comes to a close, including a role in the upcoming film 7th Secret, which I believe comes out in May. And you’ve been writing screenplays for two feature-length films as well. That seems like quite a plateful! Can you tell us more about these upcoming endeavors?

RS: I am! 7th Secret is a feature-length family drama shooting in Philly in a few weeks. I play the spunky, youngest rebel child of a very conservative family. It’s a fun part. I get to be the colorful one and the comic relief at times, which is always a blast.

I am writing two new scripts: a road trip adventure that’s somewhere between Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Beasts of the Southern Wild, and a historical sports drama based on a true story that’s along the lines of The Kite Runner.

I am developing a feature-length drama that Jack Marchetti wrote and will be directing. I keep saying it’s the Good Will Hunting of the current (tech-heavy) generation. I love the script dearly. Jack’s an incredibly gifted and unique writer.

And I’m also working on an international documentary film on the production side of things called From Hand to Cup about issues within the coffee industry. We just finished shooting in Costa Rica and will be going to Brazil next, [specifically] in June. That film is directed by Benjamin Kanes, a very gifted actor/director who was in Birdman and all sorts of other fabulous things.

I suppose it’s a plateful, but I like to be busy! And luckily, I have a smartphone that lets me work from the dog park on the sunny days.


Video courtesy of Robin Singer.

“Aphasia” had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. For more information about the 11-minute film, check out the official Web site by clicking here. || Featured image: Photography and design by Hanna Agar.