Project Spotlight: 'Public History' and the World of Literature-Based Web Series
Jules Pigott is a student filmmaker and writer from New York City, currently enrolled as a Film and Media Studies major at Smith College. She has written, directed, and edited for numerous web series, including "Public History," "Earnest 101", “Twelfth Grade (or Whatever)”, “The Uncanny Upshurs”, and “The Emma Agenda”. Jules is passionate about LGBTQ+ representation and highlighting the importance of dynamic characters. Jules is also the co-founder of the group Quip Modest Productions, which is dedicated to telling fun, complicated stories through the Internet.
What is Quip Modest Productions? How did you you form it and what does it produce?
Quip Modest Productions is the YouTube channel connected to my web series. It was formed back in 2015 when we were making our first show, but at the moment I'm really the only person behind the scenes. Through Quip Modest I make web series, mostly based on literature, that I hope are full of fun and interesting characters, relationships, and stories.
What was the inspiration behind Public History?
I've been making web series based on literature for a while, and when my last series was done, I decided I needed to pick my next book. I was reading "David Copperfield" and was floored by all the subtext and complicated relationships between the characters. One thing I connected with was quotes from Charles Dickens where he described David as an extension of himself. I wanted to write David as both faithful to the original story and also an extension of myself as well.
How long did Public History take for production?
I actually had the first idea to make the show 3-4 years ago, but I knew it would be a really large project, so I decided to hold off on it. Actually sitting down and writing the show took a couple months, and pre-production started almost immediately after I finished the script. That took maybe four months, and then we filmed the show from May to July of 2019.
What was your proudest and most challenging moments with Public History?
Casting was the most difficult part of Public History. We went through a couple actors for almost every part, with some being finally cast about a week before they were scheduled to film. I was really proud of the actors and their incredible dedication. One of the best moments was one evening when we were filming a late season 2 episode with Bradley (who plays David) and Ben (who plays Jason). It's an emotional scene, and Bradley and Ben wanted to do it in one shot, one take. I secretly did too, but I kept telling them it was okay if we had to cut a couple times. They insisted though, and I'm really, really proud of how that scene came out.
What attracts you to film projects based off of literature?
I think that, at the film-making skill and resource level I'm at now, making these vlog literature adaptations is both incredibly satisfying to my creative self and just challenging enough that I'm not breaking the bank. I always feel a bit like I'm solving a puzzle when I work on different ways to adapt story beats and characters to modern day. I've never made an adaptation of a story I didn't already love, so it comes from a place of fandom as well.
How did you find film as a medium?
I entered into film more through television than actual movies. There was a period when I was about 14 when I was watching almost every show I could find on Netflix. I just loved sprawling, serialized stories that could extend beyond just one piece of media. I took my first film class more out of a desire to work in TV than film. - What work inspires you?Some of my favorite TV shows are Leverage, Warehouse 13, Pushing Daisies; shows that are pretty silly but aren't afraid to pack an emotional punch. Genre shows with really interesting worlds and characters tend to draw me in as well. Right now I'm most inspired by the ladies behind the web series Rational Creatures. I'm so proud to know them!
What work do you hope to create one day?
I've had a TV show idea cooking in my head for a long time. Besides that, I'd love to do more short form work. I'm especially interested in music and video games nowadays, and would love to work on writing or video about pop culture.- What roles in production do you gravitate towards? I think I'm more of a writer and an editor. Directing can be fun, but I haven't had the chance to really gain skill in it. Characters and stories feel more like they're mine when I've actually written the script.
