Tribeca Film Festival 2024: Writer-Director Walker Kalan and Star Camille Trust Talk ‘I Need Your Love’

Prepare to be hooked as writer-director Walker Kalan and star Camille Trust revive must-see TV at the Tribeca Film Festival with their enthralling episodic series, I Need Your Love.

Drawing from Camille’s personal journey as an independent artist, I Need Your Love offers a poignant and authentic portrayal of navigating the complexities of the industry, fearlessly delving into its triumphs and tribulations. Filled with heart and laughs, it captures the essence of the journey with sincerity and humor.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Walker and Camille about I Need Your Love, bringing a group of collaborators together who believed in the project, how this creative partnership formed, and not shying away from the grittiness of what it means to be an artist.

PC: Walker, about a year ago, you conceived the idea to create a series based on Camille’s life as an artist. How did the two of you initially cross paths, and how did this creative partnership and friendship first come about?
Walker: The seeds of this creative partnership were sown by the winds of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. I wasn’t living in New York at the time, but I was visiting some friends in the East Village. It just so happened, through sheer weirdness, I was in the city when the hurricane struck.

The power was out. Everyone in the area was experiencing a lot of intensity. Camille had just moved into the building. She and her girlfriends were living downstairs from my boys.

Camille: Yeah, we had just moved to the East Village, fresh out of college from Florida, and in party mode. It was an old building. So, for months, we could hear the guys upstairs. We were like, “Oh, they play guitar. They go to yoga. They sound hot.” [laughs] We would cross paths in the hallway. Then the storm was coming, and we were like, “Let’s go check in on the boys. Let’s see if they need tinfoil.” I went upstairs and asked if they needed that while the power was out. [laughs] That immediately bonded us. Then Walker entered the scene. We all hunkered down and became emergency buddies for that period because there was no power in the south of Manhattan for weeks, and it was freezing. We were hanging out by candlelight, and that trauma bonded us.

PC: Camille, you’re a multifaceted talent who acts, writes, and sings. What was your initial reaction when Walker pitched this idea to you?
Camille: For years, knowing Walker’s prowess in the film industry and his incredible writing skills, I’ve always been like, “Let me know when you’re ready because I’m ready to be in something.” Then he essentially proposed this idea to me. I was surprised that it was entirely about me and my life, and I was a little scared. But then we really collaborated to create this honest series. And here we are!

PC: Walker, comedy is a genre that thrives on improvisation. There’s a rawness to your script that makes it so relatable and captivating to watch. As the writer-director, how do you create the space for your ensemble to play and explore? How challenging was it to do so with time and budget restraints?
Walker: That’s a really good question, and I appreciate it. I don’t know a single writer who isn’t a little bit precious about their words. However, for me, it was crucial to ensure everyone felt comfortable and could speak in their “own language”. If words don’t flow naturally from your mouth, there’s only so much you can force. If it isn’t working, it isn’t working. It was really important to me to have everyone firing on all cylinders, especially considering many of the actors in this series are first-timers.

There’s something special about improv. While the show wasn’t purely improvised, there were plenty of moments where people had the freedom to bring their flair to the conversation. There were instances where we even rewrote scenes on the spot for various reasons.

The most crucial aspect for me when directing is that everyone in the scene understands its essence. That’s more important than getting the words exactly right because if you grasp the scene’s purpose, its starting point, and where it needs to go, and if your character’s motivations are clear to you throughout, then I’m not worried. You’ll get it.If we’re on different pages, then we have to talk some more and get on the right page. Sometimes that means I need to adjust to someone else’s page or vice versa.

PC: Camille, with this series loosely based on your own experiences as an artist coming up in this industry, was there a particular experience you wanted to ensure was highlighted? How much of what we see actually occurred?
Camille: A lot of what you see actually happened; it’s pretty accurate. The one thing I really wanted to highlight was that opening scene because it’s so extreme yet so telling and real. It was a moment where you’re giving this Madison Square Garden-level performance, and no one gives a sh*t. That really encapsulates the reality of being an independent artist, giving your all day in and day out, and hoping someone cares. It’s like extending your hand and hoping someone takes it, but most of the time, they don’t. I wanted to convey that and set the tone of what it’s truly like. As we developed other aspects, they were all very true and happened. All the characters are friends of mine, and we all have personal relationships with each other.

PC: There’s something truly special about creating something with a close-knit group of friends. You can feel and see everyone’s passion for this project. Walker, could you discuss a bit about assembling the creative team both in front of and behind the camera?
Walker: Absolutely. It all started with the two of us. On a project like this, nobody’s in it for the money. Our policy was clear: no one works for free. Some offered, but it didn’t feel right to ask that of people. Everyone was on board with that. And on a deeper level, no one’s expecting health benefits because that’s not what this is about. It’s all about connecting with the material and with us. When pitching this show, it might sound like I’m full of it because we didn’t have much to show, but both Camille and I truly believe in it. What we lacked in connections or experience, we made up for with insane enthusiasm and resourcefulness. This project is our baby, and we’re all fiercely protective of it.

Camille: Our cinematographer, Danielle Elise Bartley, is incredible. She fit right in. She’s as scrappy as we are, willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot and showcase me in the best light possible. She’s also fantastic at communicating with Walker and bringing his vision to life with the resources we had—or didn’t have. Without her, we wouldn’t have what you see. She’s truly a key player in creating this product.

Walker: She’s amazing. We were fortunate, especially considering the timing with strikes and everything else. We navigated through it all above board. I feel lucky to have Dani and my partner, Isabel Haro, who provided invaluable support at home. Whenever I was stressed, it was comforting to talk things through with her. Continuity was crucial for the project—not just in terms of the look but also for our morale. We had to shoot in blocks because people had other commitments. So having that consistency with our crew, who understood that this was a professional yet scrappy set, was vital.

We had to shoot this in blocks because people have other commitments and often needed to take on other jobs. Consequently, we didn’t always have the same crew lined up for each shoot. Thus, it was crucial to maintain continuity with our close-knit team, the people who understood that although it was a professional set, it was also extremely scrappy.

PC: Camille, as an artist steadily releasing music, if you had to select a song that best encapsulates this series, which would it be and why?
Camille: It’s funny you ask that because I’m actually releasing a song on June 6th in conjunction with the series launch. We’ve also filmed a music video, which will premiere at Tribeca. The song is titled “Desperate for Love,” and I believe it truly captures the vibe and essence of the show with its raw honesty, reflecting where I’m at in the moment.

I didn’t write the song specifically for the show; it was actually penned earlier this year while the show was in post-production. During that time, I’ve been away from the editing process, focusing on writing music in L.A. When we got the news about Tribeca, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to release a song. We’re planning a launch party, and I’ll perform it there. We recently shot a music video on sixteen-millimeter film, showcasing a different side of I Need Your Love, which is bright and humorous. This new video is beautiful but in a contrasting way. Walker directed it, and we had Dani, the cinematographer, on board as well.

Make sure to follow with Camille (X/Instagram/Spotify). Screening times for I Need Your Love below:

• Village East by Angelika – Sun June 09 – 6:00 PM
• AMC 19th St. East 6 – Wed June 12 – 8:15 PM
• Village East by Angelika – Sun June 16 – 2:15 PM