When Joel wakes after night with a girl from out of town, he overhears her talking with her friends and he can’t believe what the hell they are saying.

Everyone Does It, directed by Craig Ainsley (Whenever You’re Ready), is a sharp and surprising comedy that unravels the confusion and paranoia of a very unexpected morning-after. When Joel wakes up beside a girl from out of town, things initially seem ordinary—until he overhears her bizarre conversation with her friends. Suddenly, everything about her, and the night before, comes into question.

With a fast-paced, witty tone, Everyone Does It taps into the awkwardness and absurdity of hookup culture, twisting it into a surreal mystery. As Joel struggles to make sense of the situation, the film keeps audiences guessing—and laughing—through every unexpected turn.

The film’s premise is both hilarious and intriguing—what inspired the story?

I’m a sucker for time travel movies, and wanted to do something contained and colloquial, and mash that together. I think basically I watched Primer a while ago and that aesthetic stuck with me. The high concept is grounded in the everyday.

If I have an idea for a short, I only write it if I can shoot it. That means it has to be achievable. With this idea I understood it could all happen in one or two rooms. It came to me at 4am when I was lying on the floor next to my son’s cot trying to get him back to sleep. I remember liking the idea and deciding that if I remembered in the morning I’d write it.

How did you approach balancing humor with the underlying sense of mystery in Joel’s situation?

We only ever know as much as Joel. We see through his eyes in the opening scene and never learn anything that he doesn’t, so the mystery remains beyond the ending. I like the idea of Joel’s friends asking him where he got to last night. Like, would he mention what happened? Does he even believe it? What the fuck?
The chaotic back and forth with the girls was just always going to be fun because they are such funny performers. Then you have this added thing of imagining yourself as Joe and what the fuck he is making of it all. I think we the viewers feeding on the same scraps of info as Joel is what keeps the intrigue at a nice level.

Comedy relies heavily on timing—were there any specific techniques or challenges in achieving the right comedic pacing?

We did a readthrough, and it became quite clear that the performances should lead and the camera should follow. So we did quite loose blocking and Matt (our DP) moved with the action and found the nice moments.

This, coupled with longer takes, allowed the dialogue to flow and spill over one another in a way that felt funny and aptly chaotic. I had to text my editor mid-shoot and say that the cast’s dialogue was spilling over each other and would that cause him a problem? He was like, “No, that’s great.” Shout out to my editor Max Windows (real name).

I kind of wanted it to feel like The Thick Of It, but with a high-concept backdrop. Of course, you can never reach the comedic heights of The Thick Of It, but it’s a good stimulant.

The dialogue plays a big role in the humor. Was any of it improvised, or was it tightly scripted?

Yes. Each cast member is also a great writer so they all brought new bits to the script. One of my favourite lines is improvised. I told Mariam that her character would be trying to come across as someone from that period, but maybe getting it wrong. She then came out with “Good day to you, sir”. It lands so weirdly and from the wrong period. I love it.

How did you approach casting, and what qualities did you look for in the actors to bring out the comedic elements?

I love the short filmmaking community. Florence, Steve, and I met when our films played at Palm Springs Short Fest. We’d always said it would be fun to do something together. After I wrote the script, I realised it felt like something really good for them. Of course, you then send it and wait and panic that it’s awful.

I think ultimately, I was just really fortunate. The three girls, Florence, Michelle, and Mariam, HAD to feel like real friends with a genuine history, and the cast just really gelled. They found a groove where you really buy them and like them as a funny trio.

My only note going in was that we were going to play this dead straight and natural. This is something that all the actors do really well. So having them on board is like having three creative collaborators who bring extra ideas and make you understand new things about the script you wrote.

The film plays with the idea of miscommunication and misunderstanding. What were the biggest challenges in making sure the audience was laughing with the characters rather than feeling lost themselves?

This is a really good question and the answer is “I don’t know.” I think it’s about having the script rush ahead and having the audience want to keep up. The setting is very familiar, which I think helped. The story, though absurd, is anchored to a moment we all know, so we have a foundation beneath us.

The setting plays a big role in the unfolding of the mystery—how did you choose and design the locations to enhance the film’s comedic and narrative impact?

We just wanted it to feel like an AirBnB. But an expensive one. Time tourism is a pursuit enjoyed only by the wealthy.

Then, it was about keeping things subtle. Anything that could be seen as futuristic was quite small. The big light/booth has a minor pulse of light running through it. The nose prongs—I have no idea what they are—but they make a small noise and light it up. Maybe it’s a shot of vitamins to the brain or something. They just had to feel odd and suspiciously not of the time.

Were there any particular films or filmmakers that influenced the comedic tone or style of Everyone Does It?

I mentioned Primer already. That has just been stuck in my memory for a long time. La Jetée too. Both films take Sci-Fi concepts and play them dead straight. I like high-concept things with messy characters. I’d pay good money to watch Star Wars directed by Charlie Kaufman.

What are the books, podcasts or even YouTube Channel that you recommend young filmmakers to get their hands on?

I sometimes find myself watching Like Stories Of Old on YouTube. That guy loves movies and reminds me of why I love them. And his voice is like guided meditation.

Can you share with us some of your favorite short films you’ve seen lately?

There are so many great ones. So much cool stuff to discover on Film Shortage and the like. I really like the short films of this guy, Graham Parkes. Check out Craig’s Pathetic Freakout and The Voice In Your Head. Someone should give him a bunch of money to make a feature.