How did you get inspired to become a filmmaker?
I’ve been acting for a long time and when I moved to LA, I kind of fell into it. My partner is a writer/ director and we teamed up and made this short film. I love the control that comes with creating content, as an actor you don’t have a lot of that so it’s a nice way to balance things out.
What is your favorite part about the short film form?
Short films are fun for experimentation and a great way to gain experience and learn. And in our case, it’s been a great platform to make our first feature.
Who were the people that supported the making of this film?
It was a tiny crew and it was all done very fast. My partner Andrew Ryan wrote and directed the script and three days later we were shooting in the Mojave Desert. We had a wonderful DP (Judd Overton) who was introduced to us through our camera assistant (Michelle Pizanis). Both Judd and Michelle are Australians living and working in LA so we were super lucky to have them on board. And our wonderfully talented musician, Kitch Membery composed a track for us at the last minute. We had great crew who just wanted to be there because they liked the script which is so important. The whole thing was written, shot and edited in five days.
Watch and vote for “The Florist”
What is your next project?
The Florist feature length! The short played in New York and the response was surprising and great. People wanted to see more and so we sat on it for a while and were trying to decide between The Florist and another project that we have. We entered the concept into the the Sundance Sloan Fellowship and it was selected as a finalist so we thought we were on to something. The feature script has just been completed and we are now planning production.
The independent film business is a difficult one. What keeps you motivated? Where do you see the industry going in the future?
I think it’s exciting! Ageism, sexism and lack of diversity are all real issues and our generation of filmmakers have the chance to advocate change. Hollywood is amazing and inspiring and I love it but the gatekeeper stuff can be super frustrating so I think it’s powerful that we now have the capacity to take action for ourselves and be responsible.
Which filmmakers, artists or individuals have most influenced your work?
A couple of years ago a friend encouraged me to start making my own stuff, which I really didn’t want to do because I was majorly scared of it. She listed some examples of wonderful women who were blazing their own trail so I watched their films and listened to podcasts and became totally inspired to be powerful and to stop being the person sitting by the phone waiting for permission. Brit Marling was really the first woman filmmaker I related to and watching her films blew me away. I love Derek Cianfrance, Amy Seimetz and The Duplass Brothers. Oh and I have a new found love for Rachel Bloom! I danced and sung for 15 years so Crazy Ex Girlfriend is my jam. I love kick ass people who are true to themselves and make cool, interesting stuff.
What advice would you give new filmmakers?
Be proactive and surround yourself with good people.
Watch and vote for The Florist.
This pitch is competing in the REELPITCH Challenge, Remember you can vote once a day for the duration of the contest for as many pitches as you deem worthy!
VOTING OPENS
Aug 09, 2016 at 9:00am MDT (America/Denver)
VOTING CLOSES
Aug 18, 2016 at 9:00pm MDT (America/Denver)
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