Directing
My Philosophy
I was new to a lot of skills in film, but it was directing where I was the least experienced. It was also, however, where I learned the most. My perspective with directing is that you have to balance being the boss with trusting others to do their job. I learned quickly that I cannot do everything on my own: films are too complicated to be completed alone. I also realized that setbacks will occur, some people will not come through, and you have to roll with these misfortunes to get the film done. I value direct communication on set: if I do not like how a line was read, I will make that clear. However, my main goal is to complete the film on time; in my opinion, a completed but flawed film is better than an unfinished one.
"Happy Birthday to Me"
"Happy Birthday to Me" was my first directorial experience. For this film, I helped make the story with friends, so I had a clear vision of what it would look like. I took inspiration from films like "Eraserhead" and "Jack Stauber's OPAL"; I liked how they used surrealistic images and unnatural lighting to express the fractured perspective of the protagonist. I used these same techniques to tell the story of a young man celebrating his birthday alone after he lost his friends.
"Hard Pills to Swallow"
For "Hard Pills to Swallow," I was adapting someone else's story and had to get a cast and crew, so I think this was a more realistic introduction to directing. We had an accelerated schedule due to multiple crew cancellations and trouble renting equipment. As a director, I worked with the writer to better understand their script. I also confronted the fact that my vision had to be reconciled with the reality of my situation. My main goal with this project was to get it done, so that the crew's hard work would not have been in vain. This was the most informative experience, and I am grateful for having had it.