I started making movies when I was about 9 years old. I first started making films by asking my dad to videotape me (kind of like my first DP!) and my friends while I was directing and acting in these spy movies I created and acted in around our neighborhood. For me, the thought of how hard or easy it was to make my first movies never crossed my mind because I loved making them so much.  I just did it out of pure passion and loving every second of the whole process, even with first cheap camera. 

 

 

 

I made my first short film when I was at this weekend film program for high school students (NY Film Academy, Hollywood). After I finished it, I looked up some short film festivals online and I decided to send it around. It ended up getting accepted to a big one in the U.K. and I flew there and won a prize, and some other festival wins followed. After that, I decided I wanted to make a short film based on the feature film Faded Memories I had written in the summer when I was 14. I made this second short film and sent it around to investors to raise money for the feature. I found people that supported me and trusted and I was on my way to make the feature in the Fall of 2007 in the L.A. and Malibu areas

 

 

You are at the very least a quadruple threat, both Writing, Directing, Starring-in, and Producing your first feature. Did you find it's hard to balance such a wide range of obligations? How do you avoid neglecting one part of the film, while maintaining all of your other responsibilities on the set? What advice do you have to other young filmmakers about how they can balance doing so much on the same project?

 

I never found it hard to balance such a wide range of functions because doing it all together is really my passion and makes me the happiest. Sometimes it's just better not to think too much and just dive in because otherwise you start doubting yourself and the negativity can get to you.  I am able to do all these things because I know how to manage my time and I have a very good sense of organization. My advice to other filmmakers who want to do many of the same things is to be ultra-organized, fearless, get the best crew to surround you (especially the DP, line producer, sound person and 1st AD).   You've got to know exactly what you want without being afraid of telling people what to do and what you want without sounding bossy. But the main thing is just go for it, do it, and never think twice about it!

 

 

 

It is different for everybody. Some filmmakers need to spend a lot of time learning all the technicalities of making a film and how to apply all that knowledge on the set. They want to know how to position lights perfectly and get great camera coverage, rehearse the perfect scenes with actors, etc... before having the confidence to make their first feature and that's ok. There are other people who just want to do it and see what happens -- kind of letting the creative process happen, you know that special chemistry when everything works perfectly in a scene that you can't really plan 100%. My only advice it to follow your guts. Don't listen to anybody around you because they judge you with their own filters. They project their own feelings and insecurities on you. Of course they give you good advice, then take it, but what I mean is never get influenced by others if deep down it's not what you really want.  The advantages in film schools is pretty much that you learn a lot more of the technical aspects of filmmaking; you get to impress people with all the swell film vocabulary you learn in class; but the downfall sometimes can be that you begin to think too much and lose your creativity in making the best film you can by being overwhelmed with all that technical knowledge. The advantages of self-taught filmmakers is that I think they can move faster on the set making their vision happen because they have a clear idea of what they want -- something that's not obstructed by second guessing everything based on their technical knowledge. Another key thing is having a unique sense of storytelling -- something you can't learn in film school. I think that if you want to create a great story with really touching characters that touch people, you don't need 5 years of film school. You need some basic knowledge and just get as much hands-on experience as possible on the set and everything will fall in place.

 

 

 

The experience I had working in By Modern Measure with Matthew was very interesting. It was very unpredictable which made it fluid and very creative. I felt like we were on this adventure the whole time by stopping in the middle of these abandoned places and taking a few shoots here and there. It was a really small crew and everybody was very nice and great to work with. Matthew is very creative and I was amazed what he came up with after the movie was edited!  My advice for actors is not to become the character but to let the character become you.  Don't over prepare and always let space for yourself to even improvise on set if your director allows it. I also recommend you arrive on set prepared and know your character's persona like it was your own.

 

 

 

Being very young, I just walk in a room as myself and don't even worry about being taken seriously. I know exactly what I want out of the meetings and if they don't take it seriously, then that's their loss. The most important thing you have to know is what you are worth. If you know exactly who you are and the power you have as an individual, being taken seriously or not doesn't even matter because no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.  When I walk on the set, I don't think of acting like a pro, I simply go as myself and that's what everyone deals with. My advice to teens who want to work professionally is really to be yourself and know what you want. The minute your able to go on that set and tell people what you want in a firm but friendly way, that's when you know you are mature and professional enough to make it happen and be respected. If you want to get resources for larger projects made, then the most important thing is to have people who support you. At the end of the day, if you don't have a team that believes in you, then things can get more complicated depending on how you handle it.

 

 

 

There really isn't a secret to doing all that. The truth is, you've got to learn to take each step at a time and make every minute count on the set to give the right instructions to everyone so your vision comes true. The clearer you understand your story, your part, the way the set looks, how the story flows, how the film looks -- pretty much the whole process -- the easier it'll be to get the job done fast when the clock is ticking on the set. You can convince some amazingly experienced people to work with you if you have a powerful script and you have the confidence to tell everyone you will make it happen. As soon as you doubt yourself for even one second, the more difficult it'll be to get these kind of experienced people to work with you. What you want to do is create a kind of positive chain reaction the minute you have finished your script so all the pieces fall together until the movie is actually done. You can't allow any negativity of self-doubt to interfere anywhere in this journey.

 

 

 

I begins a storyline for my films by just a simple idea based on characters I would like to see in the movie or a farfetched amplified idea of people I know. What inspires me when I write a story is really my characters and my purpose. I enjoy listening to music to put me in the mood sometimes but not when I write. Once I get an idea, I write very fast and can finish a script in a few days. I will then revise a bit but not much because you can otherwise lose your original vision that has that special something that will spark the whole movie. I live with my characters, hear their voices, they talk to me and then I build the story around their lives. I've been very interested in dark subjects because they can bring out powerful emotions from characters and I think that's what makes great storytelling.

 

 

 

What's funny is that I think great storytelling will never go away. It would be tough to watch a whole feature film on your computer on a small screen because there is nothing like being a big theaters with all the unknown people around you. I think the greatest thing about these technologies is opening up bigger distribution channels for all these movies that don't have distribution. But I still think that old fashion storytelling will never be replaced by any new technologies because we still deal with the same emotions today as we did thousands of years ago, right? I love YouTube and the Web, but there nothing like being in a middle of a big audience who's secretly in tears watching a movie in a big theater.

 

 

 

I think the best way to get noticed is to be true to yourself in your work and your vision. If you try to sell-out commercially just to be hot and successful, you can make some good money, but how will feel about your work 20 years from now? You hear a lot of people who read scripts in Hollywood complaining that writers try too hard to impress with all their tricks to have a hot script. I think that if you write your script with passion, tell people about it passionately and get the movie made one way or another, everything will fall into place. But on the Web you can put together great emotional short films that will have an impact and that's a real cheap and fast way to get going. Once you get a following for your projects people will come back for more and next thing you know you have a bigger and bigger following and next you know some Hllwd people notice you and next you know you're making a big feature film@. I guess it sounds a little simplistic but you've got to get a following for your work on the Web or in theaters then you'll move up to bigger and more successful project!

 

 

 

In January 2009 I'm shooting another independent film in Oregon that I wrote, will direct and star in like Faded Memories. It's called Blue Winter and it's another dramatic love story! But I also just finished an action adventure script (real fast paced) but that's also has an edgy love story at its heart. That one is a multi-million (studio) project and we'll see how much of it I can still get involved in if they like the script! 

Make sure to check out my Web sites: AnneSophieFilms.com and FadedMemoriesMovie.com

My advice to all your readers, Wes, is: nothing is ever impossible if you believe it's possible.