Director’s Statement

My directing practice is process over product focused. In college, my professor told me the story of how during one his productions he kept multiple hard drives because he was afraid of one being corrupted or lost. On his way back from set, his car caught on fire and while he was okay, all the hard drives were ruined . In short, with independent film making you can’t always count on leaving set with what you intended. There’s a lot of things that end up being out of your control, but you can always control your attitude and approach. The creation of art should involve passion and joy and when you love what you do, that will be reflected in the final piece.

I believe sets should be ethical, supportive, and collaborative environments. When directing, I make sure to check in with each member of crew and cast individually at the start and end of the day. I also always make people fill out a form so that I can make sure everyone has their comfort snack on set. It’s a small thing, but I think it helps.

I love using my acting background to inform my directing style. prefer to not keep cast and crew separate. I was taught that the camera is your other scene partner so I believe to have strong performances, it is crucial that the actors feel connected to the crew surrounding them. When time allows for it, I think crew should have the same warm up as cast because it helps set the tone for the day.