QUESTION#1: How do your top 3 favorite films influence your filmmaking?:

Typically I gravitate toward stories that have a little weird element to them, whether it's supernatural or psychological. In general, films where the environment is as much of a character as the people really interest me. It's not one genre I gravitate toward, anywhere from "The Green Mile" to "Magnolia" to "The Shining" to "The Horse Whisperer" - The list goes on and includes both blockbusters and obscure indie films. My stills photography influences have made just as much of an impact on my filmmaking, too. The soundtracks I grew up with have a heavy influence on how I can further tell a story with music. My acting and life experience have influenced how I direct actors. So, it's not just my favorite films that influence how I make films. That sort of scratches the surface on that question, but there you have it.

QUESTION#2: What do you wish someone would ask you about your film and why?:

On this film, I was working mostly with people I had never worked with before. Sometimes that means that as a director you have to stand up for certain things a little more than you would on other films where people just immediately trust your choices. So, talking about that may be interesting. Or, maybe talking about working with actors who each have a different approach and need something specific from you as a director. Sometimes these different approaches might not be apparent during the audition process, especially where auditions are so reliant on self-tapes and Zoom calls these days. So, you have to know how to change your direction quickly on set sometimes and be comfortable trying different things until you work out what resonates with each actor.

QUESTION#3: What scared you the most about making this film?:

I was probably the most anxious about the driving scenes when I first initially read the script. I'd only dealt with driving scenes on smaller projects where things were more contained and logistically easier. I'd also worked with subpar camera mounts before, so that was something I wanted to avoid, especially with vintage cars. So, all of that went into my decision making on working with the right cinematographer. I needed someone who visually matched how I saw things, because one of the reasons I got hired as the director was because of my photography aesthetic. I knew that Jon Pears not only had beautiful work, but also worked extensively with moving vehicles of all types, so I could trust his suggestions on what would work best, etc. That was incredibly helpful.

I think I also had a gut feeling that it would feel very different directing this film as opposed to my other films - and also different than how it feels when I'm on a stills photography set. I knew the built-in respect and trust that I'm used to in other aspects of my work wouldn't necessarily be there immediately with a new crew.

There was quite a few other logistical aspects about this film that I had never dealt with before. I wouldn't go as far as saying I was scared about them, because I knew it was a matter of figuring them out and delegating to the appropriate departments. But it was something I knew going into this project that would be a bit of a learning curve. I was very excited to have that experience though, because I knew it would only help me expand what I was capable of on future films.

QUESTION#4: You have to choose one to make your next movie: 1) unlimited budget but only a single take of every shot 2) Academy award winning composer, but they're not allowed to watch the film 3) A-list cast, but they're directed using only charades. Which one do you pick and why?:

It's a toss-up between #2 and #3 but in the end: #3. That sounds both hilarious and fun - and actually could create some really unexpected, wonderful performance choices. Hah!

QUESTION#5: What's does the future hold for this film and you?:

After BSFF, Into the Valley screens in February at the Alameda Film Festival in the San Francisco Bay area. We'll see what else pops up after that, but writer/producer Emily Somers will continue pitching the film in hopes of getting her feature length version of the script financed and produced. As for myself, I'm working on getting more commercial and narrative directing jobs, developing my own projects, and also perhaps a big move in the next year or two to further my directing, but we'll see what happens. Either way, continued projects in both directing and my stills photography work.

Social media tags to share with our readers:

@emilysandiferphoto, @intothevalleyfilm