Director’s Series (Fairy Edition): Entry One

I pointed at Gabby in class and asked about bringing a script to life for my film course this semester and was delighted to learn that the script she had been working on for the screenwriting course aligned with my own spirit and ambitions in film.

As a student, you never know if your project will get selected, but we presented together during the pitch process and hoped for the best. What I didn’t expect was that the spirit in this script and us as people would bring the best people to the project. We have a team of kind-hearted, ambitious, and helpful people who all love the process of bringing this script to life.

I have been studying director approaches to filmmaking but sometimes it really does come down to meeting the right people to know what is possible. I think people with similar personalities to mine don’t see ourselves as directors. We don’t like when people yell, our nervous system doesn’t like conflict but it doesn’t mean we are afraid to problem solve where needed. I never saw myself as a director because I was a writer turned camera operator who didn’t particularly see a pathway of that kind of creative leadership.

When I read Gabby’s script, it was the first time I read a script where I could not only convey a part of my spirit in its direction, but also bring to life a childhood and coming of age story I understood.

There are many coming of age films that focus on the gritty aspects of growing up, but this story is much softer. It is a gentle approach of storytelling and how we encourage one another. Sometimes that comes through letters from a stranger turned friend.

My hope for this film is that it is a learning experience that is rooted in the possibilities of the stories we could tell. Stories of girlhood, of gentleness, of what it means to be a good friend even with all our sadness and complexities.

And I have the absolute best team and cast, plus many helpers in the wings making this all possible. Thank you to those who are championing and supporting our film! It means more than I could ever fully put into words.

Stay tuned for more in this series. :)