Her newest project is YVR Screen Scene, a brand new site and podcast platform that represents the next evolution of her commitment to bringing the inside stories of Vancouver’s entertainment industry to life.

We spoke to Sabrina Furminger about YVR Screen Scene, the ever-changing entertainment media landscape, and what her work means to her.

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Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and YVR Screen Scene?

I’ve been covering the Vancouver film and television industry for more than five years now, mostly through Reel People, a weekly column I wrote for The Westender from March 2014 until the paper shuttered in December 2017. I love writing stories about storytellers; I’m not interested in gossip or box office receipts. I love the substance of screen stories – be they web series, shorts, television shows, documentaries, animation, or feature films – and I am forever fascinated by the people who nurture them from concept to the screen. Film and television is a people-powered, storyteller-driven endeavor, and through YVR Screen Scene, I aim to pull back the curtain on the local industry and reveal its beating heart: the people who power it.

What can readers expect from YVR Screen Scene?

I’ll be publishing two interview-driven feature articles per week (at least!) featuring insights and anecdotes from artists who work in the Vancouver screen scene, be they established or emerging actors, directors, writers, producers, or crew. I feel like we really set the tone for YVR Screen Scene in its first few weeks: interviews with Amanda Tapping, John Cassini, Agam Darshi, Lee Majdoub, Christopher Russell, Vincent Tong, Christina Sicoli, and the filmmakers behind Adventures in Public School and Scout & the Gumboot Kids. Every single interview went beyond the “I made this show and here’s what it’s about” level that permeates entertainment journalism, whether it was Amanda talking about the sexism she faces as a director, or John talking about his troubled teen years and finding his purpose through acting. I want to appeal to fans, industry insiders, and people who just love reading about other cool human beings.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be introducing our first columnist (I’m keeping his name under my hat for now, but I’ll tease that he’s a well-regarded film, TV, and stage actor and playwright who will be writing on social justice issues; I’m next-level excited to share his work with YVR Screen Scene readers). And in March, I’ll be launching the YVR Screen Scene podcast, which will bring listeners into my funny, revelatory, engrossing, inspiring, and illuminating conversations with Vancouver’s shining stars.

I’ve developed trust and genuine relationships with many people within the film and television industry. This isn’t just the industry I cover; this is my community, and I take my role in the community very seriously. I follow careers; I celebrate milestones and seek to understand and contextualize challenges and setbacks. What this means for YVR Screen Scene readers is that they’ll find insights into the business and the work that they won’t find anywhere else.

How did you get started in the media and what inspired you to cover entertainment?

I’ve always been a writer, and I’ve always been a storyteller; I “published” my first magazine when I was 8-years-old, writing articles about my family and dogs on my grandma’s old typewriter and then begging my dad to photocopy them at work. My journey to this particular moment in my life has included stints as a student journalist, an evenings-and-weekends reporter at Canada’s oldest daily newspaper, a jack-of-all-trades freelance writer, a 5-year detour into arts publicity, and then to what I consider my calling: entertainment journalist. Entertainment journalism found me.  My husband works in the industry (Paul Furminger of Fish Flight Entertainment), and the first person I ever got to observe working in the film industry was his best friend, actor and stunt artist Darren Shahlavi, who died in 2015. Through Darren, I saw how thoroughly unglamorous a life in the ’biz can be; how many times people usually hear no before they hear a single yes (and how much time can pass between those yeses); how much resolve and chutzpah is required to stay the course and build your skills. My Westender column was called Reel People, and Darren was the first reel person I ever knew.

I started writing about the industry in earnest during the dry days of the #saveBCfilm campaign, when studios were sitting empty across the city and other media outlets were cutting back on their film and TV industry coverage. But – and here’s where I must give credit to Martha Perkins, my first editor at The Westender who green-lit Reel People and pulled me to this next level of my career – I pitched and wrote story after story about the film and TV workers who were creating their own work, who were compelled to create in the hungry moments because they’re artists, and their work matters, even when there’s not a ton of money behind them. My admiration for these artists is endless. Sharing their stories is my raison d’être.

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“I’ve developed trust and genuine relationships with many people within the film and television industry. This isn’t just the industry I cover; this is my community, and I take my role in the community very seriously.”

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 What’s the most rewarding thing about your work?

I love the interviews most of all, especially those hour-plus conversations where we go deep and a portrait of an artist begins to emerge. They’re the part of the work in which I feel most inspired, and they don’t feel like work at all. While I do prepare questions in advance (and conduct an appropriate amount of research in the process), the questions are more of a suggested roadmap than anything else. My interviews are often difficult to transcribe because they’re organic and free-flowing. Sometimes, they’re even true heart-to-hearts where we both share something of ourselves (as happens with dear Amanda Tapping every single time. Every. Single. Time).

I love drawing attention to film, television, and digital projects that deserve more eyeballs. I love exploring social justice issues, whether they’re the driving theme of a film or someone’s off-screen life, be it poverty, sexism, racism, post-partum depression, body image, grief, or the challenges associated with being an other or staying true to who you are. I love when I’m telling someone about an article I wrote, and they exclaim, “That was you?! I read that!” Writers need people to write about, and they need readers. I cherish both.

Which career highlights are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of the numerous articles I’ve written in which the interview subjects have trusted me with their deeply personal stories, including Amanda Tapping, Nicole Oliver, John Cassini, and Attiya Khan.

I’m proud of the cover story I wrote in October about the #metoo movement which featured several brave women – Chelah Horsdal, Enid-Raye Adams, Sarah Deakins, Jacquie Gould, and Lisa Ovies – speaking out about sexual harassment and violence they’d faced on set and in the industry. I am proud of those women, full-stop. Also: interviewing Star Trek icon Nichelle Nichols and broadcasting legend Peter Mansbridge were dreams come true. Oh, and interviewing the OG cast of Degrassi Junior High! And Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer! Yeah; I’m a nerd. I’ll cop to that.

I’m proud to have hosted the Q&A after the screening of Rachel Talalay’s film On the Farm, about the women who were preyed upon by serial killer Robert Pickton. I was changed by the presence that night of so many brave family members whose lives were forever changed when Pickton stole their mothers, daughters, aunts, and sisters from them. You can read more about the film here and watch it here.

I’m proud to have been the first recipient of Women in Film and Television Vancouver’s Iris Award for shining a spotlight on female filmmakers, performers, and storytellers in my column.

What’s the best thing that someone can do to be prepared for an interview with you?

Don’t be scared! I’m not looking for a “gotcha!” moment, or to make you look bad. It’s not a test; you can’t fail an interview with me. Trust that you have something to share. Be prepared to have a conversation with someone who is genuinely interested in your work and ideas. Be flexible to go with the flow of the conversation.

Recommended Reading You Can Act On Camera Click a cover for more details The Art of Voice Acting Secrets of Screen Acting Recommended Reading You Can Act On Camera Click a cover for more details The Art of Voice Acting Secrets of Screen Acting

From your standpoint, where do you see the future of the entertainment media going and how does YVR Screen Scene fit in with that?

We are in the midst of a seismic shift. Traditional media (print, radio, and television) is scrambling to adapt in the age of social media, smart phones, and limited attention spans, and we are losing some important media outlets in the process (my previous employer among them). But it’s also an exciting time, for me and other independent journalists and podcasters looking to own our content and reach a wider audience. I’m looking at my numbers for these last couple of weeks, and at least half of my readers are located outside of Canada. So while our stories are hyper-local – because they’re about Vancouverites, and work created in Vancouver – there’s an interest in these stories that extends around the world.

I’ll also add that I’m not the only journalist covering the Vancouver film and television industry, but I’m one of the few covering it from the inside and centering it on the people who push it forward.

What’s the biggest misconception about entertainment journalists?

There are many misconceptions: We’re all interested in gossip and red carpet fashion. We value big names over working actors, and films and network television over web series and indie projects. We’re ignorant and superficial. We’re not Serious Journalism.

How has the Vancouver film and television industry evolved during your time covering it?

When I started covering the industry in earnest, it was during the #SaveBCFilm campaign, and obviously the service side of the industry has bounced back since those hungry days. What I’m noticing now, however, is how difficult it’s becoming for independent filmmakers to make their projects. The service side is almost too busy. Indie productions can’t crew up. They can’t secure locations or talent. They can’t compete with The CW and Hallmark, and they shouldn’t have to; in a perfect world, the service side would feed the indie side, but there’s almost no time for that to happen. This should concern those of us who care about local stories. Local stories matter. They need to be valued and celebrated and nourished as much as the service work. For the culture!

In your opinion, why has Vancouver remained a successful industry hub?

It begins and ends with people – the reel people. Yes, sure, Vancouver has killer natural beauty, top-notch studio infrastructure, and tax benefits, but our most important feature is our concentration of industry professionals.

Do you have any favourite books and authors relating to the film and television industry?

Unsurprisingly, I love memoirs. Favourites include Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher; Lauren Bacall’s By Myself; Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories by Nichelle Nichols; Bryan Cranston’s A Life in Parts; Where There’s Smoke…: Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man by Vancouver’s own William B. Davis; and Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade by The Princess Bride screenwriter William Goldman.

Where can we find out more about you and keep up with YVR Screen Scene?

Oh, I’m all over the place! YVR Screen Scene can be found at YVRScreenScene.com. I’m also on Twitter (@sabrinarmf and @YVRScreenScene) and Facebook. And if anyone would like to join the YVR Screen Scene Patreon community, they can find information here.

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Thanks to Sabrina Furminger for speaking with us! You can read her amazing work on YVRScreenScene.com.

The post The Biz Interview: Sabrina Furminger appeared first on Biz Books.

This is the pitch for Last Stand to Nowhere, a new short film from the mind of Vancouver-based writer and director, Michelle Muldoon.

As the talented cast and crew – which includes Victoria Angell (Producer), Frances Flanagan (Producer), Maja Aro (Stunt Coordinator and Producer), Lindsay George (Director of Photography), Chelah Horsdal, Johannah Newmarch, Sarah Deakins, Julie Lynn Mortensen, and Jenn MacLean-Angus – prepare to embark on building this Western cinematic adventure, they are currently in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign to bring it to the screen.

We spoke to Michelle Muldoon, Julie Lynn Mortensen, and Sarah Deakins to learn about all things Last Stand to Nowhere.

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Can you start by telling us a little bit about you and your involvement with Last Stand to Nowhere?

Michelle Muldoon: I’m the writer/director of Last Stand to Nowhere. I’m a writer who turned to filmmaking to learn about the process of making film and I never turned back. I thought of this idea a few years ago when I was on the set of Jamestown in Langley. It’s the western town that hosts productions like When Calls the Heart.

A female western is right in line with the kind of female characters I like to writer. Whether I’m writing genre, drama or dark comedy my female characters tend to be dynamic, damaged women who rise above their misfortunes to carve their own destiny out of the rubble of their lives.

I love the idea that the Gunfight at the OK Corral is a modern myth born of history. It’s not the facts that matter anymore but the message of the story. In the case of Last Stand to Nowhere, we’re inserting a powerful female presence on a genre that has all but excluded women unless they’re the long suffering homesteader wife or the fallen whore in the saloon.

Julie Lynn Mortensen: I’m a Vancouver-based actress, very excited to be playing Billie Clanton in Last Stand to Nowhere. Billie is young, brash, brave and trigger-happy. The conflict in the story between the Earps and the Clantons is incited by the supposed ownership of my horse. And I’m ready to fight for it.

Sarah Deakins: Michelle and I have been friends for several years and she’d been talking about this idea for awhile. I always knew I wanted to be involved and I was lucky enough that she saw a place for me among the cast!

What should audiences expect from Last Stand to Nowhere?

Michelle Muldoon: Last Stand to Nowhere is a Western that re-imagines the Earps, Clantons and McLaury brothers as sisters instead. It’s a timeless story that has been retold in film and television multiple times and in multiple ways. Even the original Star Trek took their shot at the story.

Our way is to turn the genre and the myth upside down and to give women the one role that they never get in Westerns; the ambitious gunslinger who deals with resistance to her plans the only way she knows how… with a gun. It’s a story of power, greed, and confidence; characters women don’t often get to play.

Why do you think the Western genre has endured?

Michelle Muldoon: Westerns have experienced a great number of changes over the years. The first great wave was the Hollywood Western then we had the Italian (Spaghetti) Western and then came the Revisionist Western. There are other sub-genres beyond these three major ones because the idea of the fall and rise of the self-determined is a powerful story that transcends boundaries.

It survives because Westerns are myths built around questions of morality. There’s a code of honour, albeit sometimes twisted, that sits at the root of every story. The movie always centres on a self-made man, lawman, gunslinger or rustler. Their journey forces them to question who they are and what they stand for. In many ways, it’s the ultimate story about self-actualization.

Julie Lynn Mortensen: I remember watching Clint Eastwood Westerns with my dad as a young girl. I would see them on TV and say “Dad this is boring,” and 2 hours later find myself still glued to the screen with him watching the credits scroll. Even though Westerns seemed like boy stories to me, I remember getting drawn in by the stakes. The characters were so raw, so exposed on their horseback. One gunshot and they would be done for, but they still had the bravery to fight for what they believed in. I think it endures because we love watching that raw, rugged bravery in action… it touches on something wild in all of us. Epic landscapes and beautiful horses are also a fabulous draw.

Sarah Deakins: I think there’s a romantic connection to the land in a Western that has perhaps fallen away in other genres. The scope of the landscapes in these stories is so vast, and in this case it reflects the epic mythology of the story. The setting of a Western already dictates an epic, vastness, which pumps up the stakes of a story automatically.

Which Western films have influenced you the most?

Michelle Muldoon: There’s a host of Western films I love; the first Magnificent Seven, The Good the Bad and The Ugly, Two Mules for Sister Sara, the list could go on. The Italians brought moral ambiguity to the Western and it helped to spur on a revival in the Western during the 1960’s and 1970’s. I love the idea that when there are no rules, justice does not necessarily thrive. But then I watch the original Magnificent Seven and I love the certainty that the gunslingers have about what is right or wrong. I think what many of these movies have in common is the belief that when someone reaches that point of no return, they will often do the right thing even if it’s for the wrong reason.

What are the three most important elements for a successful Western film?

Michelle Muldoon: The Western needs a great story built around a protagonist who is either a disenfranchised drifter, a person of principle or a self-made man. There’s an epic conflict that involves life or death decisions and it takes place in a world where self-reliance equals survival. The West is about people that take matters into their own hands because there’s no one else to do it. I think that’s part of the appeal of the genre. It’s the precursor to the vigilante movies that have become popular in action films.

Sarah Deakins: Number one has to be the characters. We have to love them or love to hate them, and see their internal struggle. That’s true for me of all genres.

Number two would be the mythology. There’s something about the history of two families on opposite sides, or two groups on apposing sides of the law. The feelings of resentment and the need for revenge go back decades in these stories, and the ability to hold a grudge seems to be much stronger in these types of tales…

Number three is a strong plot with a great climactic ending. Endings are very important in Westerns; they must give the impression of the mythology continuing after the film’s credits have run their course, and leave us satisfied at the same time. It’s not an easy task.

What books and authors have been influential to your career so far?

Michelle Muldoon: As a child I devoured the Dune series and the Narnia Chronicles. I fell in love with the details of the worlds created in these books. It was world building at its finest and I adored that I could disappear into those worlds so easily because the words on the page were so effortless.

As a writer I adore the practicality of The Coffee Break Screenwriter by Pilar Alessandra and Your Screenplay Sucks by William M Akers. Both books give you the tools to start writing and to put your screenplay on the page. I tend to be a linear thinker and these books play well into the way my mind works.

Julie Lynn Mortensen: In my career I feel I have been most influenced by the great actors I have seen on the stage & screen that have masterfully brought the words of great writers to life. I’m an avid reader and love to dive into novels and plays, but the craft of acting feels more like a living literature to me, a capacity to take great writing and transmit it through body, voice and spirit to create an authentic and touching human being. So when I think of influential authors I tend to think through the lens of amazing productions I’ve been blessed to see.

I think of Shakespeare plays and how much I learned watching Vanessa Redgrave perform in one in London recently. I think of seeing Mark Rylance in Jez Butterworth’s play Jerusalem in New York and the way he embodied a character like nothing I have ever seen. I think of loads of local productions from writers like Tony Kushner and Martin McDonagh that have completely blown me away. I especially think of the many great Canadian playwrights like Judith Thompson, Sharon Pollock, Daniel MacIvor and so many more whose work I have been blessed to see or bring to life myself. I especially think of my dear friends who are writers and have written remarkable play-scripts and screenplays and have blown my mind with their creativity and capacity to conjure story.

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“Film is a long game, and if you aren’t willing to play it, you won’t last long.”

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What’s the most important lesson that you have learned in your career?

Michelle Muldoon: If I’ve learned anything in my years in film it’s first of all, be stubborn. Don’t listen to what other people say you can’t do. Focus on what you want to achieve and don’t lose sight of it. Film is a long game, and if you aren’t willing to play it, you won’t last long.

Secondly, if you’re clear with who you are and what you stand for, you’ll be clear with everyone you encounter. No one likes to work with someone who can’t communicate or make a decision and take responsibility for the results. No one expects you to be perfect, they do expect you to be responsible, and wishy washy won’t get you far in this business.

Julie Lynn Mortensen: Oh there have been so many! I’m so grateful for how much acting has taught me about humanity and myself. I think the most important one is… well, it’s going to sound completely cheesy, but self-love. As an actor you are always putting yourself out there in an extremely vulnerable way. Because the work is a transmission through your very being, it’s not like you can separate yourself from that very easily. I can look at something I have painted or written and judge it quite neutrally, without feeling like I am judging myself. That is harder with acting, and it’s much more difficult not to take other people’s opinions personally too.

The process of auditioning can feel like dodging bullets, trying not to get wounded by the roles that don’t go your way. So what I am learning, slowly but surely, is that in all this rawness, this extreme vulnerability, I have to be brave too. But unlike Billie, my strength is not in a sidearm, but in being my own source of self-love. Acting teaches me every day to love myself as deeply and unconditionally as I possibly can. That’s what keeps me brave enough to get back on the horse and keep riding. And for the record, it also makes the journey a really beautiful one, no matter what the day brings, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Sarah Deakins: When it comes to the” labor of love projects”, work with people you love on projects you love. Don’t waste time on indie projects that are designed just to “sell”. If you are doing something for free or on the cheap, it better be something you are passionate about, otherwise you run the risk of becoming jaded and resentful. It’s a hard road, this particular vocation, so you at least need to be inspired by the material and the people making it, whenever possible.

Where can we find out more about you and the Last Stand to Nowhere campaign?

Michelle Muldoon: Last Stand to Nowhere can be found at the following links:

Indiegogo, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We’ve made our Indiegogo goal, but for us that was just a starting point to avoid paying the website’s fees. Now that we’re past that, we’re hunkering down for our stretch goals and the money we need to make this film. I hope people will join the wagon train and help us settle into production.

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Thanks to Michelle Muldoon, Julie Lynn Mortensen, and Sarah Deakins for speaking with us!

Check out the Indiegogo campaign to get involved with Last Stand to Nowhere and keep up with all the developments.

Last Stand to Nowhere photos by Wendy D Photography.

The post The Biz Interview: Last Stand to Nowhere Feature appeared first on Biz Books.

Her newest project, Yellow, is an ambitious pilot that she hopes will be the first in an anthology film series written and directed by Canadian women.

As Yellow finds itself in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign, Sarah Deakins spoke to us to share more about how the project came to be and what she’s learned along the way.

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Can you start by telling us more about you and Yellow?

I’ve been an actor for most of my life and a few years ago I realized I wanted to have more control over the types of stories I was putting out into the world. A friend of mine, Jason Goode had directed a film I wrote called Late and it went to Cannes as part of Telefilm Canada’s Not Short On Talent program. I was lucky to have Brightlight Pictures take me under their wing when I decided to direct my next film myself, Greece and it went on to win over 30 awards on the film festival circuit.

I spent much of the following two years shadowing established directors on the sets of various TV series (Hannibal, Killjoys, Wayward Pines) and although this was extremely helpful in learning about the politics of working on a network show, I had a conversation with one of the executive producers on one of these shows, and she explained to me that they had only had two female directors on their show that season, one of whom was very well established and the other who had never directed TV before but had written and directed seven feature films, had the best reel they had ever seen for their show, and they still had to bend over backwards to get her approved by the network. So, she said, It’s nice that you made a short film, but…

It was clear that gaining access to series TV directing was not going to happen for me through shadowing and having a few short films to show. I started thinking about all the women like me who wanted to get into this world, who wanted to direct series TV in Canada and were making their own work out of the passion for it, but also wanted a way to make a living in their chosen field. It is so tough to break through, and I started thinking about what if we made an anthology series that was exclusively written and directed by women?

Yellow was a long short film that I had been developing and I realized it was the perfect length for a pilot. From there, I thought what if I did a seven part anthology series, with each episode titled after a different color of the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)? We could use Yellow to pitch the series, and attach up-and-coming female directors and writers from all walks of life in Canada, all ages, races and sexual orientations, so as to tell a wide range of stories. The series would have the theme of human connection, which is strongly illustrated in Yellow, and I want that to run through the whole series, but other than that, the stories would be up to the women we end up working with on this. It’s quite Black Mirror-esque in that each episode will be completely different, but with a recurring theme.

The idea has been evolving and growing since then. I want to use established women directors to mentor the up and comers, and the main thing is to create a platform for women who have something to say, have a promising body of their own work, and need some more experience and a forum where they can all cross promote and have a community that is their own.

I had sent the script to Shawn Williamson and Arielle Boisvert at Brightlight Pictures, and though they liked the script a lot, Arielle was most interested and excited about the bigger picture idea of a series exclusively written and directed by women. So here we are, raising money for the pilot episode of the series, Yellow. We have a “who’s who” of Canadian talent attached, and I’m excited to move forward in this process!

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“There’s something about connecting with art that connects us deeper to our own humanity.”

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What is the inspiration for it?

The inspiration for Yellow itself is from a day I spent at the Art Gallery of Ontario. I heard snippets of conversations, observed people’s behaviors and started making up stories in my mind about the characters wandering around in this place build for contemplation and reflection. People are different in those spaces. Things slow down, their humanity floats to the surface. There’s something about connecting with art that connects us deeper to our own humanity and I wanted to write something set in that world.  So Yellow follows ten characters over the course of one ordinary afternoon in an art gallery, but on this particular afternoon, each of these characters experiences some sort of crossroads in their lives.

How does your specific part of the project, Yellow, fit in with the rest of the series?

Yellow is the jumping off place for the series. It should set the tone and the theme of the series and hopefully is engaging in a way that makes people want to see more stories in this vein.

How can people get involved in helping this project come to life?

We’re running a Kickstarter campaign for the pilot right now.

Other than that, we are looking to create a community around the project and a buzz of expectation for the series, so spreading the word really helps!

What have been some of your most precious career highlights?

Working on Greece with Brightlight Pictures was a dream come true. This is probably the one and only time in my life when a piece will come out looking exactly as it did in my head when I was writing it. Truly, writing and directing, having control over every aspect of how a story is told from conception through post-production (one of my favorite parts of the process) is the highlight so far. I had no idea I would love it this much.

You’ve done a lot of acting to go with your recent shift towards directing. What advice would you give to other actors who want to direct?

I think actually Jason Goode, who directed Late had an interesting approach. He wasn’t a writer, but he sought out short film scripts that had an element of something he wanted to learn about or work on in his directing. So each time, I remember him telling me, he picked a project that had something he thought he needed to work on in his development as a director. So, while my first film was set primarily in one room, with just two actors, I am now working on a piece that has a much wider scope, with ten characters all interweaving, and a sense of movement that my first film did not have.

I would also say to seek out scripts or write ones that really move you. It’s the only way I know how to work. Filmmaking is hard. The amount of prep before you even get to shoot, raising money, promoting etc. probably take up more time than the actual time on set and in post. So make sure you love and are truly passionate about the subject matter. If you are going to work that hard, it may as well be on something you really believe in and think is important for you to be doing.

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“I’ve always felt that if I’m doing something, I’m going to do it to the absolute best of my ability.”

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What is the biggest challenge for you as an actor or director and what steps do you take to overcome it?

As a filmmaker, raising money is always the hardest part. I hate asking people for money. I hate being in people’s faces, or feeling like I am bugging them with constant posts about my project. I’m still learning to overcome that icky feeling I get when asking for help in this manner, but it helps to have support, and a team who believe in you and what you are doing. It can be isolating and you can feel very alone in that process, but if you just start, then you have to follow through, and I’ve always felt that if I’m doing something, I’m going to do it to the absolute best of my ability. So I learn how to make memes at three in the morning to thank the people who put money into the film that day, and I send letters to people personally, and I take marketing and fundraising people for coffee and pick their brains. Information is power, and though I am always still learning, I think seeking out that information from people who have done this before me is how I work through my fears.

What’s the most rewarding part of being an actor and director?

The most rewarding part of being an actor is sitting in the story. Being immersed in another life and taking that emotional roller coaster. I adore that process.

The most rewarding part for me so far in being a director is seeing it all come together in post. That process of seeing the story strengthened by the perfect cut, or the swell of music at the exact right moment, or the lone church bell chiming in the background that you layer in during an achingly lonely moment…that is where the story really becomes magical and I get such joy from that part of the process.

What film-related books and authors have been influential in your creative journey?

As an actor, I use Larry Moss’ book, The Intent to Live whenever I am building a character and as a filmmaker I love the book How Not To Make A Short Film by Roberta Monroe and The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film by Michael Ondaatje, a great resource and inspiration when one is in post.

Where can people find out more about you and stay updated about the status of Yellow and In Person?

Currently you can stay in the loop with our Kickstarter campaign.

You can join us on Facebook at Yellow, A Sarah Deakins Film.

And Twitter @YELLOWthefilm1.

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Thanks to Sarah Deakins for speaking with us!

Watch for more of Sarah Deakins and Yellow in the weeks and months ahead!

The post The Biz Interview: Sarah Deakins appeared first on Biz Books.