07/12/2020
1757s brings you a behind the scenes look at âBy Mothlightâ but with a twist. Instead of just posting random pictures we want to highlight each member of our team. Bringing an independent film to life is no easy task, but our cast and crew made it possible.
This week meet the director and producer of our film Jamie Garcia.
Jamie has been working on films for 3 years now. She has served on multiple projects as an actor, script supervisor, assistant director, and producer.
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What inspired you to pursue work in the film industry?
The film âTitanicâ was a huge inspiration to me as cliche as it sounds. I had the 11th anniversary DVD and it was packed with behind the scenes content that detailed the making of the film. I would watch it over and over again fascinated at the amount of work done by everyone involved to make the film as historically accurate as possible. I was in awe at how incredible the sets were. They recreated the ship almost entirely and sunk many of the rooms. That was my first time seeing the work that goes into a film and I wanted to be a part of it.
Was your dream always to direct?
No, my first love was acting even though Iâm not the best at it. My theater teacher Mrs.Leal can tell you, I always took on the role of director. I could see how to do things in a timely and organized manner. I enjoyed every part of the process from creating props and costumes to writing scripts and performing. Iâm not a shy individual so that helped while directing because I could speak up when things needed to be done.
What was your experience on set in the making of âBy Mothlightâ?
It was a rewarding experience but if anyone tells you filmmaking is easy they are lying. It is hard work for everyone involved because it requires 100% of your physical energy and mental presence but youâre there because you love it.
When serving as a director of an independent film you wear many hats. Everyone is coming to you with questions and concerns from the smallest âwhere does this chair go?â to bigger problems like âwe broke a piece of equipment how do we fix it?â It takes a great deal of energy dealing with everything behind the scenes while trying to stay on track with the shooting schedule which is why Iâm very grateful for the help of my Assistant Director Megan Jabsen.
It was a great experience to work alongside my talented group of actors and amazing crew but at every corner we faced challenges... the biggest being the weather.
It was hard getting our camera settings right as the sun showed no mercy and the clouds were nowhere in sight. We all bared through the heat but had to cut our shooting days short because many on set were getting sunburned. Nevertheless, we did what we could under the given circumstances and didnât give up.
What is your biggest advice to anyone currently working on a film?
DONâT use horses as extras or any farm animals. Jokes aside, my biggest advice is donât get so caught up on what your vision is on paper. Scripts are ever-changing on set as well as in post-production. Your final draft is never the final draft. Focus on getting your message across to the viewer even if it wasnât how you originally intended. The beautiful part about film is creating something with others and sharing it with the world.
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We hope you enjoyed this small interview with the director of âBy Mothlightâ Jamie Garcia. Stay tuned for more interviews with the rest of our cast and crew
