Filmmaking

Once upon a time, a screenwriter thought, I can direct my own films. The writer is me. Scenes dance in my head—the mood, the room, the colors or lack thereof; I’m immersed in the whole picture. Then, the big bad stiffs said, “You’re a woman; you can’t direct. You don’t have funds; you will never be able to make anything marketable.” 

If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is an overcoming-the-monster plot. I have many short films under my belt. I never let a lack of money stop me…just pushed the record button on the good ol’ iPhone. 

One thing was true; they were not great, but I learned a lot. 

Two short films below—my latest one and my very first one. 

Tangled Tinsel

I was determined to pay a local crew to help bring my short script to life. Every single person got paid, even PAs. How? I dressed up and danced around in a Santa suit to crowd-source the funds. Bonus: My daughter has material for her therapist. 

Millicent wants nothing more than to have a perfect Christmas Dinner — if only her family would cooperate. (A comedic take on my less than merry holidays growing up.)

The Recovery

My first short film! I was completely clueless, but I didn’t care. This little short was inspired by my early 20s when I was young and dumb and only attracted to bad boys.