GIFT

‘GIFT’ is a special project for me. Not only because it is the first narrative film I’ve directed and produced. Not just because I had the opportunity to help shape the story into its current form. It’s noteworthy because of how the film came into being… crafted by a team of people who chose to trust in a newly-formed (and woefully under-funded) film collaborative called Filmstigator.

‘GIFT’ tells the story of Aaron, a troubled boy who has lost his way in many respects. He’s someone who needs some help setting things right. I imagine lots of us have felt ‘stuck’ in areas of our lives at one time or another, and I think that’s the aspect of his personality I related to most. Will Zoe be able to help him? Can she even find a way to reach him? I wanted to find out.

Getting ‘unstuck’ creatively was one of the main reasons I chose to launch Filmstigator. After years of working as a television editor and producer, I yearned to branch out and start creating the kinds of personal films I’d never had a chance to make before. The kinds of films that had originally drawn me to the industry–but that time, lack of funding, and the demands of making a living had kept me from doing. I wondered if there were others out there like me, and I began actively looking for them.

I found a screenwriter who specializes in writing short films–an American who teaches English & runs a bakery in Mexico. His final draft became my first draft, and together we collaborated on a whole new ending for the film full of symbolism and myth. My 1st AD and script supervisor was a friend who’d never performed either role before–much less both of them at once. I had a veteran camera crew who brought the mighty RED cinema camera to bear, but many people working on our set were not that experienced. But we all believed in the project and in the process. And that was the point.

For me, ‘GIFT’ is about many things. Rather than trying to explain things about the film directly, I prefer the audience to experience the film and make their own conclusions. I hope people enjoy it and get something out of seeing it, but the film stands best on its own.

I tend to be more comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity as a director than I am with black and white answers. I prefer the questions, the mysteries. We all have things that frighten us, things we need to own up to and confront—both in ourselves and in others. We all have times we need to take chances and risk trusting another person.

Maybe we all find the answers that best suit us as we look closely, listen carefully, and break through the obstacles that prevent us from being truly free. I think the stories we tell ourselves have tremendous power. They shape how we view the world around us and how we interact with that world. They make us who we are.