Interview with Filmmaker Colin James Wade (1.i)

1.i, 6min., USA, Experimental
Directed by Colin James Wade

https://www.instagram.com/colinwade0387

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I’d thought about and wondered about making a film for a while, starting in the later years of high school. Over time, I was more and more motivated to do so. When I heard that I could turn in a short film for my final in my Intro to French Cinema course at college, I immediately started planning.


2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

I had been planning a short film about a cardsharp for several months and had created a storyboard with plans to film. However, I had to shoot during semester finals. People were busy and I felt it would be unfair to my peers to ask them to take time away from studying to be in the short film. I spent two days figuring out a new course of action. Once I had a plan in mind, it took me about five-six hours to shoot and about fifteen-sixteen hours to edit.


3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Poetic. Semblance.


4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

I wanted to make sure there was a sense of camera movement, which is difficult when you are the actor and cameraperson. To compensate for this, I mixed handheld camera movements of the setting with a still camera showing the character. I also heavily played with editing in different ways to create a feeling of movement in the film.

I didn’t want the absence of other actors to take away from the film so I made the absence of other characters inherent to the story.

I also didn’t have a tripod, so I borrowed a high stool from my dorm and carried it around so it could hold my camera.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

First, I was happy to see that there seemed to be an emotional response to the film. In my opinion, good films cause the audience to feel something when watching it– whether that be happy, sad, scared, alone, somber, surprised, or even disgusted. A good film needs to have some sort of response.


6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

Throughout my life I have always built stories in my head and have a good imagination in that sense. I really started to get into film one or two years ago and started to think a lot more about making these stories or scenes with certain shots, sounds, and editing techniques. It was recently, in the last few months, that I fully decided to go into the filmmaking industry.



7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

When I was very young I could watch the same movies back to back every day, no problem. I remember I used to watch White House Down all the time. Recently I’ve been analyzing The Irishman by Martin Scorsese and have watched the film several times in the last week. Martin Scorsese is my favorite director and I think The Irishman is a masterpiece. It is a film I could watch every day, I love it.


8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I love how this festival is very interactive between the viewers and the filmmakers. I loved seeing the feedback and look forward to everything else the festival has to offer. I think this festival has been great at getting the films out there and exposing them to a larger audience. Personally, I would love to meet people in the film industry. So if there was ever a way to meet more people through this festival, that would be something I’d value.



9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

I think FilmFreeway is great. It is super simple, very organized, and easy to use. My experience has been positive.


10. What is your favorite meal?

Anything my grandma cooks, sushi, Thai food, and Korean food.



11. What is next for you? A new film?

I was planning to have finished shooting for my next short film by last week, but due to a foot injury I was unable to do so. I am going to take time to further develop and perfect the story I was planning to film. While I will still be practicing making film in terms of cinematography, editing, and sound, I am also going to spend a lot more time learning about creating good stories and practicing writing stories that I could show on the screen.