5 Questions with Alex Bliss ("Journal")

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I made little stop-motion movies as a kid and grew up in a family of film-buffs. My dad watches a movie every night. I found filmmaking in my teens because I was a terrible student and thought film-school was my best chance of getting into college. I was wrong and got rejected from every college I applied to. So I went to community college for 2 years until I got accepted to SVA in 2013.

2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

I had misplaced a nearly finished journal and was attempting catharsis by writing a really bad short about it. At the time, I was navigating a sort of "breakup" I was undergoing with one of my closest friends. Our dynamic had begun to feel like a bad marriage. So I was talking to my roommate one night and he helped me realize that I could combine the ideas into something.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?

It wasn't clear if I was striking the right tone. There's a moment in the film, which always makes me laugh, where some erotic drawings are revealed (spoiler alert). Initially, I wasn't sure if it was cringe and/or would take away from the rest of the film. I went back and forth on whether to do it, asking friends. My friends liked the idea so we shot it and I'm glad it's in there. The easy part was having my best friends in the cast/crew! The ability to call on smart and thoughtful people during moments of self-doubt was invaluable.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

Mostly I've been binging Seinfeld until I pass out but I did watch Kiarostami's The Traveler last night.

5) What’s next for you?

I shot a comedic ensemble thing about learning to love the surveillance state in November that I'm finally ready to start editing.

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alexhbliss.com | IG & Twitter: @albertblimp