5 Questions with Corrinne James ("Starshine Mountain")

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

My name is Corrinne James and I make films that combine animated and live action elements. I grew up in Virginia and graduated from The University of Virginia. I play in a band and make a lot of music videos. I am a vegetarian and love my dog, Luka. I became interested in filmmaking when I was in seventh grade and began making music videos to MGMT songs on iMovie. When I was in college, my film professor, Kevin Jerome Everson taught me how to shoot film on a bolex. My other mentor, Lydia Moyer, taught me some animation basics. I’ve been making films combining both elements ever since.

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

Initially, I wrote this story to understand the limits of self forgiveness. I wanted to understand how self forgiveness can come about when you’ve done something really awful on accident. So I created this story to explore that. I didn’t really even understand my stance until the very end. I have the kind of OCD where you obsess about being a bad person. I began this project to understand my obsessions about morality better. Through this film, that original idea translated into a metaphor about environmental destruction. 

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

The easiest part of making this film was writing the story. I feel like every single day I try to convince myself that I am not a bad person, so it was kind of easy to write about guilt. It was easier for me to make the soundtrack too. The hardest part was finding a way to make sure the animated elements would fit cohesively with the live action elements. Building everything was also pretty difficult. Animation was too, of course, because it just takes so much time. 

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

I love the film American Movie by Chris Smith. I love how it really gives a glimpse into the life of someone who is devoted to their art. It’s funny and heartwarming and so real. I like watching movies that make you feel so much, yet leave you feeling positive. I feel like that’s kind of rare. Most of the time, really good movies leave me feeling all messed up inside. Other films I’ve recently seen that I liked a lot: If… by Lindsey Anderson, Welcome to the Dollhouse by Todd Solondz, Queen of Earth by Alex Ross Perry, and Water Lillies by Céline Sciamma.

5) What’s next for you?

I’m working on a big animation project that will be coming out in the fall! Other than that, some music stuff, some dog stuff, going to be sitting out in the hot summer sun.

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https://starshinemountain.com | IG: @corrinnejamez