5 Questions with Serena Reynolds

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

There was a VHS tape of KIDS sitting in our common room (not sure how that landed in a 14 year old girls dorm) but I sat down and watched it and I was completely blown away -- films have power. Later that year I went on to watch Girl Interrupted and The Virgin Suicides and loved every ounce of honesty these films projected. Four years later, I was studying photography at Parsons and was feeling really stuck in my work. My photographs felt static. My professor George Pitts told me to watch The Dreamers. That was it. I knew I had to make films. 

2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?

Our society consists of internet junkies always looking for wellness cures. (Myself being a WebMD addict.) We google our way through life to find a mental fix. This film is a take on the “wellness” internet trends.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most, and the least? 

The biggest challenge was shooting this in 8 hours (locations are expensive and the house is a  character in the film) which is why it is a short, sweet little film. 

I love being able to do my own production design as a filmmaker, as I can translate every thought and detail. 

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

The Virgin Suicides. The scene between Dr. Hornicker and Cecilia perfectly and simply describes what it is like to be a teenage girl. Dr. Hornicker: What are you doing here honey? You're not even hold enough to know how bad life gets. Cecilia: "Obviously, Doctor, you've never been a 13-year-old girl."

5) What’s next for you?

A feature when the world starts again one day but maybe a quarantine type film this summer?

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IG: @serenareynolds