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

I have always spent a majority of my time watching movies. I’d say I inherited my cinephilia from my dad who would religiously take me to video rental stores every Friday night. When I was little I wanted to be an actor but adolescence turned me into a more introverted person. It wasn’t until I was a junior in high school that I realized writing and directing films was something I wanted to pursue professionally. Prior to that I had mostly studied visual arts, but filmmaking appeals to me because of its capacity for the construction of entire experiences. The idea that I can create not only a visual or sound or collection of words, but a complete atmosphere excites me to no end.

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

The project began as a joke during a conversation with my siblings. I was talking about the common tropes of the coming-of-age indie movie genre and realized everything I was mentioning could be filmed with equipment and settings that were readily available to me. The pandemic has halted a lot of creative work (understandably so) but I am a believer that restrictions force people to be more creative in their approach to art, and problem-solving. Completing this project was basically a 4-day stint of flexing creative muscles to retell a very common story in a new way.

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

The biggest challenge I faced was my lack of technical training. I am by no means a cinematographer so obtaining shots I thought were ok enough to even be included was a little rough, though I do think it was more of a mental obstacle. Whenever I undertake projects of a larger scale I struggle with imposter syndrome but pushing through that is always worth it. The easiest part was writing. Writing is usually the quickest stage for me because once I understand my story forwards and backwards I don’t need to write very much. I essentially wrote out the voice over portion of the project and used it as a script while shooting.

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

I saw this movie called Colorful (dir. Keiichi Hara) the other day. I had never heard of it but it showed up in my YouTube recommendations and I got sucked in. The story follows a soul that has been given a second chance at life in order to reform themself from a past misdeed. It deals with themes of mental health, depression, suicide, and friendship in a really magical way, and with so much wisdom. The animation and score were also wildly beautiful. Certain moments left me in tears and I would recommend it to anyone in search of a fat emotional payoff.

5) What’s next for you?

I have ideas for more short films I would like to work on in the near future. A friend and I recently started a film podcast called “The Manic Pixie Dreamcast” on Spotify, and I’m really excited to see where that goes. Otherwise, I’m finishing up my film degree within the next year and I’m looking forward to all the post-grad film opportunities and shenanigans.

—

zenzelesoaclarke.com

IG: @chimizenpai
Twitter: @zenfromthemovie

5 Questions with Zenzelé Soa-Clarke