On May 25, SHOOT unveiled its fourth annual New Directors Showcase reel. The 25 helmers–including three two-person teams–selected for the Showcase come from diverse backgrounds. However, the bond they share is great style, vision and commitment–whether it be reflected in comedy, visuals or storytelling. Helping fashion the Showcase lineup were entries from SHOOT‘s ongoing “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery, assorted submissions, and feedback from agency creatives and producers. Here’s a look at this year’s field:
Jeana Theron
Velocity Films
Project Literacy’s “Mandla”
How did you get into directing?
I’ve been working towards this since I finished school, but have had a number of breaks that have got me here today. The first break was getting a job in research at Velocity where I knew that I would be exposed to great directors and if I worked hard enough, I could join them–others have done this before me. I then got some more breaks when I had the opportunity to shoot some freebies and smaller budget commercials; this in turn gave me the experience and opportunity to finally shoot Business Connexion’s “Binary Code” with the Jupiter Drawing Room. The response was great and because the industry is thriving at the moment, Velocity thought it would be a great time to launch a new young director, which is my biggest break so far, so now I’m all grown up.
Why do you want to direct commercials?
Commercials are a fabulous way to explore the craft of filmmaking, the great thing about them is that they have a quick turnaround and allow you to explore many different styles, techniques and ideas. I would ultimately love to direct features, but in South Africa, where I am from, the feature industry is almost non-existant (hopefully the success of Totsi will help). What I love about commercials and film is that it is a craft that encompasses most of the arts – drama, visual arts, writing and music.
What is your most recent spot project?
I am working on a commercial for a health insurance company, it had to be made out of stock footage. I decided to make a collage of stock footage, layering various different shots into one another. It’s really different experience for me, it’s very post intensive and is actually more difficult than going out and shooting, because when have control on a shoot you can allow for various editing options – now due to the nature of this project, money and time, I have to make editing decisions that are determined by the stock shots – before we even put anything together. It’s challenging but lots of fun.
Do you have plans to work in other areas–e.g., shorts, films, features or TV? Have you ever done any of that in the past?
As earlier mentioned, I would ultimately love to do short films and features.
I always find questions like this hard to answer. My first job was an assistant to a feature film producer, which by the way was really crap. A lot of important people came through out doors and when any of them happened to speak to me, they’d always ask me what I wanted to be in the future and I’d tell them a feature film director. My boss pulled me aside one day and told me that I should stop saying this, that I look stupid, that of course everyone in the film industry wants to be a film director, but very few will become one. Basically she told me that by giving this answer, I looked naïve and ignorant, even if I mean it with every fiber of my being. This feels like one of those questions I’m not supposed to answer, that will make me look silly, but I’m going to say it since you asked. In 10 years time I’m going to be a great and prolific, internationally famous feature film director. So yes, I do p lan to get into features in the future.
What do you think is the best part about being a director?
So many people do things they hate. I love directing because I live it. Does that make sense? Directing for me incorporates all the things that I am interested in. It’s about looking around you, getting inspired, creating and making things – and I get paid to do this. Most people can only live like this in their spare time. It get to do it all the time.
What’s the worst part?
I’m the world’s most impatient person and I like being in control. I want everything, and to do everything, now, and I want to be sure that it’s working. Filmmaking is not an immediate process. It’s fulfilling but it’s a long journey from start to finish. You don’t see the results immediately and you need to trust in other people and their capabilities. The worst part for me is the time between end of shoot to the moment of my first edit approval because I can’t wait to see what we’ve got and it’s beyond my control and I have to just wait. In that time, I suddenly have nothing to think about and I get post shoot blues. I panic, I wonder if it’s going to work and how it looks. It’s hell.
