Writer and director Eden Hadad is a fellow of the inaugural 1IN4 Writers Program, and the 2022 RespectAbility Lab. After dropping out of high school, Hadad went on to get his MFA in Screenwriting & Directing at Columbia University. As an Israeli immigrant with Libyan/Yemenite roots, his upbringing and military experience have influenced his work, as he uses dark comedy to create incredibly complex characters.
Before receiving his MFA in 2016 with a merit-based grant, he studied at the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem where he received 3 national grants to finish his film, “The Disposers.” The film later premiered at the 2016 Raindance Film Festival in London.
Hadad joined a company called Yoom, and we spoke with him about this new venture, his career, and how he handles challenges while working on a project!
What aspect of being a director do you think most people would be surprised to learn?
You need to be able to make decisions. Sometimes, it can be hundreds of decisions per day. Which can be extremely challenging. Especially for an ADHD brain like I have. But for real, you need to answer a lot of complicated questions that your actress just asked you, or your DP has a question, and then wardrobe is still waiting for your answer on the next setup, all while your producer is hovering above you, next to your AD as they both have several questions, and an enthusiastic young PA that doesn’t understand how sets work, comes to you for a filmmaking question – and all these questions that need a decision is literally a window to only a few seconds on the set. So maybe it’ll surprise some to hear that, as it can be quite overwhelming if you don’t have some inner zen inside of you. Thank God I’m more chill than neurotic.
How do you handle any challenges that you encounter while working on a project?
Think and breathe. I’ll ask my team for their thoughts, and sometimes, if you have the right collaborators around you, sometimes, you won’t even hear about that challenge. I go back to my first short Keep Walking. It’s a short film that I made in the US that later had a fun festival run. We had a day where I had to direct a scene with my main actors and it was a wedding, so there were about a hundred extras on the set. There was a lot of multitasking on that day. I had to deal with many people who had many questions while making sure that the extras felt good as a lot of them wanted to volunteer so I had extra pressure to make sure that everyone felt welcome during the shoot. I had this big scene with an older actor, this scene was really important to me. It was a scene where he told this weird joke to the protagonist, but the joke is also a metaphor for whatever the hero of the film was experiencing throughout the movie. After only a few takes, (I always like no more than a few to keep the magic alive) we got it. By the end of the day, when I finally had a moment to chill, I learned from one of my producers that the older actor suddenly decided that he wanted more money just before the first take. Anyway, my producer raised his pay and he was happy to go. So sometimes, you deal with challenges, and sometimes your collaborators deal with them without you knowing about it!
What kinds of projects and or services does your company, Yoom, work on?
I think that with the next era of content creation already knocking on the door, volumetric capture is enhancing the established landscape of 3D content and setting the stage for how we can create, produce and experience content together. So my company, Yoom, is an industry pioneer that sets the stage in terms of what volumetric technology is capable of and how it can be applied to a number of sectors. From entertainment to music to sports to fashion. Our technology is truly the next evolution in
video content creation, capturing and inserting real people into an immersive experience driving the convergence of digital and physical worlds. Coming into the company from my background as a filmmaker is absolutely exciting. I kind of feel like someone told Buster Keaton about the invention of the microphone just before talkies were a mainstream thing. We’re at the frontier of the new way of making content and I’m so proud and humbled to be in the front seat.
What are Yoom’s goals as a company?
Our mission is to enable the creation of new immersive content and experiences for the Metaverse and Web3, pioneering new ways for people to communicate, create and consume content. We want to evolve the future of production through our leading volumetric capture technology. We want to empower creators all over the world by giving them groundbreaking tools so they can dream and execute whatever they can think of. Our bonkers tech allows makers to tell stories in so many different ways and I’m so happy that I’m in my position as the company’s production director, as I can take inspiration from others, collaborate, and lead the projects that I’m thrilled about. I’ve been working with mediums such as films, TV shows, web series, and podcasts. Now, it’s time for my filmmaking style to hit the Metaverse. For that, all I can say is heck yeah!
What is your favorite phase of production?
All of them! I mean, writing is when it takes shape and leaves your head while also still cooking inside.Then in pre-production, when you really start the collaboration process and the fun teamwork starts. Then shooting – oh my what a fun, crazy, emotional, part where so much of the magic happens. Then, in post, when the story becomes complete. I mean, how can you choose one phase? It’s like choosing between your mom and dad, you love them both. Unless you’ll ask my baby boy, he’ll say mommy but I hope he’ll love us equally soon enough.
Where can our readers follow you and learn more about Yoom?
We have a few cool announcements around the corner, so stay tuned. I’m off social media for a while now as I do care about my mental health, but I’m always around! Hopefully with a really cool update that I'll be able to share soon enough!
Thanks for reading! Learn more about Eden on his website
