The filmmakers' point of no return - Interview with Lisa Stock
Lisa Stock was first inspired to become a filmmaker after seeing 'The Wizard of Oz' as a child, and she is now winning awards for her short films and scripts as she embarks on her first independent feature film project. After winning Sunday Shorts Script Competition, I asked her some questions and she spoke about her life changing "jumping-off point", a point of no return that she believes every filmmaker will have.
"I've literally been walking around since I was 5 years old telling people I was going to be a director. In my teens I started directing plays, and then went to film school - it was always a straightforward path for me."
"But I think all filmmakers will have a jumping-off point."
"We take a risk, take everything we have, and pour it into an idea. We step away from our safety net and give ourselves permission to say, "This is what I'm going to do with my life." It's that moment beyond film school when you realize it's in your blood and there's no going back."
"For me that came when I wrote a script about two American women in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. I got on a plane with my actress and a camera guy, met a friend there who was doing sound and the four of us ran around that beautiful city for a week making a movie. We met industry people, got invited to the opening night of Barcelona's Womens' Film Festival - it was a catalyst. It was the first time I put myself out there and made it happen on my own. That kind of experience gives you the confidence to go on to the next film."
"While a lot of my friends have found amazing jobs within the film industry and have worked their way up from there, I've chosen to take the average 'day job' to pay my bills. I can leave it behind when I walk out the door at 5:00pm and it's afforded me my evenings and weekends to devote to my film work, and most important maintain complete creative control."
Lisa Stock
Writer/Director, Filmmaker
