It
was my last night in San Francisco. We met on Powell Street, walked up the
hill, turned left, walked up a block to Sutter Street, and went to the sushi
place she loves. She had several recommendations but I settled for the
California crab roll. First we caught up on each other’s lives. We
talked about the usual- family, friends, travels, guys we were and weren’t
seeing, not quite being 30, and film. But we didn’t just talk about
film. We talked about her and film. We transitioned from catching up
to me phinding out.
Erin Lee is a 29 year
old film maker from Miami, Florida and currently residing in San Francisco,
California. She has participated in various film projects on both costs and is currently
working on a documentary with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in San
Francisco. As you will read, Erin loves using film to tell a story, just as
much as I enjoy interviews and phinding out people’s stories. Here’s what I
phound out about Erin and her work with film-unscripted.
Phreedum: Who
are you in 5 words?
EL: Walking around with
theme music.
Phreedum: How
did you get into film?
EL: In high school I was
interested in photography and signed up for a photography class as an elective.
I didn’t get into the class and instead was put into a cinematography
class. I had a really great teacher and fell in love with film and the ability
to tell people’s stories. So, for college I went to Vancouver Film School
and have been doing film in some form ever since.
Phreedum:
How long have you been doing film freelance?
EL: For about 9 years now.
I started right when I finished college. It wasn’t by choice. It really was all
that was available.
Phreedum:
What is your favorite aspect of film making?
EL: Editing is my first
love. I have done a lot of editing, particularly with documentaries which I
really like. More specifically veritae which is filming unstaged objective day
to day things. I use interviews to tie the veritae footage together to produce
a cohesive documentary.
Phreedum: So
how long does the editing process take?
EL: You know that’s usually
the hardest part to explain to people. The editing process takes a while. It
can take an entire day to create one minute of finished footage. In fact, I usually bill
clients based upon the length of the finished product as opposed to the length
of time it takes me to edit the film. It’s more budget friendly for clients that
way.
Phreedum: So
your favorite part of film making is the part that takes the most time?
EL: Here’s the thing. It
takes so much time because you can easily manipulate and lose a story with
sound and juxtaposition. The editing is where you control the pace and sound
design of the film to create emotion and tell the story, the story the people
who hired you need you to tell.
Phreedum:
What would you consider your greatest success so far?
EL: Having the confidence
to ask for what I’m worth. This was an excruciating learning process for me.
However, I think when you ask for more, people respect you more.
Phreedum:
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
EL: Not to take every job
offered out of desperation. At the end of the day when I did this, it drove me
crazy. I was tired, overworked, and underpaid. My time is worth something so I
don’t need to say yes to everything.
Phreedum: Who
has had the most influence in encouraging you to phreely pursue your dream?
EL: Gwendolyn Wright, a
small business consultant here in San Francisco. When I first
started filming for her business she would push me to do things that terrified
me. She had a lot of faith in me and my abilities. She taught me a lot about
self respect, especially being okay with saying no and not to be afraid of
conflict.
Phreedum:
What’s so great about being an entrepreneur in San Francisco?
EL: It was a lot easier for
me to get work as there is a small film community here. San Francisco is also
not a 9-5 city. There is always something to do in some part of the city and
that usually means there is always some type of film or artistic project to be
a part of in some capacity depending upon what your interests and skills are.
Phreedum:
What would you consider your greatest resource?
EL: The experience I’ve had
with larger corporate jobs has helped me learn so many various aspects of film
that I can now do so many smaller projects completely on my own.
Phreedum:
What do you think people underestimate about freelance work?
EL: I think people
underestimate the idea that freelancing full time can be a reliable source of
income. It really can bring in fulltime fulfillment financially and otherwise.
I have lived in San Francisco for four years and it took three years for me to
go to freelance full time. I worked as a cocktail waitress, bar tender, swim
instructor, but I am happiest doing film and doing it full time.
Phreedum:
Best piece of advice you’ve received?
EL: “Don’t bother doing
anything unless your heart is completely in it otherwise you’re just going to
drive yourself nuts.”
Phreedum: How
does your freelance film work change the lives of others?
EL: Well I think for the
person who hires me to do the work I am helping them fulfill a goal and tell a
story. I think for the people viewing the work, especially the documentaries, I
get to change their lives by educating them. Right now I am working with PBS
regarding a documentary about indigenous communities and sacred sites all over
the world. A lot of the communities are working hard to preserve these sites
and my work with the documentary is educating people and helping to preserve
the sites.
No comments:
Post a Comment