#BonfireStories — Introducing Bio-costal couple Mia + Chris who are co-directors, producers and founders of Alight Films
Introduce yourself to the world.
We are Mia + Chris, bicoastal co-directors and founders of Alight Films. We are a bare-bones collective which seeks to tell integral stories in the most natural and cinematic way possible.
We began working together in 2015, and after the success of a few personal collaborations we took our commitments to the next level, forming our collective and getting engaged. :)
- When it comes to storytelling, where do you get your inspiration from?
Real life. We tend to find our inspirations in what’s going on around us. Our personal experiences and the way that we recognize that the human condition is shared.
2. What is the toughest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The balance between pursuing filmmaking as a fulltime career and having to sometimes do work that’s outside our field of interest to pay the bills. It’s imperative to dedicate ones self to the work they want to do well, but sometimes that actually means making sacrifices that take you away from it. The challenge is not getting stuck in the trap and keeping your eye on the prize. Life is full of distractions.
3. What kind of world do you want to see now that your film is made? (For clarification) We know that there is a message you as a filmmaker are conveying to your audience, what is that message?
For this production, “One Nation Under ICE”, we were moved to open the eyes of those who view their experience as being different from another’s. The truth is that we all face obstacles, challenges, and traumas, that affect who we are and why we do the things we do. It doesn’t matter where you come from, our core of our stories are far more similar than they are dissimilar and the sooner we collectively understand this, the faster we can solve these seemingly unsolvable, polarizing problems. The power is in the eyes of perception.
4. As a filmmaker, what are some key lessons learned so far?
FOCUS. As we mentioned before, life is full of distractions, and the key to great storytelling is a full commitment to the journey. You must learn what the key points of collaboration are: what are your strengths/weaknesses? Humbly seeking out collaborators who not only balance out those qualities but also share the commitment for the long-haul is essential. You must find people who you can trust, and that requires not only harmonizing your talents, but also your abilities to communicate the needs for the project at hand.
What do you know today that you wish you knew when you began your journey as a filmmaker?
Filmmaking is not a job, it’s a lifestyle. It requires diligence, tenacity, and constant creativity. It’s also a business, which may escape the consciousnessness of many artistically ambitious people out there. If you’re going to study anything in college, study business… and marketing. (Something we both wish we had done!) Advice we received early on is save your money. You never know when the doors to your next project will open. Our most successful productions have all been self-funded and driven by passion.
5. What would you say is your unique responsibility as a filmmaker?
Research is a huge part of our job, not only from understanding the depth and intricacies of a story, but also the ways in which we should go about telling it. Cameras, techniques, locations, relevant information, are all essential aspects of filmmaking we need to have our own grasp of expertise on… but the foundation that which all of those variables are built has to be truth. We need to always be able to listen and recount a integral, relatable, human-centric story.
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How can others reach out to you and/or stay informed about your upcoming projects?
While we understand the importance of social media, we spend more of our time working than socializing. If you care to follow our account you can find us at @_alightfilms (instagram), and our website www.alightfilms.work
We are ecstatic to have just received a fantastic distribution deal for our short film, “Waiting For The Sun”, and are currently moving into the long road of development for the feature-length version of the film. In the interim, we will be focusing our efforts on commercials and short documentaries.
