CANNES SHORT FILM CORNER - Enamored
A young woman narrates the story of her love about the man of her dreams.
Interview with Director Chelsea Best
***
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Our short film was made through participation of Campus MovieFest, the worlds largest student film festival. When they arrived to San Diego State University, things started getting serious. I knew I wanted to create a different story, one that people may not “expect” a young woman like me to produce.
I had always been familiar and comfortable with the cliche love stories and sad-romance genre. But this time I wanted to play with something dark. Something with twists and turns to play with the audience members’ minds… Which is exactly what we did.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It’s unexpected. Being both a young filmmaker and a woman, this story is out of the ordinary. If you like your occasional dose of “what the hell just happened?” this is a short you should take a look into. A lot of the inspiration for this short was inspired by the Thriller Gone Girl, written by Gillian Flynn herself. If you’re a fan of that, hopefully this will spark some interest to you as well.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
In Enamored, imagination versus reality is brought to light. A couple of different themes take notice within this film. Nowadays, we are so caught up in the technology world. These tiny glowing screens take control of out inner-reality. We search for every possible answer on the internet, search to date on apps, refer to celebrities with nicknames, as if we know them personally.
The reality of our experiences are not real at all, rather it helps to mask an alternate perception of who we want to be. This short plays with the concept of “what could be” and “what is”. Do you really know someone? Or is your perception of them so strong that you’ve ultimately created a new, flawless being?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
One of the craziest aspects about participating in Campus MovieFest is the time limit to create your film. Every team is given 5 days to write, capture, and assemble the film to completion. That being said, there was no evolution or changes in the script or film throughout its process being made.
Graciela (producer) and I talked about the film’s story, developed the script and ran with it. The entire cast accepted the idea with open arms and stuck with the ultimate ideas we wanted to capture. Everything seemed to work out for the best!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Feedback has been better than expected. Funny enough, most of the feedback I have received is jaw-dropping, or surprised overall. As I’ve mentioned briefly before, not many people expect a story like this to come to life from the imagination of a young woman.
I am generally a very positive and happy person, so after a lot of my peers watch this short in particular, the typical response is “YOU come up with that idea?” or “I wouldn't have expected a story like that from YOU, Chelsea”.
But, why? I’m not one to typically express emotion of anger or sorrow, but I’m not afraid to tune in those feelings. That’s why it’s so much fun for me to develop a story in such a different light than I’m used to or experience in my daily life.
That’s why I enjoy hearing feedback from people. They take a step back and realize on their own that anyone can create any story, from any perspective.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback hasn’t been that big of a surprise to me. I know that people can be taken aback and maybe even become impressed by someone after watching a piece they may not have expected much from.
The feedback has, however, challenged me. It has inspired me to develop more content like this short film. I want to continue surprising people. And I want to make a future out of surprising people.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
If nothing more, I hope to achieve more exposure of this short film. The cast and crew put so much time and effort into the creation of this piece. I am so thankful to have had a dedicated crew of my closest friends believe and assist me with bringing this story to life.
I also want to shine a light on the power of women in the film industry. We’re a very small percentage, but a very powerful and impactful percentage. Shout out to all my fellow women filmmakers out there! :)
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would love anyone who may see a future or a spark from this short film to hop on board with it. This may include producers, buyers, film festivals, or an audience member sharing feedback. Anyone of any interest of career in the industry would more than help to amplify this film and its purpose.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I have grown a love for thrillers and the films that “make you really think” over the past few years. I want people to watch this film and think “Wow, what a great story”. I hope for it to be received well by any audience member. In addition to the film’s story, I would like for this piece to positively impact the way that women filmmakers are perceived within the industry.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Nowadays, anything can spark a debate. This short in particular can start conversation about whether or not we love someone or the idea of someone, how our lives have changed with the technology we develop, and possibly even the basic concept of violence.
Would you like to add anything else?
This short film has, by far, sparked the most attention from outside audiences. It has allowed me to open up as a filmmaker and a woman striving to make it big in this industry. I cannot thank the cast and crew, CMF, and everyone else enough for all of the support!
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Surprisingly, I (Chelsea Best) am the only member of the group of students who is majoring in Film at SDSU. Each semester I work on class projects and create other independent short films on my own time. I am currently an Editing intern for the Television Academy Foundation. On my own time I am writing a feature-length Thriller which will be completed in the next few months.
___________________
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
__________________
ENAMORED
Length: 5:00 minutes
Director: Chelsea Best
Producer: Graciella “Chela” Regua
Chelsea Best is a San Diego State University third-year majoring in Television, Film, and New Media in hopes to pursue a career in writing, directing, or editing.
Graciella Regua is a third-year at San Diego State University majoring in journalism with an emphasis in public relations and minoring in Spanish and creative writing.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All of the above!
Funders: Self-funding
Made in association with: Campus MovieFest
Release date: May 20th 2016