Where little things are a big deal. A documentary produced about Nancy Matsuyama, a rising star in the world of competitive dollhouse making.

Interview with Writer/Producer Amy Elizabeth Price

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

A close friend of mine encouraged me to produce my own content after I hit a few hurdles in my acting career. Before I leapt into acting as a full-time career, I had studied Japanese and worked in Japan in local government. I didn't have anything on my reel showcasing my Japanese language skills so creating my own content solved a lot of things on my to-do list very quickly!

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

If you enjoy mockumentary style films like Best in Show, then this is right up your alley. It's got quirky characters, unexpected laughs and peeks behind the curtain into the whacky world of competitive dollhouse makers.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I was very conscious of not creating a "boy meets girl" film. I wanted a strong, comedic female character, whilst almost demonstrating that sometimes being perfect makes things way more difficult than they need to be.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Oh man! There were rewrites happening up until 10 days out from filming. My director, David Willing, helped shaped the script and his input was invaluable. The script I first brought to him is wildly different to the end product. We changed the ending at the eleventh hour and while it was pretty hectic trying to pull it off, it was totally worth it. I think in the end we had 12 rewrites over the course of about eight months.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The most delightful part when watching viewers seeing the film is when they laugh at sections you didn't even plan on being comedic. There's a sweet moment between Hiroki and Nancy during the film which was intended to show how much he cares for her. However, with the craziness that leads up to that scene, his little speech gets a big laugh, which was not intended, but one of those happy little accidents that happen during the filmmaking process. Everyone loves the unique concept and many are fascinating by the intricacy of the dollhouses.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Just as the theme of the film deals with trying to maintain perfectionism against multiple hurdles, likewise I had my own perfectionism to deal with during filming. I realised that even if the vision in your head isn't turning out in front of you as you imagined, it doesn't make the scene any less and in some scenes, it actually worked in our favour and created an even better scene.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

There are some wonderful actors featured in this film and to be able to showcase the film and their skills on a bigger platform such as We Are Moving Stories is fantastic. The internet is such an invaluable resource to filmmakers and promotion and to be able to give people a further insight into our film and hopefully incite enough curiosity to see it is great!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

The film is currently being heavily aimed at film festivals in the North American market right now and I will be traveling there later in the year to attend some of the festivals and promote the film. Media attention is the most valuable tool, whether it be indie film reviews or film festival selections. The more buzz a project has, the more it creates its own word of mouth marketing.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I hope it demonstrates that a comedy doesn't have to be romantic when there is a female lead for it to be successful. We had a high number of female cast and crew work on the project and it was wonderful to work with so many professional women.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

That sometimes tunnel vision ambition can be the very hurdle that prevents you from reaching your goal. It's much easier to go with the flow and take one day at a time sometimes!

Would you like to add anything else?

I could not have made even the half the film I have today without the tiring work of my director, David Willing. He put together the most amazing crew for the shoot and everyone gelled and worked together perfectly. Filming was too much fun!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm currently in development for a YouTube series about ASMR (Google it!). My co-star, Akira Bradley, became a first-time dad three weeks before filming, so he's juggling a lot right now, I'm sure. David Willing also teaches writing and has special interest in horror films, so keep an eye out for projects from him in that genre.

Interview: April 2018

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. 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

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My Little Life

Where little things are a big deal. A documentary produced about Nancy Matsuyama, a rising star in the world of competitive dollhouse making.

Length: 15:03

Director: David Willing

Producer: Amy Elizabeth Price (executive producer) and David Willing (producer)

Writer: Amy Elizabeth Price

About the writer, director and producer:

Amy Elizabeth Price is an artist whose starring roles have garnered her international recognition with screenings and awards from Italy, USA and the UK. Her projects have screened on five continents at film festivals, universities and industry functions.

David Willing is a writer/director based in Melbourne Australia. David has written six feature films including The Seduction which was developed through Film Victoria’s Catapult Initiative and Collar which was short listed by Australian Film Commission.

Key cast: Amy Elizabeth Price, Akira Bradley, Jillian Murray, Brigitte Jarvis

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Journalists, film festival directors

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mylittlelifefilm

Made in association with: Bright Man Studios

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Setting Sun Film Festival