INTERVIEW with Ashlyn Nolan
Can you explain to the audience your career?
I’m an actress, writer, filmmaker, and storyteller. I’m also an aspiring linguist, polyglot, and educator! I’m only 20 and still an undergrad, so my career has barely started. I study World Languages & Linguistics as well as Communication Studies in college, so finding time to dedicate to my love of filmmaking while balancing my coursework was really tricky for me, especially at first. I’ve always loved sharing my work and expressing myself creatively, but up until now, I had been terrified of showing my creations to the world. I didn’t feel like I was good enough. I wanted to perfect my craft, graduate, wait, wait, wait until the right time. It took me a second to realize that there is no better time than now. I’m going to make mistakes, but I’d rather learn from them and get something out of it than wonder what might have been. I can’t wait to see where my career take me in the future.
How many years have you been making movies?
I’ve been making movies for as long as I’ve had access to a camera - my 3DS, my iPod Touch, whatever I could get my hands on! So technically I started at around 8 or 9 years old. But I had been telling stories for even longer. I would sit out of recess and use my sparkly purple diary to write short stories about ghosts, elves, and fairies instead of entries about my own (seemingly boring) life. Once I learned how to transform my written stories into cinema, I began dragging everybody I could into my projects - my cousins, my sister, my friends, my parents... In the beginning, the films were simple and messy, but at every stage of my life, I discovered something new about filmmaking. Now, at 20 years old, I've written and starred in a plethora of student skits, films, and other productions, though SAUDADE is my directional debut and the first film that I've ever had full creative control over!
TL;DR: 12ish years, but only if you count iMovie!
Why did you start making movies?
My dad. He is a movie fanatic, so I grew up constantly going to the movies, talking about movies, and listening to his stories about the magic of making movies. Learning so much about films from such a young age really encouraged me to start creating my own work. I wanted to share my stories with the world, and inspire others the way I had been inspired growing up. My dad also wanted to be a director when he was younger, but didn’t receive the support he needed from his parents, so he got a 9-5 to support us - his family - instead of his own dreams. When I expressed interest in acting and filmmaking, he was the first to tell me that I could do it, and that he loved and believed in me. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
Tell us a little about your project. What will the audience be able to see in your film?
SAUDADE’s synopsis is as follows: On the day a girl plans to take her own life, she’s confronted by the very person who sent her spiraling to begin with.
The film follows Cassie, a college student who loses her will to live after her boyfriend, James, leaves her. This is a film about love, longing, pain, and consequences. It delves into topics regarding mental health, such as suicide, depression, and the toll those things can take on a person and their loved ones. It’s only about 12 minutes long, but in that time it tells a powerful and incredibly important story. Beyond that, I think it’s up to the viewer to determine what they get out of the film.
Why did you do this project?
Initially, SAUDADE was just my final project in my Introduction to Digital Filmmaking class. That was the reason why I wrote the script, gathered my friends together, and actually filmed the damn thing in the span of a few weeks. But during its creation, SAUDADE became a lot bigger than I originally anticipated. And I think that’s because of my loved ones, especially my mom.
My mom is my hero. She’s the hardest worker I know, and manages to simultaneously be one of the most badass and compassionate people on the planet, despite all the trauma she’s experienced in the past. She’s been living with depression for decades, but has never, ever stopped fighting. She continues to be the strongest, most wonderful mother I could ever ask for. The same can be said for many of my close friends. I have friends that would make me smile and laugh daily, but struggle to wake up in the morning themselves.
Though my class was the push to actually get it done, I made SAUDADE for the people I love. I’m sharing it because I want others who are struggling to know they’re not alone. Oftentimes than not, I feel like media tends to mishandle the topic of mental illness. It’s usually either romanticized or villainized, and there’s not much middle ground. I made sure to consult the people in my life that had experienced suicidal ideation, depression, and other forms of mental illness, as well as a licensed mental health professional, during SAUDADE’s creation. I wanted to tell this story while also being as respectful as possible to the people who it might actually affect.
One of the problems some directors encounter is directing actors and dealing with some actors, especially in the amateur world. How do you see this topic? What kind of work do you do with them?
This question is interesting because the lead actor in SAUDADE is... me. Directing myself was insanelydifficult, especially when Cassie (my character in the film) is in such a fragile and vulnerable state. As an actor, it’s really hard to get to that place when you constantly have to break, check the footage, direct the rest of the cast and crew, make sure nothing’s on fire... Thankfully, the rest of the cast was phenomenal, and barely needed any direction. Joshua Scott, the actor who plays James in the film, especially made my entire dilemma of “getting into character” so much easier. He’s a fantastic scene partner, to the point where I barely feel like I’m acting when I’m opposite of him. As both an actor and director, I find that the best way to make the filmmaking process seamless is to get the actor’s input on their character and choices. I think that level of trust and collaboration, as well as giving the actors freedom to play around a little bit, brings out the best performances.
A good movie takes care of all departments. But normally we can not allocate all the resources to have a good photography or spend a lot of money on sound post production or budget to hire actors. In your project what % have you allocated to. I don't just mean money but time as well. Of 100% of the time/money, what % did you dedicate to each department?
We were working with a budget of zero ($0) dollars, so this is all just time! Also, I’m bad at math, so consider this a guesstimation:
Direction: 25%
Photography: 5%
Sound: 5%
Postproduction: 34%
Work with actors/acting: 30% Art direction/locations: 1%
If you could go back, what would you change about this project? (1 thing only)
I wish we could’ve slowed down and done more takes. Because this student film was made by primarily non-film students, we had very limited flexibility when it came to scheduling. We only had a couple of days to film, stress was high, and I (as a director) didn’t want anyone to feel obligated to stay and help, since everyone was there voluntarily. That led to some one-take shots, and a lot of the flaws that I notice when rewatching this film could have been solved if we had done even one more take. Definitely something I’ll remember in the future, and I’m so glad I got the chance to use this as a learning experience!
What are you happiest about this project?
I’m happy that we actually got it done. I tend to struggle with perfectionism when it comes to my work, and creating things on my own has always been overwhelming and difficult for me. Having so many people - so many close friends - by my side to help me with the filmmaking process was an amazing motivator. I also really love that most of the people who worked on this project were women, people of color, and queer individuals, many of whom were brand new to film. This fostered a really safe and inclusive space when we were filming. We all just had a lot of love for both each other and the project, despite the fact that most of the crew had never worked on something like SAUDADE before. Everyone came from such different backgrounds and areas of study, and I always find it beautiful that we all came together to make a movie.
Make a wish to the movie gods. What do you ask?
My only real wish is that I continue to receive opportunities to create, collaborate, and make movies. Getting the chance to bring something fun or exciting or powerful to life with my friends by my side is genuinely a dream come true for me.
What movie would you have liked to direct?
Ooh, that’s a good one! Definitely not a blockbuster-type, only because I think I’d be stressed out of my mind. One movie that I really love is The Green Knight, because watching it feels like genuinely being transported into another world. It’s like the movie version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (NERD ALERRRT). I think getting the chance to direct something that’s more focused on ambience, like that, is where I’d want to start. Mastering atmosphere really contributes to the overall vibe of a movie.
What kind of cinema do you like? Genre, directors, actors?
I think fantasy, when done well, is my favorite genre. I also love any kind of film that involves adventures or quests or found families. Director-wise, I have plenty, but one of my absolute favorites is Guy Ritchie. I just love his style, and his movies are usually an absolute blast. Some of my inspirations for acting include Helena Bonham Carter and Andy Serkis, because despite my somber performance in SAUDADE, my favorite types of roles to play are the ones with a lot more character!
Imagine that all the movies are going to be lost. If you could save 3 movies, what would they be?
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (extended edition)! I grew up watching these films, and I still believe they’re the best movies ever. They’re the epitome of movie magic. Perfect lighting and cinematography, an engaging story, amazing characters, music that makes me cry... They shaped me into the creative, language-loving, fantastically weird person I am today, and are also my family’s favorite films to watch together. I can probably recite them by heart.
If you have more projects underway, can you give us a bit of information?
As of right now, most of my upcoming projects are still being written, and I’m currently studying abroad in Spain, so finding time to work has been (as always) a little tough. That being said, I intend on filming a new project this summer, 2024! The only thing I’ll share for now is that it’s probably going to be a little less serious than SAUDADE, and a lot more fantastical!
If you want to stay up-to-date on both SAUDADE and the rest of my work, you can find me @ashlynvnolan on IMDb, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube! I only recently started a lot of these accounts, but I’m planning on being more active in the coming months!
