Q&A with Madeline Hope Stephenson
A conversation with Madeline Stephenson, the NYC-based filmmaker behind ‘Terry: The Serious Actor’.
When you decided to make this short film, where did you start?
Making movies is messy. We create such pristine images onscreen, but chaos lies only inches away from the edge of the frame. I wanted to tell a story that revealed that chaos, and I wanted to do it was simply as possible. I chose Old Hollywood because perfection of the frame was everything back then. I thought that would make the chaos funnier. The monster mask came later.
This movie was a really good learning experience for me, a lesson in simplicity. We shot it in exactly 3 hours. It's three minutes long with no dialogue. And yet, people really respond to it!
What kind of hurdles do you face as a filmmaker working in short film?
The promise needs to be there in the short film if its completion is going to lead to bigger opportunities. But sometimes I just want to make a short film without any bigger picture in mind. A short film for the sake of telling a big story in a little container. Unfortunately, there is a stigma of illegitimacy that comes with short films. I actually don't see it as a hurdle personally. I understand it, because anyone can make a short nowadays!
What projects are you working on next, and how can people who are interested best support or share that work?
I'm working on a few more short films that focus on genre: a western, a film noir mystery, etc. I'm also raising money for a feature film that I hope to shoot in France. I'm currently seeking funding from World War II enthusiasts or anyone who is interested in stories about complex women.
