Photography courtesy of Emily Sandifer; Interview by Alison Engstrom

You are a brilliant photographer (who has contributed to ROSE & IVY) turned filmmaker, but take me back to the beginning! How did you get your start in photography?

It’s been a combination of formal training, hands on experience, and teaching myself as I go. I started taking photos when I was a kid, using my mom’s 35mm Canon in the mid-90s. I started taking film and darkroom classes my freshman year in high school and continued through college before moving to California in 2008. I also worked at a boutique portrait studio throughout college. My mum is a writer, I grew up watching tons of movies, and I always wanted to be an actor. So, once I moved to California, it was a natural progression to continue my stills photography work while I was pursuing acting. I found myself befriending some LA Film School students in 2008 while auditioning there. They inspired me to start writing and making my own films shortly after. It started out as a way to act more and have more control of my acting career, but it grew past that. I haven’t really formally assisted as many photographers do. I learned a lot just by being around other photographers at the studio I first shared here in Los Angeles. Since opening my own studio in 2016, I’ve also gained a lot of insight about larger commercial and editorial productions by being on the studio owner side of things, dealing with studio rentals.

What intrigues you the most when you are behind the camera, what do you try to capture?

I suppose it changes every time I’m behind the camera, depending on where I’m at and what I’m doing. I approach my landscapes and travel photography much in the same way I do my portraits. I suppose I want everything I photograph to breathe in some way, as artsy fartsy as that sounds. I’m often disappointed with society and the world around us, and I think my photography is typically an attempt to - fuck, I don’t know - bring even an ounce of unspoken magic back into view. I want people and places to be authentic, but I suppose I also want to catch the idealistic and somehow ungraspable mystery to them and leaving something to the imagination.

You directed, co-produced, and edited your first film ‘Into the Valley’— very cool and congratulations! What inspired you to sink your teeth into this project that’s based on the book by Ruth Galm?

Thank you! It’s actually not my first film. I made my first film in the 6th grade. It was an independent study project on… alien abductions. Blame The X-Files and Fire in the Sky. My sister played a very Scully-like character and my mom played the alien (in a homemade paper mache mask. Those are some serious supporters right there). It was complete with music from The Moody Blues. That aside, I “picked up” making films again in 2009 and have continued to make films since then (although sometimes the photography overtakes all my time and some years have been very slow as far as filmmaking goes).

Back to your question, Into the Valley is the first film I’ve directed that I haven’t written or acted in. It’s the passion project of Emily Somers, who adapted Ruth Galm’s book into a script. She was previously a photography client of mine and I wanted to bid on the job when she approached me regarding whether I knew any female directors. Our vision of the film aligned, so I came onboard in 2021. I dived in as if it were my own passion project and ended up being co-producer and editor on it as well. If you want to see a film completed, you just do what you need to do sometimes. The time period (1967), anti-hero central character, and the location intrigued me, and I felt it was a project that would challenge me but that would also benefit from my vision of what I wanted to do with it.

What did you learn about the process of making the short film from start to finish?

You learn something on every project. It used to be not wearing as many hats (or all of them). On this project, I learned too many things to note; but one of them being that I’m far more capable of handling most issues moving forward on future projects because of this film. I’ve had the good fortune of learning what can be accomplished with very little when you’re surrounded by people who respect and trust you 100% as a director and filmmaker. I’ve also learned how detrimental it is (and how to handle a myriad of issues) when you don’t have that respect and trust. If you have people working against your end goal, it’s obviously counter productive and hurts the film - and is also generally a pain to deal with on a project that you’re making over 1-2 years. Of course, it’s a collaborative process, ideally with people who trust and support each other. The overall vision of any film is ultimately in the director’s hands, unless their decisions are commandeered in some way during the process. I’ve certainly learned over the years with each project about the art of compromise, as well as the importance of endurance and follow-through.

I love talking process! What is the most challenging and easiest part about creating an independent film?

The easiest part? Saying yes, let’s make this. Buy me a few drinks and maybe I’ll tell you the whole myriad of challenges you can find yourself in after you say yes.

Generally it’s lack of budget, lack of time or resources, and in some cases, a lack of respect or trust. I can also throw in lack of knowledge about any particular aspect of the film, whether it be subject matter or technical, but those things are fun challenges to work through. Or, maybe the challenges pop up as a series of unfortunate logistical events, like working through location, crew, and ego issues. The list goes on. Hopefully you have at least 1-2 people surrounding you as a director/producer who really help you through those issues. If you do, you can pretty much work through anything and still have enough creative juice to keep the story going.

One of the most challenging aspects on Into the Valley was editing it, largely because of the issues we had during production and not having the budget for pick-up shots. So, I took on the editing, primarily to give us the time and attention it would take to finesse what we had as best as we possibly could - for cheaper than if we paid an outside editor for the same amount of time. It was also challenging because the script itself wasn’t a typical short film formula, and that’s what I liked about it. So, while it was suggested by some to edit the film to cater to short film festivals, we stayed as true to the script as we could. I know it’s made a solid proof of concept, even if we haven’t been accepted into a gaggle of festivals - and that’s exactly what I was hired on to do to create a solid proof of concept for Emily Somers. That decision to not play it safe for festivals is one that myself and Emily Somers had to be okay with from the beginning, which we were. Sure, it’s hard to get rejections and hear feedback from jurors who didn’t quite grasp the nuances. But, the positive feedback from festivals, even the ones we didn’t ultimately get accepted into, definitely solidifies that we did achieve what we set out to do. I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud of what we accomplished. There are several things I’d love to improve, of course, but there are compromises on every film.

Another challenge on any location film is to assume different levels of tolerance within your crew in regards to weather, temperature, and sleep conditions. I’ve done a few films where the crew hasn’t been bothered one bit by long hours and hot/cold temperatures in dingy old abandoned houses or tough outdoor settings. But other times, you may not be so lucky. I’ve learned I have a lot of stamina and endurance on set, as I mentioned earlier. I’ve learned I can’t expect that from all crew members. It’s something you warn people about, and keep making sure they’re up for the challenge. But when it comes down to production itself, it’s another challenge you have to inevitably contend with, no matter what preparations you and your 1st AD/producers have done to make everyone as comfortable and safe as you possibly can. I was really spoiled with my previous films with the “indie spirit” of all who volunteered their time. I made the mistake of making a bad schedule on Into the Valley on the basis of trying to get paid crew back to their union jobs as quickly as I could, and assuming everyone was down and prepared for a couple of long, hot days of indie filmmaking as they’d promised when they signed onto the project (we shot ITV in 2.5 days). So, even if you have to raise more money and add more days, it’s worth it if you can possibly squeeze it. So, I’ve definitely learned a lot from that horrible schedule.

What advice do you have for others who are looking to create a similar endeavor?

All of the above and watch out for early signs of toxic traits with those you’ve chosen to work with. Expect people to underestimate you if you’re not at a certain career level yet, even if your experience is plentiful. It’s necessary to be a collaborative leader, but if you feel strongly about something, even if you’ve listened and considered other options, you’ll have to learn how to speak up for your choices. If you must crowdfund, having your campaign public to all the cast and crew can be super helpful to expand your reach, but it might also might have its challenges. It may appear your budget should afford certain things that you didn’t initially agree upon (as it may be assumed you have plenty of money, when in actuality, budgets go very quickly - on “time period” films especially). Always have things in writing from the very beginning. Paper trails are extremely important—that goes for something I’ve learned in all aspects of business, both in photography and filmmaking.

Also, be mindful of investing a lot of your own money into a project. Sometimes it’s very, very much worth it. Other times, it’s not. You won’t know until you experience both, but it’s worth thinking about. All of that aside, be gracious and give credit to everyone who was apart of the film, whether you enjoyed working with them or not. Making films is physically and mentally difficult - and rarely paid fairly for the time invested for everyone involved, no matter the reason. On low-budget indie films, it’s the people spearheading the project who are making the least and putting in the most time, so if you’re a crew member be empathetic to that. Also, no matter what your title is on the film be mindful of your ego burning bridges and getting in the way of a good story (the film’s story, that is). Don’t forget the reasons why you began making films in the first place when things get stressful or difficult. It’s a really cool thing to be doing and it should ultimately be enjoyable. For all the problems that may or may not arise, it’s still incredibly satisfying work.

Do you foresee anymore film projects on the horizon?

Absolutely. I’m in the market for my next one as we speak. I want to continue onward up the director ladder with both narrative and commercial projects. I was a bit burnt out after completing Into the Valley, so I didn’t rush into anything. I feel now that I’m ready to dive back into the next project or two. My partner TJ and I fell in love with Scotland seven years ago and have been wanting to move there since. We’ve slowly been sorting out the best way to get over there, whether it be going back for my Masters or some other way (visas for freelancers seem daunting, but not impossible). So, we’re making the steps to (hopefully) uproot ourselves from LA in the next year or two. We’ll see where the next phase of our life and careers takes us.

Filmmaker and Photographer Emily Sandifer on Honing Her Craft, the Highs and Lows Of Creating An Independent Film, Her Creative Process, and More