Adam Nelson discusses award-winning short film
Photo courtesy of SCAD
“Sea Odyssey” is a 15-minute short film written, directed and co-produced during the winter of 2014 by Adam Nelson, a fourth-year film and television major from Akron, Ohio. The film, which won the Jury Award for Best U.S. Short at the 2014 Roseville Film Festival in Sacramento, was screened as part of the Savannah Film Festival Student Showcase at the Trustees Theater on Thursday morning.
Q: What was the part of creating the film that you enjoyed the most?
A: Well, I had two really talented actors for the leads, so I was really spoiled that I got to work with them. I grew up acting, so I love working with actors. That’s kind of my favorite part of being on set. As much as I love the technical parts of filmmaking, working with the actors is the thing I’m most passionate about.
I was always directing growing up, too. I was always directing little plays at recess in second grade. I think I always knew I wanted to direct, but I still act when I can.
Q: What was the most challenging part of creating this film?
A: For some reason, for this film it seemed like there was a lot of obstacles to overcome. It was a bit of a challenging, stressful year. For one thing, we needed a longer shooting time than most typical student short films that shoot here. Just because there was so many locations and because it was such a big production that we had to squeeze into a short film.
I think the hardest part was just managing it all — it was a lot to keep track of. We had a ton of extras, a ton of locations. It was a 1960 period film so there was a lot of moving pieces and parts. We had period cars, so there was a lot of things to organize and lock down, so we needed a big team. And visual effects was something that was new to me at the time and I feel like a learned a lot. I’ve grown tremendously through that experience.
Q: Looking back, what would you change about the experience or about the way you handled things?
A: Every project that I do, I grow tremendously, and by the time that I’m actually done with it or getting near to the end, I look at it and, it’s not that I’m not proud of it, but I’m ready for something new.
Q: From an academic point of view, what do you hope that other students take away from the film?
A: Don’t let people put you in a box. I feel like sometimes, in a student environment, professors may be trying to contain you rather than push your elements. That’s something that I’ve always kind of struggled with because I’m always trying to push myself and figure out how to do things differently. I think that rings true for anyone who makes something in any industry. You have to be bold.
Q: What do you hope people get out of it from an artistic point of view?
A: The film is a father-son relationship kind of story. It’s about family and embracing the people in your life, and making those moments count while you have them — while you can. It’s a very sentimental film.
Q: What inspired the film?
A: Honestly, I think stories develope for any sort of reason. In this case, I think it was just this kind of ridiculous idea, transforming an old car into a submarine.
I wanted to try with this film making visual effects a story that is poignant and actually meaningful. And I feel like a lot of visual effects films don’t really embrace that; they’re more mind numbing and visually overwhelming rather than infused with quality.
Q: Where do you hope to see yourself working after graduation?
A: Writing and directing feature films, and independent ones, too. Well-financed feature films with quality actors.
Q: Is there any advice you would like to share with the student community?
A: Take the advice of others with caution and trust your gut and do what you believe in. And have fun.
In the film department especially, there’s a lot of animosity toward each other that’s unnecessary, especially when people try to do things that are different. It’s a little frustrating because as a filmmaker, I want to be supportive toward other people. We’re all really in the same boat, and we’re all just trying to make it. Just work hard and be nice to people and they’ll come to work with you.
On the flip side, I also want to say that I wouldn’t have been able to do the type of projects that I’ve done if I went to USC or NYC or any of the other schools that I looked at, because there’s something really special about Savannah, and it’s a really supportive community for artists, and I feel that, because of that, I’ve had the opportunities to make work that I couldn’t anywhere else.
