Here’s a new horror short film for you to watch titled Pretty as a Picture. The film is about “a young model who becomes the focus of a mysterious and demanding photographer that is trying to capture his idea of the perfect image. The model, in turn, must give all of herself in order to satisfy the photographer and satisfy herself.”
The film comes from writer and director Ryan Nielsen, who said: “In the end, the theme of the film has revealed itself differently to many people. I always saw it as the ‘Act of being seen, and our desire to be seen.’
“This is true both for the model and the photographer, one being seen physically and the other being seen for their work. This isn’t much different than being a filmmaker, where we all would like recognition for the work that we do, but at what cost? The goal is that people could see themselves in both of the main characters.”
The was shared in collaboration with the FilmQuest Film Festival, where we are looking to expose some of the radical indie genre films and shorts that filmmakers are creating.
I also included an interview with the director that you can read below!
What was the inspiration for your film? How did you come up with the idea?
The inspiration came from an image of a woman posing under flashing lights and an unseen photographer in the distance. From that simple image the actual writing of the short took very little time, perhaps only a couple of days.
Tell us about yourself. What is your background? How long have you been a filmmaker?
I was born and raised in Iowa and spent a lot of my youth watching films. I had no inclination of being a filmmaker and didn’t think that it was a career you could seriously pursue until I was in college. That is where I took a course in American Film History, mostly so I could get a credit for watching movies, and instead found myself enamored with the art of cinema and my obsession with movies was solidified.
For the longest time, I wanted to be a filmmaker but didn’t actually make anything. In fact, I consider Pretty as a Picture my first short film, considering the only things I had made beforehand were little exercises in college. It took me awhile to have the confidence to actually make something.
What inspires you to work within genre cinema and tell these kind of stories?
What I like about genre cinema is that it allows you to work out feelings and emotions in the extreme and encourages you to be expressionistic in your storytelling. You can make something personal, or not, and bury it within the conventions of a genre that people can grasp and hopefully come away thinking about later.
What was your favorite part of the filmmaking process for this project?
My favorite part of the process for this short was probably pre-production. My producer, Ari and I, had so much fun putting the team together, designing the look of the film, and figuring out the nuts and bolts of how to make a production run smoothly. It was such a joy to meet so many talented artists and to work with them, and to also give my friends and family roles in the film, whether that be assistant directing or catering.
What are you most proud of with this film?
I’m most proud of the fact that we actually just made it. It’s really easy to sit on ideas for a long time and go, “yeah, maybe we could do that.” But with this film, my producer, Ari, and I really got the ball rolling right away and continually reminded each other, “we’re going to make this movie.”
What is a favorite story or moment from the making of the film you’d like to share?
This could also be one of my most proud moments, but my fiance, Paige, did all of the catering for the short by herself and it was so amazing to see how much people loved her cooking, with several people saying it was the best lunch they’ve had on set.
What was your most challenging moment or experience you had while making your film?
Our set ran pretty smoothly, but I would say our most stressful aspect of the process was securing financing and figuring out how insurance on a film set works.
If it did, how did your film change or differ from its original concept during pre-production, production, and/or post-production? How has this changed how you’ll approach future projects as a result?
The film changed quite a bit during the post-production. There were some things that we were just not able to do during production and this forced some changes in post. Originally the film was more cyclical, the beginning of the film was exactly the same as the end. This changed along the way and got trimmed of all of its fat. As it is now, it’s a very simple, linear film, mostly an idea played out as far as it can go, but had more of an arc originally.
Who were some of your collaborators and actors on the film? How did you start working with each other?
First I met Ari Wojciech while working at a coffee shop. He and I hit it off pretty much right away and I eventually sent him the script. He took on the producing role and introduced me to all of the actors including, Claire Manning, Garrett Pominville, and Mike Danner. Some other collaborators on the film were our DP Indeana Underhill, production designer Masha Lyass, our sound recorder and designer Kevin Khor, and our makeup artist Wendy Fisher. Other notable collaborators are my great friends and assistant directors, Carson Aden and Frank D’Argenio.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received as a filmmaker and what would you like to say to new filmmakers?
The best advice I’ve received as a filmmaker is to simply just start making movies. It’s the surest way to learn how to do it. You can read and watch as much as you like, but nothing compares to actually making something.
What are your plans for your career and what do you hope this film does for it? What kind of stories would you like to tell moving forward?
My plans for my career would be to continue writing and directing independent shorts and features, eventually at a larger scale and for some profit. I would also like to work in commercials and music videos, as I see this as a great way to improve your craft. Most of the stories I write and direct are coincidentally not genre films. Many of them revolve around characters and life in the midwest where I am from. I love being able to take the seemingly mundane parts of life and flipping them on their head, making them thrilling.
What is your next project and when can we expect to see it?
I’m currently writing my next project so I’m not exactly sure what to make of it right now. All I can really say is that it’s called Bedwetter and is perhaps inspired by my youth.
Bonus Question #1: What is your all-time favorite film?
Raging Bull
Bonus Question #2: What is the film that most inspired you to become a filmmaker and/or had the most influence on your work?
The film that most inspired me to become a filmmaker was Boogie Nights, but I think the film that has had the biggest influence on my work recently has been In the Bedroom.
