This was truly a surprise that the BHFF wanted to chat with me about writing, let alone use the interview!! Fun:)! TAKE FIVE! INTERVIEW with Jennifer Carta 2015 BHFF Final Selection Nominee- Screenplay "My Part One" (Drama) We caught up with Jennifer Carta about everything film, check it out! SH: Was there a particular event or time that you recognized that film-making was not just a hobby, but that it would be your life and your living? J.Carta: I would have to say recently, actually! I think with this script. I remember in college, in my short story writing class, I felt kind of liberated. I saw everything in pictures. I still remember this one short story I wrote, the pictures in my head were so clear. It felt magical, a place I could go and explore. Writing MY PART ONE felt very much like that. SH: Is it harder to get started or to keep going? What was the particular thing that you had to conquer to do either? JC: For me, it’s getting started. This story has been with me for over ten years and it wasn’t until a year ago that I was able to unlock that door and go. I had to stop thinking about it and just sit down and start somewhere. Once I started, there was a flow...and then there wasn’t, and then, hey look there it is again! I think I’ve discovered with me, it’s just sitting down and pushing through. I’m still working on that part! SH: You are here because of your work and how you do it. What are personal attributes that make for a good filmmaker, and what do you do to foster them? JC: Make sure everyone is having fun, including yourself! Even when it’s a hard day, have a laugh…and maybe a good dance break. SH: How does where you live influence how and what you make? JC: I’m still working on this! I have a 4 year old who is just about to turn 5 and he is my priority. He comes first, you know? It’s very challenging at times. Time management is essential. SH: We get noticed because of our successes – but we create them on the back of our failures. What failures have you been able to learn from? JC: I’ve had many! I’m still learning, truly. If I can keep learning and maybe, hopefully, improve with learning, then I think that’s a good place to be. But also, holding onto what I believe in and not letting others take that. SH: How has your art been shaped by both the money you have had or not had? Do you create with budget limitations in mind? JC: I don’t start off that way. I just try to get the story out, in it’s best form. Then, if someone wants to shoot the script, that’s when we address budget etc., and what locations can possibly be changed, to help lower costs. I have found myself fighting for the state or town I set the film in. SH: What do audiences want? And is it the filmmaker’s role to worry about that? JC: I think we all just want to watch a good story with characters that grab us. Even if they are outrageous, if the story is good, we’re going to go with them. I don’t know if it’s the filmmakers “role” to worry about it. It’s not the whole thing, but part of it. We are always trying to crack that nut: What do people want?? And how can I give it to them? SH: Do filmmakers have any responsibility to culture? JC: When I’m acting, or when I started it out, it always came from a place of wanting to help others, whether it was to make them laugh when they felt they couldn’t or make them feel when they felt they couldn’t or make them feel they are not alone in what they may be going through. Especially with MY PART ONE, because it’s my Mom’s story. It’s based on what happened to her when she was so young; I felt absolutely obligated and happily so, to show how different things are, and where things have changed. Women and Men didn’t have as many choices back then, and now, we do. We need to respect those choices. They were born out of others’ suffering. That’s got to mean something. SH: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to have a life creating film? JC: Explore all avenues of creating. And, don’t stop. If you stop, you aren’t allowing yourself to find that surprise, that one “something” you never imagined you could do! Just keep going, especially when you don’t want to!