Project Spotlight: ‘Yellow Blinking Light’, the Importance of Deciding Your Fate
Giselle Keena is a photographer and director based in New York. Without any form of art school, she has worked as a professional photographer and is beginning to transfer her soft, youthful and dreamlike photos into film works combining her past creations and nostalgia. We’re excited to premiere her piece, Yellow Blinking Light, partly inspired by her own experiences navigating if higher education is the right thing for her. Yellow Blinking Light is a story that shows what we all struggle with- managing the expectations of others while forging our own path in life. Read our interview with Giselle below and follow her on Instagram.
What compelled you to be a filmmaker?
I have really surprised myself on shifting my focus from photography to filmmaking in the past year and a half. Photo has been a big part of my life since college and I am extremely thankful that I dove into it without art school. It has allowed me to express myself and I’ve surprised myself. Focusing more on film, however, has been a combination of a few things. From time to time when people would see my photos and notice the soft and ethereal aspect to them - they would tell me what it made them think of. They would mention movies such as ‘Mustang’ and ‘Palo Alto’. Once I dove into the indie movie scene, I couldn’t help but to dream of turning into my stories told in my photos to stories told in film. In addition, I found myself having to storyboard video as part photo work. Campaigns these days usually come with some sort of visual motion element. In high school I worked a lot with filming and Final Cut - so I technically have been familiar with the beginner logistics. All of these things sparked me to finally writing ‘Yellow Blinking Light’.
What roles do you gravitate towards on set? What would you like to learn?
Another big aspect that has really pushed me to start making films is my childhood dream of being an actor. It is something that has always been something I’ve wanted and we tried for a bit, but the truth was I just wasn’t in the location to be able to make it happen, and the dream was surpassed. Last year I started acting classes and brought my dreams back to the surface. I felt like I didn’t have anything to lose to act and direct in a project. I knew I wanted my first piece to be semi-autobiographical and on this set I was both the subject on screen, the write and the director. I was able to have full control on both the writing and the look. I’ve been used to having control in making images - filmmaking is basically the next best thing.
How long did this take to shoot?
YBL had 4 shoot days. The shots with myself and another subject were shot in one long weekend, and the shots by myself were shot in 1 day 2 months later.
What challenges (if any) did you face during the pre production, production, and post production?
Pre and post production of the short was a lot. Pre-production had challenges I knew I was going to have to face before going into the project. Getting outfits, locations, permission for the locations, casting, hair and make-up (I’m wearing a wig throughout the film), gear, etc. Again experience in photography helped with this. So much goes into the visuals we see every day. However, post - production was one of the hardest inner battles I’ve had to go through. After the long weekend of shooting, the DP decided to step away from the project completely. I still can’t really put into words how much of a shock this was. There are so many DP’s and it wasn’t terribly hard to find a new one - but it definitely was a roadblock. I was made to feel like I wasn’t good enough for this.
On the day before I left New York for Christmas break, I finished the remaining shots to complete the project and then spent my time at home for the holidays editing every day for a month. It was overwhelming editing alone. (The first DP was going to help). Also, editing yourself acting is.. interesting. However, I couldn’t be more proud of the finished product.
Why did you choose to create this piece? What inspired you to tell this story?
I knew that it would probably be smart to start from telling a story from within before going completely into fiction. The story is not my exact life, but it is enough to the point where I could combine aspects that are close to my heart and parts I can relate to even if they are not completely real. I hope to make a ‘Part II’ of YBL.
What was it like to work with these actors?
I’m glad I didn’t hold back on the amount of actors I used. When I would tell people I used 3 others including myself, they are surprised. The experience of working with 3 separate actors with different backgrounds definitely added an important part to my experience with this overall. I enjoyed it. Some had this as their first on screen experience and another just added this to the list.
What do you feel inspired by?
I feel inspired by a lot of things. I feel the most inspired when I travel and meet people from around the world, but currently I’ve been watching a lot of French films and it’s been extremely inspiring. I’ve noticed a lot more color play in French films and I like the overall rawness. I've realized you can make any film you want and no story will be the same, and that excites me as I continue to dive in.
Why do you feel it’s important for female and GNC filmmakers to be behind the camera?
I get absolutely thrilled when I’m watching a film and it is directed by a woman. I’ll be the first to admit some of my favorite films are directed by men - but just as it is with everything else - we’re all equal and I can’t wait for there to be back to back women directors being recognized. We see things differently and I believe our portrayals are just important to be shown. I’m so thankful for a platform like the Light Leaks to feature women and GNC directors specifically. We deserve it.
