Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Wetherington.
Haley, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Oh geez. To be honest, I didn’t grow up knowing that I wanted to be a director. A lot of people can pinpoint movies that they saw as children that made them want to be directors. I can’t do that. I look back at a lot of the things I loved and did as a child, and a bunch of them did point me in this direction. I had always watched a wide variety of films and tv shows. If I were to list all of the things that I loved watching I think it would look like a rainbow vomit of material. More so than movies though, I loved to read and take photographs. I remember reading the Cam Jansen series, and after that, I started writing mystery stories in elementary school. Young Haley was naturally invested in female-driven narratives. Most of the things that I read and wrote as a child had a strong, female protagonist. I have a clear memory of writing a detective story about a young girl and her cat trying to catch art thieves in a museum; they read my story on the elementary school morning news, and after that, I really started to feel confidently in love with writing. Now that I’m writing this I realize that current adult Haley is also writing a script about a young girl and her cat haha.
After graduating from college with an English degree, I moved on up to Atlanta. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the process of filmmaking, so I worked in as many departments as possible. I spent a little over half of a year at a post house, I took some art department jobs, I was a PA, and to this day I still work in the camera department. I love my job. It’s rewarding and technical, and it’s preparing me for the day when I get to direct a big budget project. It’s hard because some people only see me as a camera assistant and getting those same people to respect me as a director can be a challenge. I know that it’s something that will come with time. I never wanted to be a director who stepped onto a set and didn’t know how other positions worked, and I’m grateful for that level of understanding that I have. I wouldn’t change the way that I’m coming up as a director. I’m not in any rush, and I want to learn and grow at an appropriate pace for me. I look at every day that I spend on set as an opportunity to learn more about the kind of director that I want to be.
My first time directing was when I realized what my anxious, overachieving, perfectionist personality was put inside of me to do. Here I was, a determined 21-year-old girl with a vision, and a group of incredibly supportive friends and collaborators who all wanted to help tell a story. I love my first legitimate short film. Granted, it’s not perfect, and there are things I would change, but it shows my ambition and kickstarted my desire to pursue challenging forms of filmmaking. It also turned me into a strong decision maker. Can I tell you what I want to eat for dinner? NOPE. But I sure can walk onto a set and tell you how I want something to look and feel. I turn into someone who is confident enough to say yes and no. That’s something I would have never learned about myself had I not started directing. I guess that’s what is so cool about our passions and careers. It’s not just about the art and what we’re making, but we learn a lot about ourselves in the process of creating something. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. We are all the best versions of ourselves when we’re in our element.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do? Why? And what do you hope others will take away from your work?
So far I direct and write a lot about the things that scare me. Intimacy, motherhood, religion, and men are terrifying to me, and I think my work reflects that. I’m not saying that men are bad, religion sucks, or intimacy is the worst. I think I’m just learning to navigate those things and exploring those elements through directing is teaching me a great deal about my fears. Because at the end of the day directing isn’t always about telling your story, it’s telling someone else’s. So as a director I get the opportunity to dive into a different world and character and really try to make all of that real to an audience. It gives me a great opportunity to learn about other people, and I hope I can present an audience with that same chance.
Two of my narrative features that I haven’t had the chance to make yet (Money pleaseeeee) delve into southern women’s relationships with religion, motherhood, and other women. I’m really fascinated by young mothers and the lack of options that a lot of women have when it comes to motherhood. A lot of women around me got pregnant and/or married very young. My mother being one of them. And I wonder how some of these women’s lives would have been different had it not been for religious/family pressure and more readily available resources. I know I’m not a mother and I don’t think I ever will be… so my perspective on these things is vastly different from a woman who has that experience. But I do know what it’s like to feel that pressure that I won’t be valued if I’m not a mother. And I think that’s why I’ve been honing in on that topic over the past couple of years.
If you’ve seen my work, you know that I direct a lot of one takes. It’s not entirely intentional, I just have an idea, and I don’t imagine any cuts anywhere. Every time you cut it pulls you out of a moment/perspective and takes you to another. I like to keep the audience pretty immersed in the moment. It’s also great for building tension in my opinion. Lately, I’ve been experimenting more with pacing and keeping things pretty steady until a sharp, weird, unpredictable twist. It’s pretty fun for me. I like making an audience wait and wonder what exactly it is that they’re watching. Music videos are great for that because they’re generally pretty short so I only have to worry about holding an audience’s attention for a shorter span of time. Overall I like making things that create an opportunity for people to think about their own perspectives and feelings on situations. If I can present you with something that takes you back and forces you to think about experiences that you’ve had or how you would’ve reacted in a situation like that, then I’ve done my job.
As for the how… when it comes to filmmaking it takes a village. There is a reason why there are so many departments and specific people with specific jobs. You can’t do it all. Don’t let someone convince you to take on a handful of positions. You can’t be successful that way. It’s overwhelming and delegating jobs to people is vital. I literally could not do any of this without the supportive collaborators in my life who I am also lucky enough to call friends. There are a lot of people who deserve shout outs… but Nastasia Humphries and Landon Kovalick make me want to cry they are so supportive, talented, and kind. When someone asks me how I do it, I point to them. They are my how, and they have been there since the beginning.
I don’t think I can talk about my creative process without addressing music. Music is incredibly inspiring to me. It’s probably why I’m really trying to direct more music videos. If I’m ever in a writing, editing, or concept pickle, I have a specific collection of records that I’ll reach for. For the features I’ve been writing over the past few years I’ve been listening to Japanese Breakfast’s albums. Michelle Zauner is a phenomenal artist, and I look up to her as a director (but like… have you seen the “Boyish” video because it’s one of my all-time favorite music videos) and also her ability to tap into emotions that can’t be put into words. My first time listening to “In Heaven” I thought it was a great, fun, upbeat song. After the second listen, I realized how heartbreaking it was. Layering feelings like that takes a lot of talent and awareness.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
It’s hard to make money as a director when you’re first starting out. You have to build a reputation and do a lot of things for free/out of your own pocket. I’m 24, so it’s hard for me to comment on a span of time in the industry, but it’s pretty difficult for me right now. I guess something to remember is that when other artistic industries thrive, so does the film industry. So we all need to make a point to encourage and support one another in other artistic fields.
We all definitely need one another. Especially those in our industries who identify as women. As a woman, I have a hard time getting people to take me and my work seriously. I’m trying to be more assertive about letting people know what opportunities I’m ready for. It gets pretty competitive amongst women on set sometimes, and we need to remember that there is room for everyone at the top. There aren’t a certain number of lady ACs/directors/cinematographers/sound mixers/gaffers/etc. Who are allowed to succeed. We can support and challenge one another while also being inspired and working on our own shit. One woman’s success doesn’t diminish your own. I think we all need to take a step back and remember that every now and then. We’re all anxious about our own work. Lift one another up!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I am currently working on getting better about my social media presence. My friend and I actually just had tea last week and talked about how uncomfortable we are with self-promoting ourselves, but you have to be out there about your work. It’s how you get noticed and hired. So I’m gonna give it a try right now! I have a website (www.haleywetherington.com) and Instagram (@Haley_Wetherington). I made a Twitter just the other night (@meowhaleymeow)! If you want to see pictures of my fluffy orange cat, my Instagram is the place for you. I also post stills and links to work as it’s released on my profile… but more importantly… my cat is cute. Sometimes you’ll also see my stuff around at film festivals and the occasional film series. So if you’re ever meandering about a film festival and see me, say hi! I want to say hi to you too! I’m awkward, but I like talking to people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.haleywetherington.com
- Email: haley.wetherington@gmail.com
- Instagram: @haley.wetherington
- Twitter: @meowhaleymeow
- Other: https://vimeo.com/user49464472
Image Credit:
Nastasia Humphries (Director of Photography), Alexandra Bock (Director of Photography), Landon Kovalick (Gaffer), Kelly Dempsey (Production Designer), Brittney Rothal (Production Designer), Arianna Church (Editor), and Nora Lonergan (Producer)
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