Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Fullah.
Audrey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Thanks for connecting; I feel welcome since I’m new to Atlanta. Currently, I’m setting up an LLC to manage my projects and start businesses. I’ve directed ten short films since 2019 and started post-production and film festival submission this month. And I recently finished directing the first student production on SCAD Atlanta’s XR stage, a new technology highlighted in The Batman (2022) and The Mandalorian tv series. Before that, I was a film analyst summer intern for a California startup.
Entering the entertainment industry was a beautiful coincidence; I was 23 and had just graduated with an engineering degree. Flashing back to 2015 in Shanghai, I got assigned by my boss to produce a web series with a $150k budget, which opened up a path for my future career. Unfortunately, the web series never got distributed outside my company’s intranet due to our investor running into legal trouble. I took a year-long break to travel around China, worked on my health, and made a five-year plan. Two highlights of my five-year plan are:
- Studying in the USA for a master’s degree in film
- Choosing to be a film director as my career goal
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest struggle was fighting for the opportunity to study art further at an early age; it was not possible due to my family’s financial constraints. When art teachers told my parents that I was gifted in the arts and wanted to take me in as an apprentice, they chose to believe it was just a marketing gimmick.
Instead, I became a soccer player for around seven years and made some money from tournaments. Year after year, I narrowed the distance between myself and art by self-learning and seeking opportunities to work in different areas connected to art, such as martial arts, graphic design, interior design, production design, copywriting, modeling, acting, and live streaming. Gradually, my colleagues recognized my passion for art and thought I had an art degree, but no, my degree was in urban planning.
I remember fighting with my single mother about studying art when I was 17, and I finally took MFA courses when I was 29. I lick the knowledge of each course like I lick ice cream.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a film director, I mainly focus on feminist issues and the philosophy connected to witty romance. My passion is utilizing my sensitivity to spatial aesthetics like mise-en-scene, light & shadow, and clarity of vision to tell stories in depth. Also, my experience comes into play by telling stories about specific parts of society. In my films, I encourage women to discover their potential to share social responsibilities and inspire children to express themselves bravely and pursue spiritual freedom. For example, I just finished a contemporary silent comedy called Loving Strangers. For some time in cinema history, the power of American film was limited by specific policies like Hays Code. So I made this film to review silent filmmaking while compensating for some of that period’s regrets.
My projects began to receive the support of some talented people; they generously volunteered for my films at no cost, touching me deeply. In addition, most people who worked on my school projects thought they were professional filmmaking or at least thesis level, encouraging me to push each project further.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Be generous with your sincere praise to everyone, including yourself. Join an outstanding team and learn to be led by the team leader. Treasure those who helped you get started in the first place, and consider how to support each other in the long term. Last, convince yourself before convincing others.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audreyscadmfa/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey007/
- Website: https://www.84lab.
com/
Image Credits
profile picture | Yi Yao
XR stage bts | Melina Velleman
Loving Strangers bts | Jeevan Topgi
The Mother bts | Jingkun Huang
The Huntsman | Tré Hazelwood
Dark Romance bts | Xinqi Zhou
web series bts | Chen Liang
