Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin O’Neal Miller.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Justin O’Neal. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Florida and reluctantly relocated to Warner Robins, GA in high school. While I still do feel quite landlocked, I came to know some of the most amazing people during those high school years. I still keep in touch with many of them, including my wife, Mindy Sparks, who rode the bus with me. I graduated in 2000 and went to Georgia Tech for architecture.
I may have always wanted to make movies, but looking back, I think it was the Lord of the Rings (and the behind-the-scenes DVD bonuses) that made me believe I could. During the 2008/2009 recession, freshly laid off from work, I made a short film, was rejected by every film school and started working in the art department on feature films and television.
My first short film did reasonably well in regional film festivals, and by 2013 I was attending major tier-two festivals (Austin, Atlanta, Fantasia, Phoenix) with “Restitution”, a sci-fi short about cloning. Around this time I was set designing and art directing on “The Walking Dead” and “Hunger Games”. After making “Restitution”, I came to know my future-brother-in-law and main co-conspirator Chris Campbell, who has produced and photographed several projects with me. Since that time, I have continued trying to balance my design and art direction careers with my own filmmaking. Today we have a short film called “Peggy” on the festival circuit, playing at major festivals like Tribeca and Cinequest, and we have several series and feature film projects in development.
Has it been a smooth road?
Film is a pretty volatile market, and while it has remained pretty stable here in Georgia, it took a lot of adjusting. Both my father, and my wife’s father, were in defense contracting, and we were used to having family dinners together, on the average evening. The 14-16 days can become very tiring and difficult, but it is extremely rewarding work. Remaining focused on what is important can be tough when it feels like you have multiple sets of deadlines, but I have so much to be thankful for that it is hard to complain.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Alchemy Set is a full-featured film production company, with expertise in every aspect of narrative film development and finished. We’ve helped storytellers sharpen their project, have put together crews and built sets, and we have nurtured projects all the way through VFX, coloring and sound design. I’m very proud of some projects that we can’t talk about much, at the moment, but ultimately I am probably most proud of the community of Georgia colleagues that have rallied around us. Everyone knows and understands how difficult this line of work can be, but the camaraderie on our projects creates a sustaining energy among the local cast and crew.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Atlanta hosts a lot of feature and television productions, but right now it is almost entirely brought in. What Alchemy Set wants to do it create content on par with any Hollywood production company, and utilize the vast experience and energy that is already in place. Georgia has been exceptionally kind to me, and I think that there is another phase of Georgia-filmmaking emerging, but there also is some uncharted territory here. I’m excited to see what happens next.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alchemyset.com
- Phone: 404.414.4174
- Email: justin@alchemyset.com
- Instagram: @alchemyset
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alchemysetstudio/
- Twitter: @alchemyset
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