Today we’d like to introduce you to Naomi Ross.
Hi Naomi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been a storyteller and an artist my entire life. I was always drawing and fabricating epic tales in my composition notebooks. Creating is in my blood; my mother being an author and painter, my father an illustrator. Art was all around me as a child, so I feel like it was a clear option to go into a creative career from the beginning. It was always an option but still a complicated decision.
Most of my peers wanted to be teachers and doctors, one of my sisters was a biology major and the other was a veterinary science major, but my passion was for stories; Watching them, reading them, creating them, and for people. I don’t think there’s a more collaborative artform than film. Every movie is the culmination of several people’s hard work and creativity. It’s incredible to spend 12 hours a day creating something with a group of likeminded people. I think that’s why, at the end of the day, film was the field I’ve chosen, and as a writer it’s kind of surreal to witness the silly little story you made go from scribbles on paper to a real- living-breathing piece of cinema.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I was born with a degenerative eye condition that resulted in me being low vision (Blind), which makes filmmaking sort of hard. Whenever, I tell people what I do, their reaction is always, “ wow, well how the heck do you do that.” I’m never offended, it’s a good question. I found myself developing an interesting approach to visual storytelling due to my condition. I focus on making my projects accessible and enjoyable visually and auditorily. Paying close attention to the broad stroke details as well as the fine and minute ones makes for a movie experience that everyone can enjoy. I also am so lucky to have been connected to talented sighted people, who I trust and understand my quirks. Specifically, my Director of Photography, Kayla Alexander (You can see her operating the camera in one photo). Sometimes I’ll say a whole lot of words to say something really simple and she’ll just get it. We’re usually on the same wavelength, so I’m appreciative to work with her so often.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently, I am in the post production of my magnus opus, Dinner and Diatribes- A surreal horror film that mixes my love for horror with my passion for social commentary and critique. It’s a film that follows a young man, Hutch, and his experiences with the odd family he’s found himself trapped with in an uncomfortable dinning room. Its amazing to see the project take shape and I am beyond thankful to all the parties involved in bringing it to life, especially the historic house we had the opportunity to film at- The Wren’s Nest.
You can follow along with the film’s progress and BTS on instagram at Dinner.ndiatribes
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I hate serious romance films, but have a secret soft spot for romcoms. As a lover of horror and fantasy, and someone who perpetually writes this genre, I’m excited to one day try my hand at developing a cheesy, cringing, over the top romantic comedy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://naomirossfilms.com/diatribes-shortfilm
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild.grapez/?next=%2F
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomirossfilms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DinnerandDiatribes/videos
Image Credits
Tokyo (Khalil Brooks)
