Meet Samuel Aaron Simmons of Iridescence in Duluth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Aaron Simmons.

Samuel Aaron, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
On December 16th, 2016, I had a seizure that changed my life. The day after, I turned the camera on myself and began filming Iridescence.

Before my seizure, I was simply a dead leaf lost to a frigid and wintry breeze. Everything in life seemed uncertain and swallowed up in the blur of shallow focus.

Granted I had a history of seizures in the past but on December 16th of 2016 when I blacked out and my face tore into the concrete of a sidewalk in front of my job, everything changed. This time it was different. I saw things that I had never seen before and could hardly describe. I felt that I had died and when I woke up in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital, I felt a sense of resurrection. I wasn’t the person that I was before and it became blatantly obvious to everyone around me. To my wife, my daughter, immediate family, there was something different. I brought back something different.

Before my seizure, I was an actor that had run the rails of over a 100 auditions for roles that seemed more appropriate to past colleagues in the Atlanta Indie Community. I had dabbled in photography and filmmaking as well with very little success or traction. Admittedly, I was depressed, jealous, envious and very jaded. After my seizure, I began to feel for the pulse of an idea that had been collecting dust for some time. That idea is called Iridescence.

Iridescence is a series inspired not only by my struggle with epilepsy but the artist in me clawing and screaming to get out of my own self-imposed cage that I had been slave to for so long.

It is a series with two episodes now streaming on the THEA NETWORK. The story follows a scientist on the brink of discovering a cure for dementia along a very nonlinear timeline. In the series, I am the main character (Eric Morgan). After disappearing for over three years, my character returns ironically with no memory of where he had vanished to or how he had returned. With no recollection of his past, he is forced into a journey of unanswered questions along with both friends and enemies that seem hell bent of my character’s demise.

I wear many hats with this production. I am the writer, actor, director, producer, editor and vfx artist for this. And that just skims the surface. We are currently filming Season 1 and it has been a long road to get production to a point to where just last weekend we had an intense fight scene with stunt coordinators, stunt players along with a second unit. The largest cast and crew to this date. This has all been on a shoestring budget coming out of my own pocket when at times my small paycheck was sacrificed for the vision I’ve worked so hard to create instead of the bills that should have been paid. I don’t say this in search of pity but to instead inspire anyone out there whether actor, artist or aspiring filmmaker that there is nothing that can stop you from creating your vision. You are the only one that can get in your own way.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. And I don’t think it gets easier. You simply get tougher as a filmmaker as your production begins to blossom.

Obviously, finances have been an obstacle but you learn creative ways to get around that.

The political environment on set has proven to become a challenge. Behind and in front of the camera. I’ve learned that you either recruit angels or assholes. And sometimes even those angels can turn into assholes. My content is not for Disney. I pride myself on having the courage to write content with teeth. Initially, I brought on a “producer” that was really into the story but they later labeled it as too “explicit” when they had the material in front of them for months. I’ve had people trying to inch themselves into my writing overstepping boundaries. I’ve dealt with abrasive people along with people that are sitting around on their phones with embellished titles while PAs are working their asses off for food and IMDB credits.

I’ve had some crew fall off because they were fresh out of film school and had no sense of adaptability. I’ve had to rewrite constantly to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. Flakey and unreliable talent that do their absolute best with their first audition so they can “get that sale” but then, later on, sour the set with poor work ethic. Having said that, I’ve noticed a climate change among actors since “Hollywood has come to Atlanta” where you come across a lot of artists that are not only dismissive sometimes arrogant and queasy when it comes to multilayered roles. My advice to them would be to not forget where you’ve come from and why you chose acting as a profession in the first place. I highly doubt CDs run you through the guantlet because everyone behind the camera is indecisive. It’s a series of temperature checks to see how serious an actor is.

Other obstacles have been conflict of interest with family. I have a wife and two daughters. They weren’t given an instruction manual as to how to manage the stress that overlaps into the household of a filmmaker. So its been a justifiable tug of war at times when it comes to actualizing a dream that no one else can see that doesn’t produce an instant financial fix and relief.

With these obstacles alone, I’ve gained a plethora of knowledge on how to manage cast and crew. At the end of the day, you learn one of the most valuable lessons and that is the real superstars are those cast and crew that run on a currency called passion. Those people are the celebrities that I look up to.

Iridescence – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I think what sets me apart from others based on what I’ve heard so far is that I am filming something very different that they’ve never seen before. I’ve gotten multiple references to David Lynch and Bladerunner with my content. I’m not trying to copy anyone and admittedly I’m not a fan of David Lynch but if that interpretation inspires people, then I’m all about it.

Another thing may be that I operate on a fearless approach while maintaining respect for their needs as people and artists. I am both focused and flexible with my creative choices. I think that allows for not only a fun set to work on but a relaxed one as well.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have two extremely proud moments so far. The first being when my family was able to see my first two episodes on ROKU and our last weekend of filming when I had the largest cast and crew ever. And not only that, it involved stunt choreography that I had to learn as an actor in about 2-3 days when having a SAG-AFTRA stunt coordinator and stunt players on set was completely new territory for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.saspixels.com
• Phone: 678-887-5073
• Email: samuelaaronsimmons@gmail.com
• Instagram: @iridescencetheseries
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/iridescenceseries

Image Credit:
Chris Pettit, Theron Barney, Sonnie Ruiz, Dan Aaron Hunter, Melissa Simpson

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