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| Chandra Gerson Photo by Carrie Cavalier |
Dawna Lee Heising referred us to Chandra Gerson, who directed her in Book of Choices: Salvation of One, and appeared on her Eye on Entertainment.
LA Libertad: Where were you born?
Chandra: I was born on Stanford Campus in Palo Alto, California. My father was attending Stanford at the time.
LA Libertad: What is your occupation?
Chandra: I own a very small production company called KitnKat Productions. Right now I am a writer, producer, and director, but what I really want to do is just direct. Just like actors have to build a reel, that is what I am currently doing. I have made eight short films, and am in production on my first feature film. Our short “Detach” was an official selection for the 2012 Vegas CineFest International Film Festival, and “Burning Distortion” won Best Drama at the 2012 New York International Film Festival.
LA Libertad: In which city and State do you live?
Chandra: I live in Studio City, California.
LA Libertad: What do you love most about work?
Chandra: I love working with actors and being on set. Pre-production is pretty much all business, except for the
rehearsals and working with the actors one on one, but being on set is where the creativity and magic really happens. However, it doesn't stop once we wrap. This is why I also love locking the door behind me and working with my editor, Phil Gibson. The creativity just keeps flowing all through post-production. When working with an actor, I love to see the transformation occur. That's the best part. It lets me know I'm doing my job, and the actor is fully committed.
LA Libertad: Do you have any other talents or hobbies?
Chandra: I'm pretty much a workaholic, so I guess you could consider that a hobby as well.
LA Libertad: What inspires you?
Chandra: That's kind of a tough question because I can get inspired by the littlest things, and I wouldn't have even
known it until I experienced it, if that makes any sense. I would have to say, as a whole, life inspires me.
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| The set of the 4th story of the feature film Book of Choices: "A Gracious War" Photo by Carrie Cavalier |
Chandra: Without a doubt, producing. This business is just like any other business, and I enjoy it to a certain extent, but it's not something I want to do for the rest of my life. However, I have to say I have a better appreciation for what producers do and go through now that I have experienced it firsthand.
LA Libertad: Do you speak any other languages?
Chandra: No. I took French in junior high school and remember the very basics, like “How are you?” and “My name is...” but that's it.
LA Libertad: Where have you traveled?
Chandra: I've been to Vegas, Arizona, Florida, Wyoming, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, and Hawaii. There
might be others nationally; I just don't remember. When I was sixteen, I went to Europe and had a blast. I visited England, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Holland. I would love to go back and visit more countries that I haven't seen, such as Ireland and Scotland. I would also love to go to Romania.
I love castles, and the pictures of those countries I have seen are amazing! The hills and mountains are stunning as well. Other than that, I can't really explain why; sometimes you are just drawn to places. For example, my mom cannot get enough of the Middle East. There's just something about it. It's strange, I know.
LA Libertad: What are your goals for your career?
Chandra: All I want to do is become a working director. I think it's amazing when you can do something that you truly love and be able to make a living at it. Do I fantasize about becoming the next [Steven] Spielberg or [Martin] Scorsese? Absolutely, but you have to be realistic in this business, so just being able to make a living out of doing what I love is good enough for me.
LA Libertad: Any upcoming projects?
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| The set of the third story of the feature film Book of Choices: "Salvation of One" Photo by Chandra Gerson |
character has made a choice and must live with the outcome of that choice. It's filled with twists and turns, and bays the idea of what you are seeing may not be what is real. The film is much more than just a man reading a book of short stories; he obviously has a life, and that is what we have left to film.
LA Libertad: Do you have any links you would like to share?
Chandra: Our official website for Book of Choices:
www.chandragerson.com
Facebook Film Page: www.facebook.com/bookofchoices
Twitter Page: twitter.com/BookOfChoices
IMDb Page: www.imdb.com/title/tt3582136/combined
LA Libertad: Anything else?
Chandra: We have ten days left to shoot, but no budget, so we will be having multiple Kickstarter Campaigns, with a goal of five thousand dollars. While our initial goal is five thousand dollars per campaign, we hope to raise more, as this will allow us more shooting days. Our first one will begin in approximately two weeks. You can find out more about the campaign and us on our Facebook page, so please drop by, and check us out. Nothing should stop you from your passion. Thank you for the interview, and take care!
Interview by Libertad Green
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