Interview with Student Director of LWE

Interview+with+Student+Director+of+LWE

Ramona Meszaros, Staff Reporter

In our society, movies, tv shows, and video related social media platforms play a big role
in shaping pop culture. However, the actors who preform in them usually receive the most
acknowledgment for their success. While it goes without saying that the productions wouldn’t be
the same without those people, the directors also deserve recognition for their work in the set up
and organization of it all. Devin Schwieters is a senior here at East, and has been making her
own projects from an early age. You can find a lot of her work on YouTube, under the channel
name “Suburbia Digital”. Below is an interview with Schwieters.

Q: What got you into directing your own film shorts?
A: Ever since I was super young, I’ve always shown more of an interest in art than anything else.
I drew and painted a lot as a kid, but somewhere along the way figured out that movies, actually,
were made by real people and wasn’t just some sort of miraculous phenomenon. I think the first
movie I watched and was like, “I wish I did that,” was ET. It’s always been my favorite. There’s
a unique and personal emotion that a good movie can induce, and I think the most attraction I
have to filmmaking is being able to give somebody that same feeling.

Q: I know a lot of people like to take videos of their friends, but your production is on a higher
level than that. What equipment do you typically use to bring it all together?
A: As of now, most of my projects are candidly me wrangling my friends all together to get in
front of the camera. Obviously, I don’t have too big of a repertoire of actors right now, so my go
to cast more often than not is my friends. I’m super lucky, too, that all of them are so eager and
excited to help me out. It’s a lot to ask of someone to spend time on something that isn’t really of
too much interest for them the way it is for me. My process typically follows the line of coming
up with a concept, researching other movies in the same genre/topic, trying to find ways to make
it happen with what I have, and getting together some people who would be willing to kick it for
a couple days. It’s a lot of fun. I’d say most of filming is 90% setting up and messing around and
the other 10 is actually getting to business. I’ve been doing this stuff my whole childhood. It’s a
sort of peculiar occurrence that has come so normal and routine to me, but I know one day it’ll
be super cool to look back on.

Q: Who are your biggest inspirations in the film industry?
A: I think the film industry is consistently giving me more reasons to feel so inspired and a
hunger to get in on it. It’s a given, but Steven Spielberg has always had a sensitive and nostalgic
feel to his films that I have really connected to over the years. There’s none in particular, but I’ve
noticed an influx of younger kids like me creating and doing their thing, and getting entire
communities on social media behind them. I think the industry is experiencing a social shift, and
our generation is finding really cool ways to adapt filmmaking as a whole.

Q: What advice do you have for people interested in making their own? Is it something you
would recommend?
A: Art in any form is so so special. There’s a sort of individual perspective that can be found
within any work of art. I’ve experimented in various sectors, but time and time again feel the
strongest connection to movies. They influence our world and bridge such resonation with
audiences, and I think it might just be the most powerful.
To kids like me who feel the same resonation, I’d say to just get out there and tell your
story. It doesn’t take much. If you feel the fire, go for it! You don’t need to be a Scorsese or have
a million-dollar budget to tell a story. If there’s a passion, you’re already halfway there.

Be sure to check out Devin’s YouTube for new releases! Halloween is just around the corner
and there’s sure to be some new seasonal specials soon. Until then, have a good October.