[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: You had an interview in Authority Magazine where the writer asked you several tips on what you wish you knew when you had started filmmaking. Number one “You will need to make sacrifices.” I would love to hear what some of those sacrifices have been?
Sarah T. Schwab, Writer/Director/Producer: Like I said in Authority Magazine when you are so driven to succeed and to make this my life’s mission is be able to support myself, I don’t need to be rich and famous, just to support myself by being a storyteller, writer, director, producer and to get to that point is really hard as an independent artist. It’s hard to break into the industry and play with the bigger players and get the attention of the larger distribution companies that can be game changers for you.
I think as we’ve gained more success it’s actually become harder and more sacrifices have had to be made because there’s a lot more to do.
Like I mentioned in Authority Magazine friendship. I can’t always go to people’s weddings or birthday parties or their child’s anything, anniversaries. I can’t go back to Buffalo to visit family as much as I’d like or I used to travel all the time in my 20s internationally. I just can’t do it either for financial reasons or I literally don’t have the time to be away for that long. Being able to see my family in France for 10 days was magnifique! It was so important to be back with loved ones and also to see a foreign land again.
Those are some examples of things that I’ve had to give up. I think about that and what the payoff is and kind of making a pro and con list in my head. Those are the types of things that I’ve had to give up over the years, having a bigger house, having two cars, being able to go to an apartment in the city, doing little things around the house to fix it up. Those are more materialistic things. When I make a pro and con list in my head I those are things, that’s stuff and the relationships in my life. I do miss the people who really care about me, understand that this is who I am and they’re always there for me. Like my friend here in Los Angeles and we pick up, we haven’t seen each other in over 12 months, but we pick up like we haven’t even been away and we’re planning to do something…(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
About:
Award-winning filmmaker, Sarah T. Schwab, is a writer, director, and producer dedicated to crafting authentic narratives that connect emotionally with audiences. Through her lens, audiences are invited to examine the human experience in ways that feel vivid, visceral, and often vulnerable. As an active member of the playwright and directors unit at the Actors Studio in New York City, Sarah also remains a valued contributor within the theatre community. Sarah’s most recent film, “A Stage of Twilight,” received critical acclaim and premiered at the Woods Hole Film Festival. It featured performances by Karen Allen and William Sadler, who won Best Performance in a Feature Film. Sarah herself was honored with the Best Emerging Director award.
CONNECT WITH SARAH T. SCHWAB
Instagram.com/sarah_cardinalflix
WATCH ‘A STAGE OF TWILIGHT’
Tubitv.com/movies/100026437/a-stage-of-twilight
MORE VIDEOS WITH SARAH T. SCHWAB
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