[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: When you moved to LA in April of 2017, did you realize what you were getting yourself into?
Wade Patterson, Filmmaker: No, I had no idea.
It was such a big leap and at times I was like, what am I doing?
Why did I do this?
But I will say at that time though there was also a lot of opportunity to just jump on these really small sets and do super low-budget.
I was working on these super low-budget short films and web series which I was thankful for.
I think the one rule I have for myself is I don’t care what I get paid as long as I get paid something.
Everything I did I think my first gig I made like 50 bucks or something.
It was very low.
But I was just trying to get in and meet people but also to find a way to pay the bills.
That first year was really tough mainly because it’s a different culture out here.
I didn’t really know anybody.
I knew a few people from industry contacts so I could kind of connect.
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I actually stayed with a few people I’d met on set in Mississippi and they were very kind to do that and so I was thankful for that.
But then, there’s also just a loneliness when you move to a big city, trying to make friends, trying to meet people, trying to work.
I think big cities can really crush you if you’re not strong enough or resilient enough to sort of outlast it…(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
About:
Wade Patterson grew up in Jackson, MS, and has been making film projects since he was a kid. However, after taking a break from film to go to India to work with a non-profit, he rediscovered a passion for writing in Asia. He returned to America with an expanded worldview and a new focus on telling stories that explore the full range of the human experience. He works in Los Angeles as Freelance Director of Photography. His latest project is about a disgraced journalist discovering an online puzzle that causes people to disappear (Death Cipher).
WATCH ‘DEATH CIPHER’
On Tubi here
CONNECT WITH WADE PATTERSON
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