We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mikelle Virey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mikelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

If I could go back in time I definitely wish I could have started my filmmaking journey earlier. I started writing screenplays in highschool and really wanted to act but never even had a thought about directing anything. I didn’t have access to a camera back then since all we had was a camcorder and I couldn’t even touch that.

Filmmaking is all about repetition. Yes it’s about having an idea and then filming it. And seeing if your idea (of how it would play out and feel like) is actually communicated to the audience. No? Hopefully you get a chance to repeat filming a similar sequence (or emotional beat) and see if there’s a more effective way to tell that part of the story. Yes? Great! But if you get a chance to repeat a similar beat, this time can you make it even more effective?

But if I started earlier, like as a teen, then maybe I would have picked up some bad habits or some antiquated forms of storytelling. Who knows! He’s there in the multiverse somewhere.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I never wanted to be a director. I always wanted to be a writer. And actor. But never directing.

I graduated from the University of Toronto (St George) with a double major in Theatre (performance) and Classics and quickly started auditioning. After getting cast in a few short films and commercials, I quickly fell in love with the process of making a movie but found that being an actor felt like I was being brought in the end of the process. Yes, there was playing in front of the camera, some improvising sometimes if you’re lucky, but I often just felt like a tool as opposed to a creative partner. And then seeing the final product and having very little say on it…well I just found it a little disheartening. You could give the performance of a lifetime but then being at the will of a director, editor or producer (with varying degrees of artistic understanding) a performance could be butchered and destroyed to look ridiculous.

Then I dated this girl who told me she wanted to be a director (which was so cool). At the time I was pursuing acting and music. I was a drummer in several bands but also loved photography. And writing was still in there somewhere so was I going to be a writer? A photographer? An actor? Maybe compose music for film?

As I learned what directing was from my gf-at-the-time, I realized a director combined all my loves. And I realized I didn’t like the films I was acting in because I had opinions on how I would have done it myself. So that’s when I decided to go back to school for directing and see if I had what it takes.

I thought I was going to miss the spontaneity of acting or jamming with a band but, as much prep as you can do, there’s so much spontaneity involved in directing because instead of thinking “what would my character do/say”, you’re doing that for all the characters, the camera and every department all at once.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to direct a few TV Shows and films. A few of the shows are available on Amazon Prime, Tubi and I have directed some shows on YouTube.

I’d say I’m most proud of directing a First Nations archaeology show for a Canadian TV Network APTN. I directed 3 episodes and my episodes helped get the show nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Factual Series.

I’d say my strength as a filmmaker is blocking/staging for story. I feel like I have a good understanding for how a story should unfold for the audience and how the movement of the actors and camera help tell that part of the emotional story.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

To me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is when I get to share it with people. And I don’t just mean sharing the finished product with people at the end but that’s always nice too.

I love getting to share the experience of creating the art with people and other artists. When I’m lucky enough to get to direct a film or a show, I love getting to share the experience of discovering and creating what the thing is. It can be such a fun process especially with the right people. Getting to create the best work of my life alongside another artist whom you hired or are partnered (actor, dp, production designer, sound guy) hopefully doing the best work (or at least something that challenges and excites them) is unmatched.

And then the cool thing about making a film or tv show is also getting to take other people who aren’t film industry people along for the ride, even if it’s just for a day. Like pulling up to restaurant that’s never had someone film there before and they get to hang out on set and watch. And them letting you use their space is them helping you make it so now they’re part of the film.

Making films is really hard so getting to stop and enjoy those little moments along the way is essential.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think something non-creatives struggle to understand about my journey as a creative is just how much failure, darkness and doubt that can exist. I don’t really show it because I’m a pretty confident happy-go-lucky guy on the outside, And I’m not just talking about financial struggle doubt.

Even in creating the idea, there’s a lot of work and doubt that comes with it. It’s not like a fully-formed great idea just pops in my head.

In the rare case that a brilliant idea pops into my head, there’s still so many holes you have to fill in before the idea becomes actually good and before I can even start outlining let-alone writing a thing.

I do get a lot of dumb / bad ideas, though! Should I be worried?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mikellevirey.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikellevirey
• Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mikellev

Image Credits

Eric Cherry
Trevor Ramai Jr.
Jayson Padilla
Rudy Reimer
Gina Simone