We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alexander Jeffery. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alexander below.

Alexander, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Towards the end of 2019, myself and a few friends went to Sicily to make a feature film. On the surface, that might sound pretty glamorous — and in lots of ways, it was — but it was a huge leap of faith to make an extremely low-budget indie film in a foreign country where we only had two local connections that could help us navigate the waters.

When I received the first small investment for the film, I immediately booked the AirBnb where the cast and crew would stay and film a portion of the movie, without the remaining money to round out production. The clock was ticking and the pressure was on to raise the rest of the funds so that I could get everybody over to Taormina to film this little project. I was either going to go stay in that AirBnb by myself and wallow in self-pity, or I was going to bring everyone with me and make a movie. Ultimately, we were able to scrape together the funds needed to bring the team.

For the three weeks we were in Sicily filming (on iconic landmarks such as locations where The Godfather was filmed), all twelve of our cast and crew wore multiple hats to complete principal photography on the movie. We lugged heavy equipment around, navigated every curveball thrown at us, and ultimately filmed all the pieces we needed before heading back to the US to film some pickups and complete post-production. It was exhausting, exhilarating, and one of the most creatively fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had and I’m so grateful to my friends for coming along on the journey with me.

We faced massive challenges of completing the film during Covid, ended up premiering the film virtually at the 2020 Heartland Film Festival (where it won an Audience Choice award) and ultimately, a small screening in Bentonville connected us with producer Kristin Mann who found the film distribution with Samuel Goldwyn Films. Our huge risk paid off and the film received an international release and continues to find an audience to this day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi! I’m Alexander Jeffery and I’m an independent filmmaker living in Shreveport, Louisiana. Originally from Canada, my family moved to South Arkansas when I was a kid, and my dreams of playing hockey were quickly squashed. Luckily, I signed up to take drama as an “elective” at El Dorado High School and, the most badass drama teacher in the world, Ms. Delaine Gates, helped foster my passion for theatre and film. My desire to make films and tell stories became insatiable, and I ultimately went to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for a double major in theatre performance and film & new media. At UNL, I met a group of amazing professors and peers who pushed and challenged me to grow as an artist.

After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do. Ultimately, I realized it was a very difficult place to make cheap films with your friends (at least for me) and I found myself feeling isolated and less creative. Through a winding journey, I ended up back in the south and heard about a competition in Shreveport called the Louisiana Film Prize that was giving away $50,000 cash to the best short film. I called up my friend Paul Petersen and together, he and I put together an entry for the 2015 edition of the festival called “The Bespoke Tailoring of Mister Bellamy” starring my dear friend and mentor, Stan Brown (who is absolutely brilliant). By some crazy stroke of luck, we ended up winning the $50,000 grand prize, and in that moment, Paul and I formed our production company, “Bespoke Works LLC,” named after this short film that changed our lives. Our first feature film, A Chance Encounter, was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films after winning an Audience Award at the 2020 Heartland Film Festival.

Our company focuses on heart-forward stories that aim to put some good into the world. These don’t always have to be “feel good” films, but we wear our passion on our sleeves and try to put our heartbeat into everything that we do. Additionally, we do commercial and corporate work that we aim to bring a cinematic flair and story-first approach to.

As much as I’m a huge “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” nerd and a fan of big spectacle movies, my heart lies in making indie dramas and comedies with my friends and in telling small, poignant stories like the films that have most affected me along my journey. I find it absolutely impossible to pick favorite movies, but a few films that have really stuck with me are: The Before Trilogy, Lost in Translation, Nebraska, Lady Bird, and The Social Network. And the TV show Normal People absolutely wrecked me. I’ve watched it like three times.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist breaks down into two categories: the problem solving and the people.

There is nothing I find more satisfying that figuring out how to solve a difficult, creative problem on set. When you’re an independent filmmaker, you can’t just throw money at your problems, so when it comes down to figuring out a way to pull off a shot or capture a moment that you don’t quite have the budget for, you have to get creative and think outside of the box and collaborate with people who are way smarter than you. Then, when you actually pull it off, it’s absolutely the most rewarding feeling.

And the people that you get to meet in this business are the absolute coolest. I always leave film festivals feeling so creatively rejuvenated because you get to meet people who have the same interests and passions but each of them has different backgrounds and stories to tell. I love the indie filmmaking community.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Yes! Episode 403 of the ScriptNotes podcast is, in my opinion, the single best screenwriting resource out there. And it’s available for free on YouTube. Craig Mazin (The Last of Us, Chernobyl) breaks down the fundamentals of storytelling in such a clear and inspiring way.

On that same note, Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) has two hour long videos (for free) on YouTube about his process working at Pixar and how to write a good ending that are absolutely invaluable.

Finally, for cinematography check out the Wandering DP on YouTube and for color grading check out Cullen Kelly Color on YouTube.

I love YouTube. The education is out there for free.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bespokeworksllc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexanderjeffery/ (or @alexanderjeffery)
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderjeffery/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alexanderjeffery

Image Credits

Logan Gee
Joel Froome
Aaron Hogan