We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alexandria Danya a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alexandria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Like most kids, I grew up loving stories. My nose was always in a book and I was fascinated by movies. I loved listening to audiobooks on road trips, acting out skits with my cousins, and directing dramatic epics with our action figures.
When my family and I moved to Georgia in 2001, we lived a couple miles down from the now famous Covington Square where a few scenes of one of my favorite football movies (Remember the Titans) and my favorite horse movie (Flash) was filmed. Over the years my family and I would occasionally see film crews in our town. Needless to say, I became all the more fascinated and I longed to learn all I could about movie-making.
As much as filmmaking was always a dream of mine, I didn’t have the opportunity to fully pursue it as a career until later in life, after the Georgia tax incentive brought a large part of the industry to the Atlanta area. I attended technical college and through an internship with the Georgia Film Academy I got on my first feature film set (a Marvel movie). I felt like a baby dear in the headlights for sure, but without a doubt I knew the film business was where I was meant to be. I tried my hand at producing short films of my own, and found that I also love the process of screenwriting.
Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process?
Since I was interested in film in the days before YouTube was really a thing, the library was my go-to for learning materials. I’m pretty sure I checked out every single book in the library system on the art of filmmaking that was available at the time. I began dabbling with editing (Windows Movie Maker, anyone?) and making short films with my brother and homeschool friends (yes, I was homeschooled, and it was awesome)! I am so thankful for those early years of learning and dreaming. They were invaluable. I would tell anyone who wants to speed up their learning process to do the same thing. Study as much as you can–AND get out there and start applying what you’ve learned. I did that by making films of my own. But I would also suggest getting on somebody’s film set, even if it’s small. That can be an invaluable learning experience. Try your best to network around and ask people if you can shadow them or volunteer on their set because you want to learn. All filmmakers were once in your shoes, and are very tenderhearted toward those just starting out.
What skills do you think were most essential?
1. good communication, 2. good attitude, and 3. respect for others. That goes for any career setting, but it’s especially necessary when it comes to film work. When you’re on set for long hours and you can feel the stress in the air, just remember: you’re not conducting major surgery, here. No one’s life is on the line. You’re JUST making a movie. Work together well and not only will you enjoy your time, but chances are the work will get done faster and you can all go home!
What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Pride is the worst obstacle for learning. Never think you know everything or that you’ve “arrived”. While I’ve enjoyed working on some large-budgeted projects, I also absolutely love getting to work on smaller ones (short films, student films, media production, etc.), because it helps me learn so much more about every aspect that goes into it. There’s still so much for me to learn, but that doesn’t intimidate me, it excites me! And compels me to seek to learn more about all the moving parts it takes to make a film come together (which in the end will make me a better filmmaker). So my advice is BE HUMBLE. Take the PA gig. Be Crafty. Drive a vehicle. Mop the floors. You never know where it will lead!
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.
In addition to being a filmmaker, I am also a soon-to-be author. My journey towards publication, while still on-going, has been an interesting and exciting one!
After finishing film school, I immediately jumped into the film industry full time. I worked for Marvel Studios for an accumulative two years. I loved my boots-on-the-ground job and all the responsibilities that came with it! But deep down I always knew it was only meant to last for a season.
My relationship with God really informs everything that I do, and after a while I strongly sensed the Lord leading me in a different direction when it came to working in the secular film industry. My heart’s desire was to tell stories with eternal value, as opposed to being a part of movies merely providing audiences with fleeting entertainment… Hollywood is temporary. Heaven is forever. And so, since taking a step of faith in my career and leaving the secular side of filmmaking, I’ve been incredibly blessed to get to work on faith-based projects portraying powerful, transformational truths which I’m certain will impact millions of souls.
Back in 2019 I entered an original, faith-based screenplay I wrote into a few film festivals/competitions and it won a few awards. It was the shot in the arm of confidence I needed to begin the process of converting the story from a screenplay into book form, which for a long time was an intimidating and seemingly insurmountable task. It’s been a huge learning process–learning both the technical and creative aspects of writing. I’m definitely not there yet, but becoming a full-time storyteller and “authorpreneur” is a goal I am steadily working towards.
My project has since morphed from a stand-alone archaeological, action/adventure period piece to a YA book series (of five, so far). It’s been my dream, prayer, and goal to recapture the magic of those classic & clean, wide-screen Disney family adventure films I loved as a kid. It’s been quite an undertaking, but God has led me through one steady step of faith at a time and it’s been great!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Oh, there are so many different ways to create! Creativity knows no bounds (I’m honestly not sure that I’ve ever met someone who isn’t creative in some capacity or another.) But I think all creatives and people who consider themselves non-creative share one thing in common: a need to be productive.
But as a storytelling creative, I can see how a non-storytelling creative person could think it a strange waste of time. Some people don’t watch movies or read books, and that’s okay! God just wired some people’s brains differently so that they can accomplish certain tasks on this earth that are in no way less important or valuable. We are all productive in different ways, that’s all.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The rewards of being a creative as a storyteller is two-fold for me.
It is so rewarding when people come up to me, and say “Oh, I saw that movie!” or “My family loved it and we watch it all the time!”. There’s something so special about being the person through whom they can connect to the story with on an even deeper level.
Secondly, the act of creating connects me closer to the Creator Himself. There is a reason why art is so intricately woven into our human nature. God made us in His image, and He made us creative beings. God is the greatest storyteller and He gave us the Bible so that we can look back on His unfolding story of salvation and understand why we need a savior. The most important message of all is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a Christian creative, there is no greater story worth telling and retelling. To me, there is no greater joy or fulfilment than seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness first, and partnering with Him in all my pursuits.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexdanya.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.alex.danya/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/alexandria-danya-148618275
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9086108/
Image Credits
Elijah David Photography