We recently connected with Ally Nelson and have shared our conversation below.
Ally, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today 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?
For my filmmaking I learned by watching every movie I can and analyzing every shot I liked, and reading my favorite genre to get an idea of the stories I wanted to create and how I could change them to fit what I would like to see. And Youtube was, (is still) my best friend when you want more help or different perspectives. Knowing what I do know, to speed up my learning I would have tried not to care what others did and just did whatever gives me joy. And I would create, create, and create. Just get out and make stuff. The most essential skill to have as a filmmaker is to have great visual storytelling. Show don’t tell.
My fear of failure and rejection did and still does stand in my way of learning more. Doing things different, trying new methods, being afraid of messing up or rejection should not stop you from learning because you can’t learn without failure.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a freelance filmmaker from South Carolina, and I was always meant to be a filmmaker, but I didn’t realize it until late my junior year of high school. Creative writing had been a hobby of mine since forever, I have written whenever and wherever I can and photography was a new interest I thoroughly enjoyed. One day it clicked that I could use my stories and newfound photography skills to create short films, and I have never looked back. The creative services I provide are editing videos, photo shoots, small business commercials, short films, screenwriting, and other forms of visual content. My main goal as a screenwriter and videographer is to find stories, and visually make them come to life for my clients. I am most proud of my resolve to create something worthwhile to satisfy the clients needs, but also to create something I can personally be proud of.
About my short film work, I find my calling in writing and creating fantasy stories, family dramas, and psychological thrillers depicting woman of color as the main character. But I really just want to create a short film that means something to somebody.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Before realizing I wanted to be a filmmaker I used to want to be a chemical engineer, but for all the wrong reasons. I used to think the only meaningful job had to be a STEM career, even though I wasn’t that great at math and or chemistry. Thinking of my future as a chemical engineer made me unhappy, I couldn’t see myself getting anywhere. So I went back to my roots, art. In that art I found the pathway to filmmaking where I can actually see a future for myself.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing your finished work. It’s the best feeling seeing all your hard work pull together into a cohesive piece, and finally being able to say you did that and know it wasn’t all for nothing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://allylashaynelson.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: @allyxcine https://instagram.com/allyxcine?igshid=NDc0ODY0MjQ=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ally.nelson.16/about_overview
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ally-nelson-0376311b6
Image Credits
Nathan Zuniga