Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dedi Felman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dedi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?
There are so many people I look up to in the film industry: trailblazing female directors who pursued their goals to direct and ground it out in the trenches long before the rest of us thought that career path was even possible, female producers who’ve created the opportunity for other women to tell their stories on-screen and provided roles with real substance for female actors, and many, many other talented artists whose work inspires and elevates my own.
But because the most influential heroes are often those closer to home, for my hero I’m going to pick my first big boss in publishing. Publishing, like the film industry, is a highly collaborative business. And he was the one who first taught me about the joy of collaboration. Not, of course, through “telling.” But by example.
When someone treats you as though your ideas are valuable and listens to you and supports you, it’s a life lesson that’s truly irreplaceable. Not only because then we learn to trust ourselves and hone our creative instincts, but because we learn that listening to and supporting others is the best way to help others do the same. How you treat the people who work for you influences everyone else down the line. As we say in film, the atmosphere on set starts at the top.
Also, and this took me a bit longer to learn, he taught me that if your ego is blocking you from hearing what others have to say, the problem, as Taylor Swift says, is me. One way to prevent that from happening is to truly understand others’ strengths. So if the production manager is a scheduling whiz and I appreciate that, I’m going to listen very carefully to their concerns on schedule, even if I’m in a rush and focused on the end goal. And I’m going to work with them to find a path through.
Another thing he taught me is that everyone has different strengths. So if I’m not seeing them, I’m not looking hard enough. It’s actually a superpower to be able to see others’ strengths. It helps you negotiate any conflict that arises. And again, seeing others’ strengths helps you guide them to success–and help them address their weaknesses.
Finally, he taught me that true collaboration is truly joyful. There’s so much discovery in creative work. You’re not following a prescribed routine. You’re inventing anew every time. And when you find others who are willing engage to in that kind of risk-taking, in that kind of pursuit of the not-yet-described-or-depicted, and with whom you’ve created enough of a trust bond that they are willing to go out on a limb and share their riskier ideas, it’s an incredibly joyful experience. I never underestimate another’s trust in that situation. And I always try to lead, as my old boss did, with kindness, encouragement, and delight in the yet-to-be-discovered.
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.
My name is Dedi Felman and I’m a writer/director born and raised in the wilds of New Jersey. I love character-driven genre-crossing stories that confront profound human truths with a sense of humor. My most recent short film, TAKE GOOD CARE, is a grounded sci-fi story about female ambition, family, caretaking, and love. It premiered at the Oscar-qualifying festival HollyShorts in August and will screen at Burbank International Film Festival in September.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
This might answer two different questions you’ve asked, but one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of being a creative is balancing two very different sides of your brain (and personality), both of which are absolutely necessary to one’s success.
Artists are intuitive people. We often rely on our gut to tell us what’s working and what’s not. And we pursue our emotional intuitions and emotional truth, whether to write great stories or to find our passion and vision for a piece.
We also however must balance that intuition with logic. Writers must exercise their inner logic police. The story structure isn’t working? What’s going wrong and why? Directors must be experts in logistics and schedules and shot lists and give clear, concise, and consistent directions to others in all story matters in order to realize their visions.
But balancing intuition and logic isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Always listening to the logic police can cause us to stop trusting our hunches. Letting our intuition and emotions rather than our analysis guide us can make us reactive and fail to properly challenge ourselves.
For me, balancing intuition and logic properly is an ongoing effort.
It’s also why pre-production is such a crucial phase of my directing process. In pre-production, you can use all your logic and planning skills to test out various scenarios and make Plan A, and Plan B and even Plan C. If you’ve had the proper time to plan, by the time you get on set, you know the parameters you’re operating in. You can then relax your plans a bit and let your intuition guide you. If you find a shot or the actor has an idea on set you hadn’t planned for, you’ve often then got the time or the back-up plans in place to let you pursue your intuition and go for the magic.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Directors have book clubs! And I’ve belonged to more than one. There are so many books we’ve read that I could list as invaluable resources. But here are three that have been particular meaningful:
DIRECTORS TELL THE STORY by Bethany Rooney and Mary Lou Belli. If you can only buy one book on TV directing, this is the book to buy. It’s got everything. From how to break down the script for story and character, to blocking and shot listing, to how to work with every department. I can’t even summarize everything that’s in here. It’s brilliant and comprehensive and a one-stop handbook for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about TV directing.
CINEMATOGRAPHY: IMAGE MAKING FOR CINEMATOGRAPHERS AND DIRECTORS by Blain Brown. It’s easy for directors to feel overwhelmed by some of the more technical aspects of cinematography. And many directors are happy to leave those more technical aspects to their DPs. But for everyone who is even remotely curious about what goes into creating a visual language for your story, this book gives you all the essentials on “writing with motion” and “painting with light.”
PRODUCER TO PRODUCER by Maureen Ryan. This is another absolutely comprehensive and stellar resource, this time for anyone trying to produce their own project whether short film or indie feature. A producer’s job is never done. And this handbook breaks down why. From raising $$ to the producer’s role in post, this comprehensive, step-by-step tome on film production covers it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dedifelman.com
- Instagram: dediaf
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dedi.Felman/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dedi-felman-a736698/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/genremasters
Image Credits
Will DaRosa