We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Gottshall recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Having a 9-5 office job was never in the cards for me. No matter how hard I tried to make myself choose the more “stable” career option, I was always brought back to art in its various forms from creative writing to studio art to photography. My path through the different art forms led me to film, which combined my favorite mediums, writing and photography. Being a visual storyteller has been tough, especially since we are inundated with so many stories through social media and streaming. But, if anything, it’s shown me that there is always a place for my story to be told and there will always be someone out there who will watch and listen.

One of the projects I’m most proud of is my short film, The Difference, which I wrote, directed, and produced with friends and former classmates once I finished my film production education. I’d created films before in college, but this was the first time that I had a crew behind me to really make the project reach its potential. As it was my first big short film, it’s not completely where I’d like it to be today, but I learned so much from the experience and I still ultimately created something I’m proud of. It was a huge risk to make the film, not knowing how it’d turn out or where it’d go, not completely knowing what I was doing, figuring out logistics for everything, and trusting a group of people with the project. By the time I was able to share the final product, I was very proud of what I created and satisfied with the final project.

When I attended a workshop with Alice Wu, who wrote and directed Saving Face (2004) and The Half of It (2020), she made a point of saying that anyone making a film is not playing it safe. I think it’s safe to say that is the case with any kind of art, but I’ve found it difficult to share my work in film. I was already used to the risk of showing my studio artwork and having other people create their own interpretations, but making a film felt so much more intense and nerve-wracking. Any time I have someone read a script or listen to an idea, it’s taking a risk because I’m putting myself out there in a different way than I do with my studio art pieces. Trying to engage and connect with people and maintain that interest throughout a film is difficult and takes a lot of practice as any art form does. But, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love the challenge and the only constraints are the ones I make for myself.

Elizabeth, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Before my mother retired, she was a professor of film, digital media and storytelling, and journalism, which I always said didn’t influence my decision to pave a career in film, but it influenced me in more ways than one without me realizing it. I was always watching a myriad of films with her and I developed an interest in learning how those films were made. She only taught film studies, which is mostly reading papers and talking about theory, but I wanted to be the person making the films people would study in textbooks and papers. At first, I didn’t think I’d be in the film industry as a career, despite my childhood immersion in film. Originally, I thought I would become a studio artist and then I thought I’d become a novelist before thinking about being a professional photographer. They were all just smaller paths that prepared me for when I discovered and leaned into my interest in film and being on the production side.

In college, I took a few film studies courses and whatever production courses they had to offer, which wasn’t much since it wasn’t a production school. I earned a couple of internships in Georgia and New York City for video production so I could see what it was like working out in the real world since I still wasn’t sure how to craft an entire career out of being a freelancer. By the time I graduated, I knew that I enjoyed working in production, especially with the camera. It had a lot of appeal for me and what I was looking for in a career. Production was hands-on, I could be doing something different every day, I could travel for work, and I could meet new people all the time.

Shortly after I returned home to Georgia, I enrolled in the Georgia Film Academy at Trilith (then Pinewood) Studios because my film education in college and my internships did not have a focus on larger union film and television sets. I went through all the courses and was able to get an internship in the camera department, which is notoriously difficult to get into, on a union set. Everything about the camera department has to be learned through experience as there weren’t any classes or workshops that I could attend. I met with other camera people and began to work on their projects and started working at a camera rental house. All the hard work, training, and connections eventually led to me being able to join IATSE Local 600.

Over the last few years, despite all the ups and downs which include a pandemic and an ongoing strike, I’ve been able to gain all the skills and confidence I’ve needed to accomplish my goals. I’ve been able to work on projects both big and small that I’ve really enjoyed and believe in. The people that I’ve met along the way have been incredible and supportive. I have been able to establish myself as an AC and digital utility, and I hope to eventually establish myself as a camera operator to have more involvement in the creation of stories.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Having teachers and instructors who are enthusiastic about teaching and guiding kids in school is incredibly important to support artists and create a thriving ecosystem. I don’t think I would have ended up where I am today without the support from teachers and professors in school and college. A lot of my interest in art began while I was in grade school and I further developed my practice in high school where I had a wonderful teacher who was tremendously kind, encouraging, and willing to teach. If I had a question, she had an answer or would help me find the answers I needed. If I wanted to learn a new skill, she would teach me. It was very motivating to have a teacher who cared so much and helped me focus on specific mediums that I’d taken an interest in. Being an artist is scary, but she never made me feel scared to put myself out there. She helped me grow and pushed me to continue my art practice in college.

In college, learning how to craft an artist statement, having critiques, and having opportunities to have art shows with my work helped prepare me for my journey into film and screenwriting. As I developed more advanced and intricate pieces, it was important for me to find the best way to express such complex stories and feelings that my audience could connect with. It prepared me for when I would show my scripts or other finished projects to people for feedback, which is always hard to do. I was also able to explore different mediums, which included experimental films, which was eye-opening when it came to film and focusing on composition, editing, and imagery. Having professors who were open to exploration and allowed me to experiment helped me become the artist I am today.

Aside from needing to have the right people to teach others, having more funding for art programs in schools or libraries would help. More affordable courses, workshops, or mentorship programs in art or film would help people of all ages who want to learn or figure out what is right for them. While having formal training (from college or grad school) can be valuable, I believe that workshops and experience can be extremely beneficial, especially since not everyone can commit to classes for two to four years or afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.

During the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Otto Nemenz International (a camera rental house) has been hosting a series of workshops each week, open to anyone who wants to participate. It has been a great opportunity for people who are new to the camera department to learn as well as meet more experienced camera people. Having these safe environments to learn and ask questions makes everything less daunting.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission has always been to connect with others in any way I can. I want to connect with people on the crew who all have stories to tell and I want to connect with the people viewing my art and see how they relate to the stories or interpret the pieces. When I screened my experimental films, it was invigorating to hear the feedback and different interpretations from viewers. When I had classmates and instructors read my short film and share their thoughts, it was amazing to see what they related to and what they thought was interesting about the characters and story. It’s cathartic to put everything I have into a project and see the final result.

Reading and connecting with other peoples’ works have helped me become a better artist and filmmaker. Their stories have helped me develop different perspectives and open my eyes to new experiences. They’ve encouraged me to learn more about certain topics, myself, relationships, and the world. Many of the people I’ve met along the way have become good friends outside of film and art. Other artists I’ve seen or worked with have helped me realize what’s important to me and what I want to lend my voice to. I want to craft stories that people can relate to, especially the experiences of overlooked groups. I really want to work on projects that focus on women, Asian Americans, and the queer community.

Despite the anxiety and fear of showing my work, which is essentially the inner workings of my mind, it is so rewarding and fulfilling to show my work and hear what people say about it. I love hearing the different ways people have interpreted my art or how they relate to the story I’ve told in a film. I love the idea of offering an escape for people. I love the collaborative process of filmmaking and how everyone comes together because they believe in a story and want to see it become successful. Storytelling is universal and our stories will live on even when we’re not here anymore.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://elizabethgottshall.wixsite.com/portfolio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizgott22/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/elizabethgottshall

Image Credits
Photos taken by Michael Petit, Carlos Cuervo, Zoe Morgan, Cookie, and Christina Somphone