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

Alright, Ethan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Growing up, I always enjoyed telling stories whether that meant telling my parents what happened at school or creating a three-act plot with my action figures. I remember, as a kid, watching red carpet coverage of a Harry Potter movie at its premiere. I heard the word “director” and asked my parents what that word meant to which they explained that a director was the person who makes a movie. Did I understand what that fully meant? No, not at all but from that day on I knew I wanted to be a director.

Fast forward to high school when I was convinced I would study English and Literature to one day become an author because filmmaking was too extravagant, expensive, and unrealistic. I spent all of my freshman year writing a short story, fixating on every detail to make sure the image of the scene was in the reader’s mind. When it was finally finished, I was not satisfied and I didn’t know why. Is it not good enough? Do I need to change the ending? Why do I not like it anymore? For months, I was confused as to why I was not content with my finished product. Then one random day sophomore year, I had a free period from class and decided to try writing a screenplay to kill time.

This decision changed everything as I found that writing a screenplay not only allows me to write a story but also allows me to turn that story into a film. The frustration from writing the short story and not being able to properly express my vision had gone away as I found my solution. I was so motivated by the idea that I could take this piece of work and make a movie, that I started writing as many scripts as I could. With encouragement from my family, friends, and teachers, I spent my free time writing scripts. This new adventure of mine led to me directing my first ever short film at seventeen with my friends over the summer!

The short was not a blockbuster hit, but it solidified my passion for movies. Now I’m a student filmmaker studying my dream at The Savannah College of Art and Design in GA, so I think little Ethan had a good idea of our future when he was younger.

Ethan , 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?

Hey everyone, I’m Ethan Webber! Born and raised outside of Baltimore, Maryland, I am a filmmaker who specializes in writing, directing, and editing. Currently, I am an undergrad film student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah Georgia.

Before coming to SCAD, I started working in film at the age of seventeen when I made my first short film. In my work, I try to present the most authentic, natural, human story that deals with an aspect of everyday life. I enjoy making splice-of-life films that show an audience a person simply trying to live their life, because as we all know life is never simple. I firmly believe that storytelling isn’t just a fun escape from our world, but an exploration of another that helps us understand our own. I feel the best stories come from the hard truths of life and should be told no matter how difficult they may be. This idea drives me to share stories because maybe someone out there can benefit from them even if, to me, they are just stories.

More recently, I have written and directed seven original short films and, in the past year, worked on eighteen productions. I am grateful to say the past year has been a busy whirlwind of productions. “POLAROID”, a suicide awareness short film I was able to write and direct, premiered at the 2024 Culver City Film Festival, spreading the message of mental health in today’s youth. I am currently co-directing another production titled, “As If Nothing Happened”, a music-based romantic drama filming Valentine’s Day weekend. The story of “As if Nothing Happened” has been, as I say, “marinating” for three years awaiting its time and I am beyond excited to bring it to life. Along with this film, I am the Post Supervisor on eleven shorts produced by CampYATC in Southern California. This company is a young actors theatre camp, and last year I was honored to be the editor of three short films that screened at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Considering my mom has been a dancer and choreographer my whole life, alongside my dad being a graphic designer, I have been surrounded by the arts. I’ve spent almost my whole life watching my parents present their work to audiences. I think being able to see peoples’ reactions to my parent’s work, whether it be tears from a beautiful dance or excitement from a logo design, is a huge part of why I am an artist today. My parents moved people through their work and creative expression in endless ways and through that, have helped everyday people.

For me, I think being able to watch the reactions of those viewing your art is the most rewarding thing one can receive as an artist. The feeling I get when I see a tear shed from someone watching a film of mine or seeing someone smile from a sweet moment on screen is just indescribable. Somehow, something I created brought emotion to another human being. Our emotions are so sacred and delicate that I think it is truly special to give the gift of emotion to others. In saying that, let me say thank you to Mom and Dad because you showed me that idea of art and how it can help people connect, and, at the end of the day, your reactions are the most important to me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

It makes me laugh to think about it, but almost every project I work on sharpens my skills and puts my resilience to the test. Being a young filmmaker, there’s so much to learn and discover and it’s very easy to be discouraged. You can work months on a film, spend a bunch of money on it, and when it is finally released you hear nothing but crickets and supportive family members. This tends to happen to all of us students, but I find it to be purely motivation.

To be specific, I poured my heart and soul into a recent short film titled, “POLAROID”. What started as a small group project for my cinematography class turned into a funded short film with submissions to every film festival we could find and afford. The film is a short story about a young man battling with depression and suicidal thoughts, and the power that love and friendship can have on a person. My team and I had an amazing professor, Garland McLaurin, who encouraged us to push this film to the max and see how far it could go. We had reshoots, hired a composer for an original score, and raised money to afford submissions to festivals. Due to personal connections my team and I had to this film and its message, we were very passionate and had a strong belief in the film finding success. Since its completion, it has been rejected for almost all of the festivals we submitted to. Although, gratefully, the film was selected by the 2024 Culver City Film Festival and had its first public screening in L.A. on December 10th. Thinking back on this process, it did not discourage me from my work. Yes, it was sad to see the film did not grab audiences like we had envisioned, but that’s the name of the game. I think to myself, if that project didn’t gain attraction, then I will go make something that can. I think failure is the best training in life, especially in the creative world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://readymag.website/u3238577183/4701715/
• Instagram: @ethanwebbers @webber_originals
• Youtube: Webber Originals: https://www.youtube.com/@webberoriginals

Image Credits

Aaron May, Zena Johnson, Noah Naidoo, Casey Fanelli