We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Max Schmitz and Dana Dveris a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Max Schmitz and Dana Dveris, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
The project that is the most meaningful to us is our first feature film, “Let’s Meet Halfway.” After both working in the industry and seeing how many projects never get made for various reasons having nothing to do with the actual art, and seeing filmmakers wait 20 years to get their first feature film made, we decided to just go for it. We wrote “Let’s Meet Halfway” knowing we’d have very little money, time, and resources but wanted to make a film that uses its limitations to actually strengthen the story. This is how we came up with the premise for “Let’s Meet Halfway” – a story of a long distance couple falling out of love all within a small town they meet at once a month. The scope of the film is small, but the themes and emotions it tackles are much larger.
Making a low budget indie feature film came with its many challenges, but the process was incredibly rewarding and our proudest accomplishment. We got to work with incredible actors, improve as directors, and watch our creative vision become a reality.
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?
We first met in college where we took all of the same film classes. We bonded initially over our shared love of shooting on film. We decided to shoot a music video together, and haven’t stopped working together since. This collaboration led to us co-directing two short films during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when we were both starved for creativity. We realized how much our creative visions complement each other and decided to start our production company, After Moon Productions around the same time. Since starting the company, we have shot our feature film, “Let’s Meet Halfway,” as well as various commercials, music videos, and photography projects. We definitely feel lucky that we get to make a career out of creating art.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
MAX: I think the exact goal or mission is always changing, but I think above all else, the reason I wanted to be a filmmaker and creative in the first place was seeing its power as a catalyst for empathy. I remember watching “Moonlight” for the first time in theaters, and realizing that if I could impact even one person the way that film impacted me, I would feel like my life had purpose.
I’ve certainly struggled with wondering whether or not being a filmmaker is an important career. Making any creative project, and especially a feature film, can sometimes feel a bit selfish. Is what I have to say important enough to justify the enormous undertaking required from so many people and the vast amount of resources, all in hopes that a stranger will sit and watch what we’ve made? When I struggle with these questions, I realize there is no perfect answer and the only way forward is to lean into the issue, tell the stories that I’d want to see, and hope they reach others in the process. It’s certainly not a science, I can’t guarantee anything I do will be as impactful as I want, but I’m sure I’ll try every day until I die to do so.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
DANA: For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the ability to make an idea or vision inside my head into a reality that can be shared with others. It’s not the end product that is the most rewarding, but rather the process of creation. It’s an incredible feeling to come up with a meaningful story and to assemble a team of talented creatives that believe in the story and work together to make it come to life.
I have such a love and respect for all art forms, and even though I myself don’t know how to make music or costume design, I get to work with all of these talented people to create a piece of work. Filmmaking is so all-encompassing in that it combines so many forms of art; it’s the ultimate collaborative medium. I feel like the process of creation doesn’t always have to be a lonely one and when making a film you get to be inspired by others and inspire others simultaneously, it’s truly a beautiful thing. 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aftermoonproductions.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aftermoonproductions
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/after-moon-productions
- Max’s instagram: www.instagram.com/schmitzle
- Dana’s instagram: www.instagram.com/djdveris