We recently connected with Megan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

Many people ask me what my favorite part of making a film or short video is and my answer has been the same since college: that transient space in between idea to production. It’s in that space where anything is possible and the project exists how you imagine it. I like the excitement around the preparation for production and often times find myself getting a little sad when we capture that last shot.

Usually I am working for clients, trying to generate ideas based off of their briefs. It’s not just walking them through the technicalities of a shoot, but painting them a picture to see and feel an often times high level concept. It took me many years to develop the ability to sell a project on paper (I am still very much working on that skill), but in a room or on a Zoom is where I feel most confident. I like to share in my excitement for visual creation and when a concept can be a collaboration stemming from a conversational pitch, I find the end product to be stronger.

Through the brainstorming process, I prefer to go old school; I write out anything that comes to mind on paper. From there I transition to creative decks and written pitches. It’s here where I am pulling reference photos, videos and including any creative asset at my disposal like color palettes. The goal is to build a world that doesn’t exist. In many ways I never really grew out of the phase of “playing make believe” and it is my favorite accolade to my profession.

Once a bid is won, we move into pre-production prepping for any shoot needs. Often times I am working either solo or with a small team, so every facet of production falls on us to coordinate; locations, shot listing, equipment rentals, travel needs, casting, etc. Production is just one giant puzzle that you are trying to put together with a toddler in your lap, ripping pieces away once placed. It’s problem solving heavy and as a director your main job is to solve for the “no’s” while still trying to execute on the vision.

Megan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a NYC-based photographer and director who specializes in dance based visual creation. My background is in narrative, documentary and commercial storytelling with an emphasis on 360 digital campaigns. I was raised by parents who were in the entertainment industry, but their professions were the least of my reasons for my career aspirations; it was the long-standing McNally family trait of storytelling. I loved listening to my Grandma’s epic stories of her upbringing and my parents’ tales of their lives before parenthood. I was drawn to the camera that seemed to be permanently glued to my Grandpa’s hands and once I figured out that I could merge my love of telling stories with my love of cameras, it was game over.

For the past 5 years I have been a freelance photographer and director, working with brands and individual clients to create a myriad of campaigns, films and images. What makes my day-to-day so exciting is that I am always working on something vastly different: one singular day can have me capturing a rehearsal at Lincoln Center, followed by working on multiple creative briefs for prospective clients, ending with a nighttime editing session spanning more than one project in post. Work/life for me is a constant cycle of pitching, shooting and editing. There is rarely a project where I am not touching all facets of film/photography production, so time blocking and calendar management is key to stay ahead.

In a saturated market of visual makers, what sets me apart is my dedication and love of the art form of dance and film. I consider myself to be a dance and film nerd and have made it my mission to hone my craft so that I am consistently creating films and photos that honor the dance art form and reflect the technical specificity that dance requires. I am very proud of my dance literacy and ability to communicate with dancers and choreographers within the realm of a set. I stand firm in my belief that when the people behind the camera have an understanding of what it is they are shooting, the overall product is stronger.

It is my hope that the years I have spent and will continue to spend on filmmaking, photography and dance will bring my work and my team to larger productions and closer to the goal of directing a movie musical at the studio level.

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

The goal has been and always will be to direct movie musicals. As I kid I broke my VCR copy of Annie due to the amount of times the tape was rewound. That deep love I have for film and dance has always been present and has been the guiding force in my career. Every passion project I make has some element of human movement or music to it, with each production bringing my understanding and skillset closer to that goal.

Just last year I directed a film for the 24 Hour Film Race – a film competition wherein you write, shoot, edit and deliver a film in 24 hours. When I was approached about coming onboard, our producer, Michelle Jones Illiev, asked if there was anything that I felt passionate about including. When I said a dance number, she and the team didn’t bat an eye. That hat film and the very short dance number that sits within was perhaps the experience that has most affirmed my dream and goal of directing films that involve dance.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Just before the pandemic hit, I went freelance in August of 2019. I made the jump to freelance after many months of business strategy based off of new incoming client work that was abundant in the commercial direction realm. As with most everyone’s professional careers, I ended up taking a huge hit professionally in 2020 as many production companies and creative agencies folded during that time. Financial survival became imperative, so while film and video production became increasingly unstable, I turned to photography.

I have always viewed myself as a director/videographer before a photographer. I have no formal training and have always looked at photography as a “side skill.” Well the side hustle became the game changer through that period as I reconnected with dance photography in a deeper way. I started to grow my photography business from 2021 to present. In doing so, I have met so many wonderful people and have stepped onto so many dream projects that would have just remained a dream. It was a pivot I was not expecting, but one I am grateful for having forced my hand into integrating into my offerings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://meganlcmcnally.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megan.lc.mcnally/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganlcmcnally/

Image Credits

Headshot/Portrait: Jon Taylor
The shots with me wearing an yellow shirt on set: Dominic Silva
The shot where I am fixing the ballerina’s tutu: Jon Taylor