An Interview With Edward Sylvan
I am always looking for ways to volunteer my time to help teach and mentor other people in the business. It takes a lot of people to create a film or video project and I’ve been very lucky to have a lot of people help me along the way. I make a big point now to try and help as many people as I can with their work, or to try and navigate their way through the business side of things.
In terms of social impact causes, my most recent film The Mohel deals with the often transactional nature of religion, and the pressures of maintaining old world traditions in the modern world. I feel very passionately that we should able to choose what we believe in and not have the way we live be dictated by other people’s beliefs or by traditions that were set thousands of years ago.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Director/Writer/Producer Charles Wahl. He wrote & directed Little Grey Bubbles, which was an official selection at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival, Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, Aspen Shortsfest, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and many others. It premiered online via Short of the Week while also being selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick. Wahl’s short video project A Short Portrait: Brent was chosen as the closing film of the TIFF x Instagram Shorts Festival in conjunction with the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. In addition to making films, Charles works internationally directing commercials.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
Yes, for sure. I was born in the UK, but moved to Toronto, Canada when I was a baby and grew up there. I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t heavily into movies, but it wasn’t until I was in High School that I started to think that regular people could actually make them!
My high school had a film class, which was not common back then, and during the class we had to make a couple of short films. Getting out there with my friends, and making the films was so much fun that it didn’t feel like work. Once we finished the movies, people loved them so much that we were constantly asked to screen them for people in the school’s library, and people were asking us to make more of them. Even though the films are extremely lo-fi, it did start to demystify the process to me, and I started to realize that maybe this is something that I could do.
After high school I started volunteering on film sets, getting out into film the community, and I studied in a couple of different film programs. I knew early on that I wanted to direct so I always made sure to be creating my own films and started to develop my own voice as a filmmaker.
A few years after finishing up at film school I was able to get signed to a commercial production company and started directing commercials professionally. Once I started working in commercials is when things jump started for me because I was able to work with so many incredible collaborators at a professional level, and I started to get a lot of reps on set. Working on so many different projects, and at so many different budget levels helped me develop a strong sense of what works and doesn’t work with visual story telling, and has made the filmmaking side of things even better.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of really funny and interesting moments over the years, but one that sticks out, which was also very sad in the moment, was during a commercial shoot. I had to film three different spots in one day, and on the surface they were all very simple. Each spot involved a short conversation between two people.
As the day started and the first set of actors arrived on location we blocked things as usual and were getting ready to start. As we were about to start rolling the actor with all the dialogue asked me if we were going to bring out the lines and have them written out next to the camera for him like at the auditions. The producer and I looked at each other with concern, and I told him that no, you have to know your lines by heart. He was very surprised and then said “don’t worry I got it.” He went into another room, memorized the lines, and then with a few speed bumps we go through the spot.
Once we moved onto the second spot and the new actors came in the actor with all the dialogue also asked if we’d have the lines written out for her. I said no, and that she had to memorize her lines. At this point the producer and I were both very concerned and the producer called the casting director to notify them what was going on. We then started shooting and this time the actor had a very hard time remembering her lines. We got through the initial set-ups and then went to lunch.
During lunch that actors agent had been notified by the casting director what was going on, and in turn the agent called the actor we were still in the middle of working with and blasted her for not coming in with her lines prepared…which made things go even worse. Ultimately I worked with her to get the lines down and we made it through the spot.
When we got to the third spot, the actor who had the bulk of the dialogue came in and she said that she would be fine and that she had the lines memorized. Once we started shooting…she froze. Take after take she couldn’t get all the words out. We got to a point where the actor she was working opposite would hold the lines up in front of her so that she could read them.
This was unheard of. To have three different spots and all of the main actors show up not knowing their lines…I couldn’t believe it. In hindsight it’s hilarious, but in the moment it started to feel more and more sad! Ultimately we made it through and the spots came out really well but I learned a lot from that experience. The actors are number one. If they aren’t good, your film, tv show, or commercial won’t work. After that experience I never took an actor for granted again and since then I make sure to push them harder in auditions, and even if I’m only working with them briefly for a day on a commercial I make sure they are prepared, and have a clear understanding of what is expected of them on the day.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
Working in the film and television world I get to interact with unique characters all the time. I also spend a lot of time doing branded documentary pieces where I get to travel and interview people of all walks of life.
One person I met years ago that had a really big impact on me was getting to VERY briefly chat with Oliver Stone. He was a very big influence on me when I was younger, and as a teen my father took me to see him speak at an event. Hearing him speak and tell stories was gripping, and inspiring. At the end of the event he was signing autographs for people and I got to ask him a couple quick questions when it was my turn. Briefly chatting with an Oscar winner at such a formative age really motivated me to pursue a career as a director.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’m currently in development on two different feature films. One is an expansion of my previous short film Little Grey Bubbles, and is about a young woman who develops a profound friendship with an older married man, that exists exclusively online.
I’m also writing another film that is about a young couple who are about to get married, and the woman is converting to Judaism ahead of the wedding. They live in a community without strong Jewish ties so the whole process is quite challenging and involves additional family, and religious pressures.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
In the film and tv side of things I’ve always been heavily inspired by Martin Scorsese. His work, to this day, remains unique, fearless, and exciting. I love very raw and emotional storytelling and when he chooses to make films in that vein there is nobody better.
More recently I’ve been very inspired by Denis Villeneuve. As a Canadian it’s incredible to see a fellow countryman achieve the heights he has as a filmmaker, and I think the run he’s had with his films since Polytechnique to now is unparalleled.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
I am always looking for ways to volunteer my time to help teach and mentor other people in the business. It takes a lot of people to create a film or video project and I’ve been very lucky to have a lot of people help me along the way. I make a big point now to try and help as many people as I can with their work, or to try and navigate their way through the business side of things.
In terms of social impact causes, my most recent film The Mohel deals with the often transactional nature of religion, and the pressures of maintaining old world traditions in the modern world. I feel very passionately that we should able to choose what we believe in and not have the way we live be dictated by other people’s beliefs or by traditions that were set thousands of years ago.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
The big aha moment was after my second child was born. I had taken a break from working on narrative film because I was getting so busy with commercial work, and being a parent at the same time. The moment my second child came into the world I quickly realized that if I didn’t make getting back into narrative storytelling a priority that it would never happen, and at that moment I promised myself that I would figure out a way to start telling my own stories again while balancing the commercial work and family life.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
One of the biggest impacts I’ve seen from my work is the conversation around my previous short film Little Grey Bubbles. Since its release online it has had over a million views and there has been a lot of engagement. There are so many comments from people talking bout how they too are lonely, and that the friends they have online mean so much to them. It was incredible to see the amount of conversation that the film encouraged, and that it helped show that the types of friendships depicted in the film are normal and more common than people think.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
I think the best thing people can do to help others is to communicate openly. When speaking about the message in my films a lot of things can be resolved by communication and openness. The three main things that people can do are 1 — Listen to others 2 — Help where you can — 3 — Share the knowledge that you have.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1 — Don’t wait for someone to give you opportunities. Always go out and create them, no matter what level of success you have. After I made my first good piece of film years ago I thought people would start knocking on my door and that I wouldn’t have to work as much to find the next thing. That definitely was not the case, and never is. Things can disappear fast in this business and you need to always keep striving for the next opportunity.
2 — Don’t be afraid to reach out to successful people for advice. Early on I was stubborn and thought I could figure it all out on my own. It wasn’t until I started reaching out to other successful people and learning from them that things started to change.
3 — If something doesn’t turn out well, don’t let it discourage you. We all make mistakes, or pieces of work that don’t turn out like we hoped. When that happens you have to pick yourself up and keep going.
4 — Don’t rush. If things don’t happen for you right away it’s okay. Things happen at a different pace for all of us.
5 — Don’t try and do it all yourself. It’s good to get out and meet people and collaborate with others. In film and tv it’s impossible to do it all on your own. Get out and meet as many people as you can until you find the like-minded people that you really connect with.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
There’s nothing better than getting out there and telling stories about something that matters to you and that you believe in. A potential viewer may get to see it, and the connection they may feel watching it could make a positive difference in their lives.
In terms of mentorship, we always need to give back. Everything is cyclical, and we need to help others as well so more people live positive lives.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
There are too many people to mention! I would love to collaborate with the Coen Brothers one day. The work they do is so amazing, and crosses so many walks of life that it would be an honour to cross storytelling paths with them.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
The best life lesson quote I ever received was from a very successful filmmaker that I was able to have a brief conversation with when I was younger. I asked him if he could share any advice on how to get in and make it in the business and he said “don’t stop”.
On the surface that can sound like a frustrating answer, but when it comes to life in film it is actually perfect and made a big difference for me. There really isn’t a single way into the business. It’s not like becoming a doctor, or lawyer where there is a set path into it. Everyone in film has their own story, and the only way to create yours is to keep going, regardless of any obstacles or failures, and the path will open up for you as you develop an understanding of how the film business works, and you immerse yourself into the community.
How can our readers follow you online?
I am on Instagram at @chazwahl and also on my website www.charleswahl.com
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Thank you! And thank you for the opportunity to share this all with you.
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Charles Wahl Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.