Celia Bennett - DP / Producer / Tech Wiz
So I'm supposed to be the nerdy one. Well, that's probably true.
I've been playing with cameras and photography since a very
young age, and I've always wanted to make movies. I mostly did
still work since making actual film movies required a huge budget,
and my parents weren't really willing to back me. At one point - I
think I was about 10 years old - I borrowed an ancient 16mm handheld
from a neighbor and made up a set for doing "magic tricks". They
were supposed to be the kind like on Bewitched where Samantha wiggles
her nose and something appears or disappears. We (a friend and I)
found some film for this thing and started rolling with photofloods
for lighting. It turned out to be all for nothing when the previously
mentioned neighbor tried to "help" with getting the film developed
and managed to expose it all to daylight.
That was it for my film career until my friend Amy came along and
whipped out a script one night that turned out to not suck! I knew
she was smart and verbal, but I never expected something that had
structure and flow. We *had* to try to make this into a short film,
just to see how it would look, even if we had to do the parts ourselves.
Once again I found myself borrowing a camera (video this time) and
working with a friend to produce a short. This time we got to see
the end product, and it was not good for many reasons. Still, there
was a kernel of possibility there that made me excited about finding
answers to the problems and trying to learn how to make a good movie.
Now that we have a decent camera, a ton of lighting gear, a room full
of books and a little confidence from making a few test shorts, the
real work is just beginning...
Contact:celia@southerngirlfilms.com
All material copyright ©Southern Girl Films 2006