Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Taylor.
Hi Ray, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a student in the online film program through The Los Angeles Film School. In April 2021, I was in California and I had the opportunity to help a student in the on-campus program with their thesis project. When I was helping them, I realized that the students on campus had more opportunities than the online students. So in May 2021, I decided to challenge myself and film 12 short films in 12 months. One month after I started the project, my girlfriend and I moved to Houston and I continued my project. The first few months were a bit of a challenge because I didn’t know what the film community like was in Houston, but after joining a few Facebook groups and utilizing Backstage.com, my productions continued to grow. I have now completed 10 short films, built a team of local filmmakers, and I am now knee-deep in pre-production and fundraising for the final two films of the project – to find out more about the project or how to donate for our final film, you can visit raytaylorfilms.com and hit “Help us fund The Dinner Party.”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. When I decided to do this project, I was in LA, where there are a lot of resources and people ready to work. Then, a month into the project, I moved to a city where I knew a handful of people, none of them in the film industry, and no real knowledge of the city. It took me about 4 months to realize I needed to find extra hands but once I found them, things started getting a lot easier.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a film director. When I started film school, I went into it thinking I was going to follow the path of cinematography because of my background in lighting and photography. Then, I started making films and I found that directing is where I felt I was at my strongest. I saw the story in my head and making it come to life really gave me that thrill that I love when I’m filming. As a trans filmmaker, ultimately, I want to tell the LGBTQ+ stories that aren’t being told. I want to normalize LGBTQ+ individuals in movies, instead of making another coming out film. I want to make films that make people smile and allow them to have an escape from the world we live in for a few minutes. Right now, I’m known for filming 12 short films in 12 months. The goal is to be known as one of the most successful trans film directors in the world.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Just do it. I read an article once by Malcolm Gladwell that basically came down to this: It takes 10,000 hours to truly master anything. Time spent leads to experience; experience leads to proficiency; and the more proficient you are, the more valuable you’ll be. I spent the first 8 months of film school telling all my classmates to go out and film their bad movies now so when we got to our Capstone projects, they would have made the mistakes already and had more understanding and knowledge going into that final project. It took me 10 months of film school to actually take my own advice. When I did though, I grew as a director. It’s hard for me to go back and watch my early films, but when I remind myself of the knowledge I had then compared to the knowledge I have now, I’m proud of what I created. As filmmakers, we can’t rely on the excuse of “I don’t have the gear” anymore because 99.998% of the world has smartphones in their back pockets. You’re not going to be amazing from step one but you have to take that first step to get to a place where you are amazing.
Pricing:
- Directing: Short Film – $500/day
- Directing: Feature Film – $750/day
- Directing: Commercial – $500/day
Contact Info:
- Email: ray@raytaylorfilms.com, r.long1@lafilm.edu
- Website: https://www.raytaylorfilms.com/
- Instagram: instagram.com/raytaylorfilms
- Facebook: facebook.com/raytaylorfilms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUaCRrI4Y0sl_49_N12Ah8g
- Other: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-dinner-party-a-short-film–2/x/28526679#/
Image Credits:
Natasha Niván Photography
Joshua Jones
Paige Lauren
