Name: Jay Stern
Discipline: Director, Writer & Producer
Film: Love and Near-Death (latest short film)
Logline: When a thwarted romantic has a near-death experience, she encounters her soulmate in the afterlife.
Cinema Life Festival(s): Atlanta Women’s Film Festival 2024, Atlanta Comedy Film Festival 2024
City you’re based in: New York City
Short Bio: Jay Stern has directed four feature films, dozens of short films, and theater productions in the US and Europe. He is based in New York City and currently teaches filmmaking at Rider University.
Website: www.jaystern.com
Social Media Links: IG @jay_stern_the_great
Favorite Quote: “The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth.”
Interests/ Hobbies: Travel, literature, art, theater, film. 

How did you get started in the Film Industry?
I moved to New York City and got various odd jobs on set and in theater, where I developed my directing skills. I feel like I’m getting started in the industry with each gig however. It’s a marathon.

What are your upcoming and active projects?
I have a feature ready to go, with funding in place, pending casting. I hope to have this shot within the next year. In addition to this, I am developing a scrappy no-budget feature project to be shot in Greece. I also have a screenplay adaptation of Thomas Middleton’s play “Women Beware Women” (c. 1612) ready to go should someone want to give me $25 million to make it.

What type of stories interest you and why?
I’m interested in emotionally wrenching dramas, and I’m also really interested in classical theater, with a penchant for the Jacobean playwrights. Why? They’re just so visceral and over the top with a lot of fun wordplay. Mostly what draws me to a story, whatever the form or genre, is a strong emotional connection to the lead characters.

What is your genre of choice?
I’m mostly interested in drama although I keep getting pulled back into comedy. Help! They keep making me do comedy! The next movie I’m trying to make is an intense Bergmanian drama fantasy with horror elements.

How are you creating a path for yourself in this industry?
I don’t know! Do you have any advice?

What inspires you as a storyteller?
I’m drawn to work which generates an emotional connection with the audience. Rather than simply entertain, I want to move people. I’m also interested in exploring big questions about the human condition. In my upcoming film work, I hope to move more away from dialogue-based filmmaking and expand my visual language.

How do you prep for a film, from writing to being on set?
If I have the luxury, I’ll spend quite a bit of time rehearsing. I prefer to arrive on set with everything blocked and the acting work solidified. That said, I do like trying new things on set, provided everyone has already reached a certain level with their work. I also do a fair amount of planning with my cinematographer, so that we have a very clear game plan for the day. If I’ve written the script, it tends to be a bit easier, but if it’s someone else’s script, I do a fair amount of textual analysis. The more prepared I am with the script, the more help I can give the actors as they create their performances, and the more I’ll know where to put the camera.

What is the first thing you do when you get a script?
Read it straight through quickly and see what it does to me. Does it make me laugh? Does it disturb me? Can I “see” it? Does it leave me with a specific feeling once I’m done? If it does any of those things then I’ll read it again and mark it up, looking for details about how I might imagine directing it.

What are a few lessons you’ve learned from your recent project(s)?
Sometimes if you’re working with long-time collaborators and you don’t have time to prep, focus and your creative shorthand can take you really far. But the script has to be really solid for that to be successful.

What practical tips do you have for indie filmmakers (budgeting, marketing, directing)?
Always be making something. Don’t be afraid to suck. Work, work, work, even if it’s just shooting things on your phone and not showing them to anyone. You have to hone and develop your craft. If you’re an indie director, always be cultivating your team and your supporters. Think of what resources you have access to for locations or other kinds of production value and exploit them!