Caitlyn Greene

Voyager

1) What was your first professionally directed work and when was it?
The piece in this showcase, “Dean Goes Surfing,” was the first piece I was hired to direct. It was part of a campaign for Poland Spring with Vox, which we filmed in the summer of 2017. I directed a few pieces previously, but they were all independent.

2) How did you get into directing? 
I studied photojournalism in college. The program had started to open up to video, and I kept wanting my still images to move. So during most of college, I made short documentary pieces as a one-woman band. It was a great way to learn the many aspects of production. I loved developing ideas, translating them visually, and editing — which in documentary felt a lot like writing. I moved to New York after college and spent a few years editing documentary feature films and TV while always keeping a running list of project ideas. After I finished a long edit in 2015, I took off to New Orleans to direct my first film since college — this time a narrative short, called “August.” 

3) What is your most recent project? 
I recently finished a 6-second version of Little Red Riding Hood for YouTube’s Greatest Stories Retold showcase at Sundance. It was an amazing challenge to have only six seconds to tell a story. We had a lot of fun figuring it out. I’m now developing a film about rental families in Japan.

4) What is the best part of being a director? 
There are so many elements involved in any type of filmmaking. The moment the elements come together and the idea comes to life is among the best feelings out there. Helping form the team that makes that happen, and seeing the idea from conception to completion are extremely gratifying parts of directing. Also having an excuse to constantly deep dive into wildly different topics is pretty great.

6) What is your current career focus: commercials and branded content, TV movies? Do you plan to specialize in a particular genre—comedy, drama, visual effects, etc.? 
Currently I’m focused on directing branded content and short films while still occasionally editing long-form work. I’m also developing a couple longer form projects that I hope to write and direct, and am excited to hone my craft with short-form work along the way.

10) Tell us about your background (i.e., where did you grow up? Past jobs?) 
I grew up in North Carolina, running all sorts of arts and crafts “businesses” during my childhood and forcing my friends to make videos and put on plays for our parents. After finding my way to documentary film in college, I moved to New York and began working as an editor. Editing gave me a chance to learn the grammar of film from the inside, and to work alongside incredibly talented filmmakers. Ultimately though, I always knew I wanted to move back to doing my own projects. I’m so grateful to now be directing, as I love conceptualizing a story, putting together a team, being in the field and on set, and seeing a project through to the end.

Contact

Andrew Hutcheson, Voyager

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