Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Remus.
Anna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started making films much later in my life than most of the directors you read about. Looking back, all the signs were there: my sisters and I used to film comedy sketches and fake reality shows with our neighbor’s video camera, and I was always the creative ringleader. But I didn’t really understand what a director did, or why I would want to be one, for a long time. I went to a tiny, rural high school that didn’t have any kind of film (or even theater) program, so the opportunity to learn just wasn’t there.
I eventually moved to Boston to attend Harvard. At the time, there was no film major, and so I stumbled into studying philosophy. I loved the problem solving and analytical, step-by-step thought that it inspired. In my free time, I continued to escape into movies and TV. I took a few film theory classes, including an amazing class on Hitchcock, but I was turned off by that pedantic, lofty world. I just wanted to play with cameras, write my heart out, and burn my fingers on lights.
When I graduated, I worked briefly in marketing before ultimately realizing that film was what I had always wanted to pursue, but never had. I started working on small, unpaid projects on nights and weekends, then got a job in production at WGBH. After about a year I felt like I had the skills to make my own films, and returned to the world of filmed comedy sketches. Wise Gals came suddenly and like a freight train. Everyone I discussed the idea with was immediately excited by it, and when I got an offer for production funds, I knew it was the right next step.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The script felt like it poured out of me; I think it wrote the whole thing in a weekend. But you can’t just shoot the first thing you write, you have to develop it, and I was not prepared for how difficult that process would be. An acquaintance, who works as a professional producer, asked tough questions and really challenged me to polish the script into the best story possible. Writing is such an isolating process, and at times it felt like I was facing everything I disliked about myself, all by myself.
But, eventually, the script was ready to shoot. I built our team, we crowdfunded the remainder of production funds, and then we planned and executed a 4-day shoot in Boston during February of 2018. It was a long, crazy, and exhausting 4 days, but in the end everyone was thrilled with the result. We have now been in post-production for about 4 months, and we’ll have a finished product as early as next week.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Wise Gals story. Tell us more about the business.
Wise Gals is an all-female gangster film that breaks the conventions of the genre. Gangster movies generally maintain 2 simple rules: men run the show, women stay at home. Wise Gals gives all mobster roles to women and all spousal roles to men, confronting films’ gender bias head-on, while giving women a powerful new kind of representation.
I wrote, directed, and co-produced Wise Gals. Aside from this project, I write my own work and am available as a freelance producer, director, and 1st AD. I love both visual storytelling and the logistical challenges of film production; I’m definitely a pressure junkie.
Contact Info:
- Email: aremus0@gmail.com
- Instagram: @aremoose
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/people/Anna-Remus/100009955770512
Image Credit:
Photos by Matthew McLaughlin and Jason Walsh
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