Colin Levy



In anticipation of the upcoming Savannah Film Festival, I will be holding interviews with artists actively involved in the festivities. First on the list is Colin Levy, whose amazing looking short film, En Route, will have a screening at 2:30 pm on Monday, November 1st at the Lucas Theatre, and again at 9:30 am on Friday, November 5th, at the Trustees Theatre.




How did you first become interested in film?
Colin Levy: It’s hard to pin down. I’ve always loved watching movies — and they’ve always had a huge impact on me. But it took me a while before I realized that movies are, in fact, made by people — and that I could perhaps make movies someday.
When I got my hands on my first video camera in middle school, I fell in love with the process and it wasn’t too long before I started to take my film work seriously.
Talk a little bit about your short film, En Route
CL: En Route is a project that I made out of impatience. I was a junior at SCAD and I didn’t want to wait until my senior thesis to make a really polished short film. I had too many ideas I wanted to see realized! Like much of my previous work, it’s a very visual piece and tells its story without relying on dialogue. It was a pretty ambitious project: ultimately it involved over 60 students and took nearly a year and a half to complete.
You are sort of a jack of all trades, working as a director, animator, editor, visual effect technician. What role do you enjoy the most?
CL: Totally! I really enjoy all these different aspects of the craft, and I like to believe they all help me become a better-versed, more well-rounded filmmaker. Because ultimately, that’s what I like to do the most - make films. So although I’ll fight to be able to edit my own projects, there will probably be a point where I need to shed all other responsibilities, and just think about the big picture in the capacity of a director.



Visually, En Route is a gorgeous piece. How did you develop your visual style? Who are other artists who inspired you?
CL: Thank you very much! Though there’s a lot I would go back and improve, there’s also a lot I’m quite proud of. I get really inspired by all kinds of work - movies, paintings, photography, illustration. I marvel at the talent on display at cgtalk and motionographer, two of my favorite sites for inspiration. It’s hard to describe my visual style. But I like images that are inherently dramatic, and for some reason I’m most inspired by the work of 2D animators like Glen Keane and concept artists/matte painters like Dylan Cole. Their talent is simply mind-blowing.
Tell me about your time spent in Amsterdam, working on Sintel, an animated short film you were involved with.
CL: It was an incredible experience through-and-through. An amazing growing experience as well — I learned so much about filmmaking and critique and workflow and management and pitching and work ethic and morale and story. And how to cook food without a microwave. There’s a billion things I could talk about, but I guess I will say that I will never again underestimate how long animation takes. We spent a year on 12 minutes — and now I know why.
You will be screening En Route at the Savannah Film Festival. Are there any other films you are especially excited to see in the Festival?
CL: I’m looking forward to pretty much everything! I wanna attend as many screenings as possible and just soak them up. I guess I’d say I’m most curious to see 127 Hours.



What does the future hold for Colin Levy?
CL: Hopefully success and happiness rather than failure and despair! There’s no way of knowing, huh? I hope to continue making bigger and better films and hopefully undertake a feature project at some point. But that’s probably way down the road.
What’s on your playlist? What music are you listening to most?
CL: Actually I haven’t been listening to nearly enough music recently. Nor have I been reading enough! But when it comes it music I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks. Thomas Newman and Hans Zimmer are probably my favorite film composers. They’re masters at stirring your emotions. I’m also hugely addicted to Imogen Heap. She’s got such a unique and beautiful sound.



http://colinlevy.com