Interview with Filmmaker Hollis Sherman-Pepe (TO QUIET MY MIND)

TO QUIET MY MIND was the winner of BEST FILM at the March 2018 Under 5 Minute Feedback Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

Hollis Sherman-Pepe: I always write my short films with specific actors in mind. My star Ryan McKenzie is a fabulous actor and painter. We both trained for years with the same acting coach, the now retired Jeremiah Comey. Ryan’s paintings inspired me to make a film where a painting would come alive.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this short?

The format of this script was non-conventional. The concept took an hour to write and several meetings to iron out details and the how-to questions for filming. We shot it all in two days. Between the two shoot dates we needed to edit the B Roll film-with-in-a-film…