Meet Antony Post

We had the good fortune of connecting with Antony Post and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Antony, what role has risk played in your life or career?
There’s no point to a life without risk, let alone a career. If there’s no risk, then what you’re doing has already been done. Art is about pushing us forward, confronting us to imagine a future we haven’t thought about yet. I find a security in risk funny enough because no great work of art came from a place of rest. It’s uncomfortable and anxious yet ultimately cathartic and rewarding. It’s also important to trust your own equilibrium. What may be an unwieldy risk for someone else, you can carry with ease. I learned that when I directed, wrote, edited, and produced my first independent short film “Nova”. Two weeks before filming, we lost our cinematographer and first assistant director. What our team did in those crucial two weeks surely involved a whole lot of risks, but now I get to talk about the movie I made. The right risks prove themselves to be worthy of your time.

I knew from age 12 that I was gonna move across the country to attend film school in California, and once I was there, I balanced my studies with an internship for “The Daily Show” in NYC. Risk is like conducting multiple trains at once and getting them to all arrive to the station at the same time. What I hope for is I continue to look back and see the unforeseen dominos that fell as a result of the chances I took.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
From an early age, it was clear to me that the power of storytelling comes from those you tell the story with. Finding the people you can trust is a journey, but nets an overwhelming harmony to your life and career. These are the people that will change your life, the people who will say yes before you even ask the question. When I made “Nova”, I wrote a story that necessitated two teenage twin girls for the lead roles. Within hours of asking the only pair of actors I felt confident could do this, they enthusiastically said yes and planned their train ride from Philadelphia to California to film the movie (and yes, I did say train). I’ve learned to cultivate the relationships with people that transcend your expectations, and make sure you’re willing to do the same for them.

Whenever I start a project, be it an original or existing work, I always find ways to spruce up the story. On “Nova”, I achieved a 2-and-a-half-minute one take with two 14-year-old actors, as well as an animation sequence. I once started a Christmas movie musical with flying cars from 25 years in the future. I imagined Ursula’s lair as a jazzy cabaret when I directed a production of “The Little Mermaid”. I’ve learned to trademark my work with what makes me excited. Don’t create the art that someone else tolerates, make what nobody else would’ve thought of.

I grew up loving musical theater, so much so that I view everything I do as a musical (it’s just a matter of whether the characters are singing or not). Music is vital to my stories, as it taps into one of the purest forms of artistic expression. One of my favorite film minds and author Lindsay Ellis said, “Musicals are something that your logic doesn’t get, but your emotions do”. I will never go into a project without knowing what the music will sound like in post-production. Music, and more broadly cinema says what we can’t put into words.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I still remember the freshness and fulfillment of Tocaya in Venice Beach. It’s a lovely Mexican place with unbelievable flavors. A highlight of my family’s trip when they came for my graduation. During my time at Chapman University, I loved taking the train up to the Pantages to see the touring theater productions. Growing up right outside of Broadway, the Pantages was a home away from home. I did a fair share of walking around LA, as I tried to bring a little east coast exercise to the west coast jungle. Not having a car while I went to college gave me quite a different vantage point on the city, but allowed me to befriend many kind carpoolers. I would walk from the Pantages to the Chinese Theater, which never got old as I put my hands in their iconic molds. It was there I met my podcast partner for the first time after streaming on YouTube for three years covering film and television on “Oscar Film Forecast”.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in my last semester of high school, there was no future to rely on. My reality to study film at Chapman University transformed into attending Zoom lectures from my childhood bedroom. It felt like I was a ghost in my hometown.

That was, until I got a call from the Haddonfield Theater Arts Center, a local theater group who transitioned to a film program so their students could safely continue to enjoy the arts. They hired me to write, direct, produce, and edit three feature-length films for over 100 actors aged 6-18. They made me a professional filmmaker, allowing the freedom, experience, and joy of being the artist I had always dreamed of becoming. We premiered one of these films at the only remaining drive-in movie theater in New Jersey, maneuvering around a blizzard that hit our state the same week. Many of my current collaborators both in front and behind the camera were introduced to me during my time there. It was the most immersive and supportive film school I could have asked for (and I don’t have any student debt from it!)

Website: antonypost.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antony-post-62b920271/

Twitter: https://x.com/Antony_Post

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OscarFilmForecast 

Image Credits
Sophia Rubino