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

Hi Devon, how do you think about risk?
When considering the pursuit of making independent films, the level of risk required- financial, creative, emotional, social- is so high that I feel even thinking about your decisions in terms of risk/reward is debilitating. To be frank, you need to be delusional to get yourself through such a long and arduous process, one which will likely yield very little material rewards at the end of the journey. But if you really love the art of filmmaking and have passion for your ideas then that can be reward enough unto itself.

I oftentimes feel like I have no choice in what creative direction I’m going in. If an idea seduces me or if I’m excited to work with a specific collaborator, then that is what is going to happen, and the faculties for analyzing risk are suspended.

Because I’ve done bigger productions since, my first short film, Foodies (2017) doesn’t seem like a big risk to me anymore, but in hindsight it was. I wanted to shoot it on a broadcast Beta camera, to replicate. the feeling of shot-on-video 80s horror. The finished product reflects almost exactly the visual effect/feeling I was hoping for. A happy ending, but thinking back on it, that choice itself was a risk- I was working with my DP for the first time and it was a huge ask to have her operate a camera that weighed almost 80 pounds, plus had an extremely short battery life and plenty of other technical shortcomings. If I had applied too much risk analysis to the scenario back then I might chosen to shoot it digitally, which would have resulted in a less exciting image and drained the movie of so much of its charm.

This is what I mean when I say delusion and passion are helpful- the blind faith I had that the choice was the right one and the willingness to make a leap of faith made it possible to overcome the obstacles that choice brought with it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am an independent/underground filmmaker.

On the one hand, it is hard to say what I am most proud of because I have at this point achieved nothing in terms of commercial success. My movie screenings always take place in micro cinemas, video stores, or have been clandestinely shown on the off hours of movie theatres. I have yet to crack into the festival circuit in a meaningful way and haven’t had any of my films distributed.

On the other hand, it’s easy to say what I’m most proud of: making art that is original and exciting enough that I can attract talented people to be a part of it based sheerly on the opportunity to perform their craft in unique ways not usually afforded by “normal” work. Of course, there’s a certain glass ceiling to what is possible when working in this mode, but luckily my crew is open-minded and willing to buy into the ideology that limitations breed creativity and so the ideas and the work continue to come.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m going to cheat and give a stipulation that it’s April/May, and I would take them to the Renaissance Faire in Irwindale, which is like 40 minutes away from where I live in Silverlake. This place has the best vibes in the world. It truly feels like when people step through the gates any kind of culture war grievances are left behind and everyone is untied by a common love of medieval culture, jousting, wenches, wizards, eating big turkey legs and drinking beer. The film I’m currently working on is largely inspired by this particular Renn Faire and I’ve already been twice this year. Can’t get enough.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jordan Holtane- the director of photography on almost everything I’ve attempted to do

Drew Spears Productions- an independent production company (located in Frog Town) that has supported all my projects over the last few years, no matter how “out there” they have been

Tyler Eaton- producer on my first feature, Judge Mint’s Follies, who kept a good attitude as I descended into true madness

Actors- Too many to list, but Alyssa Sabo, Chad Fisher and Artoun Nazareth are my most essential collaborators

Tucket Bennett- fellow delusional filmmaker who has always had my back and brings the heat to everything we’ve worked on together

Conrad Burnham- experimental musician who has scored all of my stuff, and a good pal

Lorie Bromley- runs an independent art school (louder LA) and has generously thrown me writing gigs over the years that have helped keep me afloat when I’m in between projects

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devondanielgreen/

Other: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/932276923

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