Meet Erynn Mitchell | Director & Actress

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

Hi Erynn, what is the most important factor behind your success?

I think that the biggest factor behind my own personal success has been my ability to forge community through artistry. My personal journey, as a director, began in theatre and moved onto film.

They say that, “If you are the smartest person in the room, that you are in the wrong room.” I completely agree. Further, I think this quote is key in everything; from art, to business, to everyday life. Being a director, people often have this misconception that you are the micromanager of an experience— whether that be theatrical or cinematic. However, that is far from the truth; As a director, it is key to have a group of people, who can understand your vision, but also bring it to life in a way that is better than you could have imagined.

Your work is the best it can be when you have guidance, with your community, through your vision. Through conversation and connection— any story, any concept, and any endeavor— gains so much value through the community that participates and I am deeply thankful for my community.

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.

My main focus as an artist is film directing and acting. I gained a lot of my training through theatre but as time went on, my love for Old Hollywood steered me in the direction of cinema. Film history is a huge passion of mine, and I credit a lot of my development to my background in film studies. I think that understanding your art form and the history behind it is key to every medium.

One thing I struggled with a lot as an artist is technology. I am admittedly not as strong with some of the finer technical details of camera work, and it’s part of why I feel community is so important. I love having a vision and I love not having all the answers when creating because I can learn how to sharpen my work through collaboration. After getting my BA in Film Studies back in Colorado, I moved to Los Angeles to attend USC School of Cinematic Arts. I am currently there, refining my training as I transition into working as a director full time. My most recent film, The Death of Socrates, taught me a lot about myself as a woman and as a director.

This film was a beautiful project for me: I was fortunate to work with esteemed stage actor, Agustine Pozo, and acclaimed voice actor, Paul Eiding (Transformers, Metal Gear, Resident Evil). We also had the chance to shoot on the 20th Century Fox Sound Stage at USC. All of these were choices that were far from my comfort zone. At first, I was terrified of this because while my film analysis from my time in Colorado was celebrated, my actual film work was far from the quality I operate at now. I made film after film, trying things out, testing the waters, and figuring out my own style. I made three feature films, and all three were only partially shot before production issues caused them to go unfinished. I made well over ten shorts that I directed, each one better than the last, but still not quite what I envisioned and what I knew I could do. It was a mix of both success and failure at the same time with each film I directed. I had succeeded at creating work, but I had failed at creating something at that “next level”. Going into Socrates, after all of that failure in my undergrad, I was terrified.

However, I quickly learned that all of that failure still taught me so much and allowed me to make something that I am so unbelievably proud. Now, The Death of Socrates, is currently screening in the festival circuit and I have been able to see it screened all over. Two recent festivals were the Marina del Rey Film Festival and Silicon Beach Film Festival, where we screened at the Cinemark 18 and XD/TCL Chinese Theatre. I will also be going back to my college town, in Colorado, this October to screen at a local festival, and it’s been wonderful to reflect on this journey so far.

After living it, I feel an artist is at their best when they push themselves out of their comfort zone and learn to confront and embrace challenge— I am glad I felt empowered to take those risks. I never forgot an interview David Bowie gave, and these words stick with me through failure and success, “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”

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 think one of the best things about California is the vast landscape. So, if my best friend were to visit, we would be doing the road trip where you hit the beach, the desert, and the mountains.

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?

I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my co-founded online magazine, Sc(o)rpia, where I first co-founded this magazine with a close friend (and collaborator) of mine, Nicole Morpurgo. We had come together and worked together in filmmaking, and Nicole was the cinematographer of many of my undergraduate projects.

Through our collaborations, we found a mutual love and respect for the talented student artists around us. In Nicole’s and my community, there weren’t many chances for talented and diverse artists to get their works published, with their creative freedom. We wanted to create a place that was dedicated to showcase new and upcoming artists. Since our magazine is primarily focused on visual arts, each bi-yearly issue gets ten to fifteen artists to showcase their work. We brought on a fantastic editor, Correen Martinez and now release twice a year. What we stand for is conversation and communication, with visually artistic collaborators and many other types of artists as well. Our community is small but mighty!

We are currently undergoing through our first year post-rebrand. Our last issue (Scorpia Spring/Summer 2022) saw six strong pieces of work from artists across the world! The cover was also shot by David Auner (AFI MFA/AAC).

The world we live in is becoming beautifully diverse and, especially through social media, and our goal was to be a part of that expansion. With each new artist and collaboration we learn so much about different cultures, experiences, and philosophies.

I also want to shout out another close collaborator, Rob Bowen, as I was fortunate to act in his newest film, Art, with his independent studio WHATSABUDGET films. It will also be going to the festival circuits this upcoming year.

Website: erynnmitchell.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erynn-mitchell/

Other: https://www.scorpiamagazine.com https://www.instagram.com/sc_o_rpia/

Image Credits
Directing Image: Andrew Svistunov | Scorpia Cover Shoot: David Auner, aac