Meet Grant Swanson | Director/Writer

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

Hi Grant, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
How much work goes into making a film and how many people are involved. From pre-production—finalizing the script and the shot list, finding locations, getting the cast and crew, props, set dressing, costumes, hair and makeup, special effects, lighting/grip/camera equipment, catering, portable bathrooms, arranging for waste disposal… the list of things to do is seemingly unending.

To physical production—which poses a whole new set of challenges. For example, on my most recent film, we had to film a close shot of a character floating in a lake, but we weren’t allowed to have him actually float in a lake. So we found a parking lot, set up a portable pool, blacked out the bottom and sides of the pool, arranged for a water truck to bring heated water, added leaves and twigs floating on the surface, created fake waves, had identical backups of our actor’s costume so that we could keep filming other scenes with him afterwards, had a lifeguard standing by for safety, got a sump pump to remove all of the water when we were done, then tore down the pool… in addition to making sure that the camera position, lighting, and performance were each as effective as possible. All for what will be a couple of seconds in the final film. This will be cut with footage that we filmed at an actual lake 50 miles away. That much work and thought goes into just about every shot of a movie.

And finally, in post-production every cut is scrutinized, seeing how moving it one frame earlier or later will affect the audience emotionally. Carefully building the world through sound design, tweaking shots through visual effects—removing stands and mics, smoothing out camera moves, creating whole new digital backdrops to better sell the story, tweaking the sound mix, adjusting the colors on screen. All of this to hopefully create something that will just flow by for the audience, immersing them in an imaginary world, without them consciously realizing that it was created at all.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I tell (mostly LGBTQ-centered) stories about fear-filled characters who believe that they are not capable of facing what the world brings their way. My hope is that audience members who have felt the fear, isolation, and sense of inadequacy that these characters embody will see themselves and their experiences on the screen and know that they are not alone in those struggles.

It took me a while to find this voice (and to be sure, I am still finding it) and to be willing to mine my own emotional experiences as I’m creating and filming characters. The first script I wrote that I would say is truly deeply personal ended up placing in the Academy Nicholl Fellowship, which was a huge honor and something that I am still very proud of. It also reinforced that basing stories on my own emotional experience was the right path. Prior to that script, I would dance around personal issues in my stories, but I would never go deeply into that uncomfortable territory. But being willing to open up and share my own experiences on screen has been tremendously rewarding. I recently attended screenings of one of my films at different film festivals, and several people came up to me afterward to tell me how much they saw themselves in the character and that the film really meant a lot to them.

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?
Discovering new restaurants is my favorite hobby, and Los Angeles is an amazing restaurant town. One of my go-to places is La Cabañita, a quiet, delicious Mexican restaurant in the very northern part of Glendale. Another is Union in Pasadena—really great pasta. I also love Nancy Silverton’s restaurants, especially Chi Spacca and Osteria Mozza. Kismet in Los Feliz is a favorite. Adana, Caravan, and Khinkali House in Glendale are great. Jijtlada, Ruen Pair, and Spicy BBQ are my favorite Thai Town spots. Bludso’s has my favorite pork ribs. Golden Deli in San Gabriel for the best egg rolls. For breakfast, either Sqirl or Courage Bagels. For bars, Akbar in Silver Lake is usually the first stop. Or Covell or Tabula Rasa for wine. Whenever friends visit, I have brought them to all of these places many times. We’ll also go hiking at Brand Park or the Glendale side of Griffith Park. And I try to take them up to Six Flags if they’re willing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents! They have been incredibly supportive from the very beginning in every way imaginable. I truly could not have pursued this career without their help and encouragement. Also, my good friends Matthew and Michael have been shoulders to cry on and amazing friends. Spending time with them has been an oasis from an often-stressful and turbulent life in the film industry. Two other friends, Chris and Krista, have been amazing creative partners to me, and I could not have made my recent short films without them.

Website: https://www.grantswanson.me

Instagram: @swanson_grant

Image Credits
Shawn Lee