Meet Paul Hart | Writer/Director/Gaffer in film & television

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

Hi Paul, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I decided to pursue a career in the arts – specifically in film and television, because I was drawn to the bond created by a collaborative effort – a common goal. I went to a wrap party of a theater production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in college. I had zero involvement in the play – I was just invited to the party by proxy. I witnessed this closeness – a bond not present to those outside of the project, and I was instantly drawn to that. Perhaps that was the inciting incident, as it were.

Creating art, especially as a profession, is a form of problem-solving, which I love. To enjoy solving problems is evidence of the presence of curiosity and a desire to learn and grow. With art, it’s not like solving a math problem, or anything – it’s open-ended and imperfect. I get a lot of joy around cracking the code on a particular project. Breaking a story, finding the humanity, and sharing our commonality through storytelling – especially when you can see people resonate with it, is a uniquely human experience. There’s little else like it, I find. It’s exciting, rewarding, and terrifying all at once. There isn’t really a right or wrong – it works, or it doesn’t. The path to get there can be your own. It can be inspired and informed by others, and it serves as a reminder that we are all much more similar at our core than we might believe in our day-to-day interactions. Art equalizes.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I began writing films, badly at first, around 1999. I left college and began to self-educate on the art form, and became completely drawn into the process of filmmaking. I went back to school for film and graduated in 2005 as an editing major and directing minor. From there, I immediately began working in film and television production professionally – which I continue to do to this day. I work as a gaffer and set lighting technician in production and have continued to write and direct material throughout that time.

My last film that I wrote and directed, Three Fingers, had about an 18-month festival run, and screened both domestically and internationally – taking a few jury awards home during that time. What I’m most proud of with that piece was the opportunity to tell a story that was important to the discussion around mental health – and to reach audience members who connected our story to experiences in their own lives. What a gift to be allowed to do that.

I’m currently working on a 90s period piece series that’s centered around music, but also digs into the big life events and challenges young people were facing in that era. I’m really pleased with how it’s shaping up – the pilot’s finished, and we’re now mapping out the season and series arcs.

Working in this art form is certainly challenging – especially now when so much around the industry is unsure and shifting. I think the trick is to never operate as though you have it figured out. Persistence is worth its weight in gold.

The biggest lessons I’ve learned in this business are – be a good human and (this one is a big one) do NOT adopt other people’s stress. Film and television operate in high-stakes, long hours and challenging circumstances. If you take on stress that belongs to someone else, that sends your energy right down into the cellar. Stress, complaining, gossip, and leaning into drama, are contagious and will tear through your own morale and the morale of others around you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ah, OK. Let’s break this up in to categories.

Food:
The Oinkster for burgers and beers
The Little Door for a nice dinner and wine
Yuca’s for Tacos in Los Feliz Village

Bars:
The Hermasillo in Eagle Rock
Birds on Franklin
Brass Monkey for Karaoke

Activities:
Concert at The Greek Theater
A screening at the Egyptian Theater
Kayak the Channel Islands
Hike Point Mugu summit for crazy views of the Pacific in Malibu – followed by seafood and beers at Neptune’s Net
Any event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

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?
There are landmark moments throughout my journey that qualify for this type of recognition. If I had to distill it down to a single influence, it would be my high school English teacher, Dr. Richard James, who taught me in both my sophomore and senior years. He had been a college professor but returned to teach high school because he felt his efforts would be better served by touching the lives of students in preparation for college and beyond. A very selfless act. He made a tremendous impression on me that became apparent as I began to write for film. His encouragement to learn and expand your own vocabulary, not only to be better understood, but to better understand others, is a lesson that has never escaped me. It has served me well throughout my entire journey in my career. I believe his words were, “You don’t want to be in a conversation and not know what in the Sam Hill, blue blazes is going on”, or something to that effect. Ha!

Website: https://upwork.com/freelancers/pauldhart

Instagram: https://instagram.com/pauldhartfilm/

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/pauldhartfilm/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/paul-d-hart

Facebook: https://facebook.com/thepauldhart

Other: https://imdb.me/pauldhart

Image Credits
My personal profile headshot is by Eric Fischer