Meet Phoebe Jane Hart | Filmmaker, Animator, Fabricator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Phoebe Jane Hart and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Phoebe Jane, what role has risk played in your life or career?
For me, risk-taking is all about being honest with yourself about what you want to make and making exactly that. It takes a lot of courage to make something that is completely yours and may not be within the wheelhouse of your prior work. I am always working in different mediums: film-making, miniatures, ceramics, puppet shows, installation work, drawings etc. I somehow don’t find myself able to stick to one way of making, and that used to scare me. I thought for a long time that I had to find one thing and stick to it in order to have a solid career. But every time I make something new that I haven’t tried before, I learn so much and it opens another door. Now I have come to terms with the fact that whether I am making a deeply personal documentary, or a ceramic cake-projector I am always having fun and following my intuition as my drive. It can be equally terrifying to share a vulnerable story versus putting on a raunchy puppet show. It took a long time for me to feel ok working that way, and now I am consistently trying to find new mediums and work flows to explore.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
It has been a long and winding road. I was an actor that realized I wanted to perform outside of myself. So when I found stop-motion animation I was completely hooked, I had control over every single frame and the best part- I could make it from my own bedroom without a huge budget or team of people. So I took my training as a performer, my experience assisting sculptors, and my love of film to start creating my own work. That’s what is so particularly captivating and addictive to me about stop-motion animation; it’s everything. I get to use sculpture, performance, color, composition, sound and story-telling all rolled into one crazy puppet world.
In 2015 I was a lost teenager pursuing acting in NYC and now I am in my last year of an MFA in Experimental Animation at CalArts. It certainly hasn’t been easy, particularly financially. I have had so many jobs from serving tables to assisting artists to working at advertising and stop-motion studios. I took every opportunity, searching for any creative job I could find. It was taking what I could learn from those gigs and bringing it into my own practice that gave me the confidence I have gained over time. And I still have so far to go! Even as I continue working on supporting myself as an artist, I have faith in what the world has in store and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
I would say one of my proudest moments was when my latest short film, JamieSonShine, got into SLAMDANCE. The film is an experimental documentary about my relationship to my brother who is diagnosed with schizophrenia. It just meant the world to me to have something so close to my heart and my family recognized by a film festival full of so many filmmakers I admire. Now I am excited to get to work on my next film! A sharp turn from personal story-telling, I am delving into a comedic narrative stop-motion film set in a Desert Diner that serves bugs.
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.
If we have a week, there is so much to see. They’ve just traveled so I would probably start with a beach day, taking the long way through the Topanga canyons and stopping at Hidden Treasures vintage clothing shop for fun. Gotta take them to a Malibu beach, lately I enjoy going to Lechuza because it’s a private beach where there is limited parking so it’s never too crowded. I would probably get tickets to a film one night at BraindDead Studios and at a newer space called Whammy Analogue Media. They both host such fun and inspiring film events. Another amazing place to take someone, kid or no kid, is Bob Baker’s Marionette Theater. It’s in Highland Park and the inside is entirely red so it feels like being in a David Lynch film. As far as museums, my favorite is the Museum of Jurassic Technology, it is such an intimate experience that is dimly lit with little hallways, dioramas, and tea at the end.
For coffee and breakfast I’d take them to 1802 in Cypress Park because they secretly have some of the best bagels in LA without a line going down the block. Then we could take a beautiful up-hill walk to the Self-Realization Center on top of Mount Washington, where you can have free access to some beautiful lush meditation gardens. For Dinner, I just recently enjoyed a night at Carousel Restaurant in Hollywood. It’s a Middle Eastern restaurant that’s probably best to go to with a group and order a family-style feast. I am sort of hooked on rock climbing and would have to insist they come on my guest pass to Stronghold Climbing gym which is on the edge of Chinatown so afterwards we could go eat at Yang Chow Restaurant. Also if the Rose Bowl happens to be on, it’s such a vast flea-market full of antiques, clothing, knick-knacks, but you have to go early because it gets packed later on.
It can sometimes be a hard place to enjoy as a visitor, LA is sort of an amalgamation of a bunch of tiny towns with a main street. So it can take a while to find the “main streets” that you enjoy most without a friend guiding you. That said, there is so much to do here and I have truly fallen for this city.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would never have gotten where I am without the love, encouragement and support of my family. We have been through so much together and I consider them some of my biggest collaborators.
Gosh, I have so many people to thank along my journey, it is difficult to narrow down! But I would say the biggest mentor in my life has been James Grashow. I assisted Jimmy in his studio creating card-board sculptures for over three years. The skillsets he gifted me along with so many life-lessons gave me the courage to pursue art as a career. I will never forget my time in Jimmy’s studio; making, talking and singing to the same 100 songs he plays everyday.
I have to mention that I owe much to my community in LA, it is made-up of so many talented artists and friends.
Most recently I was able to collaborate with Molly Bounds (@molly_bounds), she is an incredible painter/artist who also shares a penchant for puppets and we just put a show on in our backyard for friends, it was one of the most joyous moments of my life and I couldn’t have done it without her help. Lastly, Taylor Boylston (@troutfarmshop) who makes gorgeous crochet clothing and also happens to be a fantastic photographer (she took my portrait for this)!
Website: www.phoebejanehart.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoebe.jane.hart/
Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/phoebejanehart?embedded=true&source=owner_name&owner=25068728
Image Credits
Portrait image by Taylor Boylston