Life & Work with Courtney Sell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Sell. 

Hi Courtney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
From as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to make films. Throughout the course of my life, I experimented with various genres, but the world of Documentary cinema always had a strong hold on me. I bounced around during my young adult years traveling the country with very little money and my Hi8 video camera documenting all that I came across which resulted in a massive archive of footage which would soon make up the bulk of my earliest films. From documenting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast to my Father’s last days of life after battling an aggressive form of cancer, I discovered cinema as both being my favorite creative medium but also therapeutic in many ways. Between my travels and documentaries, I worked on numerous shorts, features, and music videos, but documentaries always had my heart and soul. I left film school during my first semester due to frustrations of the school’s limitation at the time and decided to simply go out and do it on my own. This was the beginning of my “career” as I guess one could call it though very little money was coming in from this early work. I was fortunate enough to use my love and passion of cinema to see the world, capture all that inspired me and grow as a filmmaker by both continuously filming and traveling. Today, I look back on those years both fondly but also with a sense of awe at all the experiences I had gone through and also documented. This passion and these experiences led me to where I am today as an independent documentary filmmaker. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think most independent filmmakers could tell you that this life is hardly ever a smooth road, especially when you’re going at it alone. Though it has its rewards for sure. Though financial difficulties and the occasional rejection of grants and from film festivals are heartbreaking and can certainly be discouraging, if there is true intense passion and love for filmmaking in the filmmakers’ heart and soul, those basic obstacles just fall by the wayside. Personally, I found the most difficult thing about this journey was dealing with many of the issues that I documented and captured in many of my films. As stated before, the intense devastation of Hurricane Katrina, homelessness, my Father’s death, animal abuse, drugs, violence, and so many other critically intense issues can really take their toll while making a film. But in all of my work, I hope to bring a sense of inspiration and find the light at the end of the tunnel – as to make sure the work isn’t steeped in negativity or a dark overtone. I want people to walk away from these films, if they ever see them, inspired and feeling good about what they have seen, as dark as some of the subject matter can be. The basic struggles of filmmaking (finding money, tech issues, finding a crew) really has nothing to do with what I do, as I work solo most of the time, and I’m more concerned on the subject matter itself. The rest of the issues are basically just small speed bumps. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, as stated before, I’ve been making independent films since I was a child. However, later on in life, I realize my calling was in the documentary genre. I’ve worked in many different genres, but the world of documentary has always had the strongest pull on me. I started out by shooting short video portraits of individuals who have inspired me throughout my travels across the country, whether they be friends or fellow Artists or creative types, while also filming a large series of landscape portraits (usually of locations down the paths less traveled). 

For the most part, I work alone – simply because I seem to be so prolific (my creative drive has never settled down), that I think it may be hard for someone to keep up. This is not to boast or anything, it’s just something I realized early on. I’m always on the move, always onto the next project, and am a one-man production team essentially – running sound, handling the cameras, line producing, finding money, postproduction, music composition, etc. It almost feels like the life of a painter, where it’s a beautiful solo manner in which to create. 

Much of my recent work is focused on the esoteric and the metaphysical. I work closely with the historic Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles which was founded by spiritual Author or Teacher Manly P. Hall and with them, have created numerous short and feature-length documentaries that dive into various ideas of philosophy, magick, comparative religion, and many other subjects that range from the paranormal to the mystical. My two latest documentaries, “Holywood” and “The Color of Music” are both inspired and based off of writing by Manly P. Hall and deal with ideas from a variety of his books. 

“Most proud of” is a tough question for me, as I feel fondly on much of my work, though some of my earlier pieces I tend to see flaws and imperfections as I hadn’t found my true voice yet. However, they are all moments in time captured and for that I am thankful. I am certainly proud of my recent work with the Philosophical Research Society and for “Holywood” specifically. In that documentary, I explore the mysterious and curious idea as to why Hollywood, specifically Beachwood Canyon, located directly underneath the Hollywood Sign is home to many important spiritual lodges and headquarters. From Krotona to the Vedanta Church, to the Besant Lodge, and even the PRS. A location that many may view as vapid and superficial is actually one of the most important spiritual locations in America. The film is very personal for me, and I am certainly extremely thankful to everyone who helped me make it. That is something I am deeply proud of. I am also extremely proud of all of my fellow artist friends who were so driven to create during the pandemic and didn’t let anything get in their way. This is the type of passion that inspires me the most. 

I don’t believe I am set apart from the others, I just do what I feel I need to do no matter what. Filmmaking is my life and that’s all. 

What’s next?
Currently, I am just getting back from an east coast tour of screening my new documentary “Holywood” which had a really positive NYC premiere. There are multiple projects being lined up for early next year which I am deeply excited about. In regards to any big changes, I’m not too sure. I just do what I do and if one of these projects are drastically different from my previous work, I guess that will just happen naturally. 

I do have to say though that I am extremely honored and deeply thrilled to now be working beside a wonderful Animal Rescue Mission based out of Los Angeles called “The Animal Rescue Mission”. (Please check them out: www.theanimalrescuemission.org) I have been working with them in helping to create videos for each wonderful pup that may need to be fostered, adopted, and rescued and the outcome so far has been super rewarding. I am a huge animal lover so to be able to combine my two loves, cinema and animal rescue is a dream come true. 

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.courtneysellfilms.com
• Instagram: @courtney_sell_films