Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Michel.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
What’s goin on! I’d love to! I am originally from the small beautiful town of Bloomfield, CT located right above Hartford and am a first-generation American of Caribbean descent.
I actually didn’t grow up with a huge love of film. I actually started with music, playing piano for about 9 years before getting swept up by academic pursuits. I had a brief 2.5 years stint studying sociology, environmental science and dabbling with philosophy before dropping out of school (my mid-life crisis hit a couple of decades too soon). I did have a passion for these subjects and learning about them, but putting them into practice, I lacked any confidence in my ability to do so.
Being a college dropout, of course didn’t sit well with my family, so I decided to take part-time classes at a university in my hometown to get back into music production. While being part-time, there was this class being offered; some higher-level filmmaking course that was a study on how to create sound using point-of-view. Seemed interesting enough, and there weren’t enough people signed up for the course, so I went for it. Little did I know I’d have one of those “fireworks” moments in this class where everything clicked. I had this drive and passion to get my hands dirty, learning about editing, writing, “directing” (whatever that means), all while being well out of my depth relative to the other students in this course.
Long story short though, ever since that class I took up filmmaking and haven’t looked back. Now about 7 years later, I’m here in LA with an MFA in Film Directing, and trying to make shit happen!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
MONEY.
I think that’s all I really need to say. I have student debt, which you might’ve been able to guess from the previous section. So yeah more money to make dope-ass projects only I could make would be nice.
Also, the climate crisis and the end of the world. Those seem like that may be future obstacles, but I guess I’m not sure yet.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I direct, write and edit primarily. These are my bread and butter in the filmmaking world. My work always seems to explore some aspects of blackness, absurdity, plants/nature, and their relation to American youth. For me, narrative storytelling is a means to inspire audiences through diversity and offering new ways of thinking.
I also really like to work out of a place of necessity; working with what I need and have as opposed to what I want. I think I enjoy this process because it allows you to discover what is actually important for making “successful art” and leading a well life. The Covid-19 pandemic was a very humbling experience in regards to this; and with that I can smoothly segue into my plug!
I currently just finished my film, MiND MY GOOFiNESS: the Self-Portrait, a film that I worked on with a small crew of a few good men and women, and that I wrote, directed, and starred out of necessity due to the confinements that Covid-19 and the lockdown brought. It follows my character, Alex, who, after waking up from a strange dream, must run errands he never needed to for friends and family, all while trying to make sense of a recurring deja vu throughout his journey.
The film explores the “goofy” nature of Alex’s blackness and the sense of isolation experienced by the other young folk in his life during a time of uncertainty. The film is currently in the festival circuit! We premiered at Slamdance 2023 and The 31st Pan African Film Festival last month, and expect more exciting screenings in the near future!
What I can say about the growth that I’ve experienced and what I’m proud of in these early years of my career so far (and with this film in particular) is that I learned the real value of filmmaking comes not just from the kinds of stories we are telling, but the communal process of it all. How beautiful it is that people can show up for one another, dedicate their time and energy all for the sake of something that has yet to be seen. Filmmaking has brought me an important feeling that I hope to spark in everyone in my life.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
BOOKS. Yes.
The Man Who Planted Trees – Jean Giono
Nature – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Frederick Douglass
Democracy Matters – Dr. Cornel West
The Way of Zen – Alan Watts
Tao Te Ching – Me (Lao Tzu actually though)
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Read these books and then you’ve pretty figured it all out. You’ve been warned.
Pricing:
- Yes! My next project: WANT + NEED / Budget: $150k
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alexsalrightwebsite.com/
- Instagram: @alexmichel.360
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-alex-michel-360/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/578673518
