Today we’d like to introduce you to Shay Revolver.
Hi Shay, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve wanted to make movies for as long as I can remember. When I was little, my sister and mom took me to see a rerelease of ET at the movie theater and I left after the movie believing that movies were magic and I wanted to make magic. A couple of years later, I got a super 8 camera for Christmas and I’ve been creating ever since, with a few lulls and breaks because I didn’t think it was something that I could do forever or for a living. Back in NY, I made a few shorts and a web series and then had to take a couple of breaks, I moved here full time right before Covid locked everything down, I did one short film remotely that was in a curated showcase and is currently being distributed by Reel Women’s Network and I took the time to write all the scripts I said I would if I had time and as soon as we could leave our houses I shot as much as I could and now I’ve got a couple of projects from that mad dash filmmaking run being distributed and a few more coming out soon.
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?
One of the biggest struggles has been fear, time and having a couple of kiddos. I’ve always been a big risk taker but, after my second kid was born, I thought I should try and do something more stable than going after a creative career so, I found jobs where I could be creative but that were more linear. I would still shoot something at least once a year and had a lot of false starts. The problem with being a creative is that you can do a lot of work and nothing comes from it so you feel kind of defeated and like nothing is ever going to happen because sometimes no one sees the big thing that you were so excited about since so many factors when it comes to distribution are out of your control. For me, having kids kept forcing my perspective to shift and when I was trapped inside during the lockdown, I figured that I might as well go for what I really want to do because time is short and if I didn’t try while there was nothing else happening then, when would I ever have the time?
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
It depends on the mood I am in when I start to write. A common theme in my work is women. I like a good story, female anti-heroes, blending feminist themes with traditionally male stories or telling classic stories from the female perspective. I like to dig into any story or genre and flip gender roles on their head. During quarantine also found myself writing stories where I try to blend social issues with my art because I have a lot to say and if there’s a way to use film to shift thinking and humanize people instead of having them appear as the others, then I’m all for it. I’m most proud of stepping out of my comfort zone, when I started making films on my previous goes at it, I was drawn to making dark comedies and action dramas but, lately I’ve been expanding the genres I work within and really pushing myself to try new things creatively. I’m proud that I took that risk and it paid off. I learned that I could do more than one genre and that as long as I’m passionate about the story the things, I write and direct will, mostly, be well received. I think that what sets me apart from other filmmakers is that no one can tell the stories that I want to tell in the way that I can tell them because there is only one me and while it might not be the most original, it is mine and I like sharing the things that I’m passionate about through film. I’m not trying to change anyone’s opinions all together, I just want people to see things in a way that makes them think and maybe try and understand things from someone else’s point of view, film is great for that.
What matters most to you?
People. Compassion. Love. Art. Books. All matters to me because that’s what makes life worth living. They’re the shiny bright spots in the chaos that we’ve all been taken over by. If you can make someone smile or brighten a day then you should do that. Life’s short it’s way more interesting and bearable when you’re spreading good things around.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.badhabitfilms.com
- Instagram: Badhabitfilms
- Twitter: ShayRevolver
Image Credits:
Profile pictures by Catrina Del Re
