Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Stein.
Victoria, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started in 9th grade. I needed to decide between Film and Television Production and Home Economics for an elective as everything else I wanted to do, like Acting, wouldn’t fit into my schedule because band took up all my time. Knowing that I was one of those creative types, my guidance counselor suggested I go down to the film/TV studio to meet Mr. Detmer, the film teacher who very quickly became my mentor. It was “lights camera action” at first sight. Mr. Detmer convinced me that his little, black box type studio was the place for me. And it all started there. I fell in love with movies, but moreso, the act of making films. I ended up taking all three levels of film production over the course of 4 years – yes, I took level 3, advanced film/TV production, twice. In those four years, I made countless films and even won various film competitions in my little New England town – Greenwich, CT. My main thing was editing back in those days. I loved shooting random stuff and then making something “weird” out of it using whatever effects I could find in iMovie. Much later on I realized that “weird out of it” was just my way of saying surreal. I had this camcorder; I can’t remember the exact one, but it was my first digital camera. My best friend from back home had bought this particular camera to film YouTube videos. I was so amazed by the HD Quality he was capturing that I just had to get the same one. He was pissed that I copied him but it’s b/c of him that I made some of my first award-winning films so, oh well.
Eventually got into USC School of Cinematic Arts which was a crazyyyyy ride compared to High School. It’s unfortunate that my alma mater is getting so much heat but it doesn’t take away from the invaluable time I spent there. At USC I not only cemented my love for filmmaking but I discovered my love of storytelling. If I’m being totally honest, I do have regrets. I won’t mention them all but one is that I was rather shy when it came to storytelling. Looking back, I wish I got more into directing and writing but that’s okay, that’s what I’m getting into today. I’m lucky though because halfway through the program I found the camera and that changed a lot for me. Being able to tell stories visually helped boost my confidence as a filmmaker, storyteller, and all-around artist. I remember the project that made me say “hey, I’m good at this. I’m going to keep going.” It was the junior thesis film of one of my best friends to this day. I went on to Co-DP two Senior Thesis films at SC which both turned out great in my very humble opinion. So yeah, I love the camera. I love it because you don’t have to be completely immersed in the action in the front of it. You can sorta take the back seat and do your thing from there, but what’s cool is you’re still more or less holding a lot of the “power” by visually directing how something is going to look. I don’t know if power is necessarily the right word, it kind of sounds a little autocratic, but maybe you understand.
I’ve always loved the “filmic” look. One of my favorite hobbies is shooting on my 35mm and 120mm film cameras. I also love portrait photography and anything where human beings are the subject. This goes along with my fascination of the human condition and Psychology – topics that I integrate in almost all my art. Oh gosh, there’s just so much to say. I’m still learning and growing though. I turned 24 on August 30th and I feel like next year a lot of new opportunities are going to come my way- fingers crossed. While I still love cinematography and want to continue telling stories visually, I also want to try my hand at writing and directing. I’ve been working in documentary films for the past year and this has opened up a whole new world for me. I think I’ve found a niche that I would like to stick to for a while and even try my hand at producing something of my own entirely from scratch. I can tell you more about the two documentary films I’m working on if you’d like. Just ask!
All in all, I think I’m just starting to come into my own as an artist and figure out what kinds of stories I like telling. When I was in high school it was all about experimenting and getting trippy with it, but now I like storytelling that is grounded in reality. My visuals aren’t always “natural or real” but the types of stories I tell are, and most of the time they’re based on my own experience. Knowing and understanding my personal human condition allows me to make movies and do art, like photography, that people from all walks of life and backgrounds will be able to connect to. I believe this because although our circumstances differ, we all endure the human experience in some way shape or form and can connect to each other on how we feel during these experiences.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. I don’t know if I can say this and it’s probably not such a good look but here it goes anyways because it goes along with being real. I, as so many of us do, struggle with mental health issues and that has been a huge obstacle for me for many years. I think I’m getting better now because I’m more proactive about keeping myself healthy, but there were many years where I wasn’t always making the healthiest of decisions and wasn’t even very aware that I was struggling with anything. The tension that I grapple with in my mind has gotten in the way of my relationships with friends/family, my connection with myself (like confidence and security), and, most importantly, my associations with my art. I’m at a point today where I know that my higher purpose is that of making art. When I’m not creating I’m not being, and when I’m not being I’m not feeling, and that’s honestly what a lot of the time causes my mind to go comatose.
Alongside creating I now have a much more rigid routine… for the most part. I now know that eating healthy, getting exercise, staying connected to friends and family, producing more than I consume, and just all-around LIVING is what keeps me awake and helps me stay out of dark places. It can be a struggle living in a big city while being involved in such a competitive industry. The social media thing is also starting to piss me off. I hate how I catch myself comparing and contrasting myself, my artistry, and where I’m at in life to other people; it’s getting old and this also gets in the way of my purpose. Anything that doesn’t help me reach whatever goals/intentions I set for myself I deem unnecessary in my life now, or at least I acknowledge that I should. The bumps in the road really just come with not doing what I know makes me healthiest and happiest and that’s something I’m getting better at controlling. It’s so important for me to remember that I’m on my own journey and remind myself that it’s not a race. I don’t like wasting time and I’m much more conscious of how I spend my time now, but I’m also trying to not beat myself up too much when I “make a mistake” or “do something that isn’t super useful for the long term.”
Idk man. It’s all about trial and error and just checking yourself. If you’re learning you’re growing. If you’re repeating the same actions that are getting you nowhere then you’re… not growing. It’s easy to become stagnant and scared but it’s hard to take that leap of faith. And it’s the people that take a leap of faith and really work to overcome these bumps in the road or their personal struggles that actually “make it” to where they want to be. I know I’m one of those people. I know I’ll get to where I want to be. I can’t tell you where that is exactly but it’s somewhere to infinity and beyond. I’m always so proud of myself when I can get over the hurdles because it shows me that I really can do anything if I set my mind and heart to it. I guess even though I don’t have a specific destination, I know that whatever I do I want to give back. I want to inspire. I want to influence. I want to make a change. I want to spread love and awareness. I want to bring people together by showing my audience how similar we all really are.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Victoria Rochelle Productions story. Tell us more about the business.
I work independently for the most part other than a gig on a documentary right now. I’m still growing my company but in the next year I plan on producing a lot more of my own material- Documentaries, Music Videos, Shorts, and whatever else I make space for. What sets me apart from others? Well, that’s easy. It’s me. Yes, we can all relate to the human experience but what sets us apart is our circumstances and the who part in who are you. My experience has allowed me to feel a lot of the same emotions that other people feel but the reason I feel these things is for different reasons. Does that make sense? We all feel love, anger, sadness, anxiety, fear, etc., and I believe we experience these things in almost identical ways, but the REASONS why we feel these things is based on our experience and our experience alone. No two people are exactly identical, not even twins separated at birth (although their differences comes from environmental stimulus since identical twins do in fact share the same genome).
So yeah, I guess you’ll just have to follow me or call me or grab coffee with me to get to know what really sets me apart from others. I’d be happy to sit down and tell you my whole life story – I think that’s the only way you’ll really understand.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck but instead karmic energy, aka cause and effect. You do something good something good will happen in return. You do something bad and you’re f*****. You do something WRONG but you have GOOD intentions, then something good will still happen. You do something bad and you have bad intentions you’re f*****. I’ve learned this the hard way.
Basically, just live a life of high standards and morals and be a good person and it will come back twofold. Work for what you want and love a whole lot in the process and you will find abundance in all areas of your life. Embody love and love will follow – that is our job as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: Victoriarochelle.com
- Phone: 2033839684
- Email: victoriarstein@gmail.
com - Instagram: @Vicrochelle
- Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/victoria.r.stein
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