Making Mov(i)es
Hi everybody. My name is Trey Sorensen. I am the former secretary of the Bay Area Film Society, a position I served in over the two previous BAFS seasons. I resigned from the board earlier this spring, my exit accepted by my fellow board members more as an indefinitely-termed leave of absence. I love the film society and I love the Chequamegon Bay. I plan to come back, to both, someday.
For now, though, I’ve relocated to Chicago. The reasons for my move are many, but chief among them is that I don’t just love films–I want to make them, too. I want an active part in their development, production and release both in front of and behind the camera, and I want to make an income for my part in that process.
Though in the past year I made small but meaningful inroads towards building that kind of career for myself right where I was in the Bay Area (including stints as department assistants, a camera operator, and even working as director of photography for a music video), the work was too few and far between for a dedicated and sustainable lifestyle, and the commercial nature of most of these jobs, while fun in their own right, was not as fulfilling for me as I know more narrative work would be.
So, I’ve moved to Chicago. Law of averages says bigger city, more opportunities. I’m not holding myself to any hard deadlines or ultimatums here. I’ll give myself as much time as necessary to build my career, and eventually come to a way of life that makes me money doing what I love.
It’s not often that a big move like this can be done without spending a little money first, though. There’s expenses for the moving truck, new apartment security deposits and other such things to keep in mind. Thankfully, I’ve always been something of a saver, and while I’ll be losing money before I can start making it again, I should hopefully have a comfortable enough pillow to land on.
However, a lot of my money, just before my move, was spent elsewhere. For the past year, I’ve been actively and independently financing my very own short film. I figured it was time to put up or shut up, and using some of the connections I’ve made in the industry over this recent vocational surge, I assembled a crew and we shot the film over the course of three days in July.
I’d like to share with you a preview of what’s to come.
The film is called Wide Shot. It’s a psychological thriller following a vain photographer who, after testing positive for COVID, isolates in his apartment. Left alone with his self-obsession, his sense of reality slowly unravels.
I’ll share more with you when the time is right. The highlights, the many lessons learned, and even the film itself, which I plan to first submit into the festival circuit. Ideally, I’ll be right there with you for its Chequamegon Bay premiere. Who knows–maybe I’ll be lucky enough to score a slot with the film society.
For now, please enjoy this trailer, and what I’m sure will be a very exciting forthcoming season from BAFS.
See you, someday, at the movies.
