“I believe that local groups are a big answer to getting more projects filmed in the Greater Chattanooga area. Talent comes to wherever projects are being shot…smaller film groups in the area should join forces to learn and grow from each other.”
explore some dark places for this film.” The impetus for the film, it seems, came from a conversation with her boyfriend about mental illness and suicide. “I’ve dealt with those elements personally and they feel like second nature to me sometimes.” Her boyfriend, however, had never felt those feelings. She says: “I wondered, ‘What would make someone who never wanted to die, never battled bad thoughts, (sic) what would have to happen to them to push them that far?” In November of 2014, she felt like she had a “skeleton” of a story, but was “frustrated” because she had an idea with no clear direction forward. “My biggest challenge with the screenplay was dialogue,” she says. “My advice for anyone that wants to write a script or even a story, be honest with yourself about your weaker areas and find someone that can help out that you trust. I definitely have a better appreciation now for filmmakers that try to do it all. Those that consistently write, direct, produce—I salute them.” Many of the projects she worked
28 • THE PULSE • AUGUST 18, 2016 • STATE OF THE ARTS • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
on previous to Jagged Little Pill weren’t quite as involved—she worked with broadcast news, or just as part of a crew where “the story wasn’t my problem—capturing it was.” She says: “This time around, I have put myself through the ringer in a wonderful way - I wrote (and rewrote!), directed and am currently editing the film.” Shelley has a lot to say about keeping film projects local. She says that with “the excitement and sheer amount of projects in film and television that shoot in Atlanta, Nashville and Knoxville, I will admit I have felt the pull to relocate for more production work. However, Atlanta is very saturated and this industry is very much ‘who you know’ and not necessarily ‘what you know.’ She says: “I believe that local groups are a big answer to getting more projects filmed in the Greater Chattanooga area. Talent comes to wherever projects are being shot… smaller film groups in the area should join forces to learn and grow from each other.” The key to filmmaking in Chattanooga, Shelley believes, is “lot of passion, belief, and networking.”