Chimera Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Chimera directed by Christian Wood.

What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?

The name of this film is CHIMERA. 

For me, the title is about one consciously making the decision to change oneself for the better. 

Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.

The story revolves around a guy named Andrew who’s made nothing but bad choices all his life. There are a lot of decisions he’s made in his life that have led him to this quick path towards the inevitable that he’s on while being fully aware that he needs to change his ways. I think it’s natural for humans to want to change who they are when death is knocking on the very old, thin door. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll want to change right before the end of it all. But unfortunately, it’s typically too late to do that. This is me telling you to maybe do it now. We can all be better to each other and to ourselves. 

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

Yes. Certain movies by directors like Spike Lee and James Wann have inspired how this film was shot. The score for this film was heavily influenced by the film Insidious. 

What is the goal of the film for you?

To simply be able to articulate something in a film. To be able to actually say something I want to say. I have made films in the past but CHIMERA is the first picture that I feel I’ve been able to do this with.

What has the journey been like getting the film into production?

To be honest, it wasn’t so bad this time around. We traveled a few hours to the location in St. Louis and spent three days there filming. Having one location really streamlined the production. I’m really seeing the difference in value and size of these two productions as we start this new film, but I’m definitely ready to tackle it.

One thing you learned from this project?

Everyone has a different artistic process and as a director, I feel like your process is mine.

Learning to give the actors complete freedom, to simply let them try anything is something

I’ve learned and I encourage other directors to try it.

How can folks find you and your film online?

You can find CHIMERA on our YouTube under “Yellow Bike Films”.

You can follow Yellow Bike Films & myself on Instagram:

@chriswoodstl

@yellowbikefilms

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

If someone would want my advice, I’d say to stay assertive and persistent with your work. 

Channel everything into fuel for your work and don’t fool yourself. Complete honesty in your work is important.

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