"Sweet East: Lillian in Wonderland" Director Sean Price Williams: The ideal set is one where everyone is happy [Director's Interview Vol. 479]

The ideal workplace is one where everyone is happy

Q: How did your experience as a cinematographer influence your work as director on this film?

Williams: I used my experience on set to aim for a set that incorporated all of my ideals. Simply put, a set where everyone is happy. A set where everyone is happy and things run smoothly is the most fun. If the first take is good, it's better to keep moving forward, saying "Next!", which makes both the actors and staff feel good. That's where my experience on set came in handy.

Q: The filming has a documentary-like improvisational quality to it, but how is it actually filmed on location?

Williams: This time we shot it on 16mm film with a zoom lens, so in that sense it could be said to be documentary-like. In fact, the night before we started shooting, I watched a documentary film of a 1960s concert with another cinematographer. It was a work by D. A. Pennebaker and Albert Maysles, and I wanted to get inspiration from it. I actually worked as an assistant to Albert Maysles, so I was greatly influenced by him.

There were two directors of photography on set this time, but in the end I was the main director. The reason for this is that by filming myself, I don't have to rehearse. In other words, I can capture the moment more realistically. So rather than filming in a documentary style, it might be more accurate to say that I filmed it with a documentary mind.

"Sweet East: Lillian in Wonderland" © 2023 THE SWEET EAST PRODUCTIONS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Q: I've heard that you're an avid film fan who used to work at a video rental store when you were young. When you went from being a casual audience member to a filmmaker, how did the vast amount of films you had watched influence your actual filmmaking?

Williams: It helps me make decisions during filming. I have a huge amount of reference film knowledge, so I can make decisions quickly. I don't think about it for months, I just make decisions on the spot. However, I've watched so many movies that I can't tell if my decisions are good or bad... (laughs).

Recent movies rely heavily on editing, but for me, the filming itself is important. I think the movie is made on location. Also, many directors don't watch movies while filming because they don't want to be influenced by them, but in my case, I watch movies all the time before and during filming.

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Director/Cinematography: Sean Price Williams

Born in 1977, Sean Price Williams made his directorial debut with the feature film Sweet East: Lillian in Wonderland after several short films and co-directing Eyes Find Eyes (2011) with Jean-Manuel Fernandez. He has built a career spanning more than 20 years as one of the leading cinematographers in the independent film industry. During that time, he has shot around 60 feature films. He also boasts an astonishing body of work, including 50 short films, seven series, and several music videos.

Interview and text: Fumio Koda

Editorial staff and writer for CINEMORE. My favorite movies are ``The Goonies'' and ``Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'' My recent favorites are 4K digitally remastered classics by Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu.

"Sweet East: Lillian in Wonderland"

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Distribution: Albatross Film

© 2023 THE SWEET EAST PRODUCTIONS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.