Amy Driver
She is the filmmaker of Willa Dollar Baby film.
SKSM: Could you start with telling me a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?
Amy Driver: My name is Amy Driver, I studied film & television production in Dublin and currently I live in Wellington, New Zealand. I’m a freelance video producer, editor and social media manager.
SKSM: When did you know you wanted to become a filmmaker?
Amy Driver: I started making films when I was 10 years old. My brother and I had an old camcorder and we spent all our teenage years pestering our friends into movies.
SKSM: When did you make Willa? Can you tell me a little about the production? How much did it cost? How long did it take to film it?
Amy Driver: I made Willa in 2012, when I was 20 years old and in my second year of Film School. It was a labour of love, built on a budget scraped together by bake sales outside the college canteen. We filmed Willa over two or three days, in County Cavan.
SKSM: How come you picked Willa to develop into a movie? What is it in the story that you like so much?
Amy Driver: I remember hearing about the Dollar Babies and reading heaps of King’s short stories. Willa struck me as a story that could be set anywhere at any time. I like the adaptability of it and of course, the romance.
SKSM: Can you tell us about the filming steps? Funny things that happened so far (Bloopers, etc).
Amy Driver: We filmed at an abandoned train station for one of the scenes, which was an awesome location. At the end of a very tricky and windy day of shooting we were ready to wrap when our continuity supervisor came to ask me a question. She lifted the clip on her clipboard and all her continuity sheets went flying off down the train tracks. We all had to jump off the platform and chase them down.
SKSM: Do you plan to screen the movie at a particular festival?
Amy Driver: Willa screened at Fastnet Film Festival in Co Cork and the Phenom Film Festival in Louisiana, back in 2012.
SKSM: This was your second Dollar Baby film. Do you have any plans for making more movies based on Stephen King’s stories? If you could pick another one story to shoot, which one would it be and why?
Amy Driver: Willa was my first Dollar Baby, The Deathroom was my second. I would love to film another Dollar Baby. Unfortunately I haven’t made any films since leaving college and Ireland. I am hoping to get back in to it soon and a Dollar Baby would be a great restart, I may have to start reading some more stories.
SKSM: What are you working on nowadays?
Amy Driver: I work on corporate videos these days and in my spare time I keep a log of script ideas for future reference. I came out to New Zealand to travel and have new experiences, I like to think I’m incubating my thoughts for future film work.
SKSM: What advice would you give to those people who want to be filmmakers?
Amy Driver: Try all the roles, gain an understanding of everybody’s job and appreciate the beauty of a team working together to create something.
SKSM: Something you’d like to tell our readers?
Amy Driver: Thanks for reading!
