From the very beginning of the production, The Alchemy of a Storm has been a very collaborative project. As Assistant Directors, @Daniel Smith and @Luna McKee have been under the wing and guidance of the director, @Delcio Gomes in learning and collaborating on the direction of the film. Daniel and Luna have both experienced a lot of learning, growth, and excitement in “riding the waves” of the production on The Alchemy of a Storm.

Here’s a personal look at their conversation about how their experiences have unfolded throughout the first half of making The Alchemy of a Storm.

“When joining TAOS and jumping into the project under Delcio’s wing, what were each of your perspectives in the beginning?”

Daniel

My reaction when jumping into it was, first of all, shock that he asked me, I was very surprised by that, and it was also a little overwhelming, but I felt very honored for him to be reaching out and asking us two specifically out of everyone, I'm very grateful that he saw something in us that maybe we didn't necessarily see in ourselves, and giving us assistant director positions, It means a lot and it was overall just very exciting

Luna

I totally agree. It was definitely a lot of excitement as we learned about the project, because it felt like an incredible opportunity to make an impact in the industry and in a community. It was a lot to wrap my head around at first, for sure, but it was also so much excitement to see it all unfold and to be a part of such an impactful project, and meeting the team was like a really exciting moment for me personally.

Daniel

100% I think any nerves were outweighed by the excitement, especially a year post grad from SCAD, and being able to get this opportunity to come into this community of amazing artists that are all having the same collective mindset of “we just want people to succeed in this industry and have great careers”. We want people to make awesome art at the end of the day. You know  that's what matters.

Luna

Absolutely, and I personally had come from a previous production that gave me a huge sense of community and meaning with the team on the film, and being able to make something cool together, I had missed that. Then TAOS brought that full force, and now to look back and know that we have almost 600 people in the Discord now that are actively making art and interacting is insane, and it's also like a really special and proud moment for both of us to know that we've been able to be a part of this amazing community and story.

Daniel

Oh, I definitely agree, you know, it brings some hope for what the industry really should be. It should be people coming together, and making lifelong connections. In every project I could work on, I'm going to meet new people, and have so many more connections. That is just awesome to think about.

“What has it been like learning from Delcio’s perspective as a director and working as a team of directors throughout the project so far?”

Luna

We talked about this before, but it's been very meaningful to be able to learn from someone who values community feedback and the creativity of each one of our individual artists so much. To be able to be under his wing and see him give that freedom to the artists to make decisions to run with it, and really put in their entire heart into what they're working on is a very meaningful perspective to get as a young director.

Daniel

Yeah, I definitely agree. I think it's just great being able to have an open connection with him. I feel like if we were in a studio setting, I'd be scared, and kind of a timid to have interaction with someone of his status in a studio, where as here, he's brought us to the same level as him, and he's passing on wisdom that he had to learn the hard way in the industry.

Luna 

Agreed, it's really fun to be as a team of three directors and be able to hop on a call and have a discussion about things as a team instead of it being one decision, it's an open dialogue. It’s been a blast to make jokes and laugh about things, and be like, oh, let’s explore this more, or let’s go another way, and have this collective excitement in making decisions about the production. It's like everybody can dive in and kind of put all that love into it and support each other.

Daniel

I completely agree. Being able to bounce ideas off of each other and have that support system is such a great aspect of it, especially like you mentioned, with us being a team of three, you know, if Delcio were having a rough week, he knows that he has us there to support him, or if one of us are struggling, with an idea or a concept for the project, you know that  the other two are there to help back you up. Even if you fall, you're not going to fall on your face the rest of the team is there to catch you and support you and uplift you.

“What has it been like navigating larger milestones in the production? Any highlights?”

Luna

I think a big hurdle for both of us was that neither of us had worked with motion capture shoots before, so to have the opportunity for the first time to see such a huge milestone with GBK was very exciting. BUT also knowing there was no turning back, was kind of a huge learning moment for both of us and seeing the setup and immense work that went into preparing for the mocap shoot.

Daniel

Yeah, I feel like the pressure of needing to meet the GBK Deadline and it having to be done, there wasn't an alternative, and we were going to do it to the best of our abilities, and if something goes wrong, it's okay. No one was saying, if this doesn't work, it's the end of the film, and you know, I think that leans on this community and how we support each other, and In the end, the shoot went amazing, and was a great success, and I feel like you could sense a weight lifted off of everyone's shoulders. There was that stress, and then once it happened, everyone took a breath, and we went, "Okay, now on to our next milestone".

Luna

Definitely. The weeks leading up to that, it was also so awesome to be a part of the script writing calls, and to collaborate together to try and nail down dialogue, knowing that after that shoot we wouldn't be able to backpedal on Lavina's lines. It was definitely a huge milestone, and in being able to kind of go, okay, we've done it to the best of our ability as a team, and now this is the moment where we have to put it down and move forward.

Daniel

I feel honestly, for me, and I don't know how you feel, but so far that's been one of my favorite moments on this project was that, whole week we spent every night together, just rewriting the entire script, basically from scratch, and knowing, Delcio  was getting on a flight in, the next however many hours to go to the GBK shoot after our last session. and we agreed, this is it, it's out of our hands now, but you know, we trusted each other, and we knew it would be okay. That sense of team work and comradery we had is what makes this community. So yeah, I'd have to say it was probably one of my favorite parts of the production so far.

Honestly, at the end of the day, there is  no other production that is going to give the opportunity for someone who just, decides that, I want to put myself out there today, I want to join this Discord, and, oh, I just contributed to deciding what the main character of this film is going to look like. There's no other production out there that's going to give you that opportunity, We want everyone here to feel that they matter.

“What, if any, challenges have you faced so far while working on this project, whether personal, professional or production-based?”

Daniel

We both graduated a year ago, you know. We've had that struggle of, having your breakout in the industry, getting your foot in that door. We've both had lots of close calls with getting a job and just barely missing it, and that stuff can weigh on you as an artist, you know? I mean, it would weigh on people, I'm sure, even at the senior level, but, I feel like there's... you give yourself more pressure, I think, as a junior, because you're like, "Oh, I have to do this, like, I have to break out if I don't. What's gonna happen?  And there's always that constant fear, but TAOS has given. I feel hope, almost.

Luna

Absolutely, I think TAOS is definitely a reminder that this industry it's not about LinkedIn job applications, and all of the kinds of metrics that go into the struggle of the industry. At the end of the day, the people really make it matter, and TAOS has been kind of a beacon of hope and light, in reminding us that there is so much positivity, and there's so much opportunity in our industry to get involved and to be able to contribute to incredible things, a part of a team or as an artist.

Daniel

Yeah, I agree, like coming into this, the imposter syndrome is something that always rings in my head, you know, I feel like sometimes you forget that the artist are the people that make the industry, they're the ones that are creating the art, and sometimes I feel like you get a mix up in your head, they're what makes the industry the industry.

“If you had to give yourself wisdom when you first joined the project, what would it be?“

Daniel

You know, just take that leap. Don't be scared. I know, even you and I have talked.. like our friends will message us about joining the server and want to be a part of it, and they'll be like, you know, I'm scared to do this or that, or I don't want to say the wrong thing. In TAOS, there's not a wrong thing, you're not going to say anything wrong,  just take that leap and become a part of the community.

Luna

For sure, that’s so important. I also would say, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and know that this is a safe space to learn and have that community, like we were saying, but also trust your artistic instincts and put yourself out there.

Daniel

Once everyone's really getting involved and just sharing their ideas, you feel the energy in the room building, and things start to really get done, and you create truley amazing things, you can't be scared, if you're scared, you're not gonna reach that next level.

Luna

Absolutely fire, Daniel. Those are our final closing words.

Thank you all for reading! We hope you enjoyed our conversation about our experiences with the TAOS production as assistant directors. Please come and join the community in the TAOS server, and follow The Alchemy of a Storm on Instagram!