This week, we are featuring Michaela O’Donnell Long, half of the married couple that comprise Long Winter Media, a production company crafting “stories through image and word in order to cultivate the identity of [their] clients in video, web, and graphic design.” In two weeks, we will feature her husband, Dan.
Michaela and Dan’s short, Invention, is already making an impact at film festivals around the country. See it if you have the chance.
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Michaela O’Donnell Long
Producer
Long Winter Media
1) How did you get involved in filmmaking and why?
I kind of stumbled into filmmaking. A few years ago, I met and married my husband Dan. Within a year of being married, we launched a media business, and I began a Ph.D at Fuller in leadership. Dan is a storyteller. Primarily, he tells stories through film.
One day in the spring of 2012, we were discussing one of his scripts. The story captivated me. Before I knew what I was doing, I exclaimed, “Let’s make this movie!” A few months later, we successfully raised funds through Kickstarter, gathered a team of brilliant artists, and made our first narrative short film, entitled Invention. I learned a lot from both our successes and mistakes. In the end, I was honored to participate in the process of telling a story. While I am excited to reach audiences through film, I am also very drawn to the people who participate in the making of the film. I am learning just how precious it is to collaborate in the artistic process.
2) What project(s) are you particularly excited about (current or past) and why?
I am excited about Invention, the first short film we made. It is currently on the festival circuit (Omaha Film Festival, March 2013, International Family Film Festival, May 2013).
We are currently in post-production on a short documentary. We are working to tell the story of a brilliant young girl, living in a seaside fishing community, who gets the opportunity to break societal bonds of poverty and teenage marriage through education and healthcare. It was an incredible experience to travel to her rural village in India. She was a bright-spirited girl who really captivated me. I am honored to tell her story.
We are also in development for two more narrative pieces, How to Play Chess (short) and Discovery (feature).
3) How does your faith influence your filmmaking?
I am drawn to film because of its ability to hold people. To hold is to love. To love is to move faithfully in the world. A holding environment is psychological space in which people experiment with new ways of being. In film, holding environments can occur in two places: the process of making a film and the experience of watching it.
My role as a producer is to help construct an environment in which how we make the film allows artists to experiment with new ways of being. The environment must be such that they feel encouraged, motivated, and even pressured to create. But, it must also be safe enough that when they create they know they are loved. Put simply, my job is to honor the dignity of the artists I keep company with and frame the basic shape of the space in which their brilliance is developed.
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Visit Long Winter Media’s website to learn more about their passion and work. Like its makers, the website tells a story and invites you to enter into it. You may also connect with them on Facebook, where they frequently post photos, clips, and updates about their ongoing work.
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