Nicole Sylvester
Director/Producer/Writer
Autumn Rain Features
Detroit, MI

Nicole Sylvester has taken her interest in film and her education in production to create her company. She now directs her own independent films, which have caught the attention of local media and the public. Working as a writer, producer, and director on her own projects has been is not only awarding, but one of Nicole's life-long dreams.

How did you first get involved in filmmaking?
I’ve always had an interest in writing/directing.  Initially I was interested in making plays until Spike Lee came along and I began to seriously think about making movies.  After graduating from Specs I took an internship at Comcast.  That led to a producer/director position there.  However, a few years later, they closed the department and we were all fired YEA!!! I received a nice severance package that allowed me to intern on local film projects and that led to my first paying job on a film as a production coordinator.

Do you see Detroit emerging as hub for independent film?
Yes.  Definitely.  People have been making films in Detroit, rather Michigan for a long time.  We are not as large a group as I would like but things are happening here.  What tends to happen is a filmmaker will make a couple films then relocate to CA or NY hoping to expand her opportunities.  However, many times those filmmakers, at least once they’ve acquired some success, come back home to make films.  Soon we’ll get to the place where leaving isn’t a necessity.  It just takes a local film to achieve national success.  Something that makes people take MI seriously and then of course we need to follow that up with another success.

Your film, "Layla's Girl" has had positive reviews and success. What drove you to this project?
Layla’s Girl is loosely based on my mother.  She was an alcoholic who died young.  Some years after her death I realized that I didn’t know much about her and was thinking of making a documentary on her life. That led me to thinking about the dynamics of a mother and daughter relationship strained by alcoholism.  I went to a film festival in Acapulco where I met a writer that I contracted to write the script.  He’d had a similar idea and we combined the two.

Film poster for Nicole's film, "Layla's Girl"

In the film, you and the main character shared a similar background. What was it like to direct something so personal?
Most of the story was fiction so it wasn’t always personal, but there were a few things that were fact based like Layla hanging out in the alley.  Editing scenes that were I guess fact based was hard.  A few times I felt a little teary eyed but I held it together J.  I cast the mother role with a woman who looked a lot like my mother.  That was more of a tribute to her than anything.  It made me feel kind of comfortable.

In "17000 Block," which you produced, there is a bit of social commentary. Care to explain what drew you to the project?
Curtis, the director of 17000 Block called me a few times to see if I was interested in helping him put his project together.  Initially I was hesitant because I didn’t considered myself a filmmaker that would make “hood type movies.  But once I read the script and talked with Curtis, who is also the writer, about the story – he was so sincere and passionate about what he wanted from the film – that I had to do it.  I realized that a movie is a movie.  It can be a gangster drama or a family drama as long as it has all the elements that I  believe in – story driven, human complexities and entertaining – I’m willing to do it.

What advice would you give to students aspiring to become filmmakers?
Study, study, do.  In any field you should be familiar with the aspects of that industry.  Don’t just watch E and think you’re a filmmaker.  Study movies, read books, take classes.  Volunteer to work on film sets.  Learn your craft.  Then use what you’ve learned.  I’ve never met Francis Ford Coppola but he gave me the best advice I’d heard.  During an interview he said if you want to be a director – direct.  Stop saying I want to be and just do it.  Get a camera, a crew, write a script and make a movie.  It is that simple.  Then you begin to hone your skills and with each project you elevate the stakes.

Who is your biggest inspiration?
I’d have to say that my biggest inspirations are people like Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Coppola and Oprah Winfrey.  People who are willing to take risks.  People who have a definite vision and you either like it or don’t but they are doing what they do because they love it. They take what they like and what they know and they present it to you in their own way and although, it not the norm we love it.  The risks that they are willing to take inspires me.

What did you learn at Specs Howard that has helped your career?
Specs was great because it introduced me to production.  Whether you’re working on a movie set or a television set it’s still a set.  It also helped me get focused.  I wasn’t sure how to get started and it really guided me.  The hands on approached and the atmosphere made coming to school worth the money.

What type of film would you like to make in the future?
I would still like to make character driven pieces with larger budgets but films that are about human existence wrapped around a plot.  I would love to have a network of actors and other filmmakers that I worked with on a continuous basis.

Any upcoming projects?
I have three feature films in development.  A Man’s World – about a woman who takes over her husband crime syndicate, Remembering Me – about a woman in a mid life crisis, who leaves her family to reclaim herself and 90 Day’s – a Richard Pryor style comedy about working in a factory.  I am directing A Man’s World and producing the other two.

Check out the Autumn Features web site at AutumnRainFeatures.com