We recently connected with Dianna Ippolito and have shared our conversation below.
Dianna , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Hello, and thanks for getting the chance to be interviewed here. I have always been someone who has been involved in the arts. My creativity was just in my DNA and came out very early as a child. I felt the need to express myself in an artistic way, and I think because it’s something that was always in me, that it helped develop my self-esteem early. I knew what I wanted and went after it, learning as much as I could about it. It started with drawing and painting, and drifted into photography, and then into writing and filmmaking. It took many years of studying through photography and then through film for me to feel confident in my field. It’s a process and different for everyone. I think my self-esteem also grew because I did the work. I put a lot of time and energy into learning the mechanics of storytelling and I grew more and more confident with each experience. Writing a lot of scripts and also not being afraid to fail was also part of my journey. I did the same thing with shooting my films. The only way you can get experience is by doing it, and once you’ve been around the block, it helps gives you the confidence you need.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am primarily a screenwriter, but have also been directing and producing for the last several years. I watched a lot of films growing up with my family and it became a weekly ritual to sit down on a Saturday night and watch a “Movie of the Week”. I truly believe that doing that led me to want to become a screenwriter and filmmaker. I initially started off writing romantic comedies, then moved into writing coming-of-age stories. I grew up watching American Graffiti, which was a big influence on the first script I ever wrote, and I won my first big writing award for it. That led to getting my first literary manager, which gave me the confidence boost I needed to roll up my sleeves and keep going.
During the pandemic I directed by second feature film, “The Obscured”, a psychological thriller starring Jocelyn Saenz and Mark Simich. We shot it in Lancaster California, where the lonely desert landscape became another character in the film. Most recently my holiday film “Mistletoe Connection” went into production and was released on November 26, 2023 on the UpTV network. I co-wrote that with a friend of mine, and we had a blast writing about the holidays and trying to keep it fresh and fun. Some of my other projects include a biopic about singer/songwriter Cass Elliot, and a biopic about the youngest Bee Gee brother Andy Gibb. I like to write in all genres and look forward to the next interesting story that piques my interest.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Staying committed to yourself and your vision is a very important quality in the filmmaking world. You have to be your own champion and believe in your work, because you might be the only one who does it at first. I would say the second quality is having an open mind, When you’re a screenwriter, though you are the one with the initial vision, along the way you will get notes from producers and readers, directors and countless others. Learning to be open-mined to changes in your story, helps you get a better reputation in the industry. You can still fight for what you believe in, but being willing to bend is also important. Thirdly, being good collaborator is key. Things are always morphing and changing from the concept of a script to the finished film. And being that filmmaking is a collaborative medium, being able to collaborate with others has been a very big part of my journey.
I would say my advice is to stay humble, know that you have a lot to learn, and take initiative to go the extra mile. Watch a lot of films, read film reviews, study scripts, think about why certain movies remain popular, and digest it all. The more film knowledge you have, the more it shows in your writing and directing. If you want to develop into a good writer, or director, just keep writing scripts and improving on them and watch movies to understand what makes them great. Network as often as you can, and try to make the contacts you have work for you. It’s a tough industry so be passionate and committed and you will eventually make strides.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking for passionate creative people to work with. I would love to collaborate with cinematographers, and producers who champion the kinds of scripts that I write, and to find a team that I can call up who all share a similar vision. I want to find people who want to make movies for the love of it, and be a creative team.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.diannaippolito.com/
- Instagram: @itsallhappeningfilms
- Twitter: @diannaseye
Image Credits
Naked film still – actress Jocelyn Saenz on the beach (credit Dianna Ippolito) The Disembodied still (Dianna Ippolito) (people in tunnel) Crew photos on set (Dianna Ippolito) Mistletoe Connection poster (UpTV network) Diamond Heist film poster (no credit) Group shot at Producer Guild of America (no credit) Lost But Found short film still actress Shiah Luna and Susan Lavelle (no credit) (two girls sitting on bench)
