Meet Simon Sheets | Filmmaker/Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Simon Sheets and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Simon, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking is essential to becoming a great artist. You have to give a piece everything you have and risk the chance that it might just suck at the end of the day. Without failure though, we won’t learn how to make our art better. It’s through failures that you learn what NOT to do next time. Every great drawing has had 10,000 horrible ones before it, or every great filmmaker has made 10,000 mediocre films before he/she ever made one watchable. Sometimes people are so afraid of making a bad piece of art that they deprive themselves of making a masterpiece one day. People are not just born bad artist. They can be naturally inclined to be good at art, but they all started the same.

I took a big risk with a recent film I made called: “His Name Was Micah Bronson.” It was a high school drama about a risky subject, (school shooting). Part of me was afraid of being criticized for being insensitive to the subject, or that I would somehow make people upset with me for triggering past trauma. I go to the Colorado Film School, so that was a high risk. I had to put down a lot of money just to make it. Money I probably should have been saving for rent, or a car, or other important things. I had to risk extras showing up, and crew being reliable. I had to stack a tall tower of cards, and if one of them fell, the whole thing would come crashing down. And it did, twice! I had to push back the film for two years, and I thought I was going to go insane. I thought to myself, “what am I doing?” It was because of my stubbornness that I pushed on. We ended up shooting the film in March of 2022, and the film premiered at the Colorado Student Show in December. After all the sleepless nights working on that film, it finally paid off! We won the Best Picture that night, and the talent, crew, and everyone involved got to have our moment on the big screen! It was incredible, and worth everything at the end.

If I would have been to afraid to make it, because of the subject matter, or the amount of money, or any other factor, none of that would have ever happened. I’m glad I took the risk at the end, because it sure paid off! We will be entering the film in festivals this year, so hopefully we have luck!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started making films in high school and haven’t stopped ever since. It’s my passion in life, and the planets seem to align when I’m on a set. As a filmmaker, I try to make films that only I could make. Films that have a piece of me inside of them. I want to make films that have a deeper meaning behind them, and make the viewer ponder about them long after. My favorite director is Stanley Kubrick, and my favorite shot in all of cinema is the ending. The camera slowly tracks in on a photograph of Jack Torrance at the July 4th Ball during 1921. The film takes place in 1980 though? It makes the viewer say “wait, why is he in that photo?” If you are like me, you are still pondering that question, and have many theories as to why exactly.

I want to make films like that. Films where you can have a whole hour conversation afterwards about the meaning behind it all. Some people don’t like open endings, and want films to be very concise, but for me, if you are talking about my film afterwards and the different interpretations one might get out of it, then I’ve done my job well.

This is of course easier said then done. You can go way overboard and make a film that makes no sense at all. You can also make a film that’s too on the nose and treats the audience like they are five years old. It’s a delicate line you have to balance on.

I got to where I am today by going out there and making films. It might sound crazy, because how can anyone make a good film when they are just starting out? The truth is, you can’t, or it’s very unlikely. The only way to make a good film is to keep making bad ones. Then, after trial and error, you’ll learn what NOT to do next time, and one day, maybe not as far off as you think, you’ll watch something you made and not completely cringe.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite thing to do is go to museums. I love learning about the world in an immersive way. I’m a very visual learner. I like going for walks and exploring the world around me. I like to think of it like a video game, and every time I visit a place I’ve never been before, a new part of the map is unlocked. One way to spend the perfect Saturday is to go hike up a mountain. You get some exercise, see an incredible view, and after all those calories are burned, gain it all back with a giant burger at the end!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shout out to the Colorado Film School! They have done a tremendous amount of help in starting out my career as a filmmaker. Without them, I don’t know where I would be today. The teachers and students that I got to meet there, I wouldn’t pass up for the world. If you are interested in being a filmmaker and don’t know how to get on your feet, give this school some consideration! They are amazing!

Website: Simonsheetsart.com

Instagram: @psighmayn, https://www.instagram.com/psighmayn/

Facebook: Simon Sheets Art, https://www.facebook.com/SimonSheetsArt

Youtube: @SimonSheets, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc5DAIrE1N_sNhQ_9WdahAA

Other: Vimeo: @SimonSheets, https://vimeo.com/simonsheets IMDB: Simon Sheets, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7507023/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1