Indie Filmmaker Making Impact :
The Powerful Films of Timothy Allen Coons
Industry watchers and film fans in the know say that young New York based Film Director and Actor, Timothy Allen Coons has a unique vision. At only 30 years old, he has already seen his work lauded and applauded across the continent from Los Angeles to Toronto, garnering an impressive number of prestigious awards.
Timothy was just five years old when he fell in love with film. He was raised by his mother, Andrea Snyder, in a small town named Shortsville, NY, where “trips to rent movies on the weekends was the norm,” he says, “and dissecting films and watching all of the behind the scenes!” By the time he was 8 years old, intrigue had turned into fascination. Though he was born colorblind and with a visual impairment that hindered his ability to drive, he was determined to make films that might impact others in in the way the films that he had loved impacted him.
When Timothy turned 23, while working full time and attending Finger Lakes Community College, obtaining his Associate’s degree in Communications, he finally decided to make his first short film. While working, and studying,Timothy embarked on a serious film career, independently producing, writing, directing and acting in his films.
The incredible list of awards he has already received give some indication of the excitement with which his films are received by industry pros — and fans — that view them.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down for a virtual conversation with this young film-maker readers are sure to hear a lot more about soon.
Here’s that conversation :
Tracy : Tell us about how you first got into filmmaking. Was it something you were fully confident about right away or was it a process to see yourself as a filmmaker?
TIMOTHY :I think it wasn’t really until my third or fourth short film that I really began to see myself as a filmmaker. The better I got and the more I understood that there was potential for me to really try and make this my career the more I wanted to keep making film after film, and finally maybe three projects ago I accepted the label of filmmaker or Director. Believe me though, the first project I ever made, it doesn’t need to see the light of day, haha. When I was twenty three, I just decided one day that I was going to give it a go at making a short film. It just sort of struck me. I was in college, but didn’t feel like I was finding myself or finding my career per se, but I always loved film. So I asked a couple of friends to do this short with me. I just used my Canon DSLR I had at the time and whenever I wasn’t acting in the film I would shoot, we all took turns. Then I found myself making more and more projects independently in that same sort of approach, but after a while I started to meet like minded folks that had the same passion or dream, and I suppose the rest is history.
Tracy : What surprised you about the process of filmmaking ?
TIMOTHY : How resilient people can be, and how familial it all becomes, at least I’ve found this to be true with the crew of people I work with. As a unit, we’ve endured a few major tragedies together, but everyone is strong and willing, and we persist. The human aspect never leaves when the camera starts recording and I yell “action”, in fact I think we all become even more vulnerable, and have become more engrossed in one another’s lives because of the level of trust it takes to get lost in a character, especially with some of the subject matter that I write. There’s this familial level of love and respect and I suppose I didn’t go into this thinking that I’d meet some of my best friends this way. Seeing how resilient and strong we have all been together, that has been really something to witness.
Tracy :: How has your creative vision, or your methods, or philosophies around filmmaking changed from the first film to the most recent?
TIMOTHY : Well now I look at it all as a means of character study, or a moment in time, depending on what the script is that I’ve written or taken on. I think the most important thing that I’ve learned directing-wise, is there is a different method and approach to take with everyone. No one person is the same, and everyone needs something different for you to get them to produce the best performance they can. I like to ensure and reiterate with my performers that this is a collaborative effort and that it’s always important for me to allow for their voices to be heard. I’ve also accepted that I’m not always right. Sometimes I think I know a character I’ve written, but then I’m presented by an alternative take here or there throughout filming suggested by an actor, and I’ve learned that it’s important to keep that sense of open communication present. I just want everyone to be as proud of their performances as I am, and the only way that can happen is through creating a space where everyone’s thoughts are considered.
Tracy : What was it like the first time you sat in a theatre with an audience watching one of your films? Do you still have that feeling today ?
TIMOTHY : Incredibly surreal. I just remember giving this speech before the film started and watching out at the crowd, seeing all of these people looking at me, and feeling this incredible rush. I was so excited for it all to be over so that I could get everyone’s feedback. I wanted to hear all about how the film made them feel, good, bad, or indifferent, it didn’t matter, I was just so incredibly grateful that I was experiencing something I dreamt of since I was a kid. I will never lose that feeling, and I’ll never forget what it was like having everyone applaud the film when the credits stopped rolling.
Tracy :Would your younger self be surprised that you are an award winning nationally recognized filmmaker today, or did you always see yourself on stages?
TIMOTHY : Literally since I was five years old I knew I wanted to be an entertainer of some kind. I don’t have the voice for singing or the moves for dancing, but I can write and expedite and give direction, but that all came after I stopped caring so much about what others might think of me for chasing this dream that is viewed by many as unrealistic. I think my teenage or early twenties version of myself would be surprised, but certainly not the boy who fell in love with film.
Tracy : Talk about the filmmaking process from an actors perspective
TIMOTHY : Well, this is definitely a case-by-case scenario. Some actors like more involvement from a director than others, but all-in-all there are general tools needed from an actor to create a good performance. For one, the director needs to know the material. In order for an actor to get the right ideas brewing on how to create a character and their subtle nuances or idiosyncrasies, it’s imperative that the director can give good feedback and knows the material well. I think it’s important for the actor to have one-on-one time with the director to unveil the character and their traits. It’s all about being attentive to the details. If an actor has a good leader with solid direction then they have the foundation to creating their character and giving a good performance. There needs to be trust and there needs to be mutual respect, otherwise the performances will be hindered as it becomes more difficult to display the vulnerability of getting invested in a performance. I think that finding the subtleties of the character, the costume, is he mannerisms, those are all the building blocks that come after the foundation of knowing that you have a director that you trust.
Tracy : How do you get into character?
TIMOTHY : When I play a character, it’s probably easier for me to get into character, because I write the scripts so I know exactly what it is that I want. However, depending on the heaviness of the character I play, it may require more preparation. The last character I played, which is for my film “The Fable of The Hired Guns & The Woman Who Cried Witch”, I definitely needed to get into character every single day. I have an accent for the film and the character is the polar opposite of me as far as personality goes, he’s a bit of a naive buffoon, which I would like to think that I’m not haha, but I practiced and practices and would even jump on PlayStation live with my friend and counterpart in the film, Kevin Haschmann, and play Red Dead Redemption II, and we would speak to each other in our accents and go through our lines. Other times I haven’t had to prepare too much. It’s weird because each character I write has fragments of myself in them, and yet each character I’ve played has been a vastly different experience for me to perform. For my film “Ezra & The Unicorn”, I play a kazoo playing, cigarette smoking imaginary unicorn, and I’ve got to say that was the easiest character to prepare for. I felt like I was born for the role of being an obnoxious, dancing, cigarette wielding unicorn. Anyhow, I honestly have to rehearse my lines more than any other actor on set, which seems preposterous since it is my own writing, haha, but it’s true.
Tracy : You work with the same actors in all of your films? Why? Do you think you’ll continue to do that throughout your work as much as possible, or do you think that will change?
TIMOTHY : Well, we were the ones that gravitated toward each other while In college. We built this team together. To me, there is no me without them, and I love that we are constantly evolving and growing together. It’s so interesting, Vicky and Kevin are the two main actors I use repetitively, and we are literally able to watch all of us as we started, up until now, in these films we made together. Plus they’re just flat out talented. I can’t wait for people to see the film I’m wrapping up now, as it’s easily their best performances, well, all of ours actually. But we’ve cultivated this film family, and I would most definitely use them in all of my future projects, whether the roles are bigger or smaller. But I have no doubt I’ll use other actors as I progress. I would love to work with actors I’ve admired my entire life.
Tracy : — Are there any actors, writers, or other industry players you might like to work with?
TIMOTHY : There are so many I would love to work with. I would be ecstatic to have the privilege of working with a company like A24. I think my films suit that kind of aesthetic and kind of storytelling that comes out of a company like A24, and frankly I love most every film to come from them. As far as actors go, there are so many I would be privileged to work with, but I think it’s a dream of mine to work with Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul in the same project again. I’m a huge Breaking Bad fan and those two crafted the greatest character arcs ever on screen. Some others would be, Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Scarlett Johansson, the list of incredible talent that I would be blessed to work with goes on.
Tracy : What do you have coming next?
TIMOTHY : I’m wrapping up editing my latest film called, “Fable of The Hired Guns & The Woman Who Cried Witch”, which I’ll hopefully be pushing into festivals starting in late May. When that process begins I hope to be able to pitch a few scripts I’ve recently completed to get started on. I just want to make as many films that tell a unique story as possible. I feel like this is just the start, and I cannot wait for what is to come.
Filmography/awards:
Dark Chamber
Black Orchid
Men Eat Steak, Women Nibble Chicken
Iris: Indie film
Festival nominee for best indie short
The Purple Dragon:
Nominee for best short feature at Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, Winner Mindfield Film Festival best Narrative Feature, Winner The Monkey Bread Film Festival best feature for under $5,000.00, Winner Canada’s Yes! Let’s make a movie best feature film, Winner Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival both Best Director, and Best Feature Film (North America), Winner Los Angeles Film awards Narrative Feature.
Ezra and The Unicorn:
Winner Los Angeles Film Awards Indie Feature (low budget), selected and nominated Red Dirt Film festival Narrative Feature Film
Sixty Acres and a Mule:
Award nomination best experimental film Lonely Wolf London International Film Festival, Award nomination Indie Short (low-budget) Los Angeles Film Awards.
Fable of The Hired Guns & The Woman Who Cried Witch is wrapping up post production within the next month and will be entered into film festivals shortly after.
The Purple Dragon, Ezra and The Unicorn, Sixty Acres and a Mule are all currently in the festival circuit actively.
