Introducing Dd Contributor Chelsea Wayant!

I am pleased to introduce dancer turned filmmaker Chelsea Wayant as the newest edition to Dd family! Chelsea is currently working on the documentary Strength and Beauty and will be taking us along for the ride, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the movie she is making, sharing her inspirations and influences.

We gave her our favorite Dd Survey and I happily share with you her responses:

1. ART: Performance or visual? What place does art have in your life?

Both performance and visual art has a place in my life. I take dance classes and attend performances. I also love to go to art museums (and bring my 2 yr old daughter!). As a filmmaker I am always working with a camera and thinking of composition. Watching films and both experiencing them and learning from them is a near daily experience for me. That is really my life. I think about everything I watch in relation to my current project and also in regards to the films I want to make.

2. CRAFT: Knit or Crochet or Other? What is your craftiest project to date?

Crochet. I am currently making two afghans (though I have just packed one away so I can focus on just one). I’m making a purple one for my daughter, which is taking much longer than I thought it would. Years ago I also crocheted all my friends and family afghans for Christmas, I started in the summer and ended up with about ten blankets. This Christmas I made friends and family coasters out of felt. I’m also pretty proud of a frame I made with a screen in it to hold all my earrings and fancy knobs to hold necklaces.

3. DESIGN: Classical or modern? What designer or architect inspires you the most?

Modern, but I like it to be warm and not as cold and sparse as it can be. I also like to have one or two ornate/vintage-y items to bring in some character. I love the mid-century modernist of Los Angeles architects. My favorite house of all time is Frank Sinatras house in Palm Springs.

4. FOOD: Salty or sweet? Do you know how to make your favorite dish? (If so, please tell us in a blog!)

Sweet all the way, it gets me in trouble. I love to bake. Anytime I am supposed to bring some food I always bring way too much (For Thanksgiving I made a pumpkin cheesecake, sparkling wine pound cake, and two types of cupcakes). It drives my husband crazy because I put so much time and effort into it and he doesn’t feel like people appreciate it as much as they should when I give it to them. I don’t think he quite understands that it is about the process and achieving the final product that is most rewarding (but, he is just looking out for my feelings). I love making cookies or pies for just myself, daughter, and husband. For my daughters last birthday I made a strawberry layered cake and each layer was a shade lighter than the last so it looked like the color was fading.

5. THOUGHT: Fiction or Nonfiction? What form does the bulk of your own reading and/or writing take?

This is a tough one because I go back and forth between fiction and nonfiction. Since I am working on a documentary I have been watching a lot of docs and am reading a bio on Hedy Lamarr. As I move into post-production I have been thinking a lot about story and have veered into more fiction (plus its Oscar season so all the good narrative films are out). The bulk of my writing is fiction and is usually screenplays. Since I don’t use voice overs in my documentaries I don’t really “write” anything for them. I feel that I am really just arranging other peoples words into a structure and, hopefully, a story.

6. FUN: Where in the world do you want to go or be stranded? What five things would be in your bag?

Paris. I have never been there, but I think it is my favorite place in the whole world! The five things I would bring are: my Super8 Bolex, still camera, sunglasses, ballet flats (good for walking in the city), and my daughter (she won’t fit in my bag, but I would want her to be with me!)

Welcome to Dd!