Spencer Jamison is an actress and filmmaker born and raised in Richmond, United States. She is a graduate of James Madison University and the Yale School of Drama MFA Acting Program. She has acted on several film and television dramas, and directed three short films and a television series. Our writer Eoghan Lyng described her latest film At Capacity, about a very awkward dinner between two message bearers, as “sharp and prescient”. It premiered at the LA Shorts Film Festival.

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Paul Risker – Why film as a means of creative expression? Was there an inspirational or defining moment for you personally?

Spencer Jamison – Whew, okay! Distilling this down feels like a doozy considering there are so many visceral memories and reasons I have for wanting to be a storyteller and filmmaker…but I’ll do my best! Films have always been a comfort to me. They feel like time capsules, both reflections of the era they were created but also the moments when I first engaged with them as I grew into womanhood. Three films that were staples of my childhood are all adaptations of stage musicals: The Wiz [Sidney Lumet, 1979], The Sound of Music [Robert Wise, 1965], and Annie [John Huston, 1982]. I vividly remember sitting at my dad’s computer, eight years old, drafting my original adaptation of Annie. I’d type a scene, rewind the VHS to make sure I got it all…repeating that process until I had a draft to take to summer camp. I then attempted to direct and star in a production. For the majority of my life, the stage and the screen were a means of creative expression and play that worked in tandem. It wasn’t until high school when I took a film studies class with Todd Raviotta that the concept of the time capsules really clicked into place. Here we were traversing decades…watching the evolution of filmmaking, writing, technical elements, storytelling devices, actors aging before our very eyes. I was in awe and knew I had to be a part of the lineage of filmmakers.

PR – As an actress, writer and director, how do these three parts of the storytelling process influence and inform one another? And was it always your intention to direct?

SJ – I know that in order to carve out a pathway for myself as a storyteller, it is essential to have my hands in multiple areas of creation. With every project, I lead with curiosity. What will this idea require of me? What’s the best way to engage with this particular story or character’s unfolding? For At Capacity, I always knew I was going to direct and star in it. However, romance hinges on chemistry and I wanted to bring back a bit of wit and conversation, so having a solid script was the top priority. Fortunately, I had a great team of collaborators around me like Kunitaro Ohi (cinematographer) and Macy West (line producer). I was able to relay thematic concepts to them as a director and they went off to put those in motion while I rewrote and honed the script. Casting my friend and former classmate, Jake Ryan Lozano (Ari), early in the process was also essential because I could write to our strengths as actors and really advocate for the vision in my head.

PR – What was the genesis of At Capacity, and what compelled you to believe in this film and decide to tell this story at this particular point in time?

SJ – In 2020, I got together with 4 other friends and directed/sound mixed a very bare-bones guerrilla style two-minute short that was meant to serve as a time capsule and reflection of our experiences during Covid. But technically At Capacity is my first film with a budget, crew, and full production process. When I sat down to write this short, my intention was to interrogate the moments when we have no more bandwidth for connection and yet… necessary glimmers of joy, presence, and release still manage to find us. When I have been the most overwhelmed, I always revisit films that nourish my sense of hope and potential… films that reflect our capacity for empathy and understanding the humanity of others. I wanted this to be my introduction to the world as a filmmaker who desires to create grounded, nuanced, and complex work through a tender and hopeful lens.

PR – Are there any cinematic influences that inform your creative voice? Do you see At Capacity as being a kindred spirit of any films or filmmakers?

SJ – I wrote the first couple drafts of this short and then watched Rye Lane [Raine Allen-Miller, 2023] and was like… oh these films are cousins. It was encouraging to see a film with such a rich and kinetic colour palette because I was also planning to lean into opulent colours. As far as kindred spirits go, I’m inspired by artists with expansive work who effortlessly move through genre, medium, and creative roles with courage and whimsy. Some (but definitely not all) of the filmmakers whose films or shows influenced me and the process of creating At Capacity: Rob Reiner, Nora Ephron, Regina King, Bill Duke, Barbra Streisand, Won Kar-wai, Debora Cahn, Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, Yvette Lee Bowser, Donald Petrie, Shonda Rhimes, and South Korean television director, Kim Hee-won.

PR – The beginning of the film plays around with the idea of not pre-judging a person because of their associations/friendship group. One idea I’ve heard recently is that we’re forgetting how to talk to one another. This denies us human connection that is sometimes unexpected. Your thoughts and whether you see this as an important theme of the film?

SJ – That’s exactly one of the themes I was hoping to touch on. With more people spending time on the internet and social media, the world feels both overwhelmingly large because now we’ve got access to one another and simultaneously very lonely because we’re not having new experiences in person. Even at dinners with friends we have to make a conscious effort to put our phones down. I really wanted to play with expectations and projections here as well. What happens when we enter a conversation with expectations for it to go one way but are disarmed by someone’s pure authenticity? They’re technically not on a date so does that mean they have the freedom to relax into themselves a bit more? What does that look like? Why do people struggle with authenticity? Do we feel the need to curate who we are because so many people have access to each other online? Why are the stakes so high when and if we meet new people in the real world? With all of those questions (and more) I started writing. I guess I want us all to lean a little more into curiosity by leading with my own.

PR – In a film so conversation so heavy, the temptation is to hear the words, but the best screenwriting, whether it is in Billy Wilder or the Coen Brothers’ films, for example, almost has a musical dimension, with a rhythm and melody. Ari and Mia’s conversation has this energy, and I’d be interested to ask for your thoughts about this idea and reading of the film.

SJ – I love this question! Billy Wilder is one of my favourite filmmakers so thank you for bringing him into the conversation. I had multiple rehearsals and readings of various drafts to bring the musicality to life. In the edit, we worked very hard…especially in the first two scenes at the dinner table…to honor and play with tempo. So I’m grateful you tapped into that! Wow, yea, thank you!

PR – The music in the film is interesting in the way it lurks in the background, almost like a supporting character. Was the music an aesthetic choice or influenced by the broader story, its characters and themes?

SJ – My good friend, Dana McCoy, did the music for the film. We were heavily inspired by films and television series that have their own recognisable theme or iconic moments built around an original song. So I sent her the script and we created a playlist that set the sonic tone. She then wrote, Call it Love, and we deconstructed the instruments in the song to create the score. Throughout the short, the deconstructed melodies, representing each of the characters, build tension until they finally release into the full song. The original OST is on all music streaming and there’s a video we just released on YouTube!

PR – Is At Capacity a political film, and more broadly, do you think all art is political?

SJ – This singular question led to a three-hour conversation/debate with my brother, Jai Jamison, and best friend, Ava McCoy. What’s kind of funny is I’ve had multiple festival programmers tell me this isn’t necessarily an “issues” piece so they don’t know where to place it. Which is true. Politics are discussed as a device through which I discuss media, morality, anxiety, and empathy. But there isn’t one particular issue I’m tackling. That being said, I am a Black woman from the south. The act of taking inspiration from some of my favourite romances that traditionally starred two white actors and reframing them with a Black woman and a Mexican man was a natural choice for me because it reflects the community of people I know and love…but it is also political. I see art as a container to investigate our place in an ever changing world and exchange different perspectives with the hope that we will be seen, heard, respected, and understood. That is political. This is such a huge question but today I’ll say, yes, all art is political in that sense.

PR – In the film’s ending, you choose not to tease the audience about what will happen between Ari and Mia. Was there any thought about keeping it ambiguous?

SJ – There were so many drafts. And in a few of them I did think about keeping it ambiguous, for sure! I have to give a big shout out to one of my friends and writing mentors, Jay Franklin, for sending me on the path where we eventually landed.

PR – Why has cinema failed to commercialise the short form when literature has been successful? I’d be interested to gauge your thoughts on this and whether there are opportunities to create equality between short films and feature-length films?

SJ – This concept makes me think of a Riz Ahmed quote I read recently: “Doing a short film is a purer experience… you’re not doing it for the money, you’re not doing it for the clout, you’re just doing something because you are interested in it and you want to explore it. Ironically, it’s the things that you do just for yourself, and just because you almost really have to, that can end up resonating with people more.” I believe as the industry shifts back to more independent and communal support we may see more short films find equal footing with features. Who knows really? I’m just grateful to look around and be inspired by so many filmmaker friends who have the courage to bring their ideas to fruition whether in short form, tv, or film.

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Spencer Jamison is pictured at the top of the interview. The image is the middle is a still from At Capacity.