My name is Andrew G. Cooper, and I want to direct a feature film. There, I said it.
I've become increasingly fascinated with "process" over the last year. I'm trying to focus more on how I create art rather than just the final product. To that end, I've decided to document and share my journey to direct my first feature film.
Okay, okay, okay, let's back up. Sure, you may be thinking, lots of people want to direct a movie, but what makes you so special? Great question. The answer is: nothing.
I only started making films in 2022, so I'm no expert. Which is precisely why I want to explore the process of making films online. (Hence, the title I'm giving this project: Exploring Filmmaking. Though, since this is all about process that very well may change! But I digress...)
Because I'm focusing on process, there's not going to be a TLDR for this. I'm not trying to make this hooky or catchy to get more views or whatever. I just want to be open and, hopefully, be authentic while I share my journey as a filmmaker.
The plan is to share my journey from releasing a short film to directing my first feature.
I've just finished my first large short film (called Strangers), and I'm submitting it to film festivals while I work on a feature-length screenplay based on the same idea.
Part of Exploring Filmmaking will be sharing the life of the short film now that it's done post-production. Part of this project will be exploring the development of a feature film as a screenwriter and director.
I figured there's at least a few people out there are in the same boat as me. Got a few short films under their belt. Want to take it to the next level. I feel ready to leap into directing a feature film. Am I ready? How will it go? I don't know! That's the fun part. I want to find other like-minded people. Find a community. Documenting my explorations is a way to make that fun for myself (and maybe for others, you decide).
My goal is to share my journey, process, and some stories so that others can learn from it. Maybe people will learn what not to do. Perhaps I'll inspire others to share their own stories. Or make films of their own. To that end...
First, let's look at my journey so far.
To provide context, here's a high-level view of how I got here. Maybe this'll spark some interest in the journey I have ahead. There's a lot to get through quickly, so buckle up!
After working in the theatre industry for about a decade, I got into Film & Television when I was cast as a puppeteer on Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock with the Jim Henson Company. (If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it on Apple TV! There's two seasons out. I'm bias, but it's amazing.)
While working on that show, I discovered there were lots of really talented puppeteers local to Calgary (which is where I live) with great and diverse skillsets. I wrote some grants to develop a puppet fantasy series we called Windchasers with the newly formed Solaris Productions. We shot a proof of concept—essentially Act 1 of the pilot script—in August 2022 which was nominated in 2023 for a handful of awards, won a local Stinger Award, and got into the Festival of Animated Objects here in Calgary. You can watch that proof of concept now because it's out living on the internet.
The following summer (August 2023), I worked as the associate producer and production manager on an indie sci-fi series called So Dark the Sky with Ghost River Theatre (where I previously worked for 2.5 years as a producer before leaving to pursue filmmaking) and North Country Cinema.
While on set for that series, I met the folks from Thousand Year Films. We really hit it off and I joined the company as a Co-Producer later that year. Thousand Year Films ended up optioning my first feature screenplay Under the Plaza, a dark fantasy set in a subterranean circus that was originally released as a podcast in Jupiter Theatre's (exp)lore series—which I produced during the pandemic when there was nothing else for theatre people to do.
Hop, skip, and jump ahead to February 2024. I volunteered to direct a one-day shoot with the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers to grow my skills as a film director. I ended up doing all the post-production on that one myself (which was a steep learning curve, let me tell you). That 7-minute short film is currently out for festival submissions, though it's yet to be selected for any.
Shortly after, I directed a two-day shoot to make a proof of concept for Under the Plaza. For that , I hired a bunch of local circus performers with a wicked cool company I work with called Le Cirque de la Nuit. By July of last year, we had a finished sizzle reel, and I'd written a third draft of the screenplay (which is currently sitting at a whopping 135 pages and really needs edits and trimming).
Whew. That was a lot. Let's check in.
Was there anything in there that struck you or that you'd like to know more about? How did I get funding to shoot these three projects? How did I get hired on Fraggle Rock or So Dark the Sky? What's my screenwriting process like? If I answered all those in detail, this would be the longest post of all time (and it's already pretty long), but let me know what you're curious about or interested in. I'm happy to keep sharing!
Now that all the backstory's out of the way, that leads me back to...
I'm currently working on a SHORT FILM that I want to turn into a FEATURE FILM.
It's that one called Strangers. I started writing the script for the short in January and February 2024 with the hopes of shooting it that spring. Unfortunately, funding delays made me push it back to the fall. I dove into writing and prep work in August and September and got the script to a place where I felt really good about it. Then I storyboarded the whole thing, got some cool people from Fraggle Rock to build a giant alien puppet for me, then shot the script over 4.5 days in October 2024. It was a fun ride!
Right after, I jumped into editing the short while simultaneously brainstorming and outlining ideas for a feature-length version of the story. By the end of 2024, we'd wrapped up post-production (well, I'm still tweaking a few minor sound and music things, but its mostly done!), and I'd finished outlining the feature script.
Then, in January and February 2025, I finished a first draft of the screenplay. (Yay.) Because of my extensive outlining, I ended up writing 103 pages of what I call a "barf draft" over six days. Not too bad. I'm currently working on a second draft, and I've cut it down to about 93 pages with the hope of keeping it somewhere between 90 - 100 when it's finished. Only time will tell...
So. I've finished the short film, which clocks in at 17-minutes. I just started submitting to festivals on FilmFreeway. Now I'm crossing my fingers I actually get into some. I'd love to attend festivals as a filmmaker this year. The hope is to go to some events, do some "networking" (whatever that is), and be on the look out for collaborators based on my feature screenplay.
Okay, why am I writing all this again?
A couple things inspired me to share my explorations. First, I heard on Scriptnotes how John August podcasted his entire journey of writing and publishing his first novel. That's cool, I thought, I could do something like that. (If my partner reads this, she'll laugh because I say that A LOT. We watch a travelling show. We should travel more! Watch something on pottery. I could do pottery, right? Go to an improv show. I should do improv again! It's never ending with me. But I digress.)
Second, I got three rejections last week for Strangers. Typically, I give myself a day to feel however I'm feeling after a rejection (usually pretty down) then try to move on by continuing the work. Getting three in a row was, admittedly, a lot for one week. I thought writing about the rejections could help me process how I'm feeling (a slightly different kind of "process" than I've been writing about so far) and possibly provide the opportunity for others to get some catharsis from my rejections. Commiserate. Or whatever.
Typically, the perfectionist in me wants to put out a strong front. Only share the positive news. Show off my victories. I'm trying to work against that impulse now. I want to share the ups and the downs. To that end, here are the rejections I received last week:
I applied for the Regina International Film Festival's Screenwriting Fellowship with Strangers and didn't get it.
I wasn't selected for the Project/Script Development Grant through the Alberta Media Fund (even though I was successful when I applied last year...)
I got a no from the Calgary Underground Film Festival for their live script reading. (Side note: the Strangers short film is still in consideration for CUFF, so I've got all my fingers and toes crossed for that.)
To be honest, these rejections weren't terrible. Just a lot at once. The script is in a really early state. I know that. It's barely a first draft. I used to strive to get 100 rejections each year, so I'm not new to rejections. They're all part of the process, and right now they're motivating me to keep cranking away at editing the script. At this point, rejections help me see where I am and where I'm heading. Which leads me to my final point.
I'm in this for the long haul. So I want to take my time.
Since starting in the film & TV industry in 2021, I've really loved it. I figured I'm going to be doing this for a long time, so why not enjoy it? And share my experiences. And maybe meet some cool people on the internet.
I want to get back to the basics. Or, perhaps more precisely, learn the basics. I didn't go to film school (though, I do listen to the No Film School Podcast). I haven't done any formal mentorship. I just dove in.
I often feel like I'm not moving fast enough or I'm not doing enough. I get impatient at the pace of my art making and my career. But putting it all down like this in one post has helped me see I've done quite a bit in a relatively short time. But...I still don't know what I don't know. You know? I'm eager to learn.
So, have you directed a feature film? Are you striving to? Do you have any suggestions? Tips? Stories of your own? Screenwriting can be a lonely pursuit, so I'd love to hear some actually.
I want to direct a feature film. And this is my journey to do that.
Made it all the way to the end? Like what you read?
I just finished watching your Windchasers puppet short film. This is so cute! XD I also love the sizzle reel of Under The Plaza. The production design! I love it! I'm curious, is doing puppet short films less costly compared to typical narrative shorts? Or is the difference not significant? I'm guessing a puppet short might have a more niche market compared to live-action.
Most of all, I'm amazed by your ability to both execute AND document your journey. I've done two short films so far - one last year and another in 2023, both executive produced and directed by me - but I've never written an article about either. I think part of that is because I feel I still have a long way to go in executing my vision on screen, and also because I'm occupied writing content for a living. (Side note: The one we shot last year isn't even fully edited yet. So many deliverables!)
Due to funding setbacks, I've sadly decided not to make another short this year. My 2024 short film, which explored magical realism, had a much more elaborate set design and performance compared to the 2023 one. Honestly, I feel I failed in execution on various aspects there. For 2025, I initially planned to create a much smaller short - a young adult, John Hughes-style film set in a single location, like The Breakfast Club - as a proof of concept for a YA feature film I'm developing. But for now, I've shelved that project and decided to focus on my writing career first, which requires significantly less capital. (I'm currently writing a speculative fiction novel, which will be my second book.)
It seems we have different filmmaking interests and styles. My work is mostly realism, or magical realism at most. That seems to be the pattern with my art: I start creating from semi-autobiographical material. My first short was inspired by my childhood, and the second by my polyamorous relationships. Likewise, my first novel was literary fiction about modern dating and relationships; loosely inspired by personal experience. It's only in my third short and second novel that I've really begun creating specifically with an audience in mind. I suppose I'm a selfish kind of artist, trying to exorcise that selfishness by creating art for myself first. Though I think I'd eventually love working on elaborate sets and genre films.
Nevertheless, I'm glad to have read about your journey and "met" you here. Here's my 2023 short film:
https://johnpucay.com/game-boy-advance/
And now that I think about it, I suppose I DID write an article parallel to the short film:
https://medium.com/the-narrative-arc/meeting-your-12-year-old-self-100ec670bc97?sk=bd487d38ff951c9156127f596a955048