Film 101 with.....Lee Sjostrom

Beautifying The City

"Hollywood is not even a real city with a mayor, but a fantasy that has been created by the imagination of the writers that gave birth to it and cradled by the dreams of those that nurture the myth. Technically, the Hollywood area is part of the city of Los Angeles, California, the City of Angels. The "reel" people of Hollywood are very much like you, except the more famous of them hide their trash from enquiring minds that want to know." Lee Sjostrom

Lee Sjostrom has made a name for herself as a poet, writer, filmmaker, screenwriter, cartoon strip artist, columnist, actress and artist. But she primarily describes herself as an artist and filmmaker. Most recently Mayor David Miller of Toronto honored her for painting a bicycle on a Bell Box, "to help beautify the city". Lee was born in Sweden and moved to Canada as a child. As a teen model and actress, she started her foray into film and TV.

"I was literally discovered on the street by an agent", she tells me; "Despite being seen in TV commercials and newspaper ads by people who knew me, I did not really enjoy it. I didn't go into it to get attention. At that time I was very shy." Despite being recognized from the film, TV and magazine work that she did, her classmates often rejected Lee. "Acting and modeling is a tough job... long hours, hot lights. The money and royalties were good, so that kept me going". But she did see the work as being a solid footing for her chosen career path as a director. Later, after graduating College and University, she lived and worked in Hollywood for eleven years.

Get Used to Rejection (and Don't Take it Seriously)

The path to stardom and notoriety is not an easy one to take, according to Lee. "But, most people who are serious about their careers in the arts, don't make a choice. It's a need. I would consider them brave to not give up their need and their dream, despite the difficulty if they have no one helping them or no contacts. The advice I would give anyone starting out is to get used to rejection and not take it personally and do what they have to do, but make sure they also have other skills so they can have what we biz people call a 'day job'."

Lee was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adulthood and believes this is why she found it difficult to maintain an "ordinary job". But despite the diagnosis she has found it to be a definite help in her career; "It taught me how to keep a calendar diary, to self teach, to multi-task and to always give myself more than enough time to meet a schedule in case I got distracted. Also, I'm rarely late for appointments".

After graduation from a Toronto College and University, Lee turned down a job working for Disney Studios, a decision she now regrets. Not being able to get work in the film industry in Toronto at that time, she worked as a fine artist, a commercial artist and a children’s art teacher. For four years, she exhibited in several solo and juried shows in both Barrie and Toronto. Because of her successful art career, Lee moved to Los Angeles in 1989 to "sell paintings to eccentric rich people". By inexplicable fate, she found herself back in film. Through Women in Film LA, she worked for and with celebrities and eventually set up her own editing boutique. After having completed a film and television course at UCLA in 1999, she moved back to Toronto to resume her film career.

Anyone Can Be A Filmmaker

"Of course the fact that it's now cheap to get a computer, software, camcorder etcetera makes people think that anyone can be a filmmaker... And the Internet proves that fact with all their competitions, youTube and international film festivals."

Lee credits her 8th grade teacher with influencing her career choice. "My grade 8 teacher was the first big influence in my life. I wrote a play and he asked me to direct it. This was when I decided to become a filmmaker. I was already watching late night movies on TV when my parents partied on weekends... My second big influence was having Allen King, a well known Canadian filmmaker, read a screenplay of mine in College and telling me that I was very talented and to keep going. He was the one who encouraged me to send the script to Disney Studios."

When living in Los Angeles, Lee worked as an intern with Century Cable Public Access. "Century Cable played to Hollywood and Beverly Hills, so a lot of celebrities watched it and went there to try out new ideas... What I learned there was live camera work, editing, lighting and more than that, working side by side with people who were well known. It was through Century Cable that I got two sponsors for WIF/LA and life was at a definite upward swing again. My advice to others about interning at a cable station to get into TV is that it would depend on what that station has to offer."

But internship is not always the most beneficial route for any budding filmmaker; "I interned with Rogers Cable here in Toronto a few years ago, and despite my already proven talents, I was kept as a P.A. for the length of the internship... AND no job possibility."

Lee has many projects and programs in the pipeline. "I'm writing and planning to shoot several shorts for Filmaka (a platform for undiscovered filmmakers to show their work) and also writing a totally solo feature which will be made from the prize money I should soon receive from them for one of my entry level submission winners. As well, I am one of the emerging filmmakers for Howcast and will soon have my third How-To 'live' on the Internet. And I can hardly wait to start my non profit organization to help filmmakers produce films for kids which have creative solutions to violence."

"Lee calls herself a self-teaching, mixed-up media artist. Others often call her just plain mixed-up. Her various arts reflect her love of fantasy, emotion, mystery and the dramatic! She lives to create... She creates to live."

my films and videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/filmFlicka
http://www.youtube.com/user/HelpMakeMeFamousTV



"If you can't be perfect, at least be interesting..."

old website:
http://www.geocities.com/starstrom

start of new website:
http://www.geocities.com/lee_sjostrom

my films and videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/filmFlicka
http://www.youtube.com/user/HelpMakeMeFamousTV