For the third installment of Chapman University alumni directing for PlayStation Emerging Filmmaker Program we have Taylor Maxwell (MFA/DR ’13). “It was a rollercoaster,” says Taylor about the experience, and adds that, “it was really exciting.” Taylor shares that he had been let down in the past, having been so close to shooting on a production only to have it fall through after having gone through all the processes. When he was approached by PlayStation to direct Orthus he was ecstatic and jumped at the opportunity. The pilot is a noir piece following an FBI agent and a hitman that share a secret.

Through the experience, Taylor got a taste of location scouting throughout the Atlanta area where he walked around with cinematographer Adam Bial (MFA/CR ’13) to find the perfect location for his scenes. The cooperation between crew members was crucial for the production as many locations were used. Taylor expresses that the cast and crew, “came ready to work every day,” and, “knocked it out of the park.”

Taylor learned a lot while directing the pilot but one thing that stood out was the need to plan for as much as he could. “Don’t try and wing anything when it comes to narrative production work,” he says. Taylor understands that the world may not want you to make your movie, whether it’s the weather, permits, or stunts. The list goes on and on. It’s important to keep pushing forward and have back up plans.

Outside of the pilot Taylor has been working with Camel Bak to direct and produce new media content. Most recently he created a video for their Test of Time campaign and there are an additional four videos that will be released.