SOUL HAPPY. Avan Jogia discusses art, essential happiness and his upcoming feature film “Paper Year”
Outfit by 3.1 Phillip Lim
First coming to prominence in the 2006 biographical film “A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story,” Avan Jogia has since appeared in a wide variety of genres, while also plunging headfirst into activism and also directing. Still, for Jogia, creativity and happiness go far beyond film and Hollywood.
Miss Tiger: I bet you didn’t think we’d begin this interview with chatting about your Instagram, but I love your account! The posts are thought provoking and organized in a curated, thematic presentation. It’s as if it’s a triptych of your cosmic consciousness.
Avan Jogia: I’m rather particular and I like expressions that are like-minded in some sort of way. Whether it’s what you’re wearing, the movies you make or what’s on your Instagram, it should feel congruent. I love aesthetics and style. The reason I post in a series of three is that it captures a feeling and it seems like a mini movie to me. I just can’t take pictures of my lunch!
Outfit by Givenchy
Miss Tiger: And thank you for that … and for refraining from posting pics of your Starbucks order.
Avan Jogia: Posts can get kind of messy and expressions of self should be clean!
Miss Tiger: How does an insightful method such as your visual posts parlay into the projects you direct?
Avan Jogia: As a director, I’m incredibly visual. It carries over to my directing in regards to having the ability to tell a story with a visual shorthand that increases both the audience’s awareness of the plot and increases the subversive nature of a subplot. For example, in Kubrick’s film “The Shining,” his work with Native American prints and numerology are placed in the background of the film. These visuals can be unpacked in many ways by the audience … especially if you’re a complete film nerd. It’s important to put a lot of thought into what a visual conveys to the audience about a story.
Outfit by Hugo Boss
Miss Tiger: Storytelling is intimate and the art of storytelling in itself is a shared experience familiar to all of us. What are some of the ways that storytelling from the perspective of a director differs from the perspective of storytelling by an actor?
Avan Jogia: There’s the mechanization aspect to any film and then there is the emotional side to it. Directing is pragmatically different in that you’re given an opportunity and ability to have your DNA and fingerprint on every aspect of the film making process. Whereas as an actor, I like to stay away from the process and just get myself into the landscape of the character. My focus is on achieving the artistic goals of the scene and role.
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