Traci Hays is a DGA Award-nominated director, a production designer, and art director who has received numerous awards for the various shorts she has directed. Her feature directorial debut, Tangled, was named a “must-see movie” by The Hollywood Reporter. She recently directed Blood, Sweat and Cheer, her second feature, which is a dark love letter to Heathers, Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club, and Clueless.
In this episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins and director Traci Hays, discuss:
- Traci’s dream of becoming a pro soccer player before becoming a director
- Being rejected to film school
- Meeting incredible collaborators and established mentors in the industry
- All the lessons Traci learned as a production designer
- Adapting a book to a film for the movie, Tangled
- How a soccer team connection led to a directing opportunity
- Being surprised by the very thoughtful and meaningful notes from the producers
- Filming Blood, Sweat and Cheer in only 13 days
- Casting actors that were serious about the dance scenes
Memorable Quotes
- “Having that background as a director feels like a superpower.” [12:29]
- “To be in the middle of it, the middle of the chaos, is sort of where I thrive.” [14:15]
- “On a lower budget fast moving train, what will kill your day more than anything else is company moves.” [33:15]
- “I even tried to learn the dance and let me tell you, I did not get very far.” [40:39]
Mentioned Resources:
Tangled
Blood, Sweat and Cheer
Traci’s website
Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
https://nofilmschool.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/nofilmschool
Twitter
https://twitter.com/nofilmschool
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool
Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected]!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices