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AN INTERVIEW WITH Elia Sage Hoover, DIRECTOR

As a filmmaker, please introduce yourself.

My name is Elia Hoover I am a writer/director attending classes at full sail university who's currently enrolled 

in the film bachelors program set to graduate at the end of Sept 2022.


Why you became a filmmaker as director and producer?

I became a director because I wanted to tell stories we have not seen before. As filmmakers If possible we have 

a responsibility to uncover the truth of said issues and present it to the public if it pertains to national security or 

in film we have a responsibility to push the boundaries of said storytelling in order to keep the 

art of filmmaking going for generations to come and to provide a daily enjoyment service to a movie going audience so 

it provides a he or she with a sense of escape if they are having a bad day.


Give us some more information about yourself and the films you have made so far, about your experience?

As of this moment I have done some smaller films for school and also doing PA jobs on a feature called “9 windows” which will be 

released in the fall or winter along with a music video that is still in post production. As for me I am one who wants to work and 

looks for an opportunity every chance I get. I would prefer to direct and would be in a writers room but I figure even if I am 

a PA or am involved somehow I am still helping create something that will provide some joy to an audience and enhance one director's vision.


What are the films or people that had impacts on you and deeply inspired you to become a filmmaker?

I would say some of the films that inspired me most are fantasy/sci fi adventure films that can take us to a new world such as 

an Avatar/ Star Wars franchise or a fantasy epic such as The Lord of the Rings Films. But I also enjoy the small documentary films 

that focus on an individual in history such as PBS’s American Experience Documentary on Walt Disney or Showtimes Listen

to Me Marlon that tells the story of the Legendary actor Marlon Brando as I am fascinated with history and all the lessons we can learn from it.


You have made your nice film "America Divided" which got official selection in the 

"AmericanGolden Picture International Film Festival".

As a filmmaker, why you decided to make it?

I decided to make this film because I wanted to explore a topic that was both popular amongst Americanstoday. 

So I decided on politics because of the importance it represents. We have a duty to ourselves and toour children “to know what is going on 

in your country” as my 10th grade teacher Tina Landroche toldme and even though I was young it spoke true and I wanted to discover 

fairly how Joe Biden has donethus far and what solutions could we provide to society if we were to apply ourselves 

and act on saidissues such as inflation, border security and international security.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making this specific film?

The main problem I had making this film was finding people who were willing to talk about politics on camera since today 

you could be canceled for having an opinion. I originally tried recruiting teachers atThe University of Central Florida 

but sad to say they were having spring break and therefore it didn’t work out. After some time had passed my producer James Messer 

said to me let's go back to your idea and just talk to regular people. So I talked to some people at my local church, the Potter's House in 

Cassel berry  and by the grace of god was able to find two people who would talk on camera along with the on the street 

personalities that I was able to find at my local school.


Let us more about your experience in this film?

It took a few weeks to put together but I am grateful to god to have had a good team of people such asAddison Kilgore my DP, 

both James Diaz and  James Messer my AC and producer along with my editorJeffrey Song who put clips together along with myself. 

Everyone did a good job and knew what was required of them. Your crew members support the story in a very effective way.  

What was it like to work with them? It was a lot of fun. Everyone I thought had a good time putting this project together. 

For us as film students It is about getting the most experience possible and that comes from us doing the work and putting in the time and effort.


 For you what was the biggest lesson you had to learn after making this film?

The Biggest Lesson I learned was the importance of prep time. For any project whether it be a documentary or a short or feature film. 

If you do not have the prep time you will have to rush around every minute and figure out what to do with the time you have left. 

Going forward I am looking to give myself more prep time so therefore the quality of my films can be even better

What keeps you inspired to continue filmmaking?

The want of wanting to make fantasy and action adventure epics and bring them to both the small and big screen so that 

I can provide families with some joy along with helping someone who has had a bad day or week and give them some escape into 

a new world or some new information that may pertain to their liking and rescue them from their depression.


The most important part is distributing the film. What did you do for distributing your film?

As far as marketing goes I thought I really needed a poster that showed the divide amongst America today. So me, Messer and Song started 

coming up with ideas James with the Papers in the background, me with the flag and Jeff with where the tear could be. 

Once we completed it I thought to myself that someone who sees this poster will relate to the current divide in America if 

they follow the news and be interested in tuning into our film and hopefully take something out of it in a good way.


What are your filmmaking goals?

To get a job out of college making Films and TV and to keep submitting to festivals and get more experience so that one day 

I can make projects that can go on Disney Plus, Netflix along with releasing films in the cinemas every year and perfecting my craft more and more. 

So that when I am older I will have worked on features, short films, tv series and documentaries.


What is your next project?

Currently I am looking to shoot a fictional short film on the side or for school I have already written called Dead Men Walking about 

a detective who must overcome the horrors of his past and discover the killer who has been deranging his mind. 

I am more than happy to submit to someone and would welcome people on board if possible.


Good Luck Elia,

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