“My Love Letter To Jazz” Strikes a Chord

Over the past 13 years, I have had the opportunity to work with filmmakers just starting their path as storyteller. I love this stage in their career as they develop their voice and understand how to use the tools to bring their cinematic vision to live. 

In a recent interview with Isabella Reed, the filmmaker behind the short documentary “My Love Letter To Jazz,” Reed shared insights into the inspiration, challenges, and memorable moments that shaped her cinematic tribute to jazz music.

The idea for the documentary originated from a casual dinner conversation with Isabella’s family. Prompted by her father’s suggestion, she realized her deep love for jazz and decided to turn it into a short film. Reflecting on the genesis of the project, Isabella stated, “It took a while to really solidify my idea, but I think the story turned out great.”

One of the highlights for Isabella during the filmmaking process was capturing moments with her parents, particularly the scenes in a jazz elevator and a record shop with her mother. She expressed her enjoyment of the visual aesthetics of these shots and the added joy of spending time with her mom, making those moments both fun and memorable.

However, the journey wasn’t without its challenges. Isabella created “My Love Letter To Jazz” through the non-profit youth media organization ‘SpyHop’, giving herself a tight deadline of about a month. The most significant hurdle was defining the concept for the film. 

“It took me about 3 weeks to really solidify my idea. I always knew I wanted to make my film about jazz but there was so many ways I could represent jazz I was pretty overwhelmed. Once I got my idea down things started to fall into place and it was great, but I would definitely say that was the hardest part of making this film,” said Reed.

Reflecting on the experience, Isabella mentioned that, if given the chance to go back, she would have incorporated more clips representing the broader creative aspects of jazz in the real world. While the film primarily focused on her personal connection to jazz, she expressed a desire to include more diverse elements like nature or dance to enhance the artistic essence.

“My Love Letter To Jazz” can be enjoyed on YouTube under Isabella Reed’s channel, where she encourages audiences to search for the film by its title or her username, @bellascinema509. Beyond the screening at Open Cinema on Dec 5th at Maven Cinema, Isabella plans to keep audiences updated on her future projects through Instagram (@bellascinema509) and her growing YouTube channel.

As Isabella continues her filmmaking journey, audiences can look forward to more projects that showcase her passion for storytelling and her unique perspective on the world of cinema. As for me it’s time to hit the road and discover then next story from behind the lens. See you on set!

About Warren Workman

Warren Workman is the founder of the Utah International Film Festival. Workman’s passion is to share the stories of the filmmakers behind the movies and to encourage the next generation of filmmakers. Workman provides these services through ReelVibe PR.