We recently had the chance to connect with Jean-Jacques Corbier and have shared our conversation below.
Jean-Jacques, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I’ve long felt a calling for acting. I think the first seeds planted for my love of filmmaking came specifically from my appreciation of acting. Then, watching more live theater in the last five years or so caused those live performance seeds to be planted as well. But there’s been a fear and trepidation resting deep within me that’s prevented me from taking the plunge. Fortunately, I’ve been dipping my toes in slowly but surely the past couple of years in short films in front of the camera, and finally this year I’ve taken the plunge into theater which has caused a lot of fear that I’ve had about art and even life in general to subside. Part of me would have loved to to have taken the plunge sooner in life considering how much I’m loving the challenge of acting, but then I’m reminded that everyone’s journey is different and I’m diving into acting when I’m actually ready to start swimming.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
The holy trinity of things that I do and love are directing, writing, and acting. I’m currently directing short films and docu-series and building towards being able to direct feature films. I’ve directed a couple of commercials and would be open to directing plays in the future. On the writing end of things, I primarily focus on screenplays, both short form and feature-length. And like directing, I have a few ideas for plays I want to write in the future. And last but not least, acting. I act in front of a camera for film and commercials. and then this year specifically I’ve gone full-step into theatre acting, which has been super fun.
I went to school for film at the University of Kansas but I came into my freshman year undecided. That quickly changed during my first film class of the fall semester. The teacher was merely going over the syllabus and I got giddy in my seat. My heart soared thinking about all the things I loved about film and with now getting the chance to understand these things on a technical level. I knew in that moment I wanted to be a part of this film world for the rest of my life.
I’ve been in this industry for seven years now, working my way through being a production assistant getting coffee and setting up things on set at ungodly hours of the morning, to working as a script supervisor or assistant director on more recent productions. Those positions have definitely helped give me connections and pay the bills, but any chance I’ve gotten to direct or act on set has solidified my love for this art form and the collaborations that blossom out of it.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a kid with a vivid imagination that wasn’t afraid to exist in those boundless worlds even if the real world around him presented boundless limitations. Joy, adventure, and creativity was to be had in any situation. Unfortunately, the world said my imagination was too vivid and was used too much, and I listened… For a long time. I believe whole-heartedly that if I pursued, even successfully, a corporate 9 to 5 career, that childlike imagination would wither away. Thankfully, being a full-time artist has allowed that childlike imagination remain present even if I was placing it more and more in the background throughout my teenage and early adult years.
The past year or so, I’ve been confronting my relationship with the world and luckily I’ve slowly been letting go and shedding the boxes the world as told me to sit inside. It’s not an easy process and it’s far from complete, but I’m happy to be on that journey of reclaiming the freeing ethos of my childhood. The world is a crafty lier. The way it describes who are can seem so accurate but the more you’re in tune with how you really feel and really want to express yourself, the more you can bring your real truth out and enjoy the boundless opportunities that arise from it.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would say, “You were right.” You CAN dream big, you CAN create a world you want to live in. There are obvious practicalities to the real word you become privy to as you get older. However, the world is so messed up due in large part to people thinking it’s impossible to live in a world outside of the status quo. You can dream of a world that doesn’t discriminate, that has true equity, that doesn’t have children go hungry. Dreams can come true, those worlds can exist if enough people believe in it. We haven’t had a lot of love in our world simply because enough people throughout history thought it was stupid to dream of a world led by love.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies the film industry tells itself is that it pays to be exploitative and shitty to people. There are financial gains to be had from exploiting people. I mean this country was built on that. However, when it comes to the art, there’s no real correlation with exploitation and resonating art. Often times when there is a problematic filmmaker we excuse a lot of their actions because the films are good. But if you continue to look at their careers, the art starts to take a gradual decline. The key is that, before the bridges are burned and before the people are hurt, the art is good because film is the ultimate collaborative medium and these people have gotten the opportunity to work with the most amazing artist and crafts people. Once the bridges are burned and the people’s hurt comes to light, the talent pool diminishes and these filmmakers don’t get to collaborate with those same amazing artist and crafts people. Thus the art suffers. Being shitty doesn’t pay in the long run. People and eventually the art will suffer if it’s created in a culture of abuse and exploitation. Maybe not in the short term, but definitely in the long run.
You can make great art, great movies for a longer period of time if you establish and maintain a equitable, safe, loving, and collaborative environment. Being an asshole doesn’t make you a great filmmaker, it just makes you an asshole.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
I don’t know if it will take that long to pay off but I like writing feature film ideas that come into my head. It is a smart practice to write what you can produce right now with the resources you have, which I do. But I also, love the challenge of writing feature films. Watching movies as a kid led me to this career path so I’m always going to love that medium. I don’t have the resources yet to direct these movies as film is probably the most expensive artistic medium there is, but what I do have is a vivid imagination and a laptop. There’s no real reason to not write the feature ideas that come to my head. So when I find myself 3 to 4 or 7 to 10 years in the future and I happen upon the resources needed to make feature-length films, I’ll have a diverse library of stories to bring to fruition. Writing takes time so might as well get it done as soon as possible.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @jeanjacquescorbier7
