So that the producers have the maximum information about you, who are you? 

Here is my bio: Wanda is passionate about telling stories that inspire interpersonal, mental, and spiritual wellness. Her ability to listen and transform a story to film and stage is second-to-none, making her a highly sought-after director/writer/producer.  

Wanda’s 2020 film Reflections received 19 awards in 2021-22 including Best Director for the Athens Festival and Best Canadian Female Director for Toronto International Women Film Festival. She was nominated for a Calgary 2018 Stinger Award for the TELUS-supported short film, Are you Listening? she wrote and directed (on www.saltflix.com), and the Winner of Best Director at the Alberta One Act Festival (2009) for Graceland. She was Unit B Director for the feature The Great Fear and has directed short films including Belong…Create…Connect. Wanda’s directing with Barrett Hileman showcased her work around North America, and her time with Burnt Thicket Theatre exposed Wanda to authentic personal storytelling.

Wanda served on the crew for the award-winning productions including Corporate Ladder, directed by Mike Peterson, and acted in web series including The Off Screen Series. 

In addition to her undergrad degrees in Theatre and Music, Wanda has completed film directing and acting apprenticeships with Neil Schell with whom she has an ongoing mentoring filmmaking relationship. She is the Artistic Director for Reinholdt Productions.

Wanda is a member in good standing with the Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) and the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF).

---------------

Here is the reason I do what I do which now includes LIFE COACHING (please note that our website (www.reinholdtproductions.ca) is not yet up to date with new wording and new services as some of the changes are more recent):

 

I was born into a caring practical ranching family.  I never lacked food, shelter, or clothing.  And I was given all that a girl could want, including parents who told me and showed me that I was loved.  Although I liked all the things that I was given and my family’s attendance at all my events and milestones, for the first 10 years of my life, I cannot remember feeling understood or accepted. This was because I was a creative girl that thought and lived outside the expected.  So, although I was provided for and told that I was loved, when I made moral yet uncommon choices, I usually heard unacceptance and disappointment. This was greatly confusing to me.  And then school brought another reality into my life – bullying- which made the feelings of rejection even worse.  As a result, I spent much of my first years feeling broken hearted. All through this time, I knew that life was supposed to be better than this and I asked God what the reason was that things were the way they were if I was truly loved.  Thankfully, each time I prayed, I was comforted and somehow, I was able to take another step. Then when I was around 11 years old, mentors saw my musical talent and helped me find a place in the world telling stories and directing children’s musicals.  These opportunities encouraged and emboldened me greatly, showing me what amazing miracles happen when I take the time to see the incredible gifts and strengths in others.  Today, I am so thankful for the persistence and support I was given by God and others to heal from the trauma of neglect.  And it is no surprise that I now passionately advocate for those who have experienced neglect as both a life coach and a writer/ director of stories. My mission is to ensure that all people are heard, respected, recognized, and celebrated for their ideas, choices, and uniqueness just as I was.

 

How many years have you been making movies? 

FOR OVER 12 YEARS NOW

 

What was your first experience making movies? Did you study at a film school or did you learn on your own? 

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WAS AS A FILM ACTOR. I TOOK A FILM ACTING APPRENTICESHIP FOR A YEAR WITH AN INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ACTOR AND DIRECTOR, NEIL SCHELL, AND ACTED IN A FEW SHORT PIECES AS WELL AS A WEB SERIES. I DID THIS BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE A WELL ROUNDED AND ADAPTABLE DIRECTOR – ABLE TO WORK BOTH ON STAGE WHERE I BEGAN MY CAREER AND IN FILM/ TELEVISION. DURING MY ACTING APPRENTICESHIP, I WAS OFFERED A DIRECTING APPRENTICESHIP WITH NEIL SCHELL IN 2012 AND 2013. I HAVE BEEN STUDYING WRITING, DIRECTING, PRODUCING WITH HIM EVER SINCE. FOR MY DIRECTING APPRENTICESHIP, I PRODUCED AND DIRECTED A SHORT PIECE WRITTEN BY A FRIEND. FROM THERE, I STARTED TO WRITE AND DIRECT SHORT PIECES FOR THE PURPOSE OF MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES. EVENTUALLY, THAT LED TO LONGER PIECES WHICH I WAS HIRED TO WRITE AND DIRECT. AND NOW I AM FOCUSSED ON DEVELOPING PIECES WHICH ENCOURAGE MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL WELLNESS FOR FILM AND TV.

 

What budget did you have for REFLECTIONS?  

15K

 

Was it self-funded? 

PARTIALLY SELF FUNDED AND PARTIALLY FUNDED BY SUPPORTERS/ INVESTORS

 

Any anecdote that you can tell us about the filming? 

WE FILMED “REFLECTIONS” IN THE SUMMER OF 2020 – THE FIRST PART OF COVID. WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST AND LARGEST INDEPENDENT CAST AND CREWS IN ALBERTA, CANADA TO BE CERTIFIED TO FILM SAFELY DURING THE PANDEMIC. WE WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL, FILMING WITHIN BUDGET AS WELL AS ON TIME WITH NO REPORTS OF ANY COVID CASES AS A RESULT. THE CAST AND CREW FELT THAT THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST SETS THEY HAD EVER BEEN ON – SO FUN AND RELAXED.

 

OUR FILM WAS WRITTEN BY THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY WE FILMED ON NEAR STRATHMORE, ALBERTA. 

 

I WAS ASKED TO FILM THIS STORY PRIOR TO KNOWING THAT MY DAD WAS SICK AND GOING TO DIE IN THE FALL OF 2018. WE HAD SET THE FILMING OF IT FOR APRIL OF 2019 BUT MY DAD GOT VERY SICK AND WE HAD TO POSTPONE THE FILMING UNTIL THE FOLLOWING YEAR. I HAD HAD EXPERIENCE WITH GRIEF AND LOSS PRIOR TO MY DAD’S PASSING, BUT AS YOU CAN WELL IMAGINE, HAD SO MUCH MORE AFTER HE DIED.

 

If you had unlimited budget which actor and actress would you like to work with?

Actors - Tom Hanks, Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington 

Actresses - Patricia Heaton, Angela Bassett, Selena Gomez

 

Your favorite movie? 

 I have many including: The Sixth Sense; Psycho; The Short History of the Long Road

 

Tell us 3 filmmakers that you like:  

Alfred Hitchcock, M. Night Shyamalan, The Cohen Brothers

 

What is the scene that has impacted you the most?  

I love simple straightforward filmmaking where our minds as the audience does all the work to create the suspense/ the worst-case scenario. The shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho, for example, did not need to use any effects. Simply the suggestion. 

 

If you could do a remake of a movie, what would it be? 

I would love to be able to redo Hitchcock’s Rear Window or Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense.

 

Now tell us about Reflections. Did you have light designs or did you shoot with the same light as the location?

We had lighting designs. 

 

When shooting indoors, it is sometimes difficult to be able to make certain shots or frames that were planned. Did you have any problems when shooting?

Yes. I planned to shoot a shot at a particular angle and at a particular time at the end of our first day. Both the angle of the shot as well as the timing of the shot did not work. The angle did not work in the space nor did it have the impact I wanted it to have when I reviewed it. In addition, the actors were really tired – the scene required more of them. We ended up re-shooting it the next day. Thankfully we had time. 

 

And in terms of sound? Neighbors, flushing, cars? 

We were out in the country. So we had no neighbors or cars to deal with except for one time when farming machinery drove by. And we made sure there were outdoor facilities so that the toilet inside was not an interruption during our shoot.

 

How long did it take you to make it from the initial idea?

Reflections was written in the spring of 2018. In the fall of 2019, I was hired to direct it. We finally put it in the can in August 2020.

 

Apart from directing and writing, did you do anything else?

Yes. I Produce and I am a Life Coach.

 

How was the producer-director relationship?

We initially had a Producer for Reflections who had made some choices for the filming of our movie prior to me inheriting the opportunity. When he could not complete the project as Producer, I took it over. This made me both the Producer and Director. I was able to work with his decisions he had made, add to them, and create a good film. 

 

And working with actors? Tell us about this process, how do you work with the actors?

If possible, I like to have a brief rehearsal period where we have a discussion around the theme of the movie and we learn about one another. I want to know how they like to work and what they think about our story/ theme. If a rehearsal period is not possible, then I like to have a supper meet or two outside of the rehearsal to prepare. This is because I prefer to collaborate with them on the development of a scene versus telling them what to do. 

 

For Reflections, we had a rehearsal period. We were fortunate to be able to do this. We were able to establish how we work and what we thought of the topic of grief and loss. We got to know one another better. And by the time of the shoot, we were ready to work together.

 

I am an actor’s director – a collaborator. I believe a film, or any piece of art, is better through collaboration. I may have ideas about how to shoot a scene and what it is about. But if the actor has a different take on it, I want to know what it is. Then, I take their ideas and make any changes I can make. I let them know that I make the final call because that is my role as director, but I always do my best to hear and incorporate something of their ideas. I always know what my vision, my budget and schedule is. But if an actors’ idea works and we can do it within budget/ schedule, then great! We’ve made some bigger and better discoveries together! Actors bring their life and work experience just like I do to the table. This makes for rich storytelling. We are a storytelling team.