Lessons from Directing My Debut Feature Film | Interview with Caged Director Aaron Fjellman | Tapping Creativity Ep8

'What I learnt from directing the movie Caged is that your movie is only as good as your weakest scene. So you have to fight to make sure that none of the scenes is terribly bad.'
~Aaron Fjellman

Aaron Fjellman is an American writer and director.  Recently, he made his feature film debut with Caged, a psychological thriller about the horrific, mind bending effects of solitary confinement.  The film stars Edi Gathegi (X-men First Class), Melora Hardin (The Office), and Angela Sarafyan (Westworld). 

Born and raised in Southern California, he attended film school at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. After college, he moved back to Los Angeles and began his career as a director, working on music videos, commercials, and digital shorts with an array of American and European clients. His short-form work garnered opportunities to travel the world, forging significant friendships and loyal business partners along the way.  A boyhood infatuation with genre filmmaking influences his project choices and distinct visual style to this day.  Little did he know that an obsession with pop culture’s dark side would one day fuse with his desire to promote meaningful social change through art.

Written and Produced by Matthew C. Temple
Edited by Tyen Musa
Original Theme Music by Adrian Lee

ABOUT ME
I started my career as an accidental filmmaker. I wrote a “practice script,”  hoping one day I could write one that I could sell or produce. That script became my first film, “Senses of Place,” which went on to win awards on the film festival circuit and was distributed by FilmBuff. 

I then moved to Hollywood where I eventually made nine feature films, eight documentaries, and worked with actors Carrie-Anne Moss, Melora Hardin , Zac Efron, Edi Gathegi and Angela Sarafyan in this year's Caged, and many more. I've worked with producers Kevin Costner, Bill Borden – Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola and Oscar-nominated director Mike Johnson. I have even shared the screen with Josh Brolin, Neil Patrick Harris, Kane Hodder, Naveen Andrews, and many more.

Last year, I released the documentary film, “Hardball: The Girls of Summer.” Currently, I live between California and East Africa, writing and developing new projects, while consulting on film and TV projects. 

Visit my website to see my work – or check me out on IMDb.com