Marielle Boland
Film & creative director /
Photographer /
Video editor / Assistant
Los Angeles & New York
www.marielleboland.com
instagram @marielleboland
Q What do you do?
“I am a visual storyteller.”
I use my unique taste and style to create surreal worlds that tell a story. I am a director, film and creative, who also has an extensive training and background in production, editing, and photography.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
Getting where I am now has been a long journey with unpredictable twists and turns, more of which are sure to come. I feel pretty confident that any young creative can relate to that. I started taking film classes in high school along with photography and editing courses. Over those summers I worked for local companies and politicians to create promotional content.
After graduating, I went to UCLA’s film school where I learned how to work with filmstock, took editing classes from working professional Nancy Richardson, and learned the ins and outs of the industry. I also chose to take rigorous music industry classes taught by Jeffrey Jampol and Bruce Flohr. I had begun to direct music videos and realized there was a lot to learn. While in college, I taught a couple high school film classes and created promotional content for UCLA’s centennial year. Additionally, I interned at Atlantic Records in the video department, and after that, I interned at SixTwentySix, a production company.
I started working full-time as a production coordinator immediately after graduation. During that time, I began to direct music videos for up and coming artist, Lav, which led to me become her creative director for about a year. After working full-time, I realized I wanted to make the move to freelance. I started creative assisting Emma Westenberg, a wonderful director. I was able to learn so much from her. While assisting her, I continued my directing pursuits, and I also worked as a freelance production manager which landed me the opportunity to work on Petra Collin’s photo book, Fairytales. I started taking jobs as a BTS photographer alongside photographing Lav for her projects, reigniting my passion for the medium. I got myself onto the roster of two production companies as a director, but found that I was generating most of my work individually, so I have been working independently for the time being. And that’s where I am now! I am looking to expand my network and take more jobs.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I know that I am in an oversaturated field, but I also know that I’m one of a kind. This begins with how much knowledge I have acquired at a young age due to my drive and passion. I have such a strong training in directing as well as a full understanding of production and editing, which makes me incredibly easy to work with. I know this sounds silly, but something that sets me apart from many of my peers is my competence. When I’m hired to do a job, I am fully capable. Because of this, I am able to be confident, calm, really hear my clients, and deliver exactly what they need. I have a never ending yearning to elevate my style, learn more, and bring beauty into the world. Something that sets me apart in terms of style is that I love to mix together the unexpected. I don’t shy away from new combinations, but instead they ignite my passion. I love to make the “ugly” beautiful, using different styles to evoke strong responses from the audience with visuals that are familiar yet new and innovative.
Q What are you working on right now?
Aside from expanding my network and knowledge as always, I am working on a web series. This is a (semi)dark comedy focusing on the internalized misogyny within the female/femme community. The style is shocking, yet completely relatable. If you’re interested in learning more about it and getting involved, I’m happy to share, but I don’t want to spill all my secrets on the internet!
Q What’s your style?
Aesthetic beauty is at the forefront of everything I do. My goal is to bring that to any subject, whether or not they are conventionally so. I love dark comedies because I love finding light in darkness. What that looks like in a more tactile sense is vibrant colors, soft glows, fashion forward styling, timeless camp, and always a hint of the unexpected. For example, I recently directed a music video for a 14 year old pop singer/influencer. Her brand is innocent, but surprisingly my primary reference for the video came from Lana Del Rey’s Ride. Watching the final, a viewer would probably never make that correlation because the videos are so different, but the style was able to fit perfectly. Plain and simple, I love utilizing surrealism to bring fantasy and awe to any subject, especially those you wouldn’t expect. Some artists whose work I’m drawn to time and time again are Nadia Lee Cohen, Emma Westenberg, Mara Weinstein, Petra Collins, and Bardia Zeinali. I think much of the style I push to incorporate into all my work is encapsulated by the projects these incredible individuals consistently share with the world.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I absolutely love the opportunity to be creative, no matter what skillset or medium I’m utilizing. However, I would love to direct more fashion films. It’s an area that I haven’t had much opportunity to explore yet, but matches my taste most.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
For the past year, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to really hone my pitching skills by writing treatments for myself and others by writing an obscene amount of treatments. However, it is obviously frustrating when only a small percentage of those are greenlit, and I don’t get to see a project through. Looking forward to this next year, I’m hoping to utilize all the knowledge I’ve gained in writing stellar treatments to appeal to more of my ideal clients.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
It would be a dream come true to have an agent. I feel as though my biggest obstacle from getting the most compatible jobs for me (and more of them) is not having the connections. If I could hire someone to make my life easier, an agent would be a no brainer. Someone who could build me up to the right people would be an invaluable service to me.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
If I had a time machine, I would tell my 16 year old self to always do exactly what I want. Growing up, I was always incredibly independent, and I did a surprisingly good job doing what was right for myself, not only in the moment, but for my future. However, things shifted my junior year of high school, and I started to let others’ opinions take over. While I’m so proud of all the progress I’ve made in my life personally and professionally, I do think I would have been able to progress more quickly if I never let my self-confidence falter.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I would talk to a self-made female film director and ask her to tell me about the secrets she cracked that led to positive shifts in her professional life.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I’m looking for opportunities to direct videos for fashion brands and musical artists. I’m looking both for short-term and long-term working relationships that could include creative directing and/or photography. I am also looking for opportunities to ignite my creativity and make an extra buck by editing videos for brands’ social media.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
To me, ideal collaboration can look like so many things. At the core, however, there is always one thing in common, and that is mutual respect. As long as there is full respect for each party and the role they are playing, then we can create something special together.
Q: What is your rate?
Because I have a diverse skill set, my rates don’t fit into a neat number. However, I am happy to explore almost any budget that is attached to a great team and cool project. Don’t hesitate to reach out asking about rates in correlation to any specific project, I’ll be more than happy to elaborate! My email is marielleboland@gmail.com.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Email me with the project details, or just to introduce yourself! I’m looking to take more jobs, but also just to grow my community, so please don’t be shy.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I would recommend Iris Lee, a cinematographer. She is a magical human with so much talent it’s crazy she’s just one person. Check out her IG here!
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
I stay creative to stay alive.
This member profile was originally published in November 2021.