Voices of Survival: A Conversation with Filmmaker James Coney

Hey, friend. Welcome.

And welcome back to noseyAF. I am your host, Stephanie Graham, and today we are talking to filmmaker James Coney.Now, this conversation was recorded live just this past Saturday, Saturday, September. Oh my gosh. Saturday, October 25, 2025.And James came to the studio at Lumpin Radio, which you may or may not know, but Lumpin Radio is a art radio stat here in Chicago where I am based. And I do a live radio program there twice a month, Nosy AF Live. And it's been great. I've been learning to become like a junior producer in training.And so James came there and we talked about everything filmmaking with him, including his latest project, which we will talk about in the conversation. But as we were talking, I forgot to hit record, which is, you know, junior mistake 101. I think I did that also with the Tom Burtonwood episode.But hey, you know what? You get to see me learning in real time. And so basically I'm gonna drop us into the conversation after the theme music, of course.But what I wanted to. I wanted to quickly catch you up on what you might have missed.So when we were talking James, his production company is called Joyful Rebellion Films. And one of the things I asked him, I was like, hey, where'd you get that name from?And he told me he got it from a rapper based outta Canada named Chaos. Okay. And so me being the reality show buff that I am, I immediately thought that Chaos was a part of love and hip hop, but he was not.I was thinking of a consequence. So you know, that's just that. But let's get into the theme music and let's get into this conversation with James Coney. I am so happy you are here.

Welcome to Music Afraid.

Gotta get up, get up to the whole world. You will win a winner vision of a star with a mission in the cause. What you doing, how you doing, what you doing and who you are?Flex yourself and press yourself Check yourself, don't wreck yourself. If you know me then you know that I be knowing what's up. Hey, Stephanie, Graham is nosy.

Yes. And one quick thing about Chaos. Was he on love and hip hop? Do you know?

I do not know.

Okay, okay.

There's like a rapper with a name similar who you know, on that reality show, they show so many different folks who've like been in the game a long time.

I don't think so.

Okay.

I mean, maybe not. There may have been someone. Maybe Chaos. Maybe it's spelled a different way because for Chaos, his name is K. Os.

Oh, okay. No, no, no. I don't think I remember seeing that.

Okay. Yeah, I don't think he has. It doesn't seem like that would be something that he will be. That's not really necessarily his vibe.Yeah, I don't think so. Yeah, I don't think he has.

Yeah, okay. I don't think so either. Now that you said how to spell how you spelled his name, I was like, wait a minute.

Yeah, he's. Yeah.

Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. So, yeah, you know, I think that that's good.And maybe a trigger warning, guys, we might, you know, we're going to speak about mental health. Sorry, I should have prefaced that. Yeah, we'll talk about mental health, which is like a theme in James's work, as well as assault.I don't know if that's a bad word to say, but that's just it. Just so you all know. You know, I think that it's good to, like, talk about those things.Like, it feels like mental health has like, been such, like, a leading topic for the past few years.

Absolutely.

So I wonder, like, if you felt, you know, it's more urgent than ever now to, like, sort of dispel these stereotypes and.

Yeah, I think that it was a very fortunate. A very fortunate coincidence from when I. From where my latest film, like the Birth of it and where it came from.Cause it wasn't something that I originally, like, planned to do or said that this is something I'm gonna do and make this type of film. I happened to.Many years ago, I was searching online and I happened to see an article about a young man who had just been convicted of sexual assault. His name was Brock Turner. And the young woman, she was still anonymous at the time. She was anonymous, she was going by Emily Doe.Her victim impact statement was released online so people could view it and read what she had to say at his sentencing hearing. And it broke my heart, what she had gone through. But at least I was like, okay, he did get convicted. But I'm like, let me see what she had to say.Because I felt it was important to see what she had to say about this. And I thought that I would maybe read a few sentences, maybe a paragraph, just to kind of get an idea.But her statement was about maybe 11 plus pages. And I ended up reading the entire thing. Yeah, I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't planning on that. But I was so pulled in by what she had to say.It was one of the most powerful things I had ever read. I felt so Many different things. I felt rage as far as what happened to her, but also how the justice system treated her.Anger against, of course, Brock Turner, and then just heartache and just pain from what she had to go through. The incident itself, but also the aftermath and how that affected her entire life and how she had to make adjustments with her life.And then, of course, the trial, the aftermath of the trial, all those things. And it just. She. I don't.I think she showed more strength than I feel I could ever muster in my entire life to even just put that statement together, to say those words. And it really impacted me in a significant way. And I feel that for far too long, the trigger warning here.The rape culture in our country has been so overwhelming for so long, and rape and sexual assault victims don't really have the voice like they should, and they don't receive justice like they should at all.And I think one of the hardest things, too, was me realizing that even when she even got the conviction, it was still just a slap on the wrist and a slap in the face because he only got sentenced to six months in jail.

Oh, my God.

Yeah, exactly. He only served three of those six months.

Wow.

So when I read her statement, I felt that as many people as possible should hear what she had to say. It was very, very important, because to me, people don't understand what rape and sexual assault victims truly go through.And I know we've seen films and TV shows that broach the subject, but a lot of times, we really don't understand personal experiences because our society is so majorly built around not believing survivors initially. It's always about, they must be making it up to get attention. They must be trying to ruin the life of the man they're accusing.That's always the first focus. And it's like. And that's been going on for so long. We've seen that in countless films and shows for many, many years where the focus is not on, like.

The impact statement.

The impact. And also just overall, just not. Not even. I'm sorry, it's just. It's a lot to think about.But the overall main thing is not even working to stop it in the first place. Yeah, prevention should be number one.But also it's like, well, what are we doing to make sure that people who are assaulted do receive justice and do receive, you know, fair trials? All those types of things do have support. Yeah, support is huge. Someone to talk to, someone that believes and that listens to them. And I said that.I felt that Chanel. Oh, well, eventually, she came out and revealed her identity. Her name is Chanel Miller.And I felt that the support and love she showed to other survivors as well, I thought that was important, too, because after all she had been through, she was still saying that she was there for others. It's like, I believe you. I'm here for you. You're not alone. You have support. And I thought that was a very important message.And I said, well, what is one of the best ways to truly show not just how powerful her words are and how impactful they are, but how can we fully understand that this is something that affects so many different people across the spectrum?And, of course, men and women are affected, but unfortunately, the majority of rape and sexual assault cases, women are the victims, and they are the survivors. And I felt that with this film, it would work really well to have many different actresses say different parts of her statement.

Yeah, I wanted to bring that up.

Yeah, I'm sorry. Go ahead.

Yeah, no, because you were saying that.

In this film, there are no words that we've been talking about. You really made, like, a powerful choice to have 35 actresses embody one woman's voice and continue on, like, what decision?

You know, what did that mean to.

You to have, like, you know, that many women and even, like, as a filmmaker direct that many women? Yes, yes.

It was definitely. The scope was definitely a challenge.I mean, it was an honor and privilege to work with every single cast and crew member, especially all those amazing actresses.But the decision behind that was I wanted people to truly understand how this affects so many different women, because a lot of times we hear about this and we don't really understand how this is, as I said before, across the spectrum, where women from all walks of life could be subject to a potential assault or rape and could potentially. And the survivors that do exist out there don't really receive the justice that they deserve.And there are so many out there that we are not aware are even survivors. Unfortunately, we have created such a system to where they don't feel comfortable even talking about it to anyone. They keep it to themselves.And it's heartbreaking to know that. And that's one of the things that throughout this process of getting the film made, that reminded me about why I was doing it, because I was.Even had several people reveal to me that they were survivors themselves when I was trying to form cast and crew and talk about this film to get it made. And so finding that out more and more, including one person who. Who told me that they hadn't even told their spouse yet.And they told me about it when I told them about what I was trying to do. And I'm like, okay, I'm making this film for people like that as well.Because they don't feel they have a space to be able to even just speak about it or seek justice or do something. And, you know, survivors deserve so much better from us.

Absolutely. Yes, absolutely.

And I wanted them to see this film and say, oh, there's so many other people that unfortunately, they're going through what I'm going through. But there are people there that, you know, if I choose to speak, I have someone there that does believe me that I can confide in that.Even if I may not choose to press charges, I at least know that I am. I'm not alone.

Yeah.

And that's what inspired me to have so many different actresses say different parts of her statement so that people could actually see that how this can affect so many different types of people.

Right. And you've been screening the film, right?

Yes, I've been very fortunate.

Yeah.

I had my. The. The world premiere was at Logan Theater in Chicago.

Okay. How was that?

It was one of the best nights of my life. And I was so happy for my cast and crew. Cause they had worked so hard and sacrificed so much and did an absolutely brilliant job in every, every way.So seeing that all come together and then to hear the audience's reaction and get the feedback I got, it was a truly special night. So I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Yeah. Did you wear a tuxedo? Yeah.

Oh, no. Well, I definitely wore a suit.

Okay.

Definitely. Yeah.Actually, I've been fortunate to have a few screenings, including a couple of film festivals, which I'm grateful for, which had been an extraordinary experience. But, yeah, every time I, you know, I have to. I have to be. Be at my best. So I gotta make sure I get that. That. That shirt and tie out and that jacket.No, no, no doubt about it.

Yeah, That's. That's really. You know, I'm so curious. Like, when you're working with something with a subject matter that is as heavy as this.

Yeah.

How do you, like, approach it? Maybe even on set where, you know, you're dealing with these, like, this heavy topic, then you might call cut.And, you know, like, just as crew people, folks might just be, like, shooting the breeze, having fun on set, and then like to check back into, like, taking another take of something so heavy. Like, what's that balance? Like, does that make sense?

It makes perfect sense. And that's an excellent question. And that's something that I thought about even before I officially started pre production.And one very important conscious decision I made was that I wanted my entire crew to be entirely women. And the reason I made that decision was because I knew that I was a man utilizing a woman's voice. Like, you know, this is Chanel Miller's story.These are her words. And regardless of my good intentions, you know, there are still things that I may not see that I need to see. There might be things that I may miss.And I wanted to make sure I had that perspective there that I may not have myself. So I want to hold myself accountable.And thankfully, that turned out to be even better than I had hoped for because I got so much insight through the production process before we started even about, hey, it may be good to approach it this way. Because of this. I had an example of one of my PAs, a phenomenal woman. She had recommended that.It's like, think about how you portray what is being talked about. It's like, you don't need any. You don't need to have any reenactments. You know, you don't want to let the words speak for themselves.So we made that decision as far as, you know, showing different areas and things that are happening, but not, you know, it doesn't need to be too graphic to be impactful.And then during the actual shoot, we really focused on allowing people to breathe and having their time in between takes and truly having the right mindset of respecting not just Chanel Wirtz, but respecting our actresses, giving them space to breathe, listening to them. And my crew was phenomenal as far as fully understanding that before we even stepped foot on set the first day, we were all on the same page.It's like, hey, we know we love film. We know we love to have fun shooting.It's like, but let's have a good time and still be cognizant of not just what we're shooting, but who we're working with and what these actresses, the kind of mindset they have to put themselves in to be able to deliver these words, knowing where they came from and knowing that they're real. It's not just a script that somebody wrote. This is, like, real. Yeah. This is a woman's real life experience, and we have to be careful of that.I mean, even I had a couple of actresses who only had a few takes in them because of that. They're like, it's so hard to go to that place.

And.

And I chose to be Mindful of that at all times. And I got good feedback.And the crew and the actresses told me that they appreciated the level I went to to make sure that everybody was okay after every single take and to truly check on them personally, not just the professional aspect.

Yeah, no talking about Housewives are loving hip hop and the break.

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

Oh, my gosh.

So was it like a.

Did you have a large crew or was it like a small crew?

It was a small crew, but they. It felt large because they did so much and they were so helpful. My PAs, they were all phenomenal.And then my cinematographer and the grip and gaffer, hair and makeup, they were phenomenal too. It wasn't too overwhelming to where we had like a ton of people everywhere.It was a very small crew, but everybody contributed so much that made it go very, very, very smooth, and I was grateful for that.

Did you all shoot, like, how many days did everybody. Did you film?

It was four total days.

Okay.

So we shot one weekend Saturday and Sunday. The next weekend we shot Saturday and Sunday.

Okay, that's nice. Yeah, yeah.

But it was the. One of the biggest hurdles was that we actually were supposed to shoot a lot sooner. So back in 2020, I had been working for.For a while to get everything set and ready to shoot. And then In February of 2020, I had officially set our shoot, our shooting and production schedule for May of 2020. And I was excited.Everybody was excited. We were happy. We were like, okay, cool, this is coming to life. We're gonna be able to shoot. And then literally three weeks later, a pandemic started.

Right, right.

And I was in such disbelief. Cause I'm like, this is something that. Who is going to anticipate that a pandemic's gonna start? Yeah.

You're like, I got a film I gotta do here. Okay.

Something that literally hadn't happened in over a century in our country that no one saw coming. And obviously I was heartbroken. We had to cancel the shoot.And then it took almost two years for us to be able to come back again so it could be safe enough to be able to shoot. And of course, they had to rebook everything, so.

Yeah.

But this meant a lot to me, so I wanted to do everything I could to. To make it happen. So thankfully, four days, we were able to get it done.We had to make some adjustments because some last minute, some actresses weren't available, so had to get creative. And I had a great team that gave me some great ideas.So we shot a lot of record, a lot of voiceovers of other dialogue to be able to utilize since certain people weren't able to, which is life. We just have to be able to adapt.And I'm so grateful that everyone that was there was just so supportive and worked so hard and sacrificed so much and it would be impossible to have done this without my amazing cast and crew.

Yeah. Who was your dp? What's their name? Let's shout them out.

Oh, Jessica Toliver. Oh my gosh, she is brilliant. She is phenomenal. I first met her many years ago. Well, let me see. I think it was about maybe 12, at least 12 years ago.

Based in Chicago. Are they based in Chicago?

Yes, yes, Jessica's based in Chicago. She's a brilliant dp. She does brilliant work all the time.So if anyone's looking for an extraordinary dp, Jessica Toliver is definitely the way to go. I can't recommend her enough. Not just brilliant at what she does, but she's able to adapt.She's able to really see things in a truly unique, unique way and really bring to life what your vision is. So, couldn't say enough great things about her.

Oh, that's awesome.

Absolutely extraordinary.

Let's take a quick break and then we will be right back with James Coney.

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WLPNLP Chicago 105.5 FM Lumpin Radio it is your friend Stephanie and we are here with James Coney. So before the break we were talking about James's new film. There are no words.And, you know, James, one of the things that I wanted to bring up about your film or your company, Joyful Rebellion, is the slogan, let your inner voice become your outer art. Right, that's it. Yes.

How does that idea guide, like, the.

Way you use film as a form of activism or empathy? Do you even see it that way?

No, actually, I do. I thought you stated that beautifully. No surprise. I. I know for years I had always.Not just had a love for film, but I know I always had a voice and things that I wanted to express, things that I wanted people to hear from me. And I understood that I needed to find a way to properly express what I was feeling on the inside.And because I grew up seeing that done so well by so many different artists that I admired. And I'm just like, oh, wow, they're really letting their insides speak in such a beautiful and powerful and impactful way.And I'm like, I want to do that, too. And I feel that everyone should do that if somebody wants to express themselves.I think that whatever your art may be in particular, there's obviously endless types of art in this world. And I think that everyone has an important voice that has something that can be shared if they choose to share it.And it's just a matter of just all that's going on inside of you, all that you're feeling and you're thinking and your vision of the world and how you see yourself and how you see others and the stories that you have inside, bringing that to life and bringing that out and expressing that and sharing that with others in a way that makes you feel right at home and really pulls your audience in, I think is one of the most extraordinary things that someone can do.

Yeah. You know, I was listening to. I love listening to artists and, like, filmmakers speak about their work.And I can't remember now who said it, but there was. They spoke about, like, you know, to do your own art, you have to do the, like, inner work. And so that resonated with me, with inner voice.Like, what's your inner work? You know, the inner work that you.

Have to do, you know, even for yourself.

Like, even if it's just going to therapy, making work, making your art no matter what, because it is just, like, a part of who you are on the inside. And so I really like your slogan because of that.Cause I'm like, yes, that's such a great reminder for me to be able to share what I'm thinking and the things that I'm dealing with and the topics that I'm interested in and then put it out into the world.

Could not agree more. Yeah, I'm with you 100%.And I think that art can like that expression, that working on yourself and really finding your voice and embracing your voice and figuring out how to make it the strongest. I think everyone has a strong voice.It's just a matter of how do you get to the place where you feel whole with what your voice actually is to your point. And finding a way to get to that point is an important journey.And honestly, I think also that art can be expressive of that journey as well, you know, because unfortunately, you know, people can be broken or people can be, you know, disheveled and not really have things together. And it's like, well, what do they love that can help them get through that or help them figure things out for themselves?And a lot of times for many people, that is art. It could be drawing, it could be painting, it could be poetry, it could be filmmaking in this case.

But. I don't know, I was gonna say filmmaking. You always have to have other people though. I'm really. Have you ever made a film by yourself? I'm trying.I feel like I have, but I'm in this like zone right now where I'm interested in pursuing just like solo filmmaking, just like by myself.

Ah, like a one person crew type thing?

I think so.

Cause I feel like I'll like, you know, you always have to like with filmmaking, it's so collaborative, so you have to wait for like other people and like merge all these schedules. And I'm just like, what can I just do, you know, by myself, you know, I've had enough of this, you know.

Well, I mean you're, you could not be more correct that it does take a village. I know when I was a kid I would see all those credits and I'm like, wow, this is so. This is like so many people to make this one film.And then once I got into it, I understood like, oh, okay, I get it now. I understand why it takes so many people to make a piece of art such as a film.

I.

When I went to my school and, you know, I was doing my bachelor's program in film school, you know, of course, as you obviously know, you know, did a lot of one person films, you know, doing it myself, you know, everything. And while that was a great experience and I loved creating, I loved. Which was good. I loved what I actually put out.While I was at school, I also learned that I felt that it was great to have People that I could trust and work with to help do even more with even my own vision. It's like, let's work together. Will you help me bring this particular vision I have to life?And I'm at the point now where I, you know, I may have the desire and I have the experience of doing everything. And I've loved that when I've had the opportunity to do that.But I know there are so many people that are so brilliant at different aspects of filmmaking. And I feel so. Just for me personally, I feel so at home saying, I know you're brilliant at shooting.You know, I know you're brilliant at setting things up. I know you're brilliant at making sure this set is the way I need it to be. I know you're brilliant at doing sound.It's like, you know, I'm trusting to have those brilliant people support, you know, my vision. And I'm there to support theirs too. There's nothing more exciting for me than to help out another filmmaker, too.And, I mean, yeah, I may direct, but I also love to be on set in general. So if I have another friend that's a director that's working on a film and they need help, I'm there for them.Even just the pa. Yeah, I'm perfectly fine with that because I love supporting other filmmakers and I just love being on set. I mean, I still remember, like, the moment where I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker for the rest of my life.

Oh, yeah? When was that?

I still vividly remember. It was when I was at school. Can I say the school?

Yeah, go ahead. Yeah.

Shout out to Columbia College, Chicago. The best school experience of my life. By far the best school experience of my life. It was my second production class, so Production two.

And.

We had our first project of the semester there and went out with a friend of mine. We're supposed to go out and shoot something, so we had to go outside. We had our old Bolex cameras.I didn't realize when I first started there, like, wow. We're actually doing literal film cameras and cutting with razor blades, splicing and all this stuff. So it was fascinating. It was amazing.I was so happy to get into it. But that day, we're gonna shoot our first film outside. For that semester, it was, like, in, like, the low 50s.It was overcast, it was drizzling outside. It wasn't ideal weather at all, you know, especially to be outside trying to shoot something.But me and my friend went out there and despite the miserable conditions I was having, the time of my life. I was so happy. I was so excited. I loved every single thing I was doing out there. It did not matter about the weather.It didn't matter about the clouds. Didn't matter that I was freezing. I didn't care. And I was like, in that moment during that shoot, I was like, yes, I want to do this.For as long as I am physically and mentally able to do it, I want to make films. That's when I knew it. I'll never forget that at that shoot, in that moment. And I couldn't have been happier with where I was.And I said, I want this feeling for the rest of my life.

Yes.

Yeah, it is magical. It is movie magic, you know? Yeah. You know, thinking back, going back to There are no words.

Yes.

Chanel Miller.

Yes.

Has she seen this film, your film?

To my knowledge, she has not.

Okay.

I have not been able to connect with her yet. I do follow her on social media. She's doing a lot of amazing things. I can't speak highly enough about her, not just for inspiring this film.That means a lot to me, but also just her strength and resilience and the fact that she decided to have a tremendously positive impact on so many other people in her life and traveled. So she's written several books.

Oh, okay.

She's made many appearances and signed her books and talked to other people, and she is just a vocal presence out in public when no one would have blamed her if she chose not to do that. Because like I said originally, when I first saw that article all those years ago, she was Emily Doe. She was totally anonymous. Nobody knew her name.That wasn't revealed to the public, but she decided to come forward and say, hey, I am Chanel Miller. This is who I am. And that took courage that I couldn't even fathom. And, yeah, me either. Yes.And she wrote a book originally, and then she has written several other books. She has another book coming out early next year that I already pre ordered for.And my biggest goal on that is to one day have her know that I made this film. And hopefully she would want to see it. And hopefully I just want her to, at the very least just be okay with what I chose to do with her.Phenomenal words. You know, I don't need her to love it or think it's the best thing ever, but just to at least to feel okay with it would mean the world to me.And, you know, hopefully one day I even get a chance to potentially meet her.

Yeah, that'd be great.

So but yeah, I can't say enough great things about her. But she, as of to my knowledge, she has not seen it yet. But I certainly hope she does one day.

Me too.

Yes.

When audiences watch, there are no words. What do you hope they feel or maybe even start talking about afterward?

One of the biggest things is I want them to really feel and empathize for rape and sexual assault survivors to finally say, okay, I have a better understanding of what they truly go through and I need to be more conscious of how I approach the issue moving forward.I really want people to take the same steps that I took myself as far as accountability for, you know, what kind of environment we build for survivors. Because the sad truth, like I said before, there are so many survivors out there that we don't know that they are survivors.So we could be speaking to somebody making light of sexual assault or we could be making light of rape. And even if it's unintentional, we have to be conscious of that because they could be a survivor you're talking to and you don't know it, period.And unfortunately, that's the truth. Most people have talked to survivors and they don't even realize it. I know I have.And like I said, through the production process, I talked to several who I did not know were survivors. They told me when I told them about this project.So for viewers to come away and say, I need to rethink how I support survivors and discuss these issues and I want to be a safe place for survivors to talk because sometimes all they need is at least just one person to be there for them because they may want to say something, they may want to speak. If they choose not to, that's 100% their choice. But if they choose to speak, saying, oh, my friend is actually going to be there for me to listen.My family member, mother, sibling, cousin, just taken away, knowing that there are survivors out there and that we can all make a difference, to support them in some way. That's one of the biggest things I really wanted people to take away from it when they saw this film.

You know, you've mentioned or hinted somewhere I've seen that this, like inspired a feature length documentary. How long is There are no words?

First of all, it's 42 minutes.

Oh, is that feature length? Does that like, go in the feature world?

But here's the one thing I learned a lot about, especially with all the film festival submissions, is that it depends on, you know, whatever, wherever you're putting your work. It depends because in some places I've seen it's like the 40 minute mark.It's like less than 40, it's short, more than 40, it's feature or sometimes it's like 50 or more is feature. So it's really, it's like right in the middle. Depending on who you know.I know for, for most, most people I've seen, it's, it's, it's considered a feature.

Yeah.

But in a lot of places, spaces too is still considered a short. So it's. Yeah, it's like, it's like.

Right, because I was gonna say, wait, did this like. Or has this inspired a feature length film, but 40 minutes, that to me that feels featured.

Yeah, no, no, yeah, no, I, I understand. It's like right there on the line and I.

Especially when like film festivals, sometimes they like you'll go to a shorts program and there's like 5 minute, 10 minute, 15 minutes. So then if there's very true, like I know y' all not about to put a 40 minute film in a shorts program.

So I actually, you know, that's an excellent point. And to that point, actually, yes, in the last festival I was in, I was so grateful to go. It was actually in Paris.

Okay, fine.

And yes, it was unforgivable experience. I'd never been there before. I was thankfully able to find a way to be able to go there. And the category I was in was for short films. Short. Yeah.So like I said, in many places it will qualify as a short. In many places it qualify as a feature. So when I've submitted to festivals, I submitted for both.Yeah, like some festivals I would submit it as a short film, some I would submit it as a feature film. And some of them had a gap to where I wouldn't qualify for either. It'll be like, oh, well, up to 30 is from 5 minutes to 30 minutes are our shorts.Then from 50 and over are our features. So I'm just kind of like out of luck for that particular one. So.

Yeah, that's wrong. That's wrong.

Yeah.It's something I'm definitely keeping in the back of my mind for future films to be aware of the running time because honestly, this film could have been a lot longer. It's not every single part of her victim impact statement, but I was very conscious of what parts I decided to choose. It's maybe about 75% of it.

Okay.

And. Cause some parts she kind of, she had said things more than once.And then of course I talked to my crew and they gave me great insight as far as you know, what will be the most impactful way to tell the story. But still, everything you hear are still her exact words. It's just. It's just trimmed down some. So certain. A couple paragraphs here and there.So it potentially. It probably could have been over an hour.

Yeah.

If I included her entire statement.

Yeah.

Now, from the first time I read that article to pre production to production to post production, I received so much feedback, encouraging feedback, and so much insight. And it also really helped me think about how more I can be of an ally to the survivor community.And one of the things that I thought would be important would be I felt that I still wanted to explore this more, but I'm like, how can I have another approach to this very serious topic that deals with maybe a different aspect of it? And I was inspired to say, well, we know Chanel's amazing story and what all she went through, and I want.I think audiences should know about what does the healing journey look like for survivors?

Yeah.

What does that look like? Because it looks obviously different for many different people. But it's like sometimes people.People don't truly understand what that journey looks like after something so traumatic and so damaging has happened. It's like, where do they go from there? And what does that journey look like?And I felt it would be powerful to explore survivors that utilize art as a channel for their healing journey in any type of art, whether they love to dance or to write or to sing, any type of art you can imagine, like modeling.Are there survivors that have utilized art as a channel for their healing journey to help them move forward and help them maybe piece themselves back together, help them express themselves?And I felt it'd be good to, say, talk to several different survivors and document their healing journey, because I think that that journey is extremely important for people to truly to see and to understand and to hear what that is like. It's like after the pieces have all fallen apart, how do you put that back together? What does that really look like?And have those survivors tell the story in their own way, even through their art.

Yeah.

You know, because they're choosing to express themselves. And I'm like, well, let's see what their journey is like and how they choose to express it on their terms and.And seeing directly from them what this looks like for them. And I felt that it would be very important to document something like that.So several months ago, after hearing more and more feedback, I'm like, I want to do more. I need to do more.And I feel that sharing healing Journeys, I thought would be something very, very powerful for audiences and something that could impact them as much as my previous film, but in a different way, if that makes sense.

Yeah, I feel like Survivor Festival or something could be cool. It'd be interesting, you know, because we have listeners who will be like, oh, I want to be a filmmaker too.You know, as we're closing up, because I do want to make sure that they get their advice because I'm sure they'd be like, you know what, this is all very good, but I want to be a filmmaker too.

I love that.

If you don't mind.

I hope so. That'd be cool.

If you don't mind a quick pivot.I know it's like it's 2:52 and we're closing soon, but if you had just some ideas, advice you can give to aspiring filmmakers who want to create meaningful work but feel held back because, I don't know, you know, sometimes the film world could be sort of like gatekeepy, you know, that's why I think it's so great that you, like, are making independent films. And, you know, the past few times that I've been on Lumpin, it's been, you know, independent filmmakers or film appreciators.So I just wondered if you could just cook on some advice.

I'd love to. Thank you.I think one of the most important things is if that's something you want to do, even if to your point earlier, you have to do everything yourself, find a way to at least make something. There are ways to get out there and make things happen, decide what you want to make.And I think one of the biggest things too is there are ways to even shoot things that are reasonable as far as budget. One of the biggest things is understandable. It's like, how am I gonna pay to shoot something?How am I gonna find these locations and get these people together? Well, the good thing is there are a lot of places that allow you to shoot for free.There are, you know, even to this day, like most people have cell phones now and a lot of them have video recording on their phones. You can shoot from your phone. If you don't have a professional camera, it records audio as well.There are a lot of things you could do on your own just to do something. Just to do something. It could be a 2 minute, 3 minute, 5 minute short.You know, there's no limit to how many small things you could do that will add up to something. And I encourage there's so many great filmmakers already out there and there's so many great filmmakers that are ready to get out there.

Yes.

And to me, it's like, don't let those things stop you as far as saying, oh, I need this, I need that, and I need this. No, you have your vision, you have what you want to do.Write those stories down, get those scripts typed up, and work on things now that, you know you will be able to shoot. Because obviously, everybody will have a vision for something that might cost 50, 70, $100,000 or way more even. It might cost $1,000.

Right. But shoot 500, 125.

Exactly. But, you know, do you also have stories like, hey, if I want to make something, what kind of story can I tell where it would cost me 50 bucks?Yeah, literally $50. Like, I could save 50 bucks. I could actually shoot this because I had this location. I have one actor or actress. It's a very brief thing.Let me do that and then go from there. And also feel network, network, network, network.I spent many, many, many years building a strong network, not just through my colleagues and places I've worked, but also just taking the time to connect with other people. And that are aspiring filmmakers just like you, or even more established ones. You know, learn from them, connect with them, support them.Because to me, one of the biggest things about being a filmmaker is that when you take the time to support other ones, that support comes back to you.

Yeah.

So the more you do that, the more you get out there and say, hey, I'll help out on your set. Hey, you know, I could. I could pa. Sure. Hey, you want some support for that? Sure, I can do that. Hey, let's connect. Let's talk.How can I help you with what you need?Then when it comes time for you to try to do something, those same people you've connected with and you've grown with, and they're not just colleagues, but they're also friends. Like, hey, can you help me out with this real quick? I just need this one little thing that'd be really helpful.They'll be willing to support you the same way you've supported them. So that support structure is important. And then just finding a way to shoot something that is as micro budget as possible.And the more and more you do that, the support will come, the funds will come, and then you'll be able to build and grow and build and grow.

What do you think about folks that, like, make reels and tiktoks? I feel like they're filmmakers.

I could not agree more.

Yeah, and some of that stuff I'm.

Super impressed with, like, it is quite extraordinary. Yeah, I love to see it. It takes so much effort and work, and they are really just utilizing art in a beautiful new way.I couldn't say enough great things about that. And I would encourage those people who were doing that to not just keep doing it, but keep building and keep growing. Keep doing it.You're doing phenomenal. I absolutely love it.And that's another way, to your point, those other young people, those younger, newer filmmakers are trying to figure out what to do.A lot of times that social media content and those things online, you can make something really special that you could post on there, that can start building and growing your audience by doing something that means a lot to you, you can still stay true to yourself, true to your voice, and post those things. Put that together, and that can have a huge impact. And that only leads to more.

James Coney, thank you so much for all your wisdom. Where can folks find out more about you?

Well, I'm truly grateful to be here. I could not be more excited for this opportunity. So thank you. Thank you, thank you.

I feel like we can have you on again to talk about so much. Like, we just talked about the one film, but I feel like I have talked about this.

I would love to come back. If I'm ever invited, I am here. No question about it.But for more information, you can reach out to me on many different platforms, but you look for Joyful Rebellion. I have a website, joyfulrebellionfilms.com, but you can also find Joyful Rebellion films on Facebook, on Instagram, on my handle on.I know it's officially called X, but I still call it Twitter.

Right.

Keep it real. Joyful Rebel film. I'm even also on bluesky threads. You can even find me on LinkedIn as well under my name, James Coney.But, yeah, you can find me on all social media. Just put in Joyful Rebellion films and you definitely will find me. And I hope you seek me out.I hope you want to see my work and hopefully eventually, maybe work with me, too. And if you have questions about filmmaking or anything in the film world, I'm here for you. 100%.

Yeah. And thanks so much for making There Are no Words. I mean, what a powerful project. Seriously.Thank you so much, especially coming from being a gentleman, you know, that's really cool.

Thank you. It means everything to me to hear that because honestly, that's what I was hoping. I was hoping people would be impacted by it in a good way.So I'M grateful.

Yeah. Thanks so much. And thank you, listener, for rocking with us today. This is Lumpin Radio, and I'm Stephanie Graham, and we will see you next time.Say bye, James.

Bye, everybody.

This has been another episode of noseyAF. I'm your host, Stephanie Graham. What did you think about today's conversation? I would love to hear your thoughts.Head over to the Nosy AF website for all the show notes related to this episode. Episode. You can also find me on Instagram at Stephanie Graham, what would you know?Or online@missagram.com where you can sign up for my newsletter, where I share exclusive updates about my studio practice as well as the podcast. Until next time, y' all stay curious and take care.

Bye.