Finding Home in Atlanta’s Artistic Melting Pot: A Journey with Actress-Filmmaker Lauren Lox
Atlanta’s a city of transplants. You find your home in other people who find their way here with this combination of impractical pragmatism. Trying to make it in the entertainment industry is always tricky, but Atlanta attracts a more level-headed crowd who want to do the thing.
The first time I saw Lauren Lox, she visited a friend to see if she wanted to move to Atlanta or L.A. We were at a film-making club, Kick The Ladder (KTL), where we made one-minute videos and talked about them. Hers kinda’ knocked you on your ass, to be honest. A dual performance where she trades places with herself in a home environment.
I remembered her when she ended up moving here. I meet filmmakers weekly, but Lauren’s an actress who grew into a filmmaker, and you can tell. She has a bright personality that comes through quickly when she speaks to you. She’s trying to get that Issa Rae/Phoebe Waller-Bridge route. That woman of all hats and credits where the number of hyphenates gets intimidating. You see it in her web series “Really Making It,” the project she wrote, directed, edited, starred in, and produced. (Little intimidating, right?).
The reason she made it?
“I sucked at comedy.”
At least, she thought she did at the time. So, she made a whole series because she was terrible at it. Again, her personality is very present. Not a lot of artists you run into invest years into their struggles.
Making 100 minutes of anything is challenging when working on or behind the camera. I don’t think I’d ever be willing to do both. So, I asked Lauren what the most significant thing she learned from making her web series was.
- Every actor should learn to edit. Give yourself options for the edit. You think you know what you want but don’t know it until you’re in the editing chair.
- For comedy, specifically, it’s got to move. The pacing has to move. Actors love dramatic pauses. The joke needs to land to get specific beats.
- I wasn’t sure if people would appreciate my brand of comedy. As long as you’re authentic and open, people will vibe with it. You should not try to please a general audience and step into your authenticity.
It’s on to bigger and better things for Lox. She’s working on features, pitch decks, and pilots. Web series are constantly launching steps for big dreamers and hard workers. A lot of us don’t see it through. So when you meet the ones who do, you always keep your eyes on them.
Really Making It can be found on YouTube.
