As you might have been able to tell by my previous article about my must-see movie list for 2023, the film industry is something that I take a particular interest in. While long movies are thoroughly entertaining, there has always been something so captivating about short films to me. With the rise of TikTok, there is no shortage of short videos. However, short films seem to be more creative, visually pleasing, and cinematic than regular video uploads on the entertainment app.
As I was looking for short films from new creators on TikTok, I stumbled across an amazing rising short film cinematographer. With 142.8K (and growing) followers on TikTok, Beatrice Harrods, a 26-year-old filmmaker from Spain, writes, produces and edits all of her fascinating and beautifully executed videos. With multiple videos reaching over a million views and the rest not far behind, Beatrice sheds light on important issues as well as the relatable personal obstacles she faces by turning her emotions into visual art. After watching these videos, I knew I needed to reach out to Beatrice to see if she would be interested in doing an interview for Her Campus. Lucky for us, she was! Here is my Q&A with the rising short film cinematographer who does it all: Beatrice Harrods.
Her Campus (HC): How did you become interested in short film? What led you to want to pursue making cinematographic pieces?
Beatrice Harrods (BH): Since I was a kid, I’ve always been interested in telling stories. When I was very little, I thought I wanted to be a writer, and it was more in my teens when I discovered film and everything I could do with that. It was a difficult time in my life, and the movies helped me a lot, so I thought I wanted to do the same for other people. So, for as long as I can remember, I’ve been trying to dedicate my life to this. Short film is a good way to do it when you’re just getting started. It’s a very difficult industry to get into, so the only thing you can do is to try to do the best you can with the resources you have and the platforms you have access to.
HC: Do you write and produce your own films? What has been the biggest challenge in doing so?
BH: Yes, I do the whole process by myself from writing the script to editing the final video, especially in the videos I do for TikTok. In bigger projects, I always count on the help of other people. It’s good to work with more people. Working alone seems like it can be easy because you already have all the instructions in your head, but it can become very complicated depending on the video – after all, you only have two arms and a couple of tripods. In the videos I do for TikTok, I’m also the actress, so having everything under control around you and concentrating on acting causes a lot of headaches.
HC: What video/short film is your favorite that you have done to date and why?
BH: It is very difficult for me to choose which of my videos or short films is my favorite, because some of them I like more for the editing, others for the photography and others for the script. Maybe in TikTok, I would choose this video about going back to the past because I feel it is one of the most personal and deepest I have done so far. I think it is one of the videos in which I am more myself.
As a longer project, I think I would choose Fregoli because it was my first short film. It was my college final project, and it was the first time I did something so big. It was a challenge to work with more people and with strangers. It was a very hard but very rewarding experience, and I think that the person I am today owed a lot to who I was when I made that short film.
HC: How do you come up with an idea for a film?
BH: It is never the same. Sometimes I feel inspired by a song and the images or the general feeling and atmosphere come from me. Other times it’s provoked by images I’ve seen or situations I’ve experienced or empathized with. Many times they are also dreams I’ve had. I like to sleep with something close to me to write ideas down; I wake up and write it down, and the next day sometimes it doesn’t make sense. I think that’s how stories come about, little by little and without sense – they simply arise as a coincidence and are built over time.
HC: What advice do you have for young women in the film industry today?
BH: I’m not someone who can give advice about the film industry because I’m starting out in this too, but I would give them some advice as someone who is trying. You are probably very afraid of being judged or not being taken seriously. You might be waiting to get better to then show your work and share your ideas with the world. You have to know that if you are a woman, all the steps are going to be slower, so you have to start now. No one is going to judge you as much as you judge yourself, so don’t let time pass and do it now. You can only get better by creating and making mistakes. I know how difficult it can be, but do not compare your journey with others – each person has their own path, so build yours among all the barriers that society has prepared for you and show them what you can do. The industry needs more women like you!
HC: Are there any other comments you would like to make that I did not cover? Any topics that you care about that can be amplified through this article platform?
BH: Yes, I think all of us need to be more conscious of how we consume content. It’s ironic that I say this because I currently make videos that are only a few seconds long for the app where the shortest videos are consumed every day. I really worry about the immediacy we’ve become accustomed to, and I feel this is not only due to social media but streaming platforms, where we can watch the entire season of a series in just one night and get annoyed that the next season doesn’t come out until two years later. We all do it, and that fast way of consuming will inevitably affect the way we produce. Sometimes, you have to take as long as it takes to create something and enjoy that process while learning from it. I feel like now if you’re not posting something new every day you just don’t exist. I hate that feeling because it affects the quality of the content and also its lifetime. Audiovisual creations last less and less in time, and it’s quite sad.
I wanted to thank Beatrice for taking the time to speak with me and share her creative process. If you are interested in seeing more content from Beatrice Harrods, her TikTok is @beatriceharrods and her Instagram is @beatriceharrods.
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