‘Valley Daze’ puts the Valley front and center
Photo courtesy of Ty Colter
We all have stories to tell, but something truly beautiful happens when someone follows the urge to bring those stories to the big screen for audiences to connect with.
I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere of “Valley Daze” at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles. It’s always nice to watch a great film, but to witness the passion and excitement of those who made it — incredible.
“Valley Daze” is a story about young rebellion, struggle and the reality of growing up in the San Fernando Valley, created by a group of young filmmakers who call it their hometown.
Writing, producing and financing the project on their own from the ground up, creators Jocelynn Catt and Genu Lee were inspired by personal and shared experiences to create a relatable story for young audiences.
“We, as doers, haven’t had the opportunity to witness stories about ourselves, told by ourselves,” said Catt. “I wanted to bring you all the people and the community and the diversity of this place that I love.”
The two brought in Marco Bizio to direct the pilot after meeting him the summer they began writing the script.
“We said, ‘Hey, we have this idea called Valley Daze. It’s a time loop episode that represents what we went through growing up,’” said Lee.
Though Catt and Lee were the main writers on the project, they stressed how much collaboration the project entailed.
“Marco was in there, we had some of the actors in there. We all just threw out ideas and stories, and legends and myths of the Valley and mixed it into this one thing,” said Lee.
Regardless of technical role — director, cast, grip, etc, — there was hustle coming from everyone to continuously help elevate the project in any way they could. One of the lead actors, Anahi Valenzuela, mentioned that she helped with costume design by crocheting pieces of clothing herself.
“The most important thing I learned is (that) greatness is the agency upon it,” said Lee.
Photo courtesy of Elyssa Ruiz
The originality of the “Valley Daze” story was brought to life by the friendship and diversity of its creators.
“It wasn’t like we went out to check a bunch of boxes on the diversity side; everyone was just friends with each other, and that’s just how it happened, really, really naturally,” said Bizio.
He continued explaining how these characters were brought to life.
“A lot of these stories were based on real people and friends. (The actors) took on those caricatures that they saw their friends experiencing, and that was really sweet.”
The dynamic of the writer’s room having an “open door” policy filled the script with many stories authentic to the place they wanted to shine the most: the Valley.
The most inspiring part of this film is the encouragement it leaves for other young filmmakers who dream of making movies of their own. There were many people on the set of “Valley Daze” who had never been in a movie, made a movie or even been on a set in their life. Through genuine collaboration and trust, they succeeded in their pursuit and caught the attention of many others.
The film was mentioned to David Dastmalchian, American actor, producer and writer, who fell in love and signed on as the executive producer.
“Valley Daze” is proof of what can happen when young creators take ownership of their stories. As it looks toward becoming a series, the pilot already establishes something clear: there is an audience ready to see the Valley brought to life on screen, told by the people who know it best.