the

Chelsea Zotta Writer & Director

818-310-6007 / imissmemovie@gmail.com
IMDB page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4255396/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Movie Website:
http://imissmemovie.com
Official Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/imissmemovie
Production Company Website:
www.milestonepro.com
Press Article (pgs. 50 & 51):
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/
mag/0767520001399818269?feature=archive

Play Channel

Vol 4

Magazine

On Set with the creative

minds of

I Miss Me
Racism in
the
NBA?! Ho
w is this
even
possible?

Summertime
with CO2
Creations
collections

Lawsuits &

Show
yourselfie
wall!

the NFL: T
ake a hit at
your own
risk?

New movie
reviews

Play Channel models

Ms Nike Camille
and SaraJeni

fea

We're in Sable Country

tur

ing

CZ: The inspiration was about addiction. Id had a couple of

re CZ: The inspiration was about addiction. Id had a couple of
relationships where my boyfriends were alcohol addicts. Then I thought
it was a choice, but then realized it was an actual problem they had
to resolve. A lot of people avoid confronting the problem and say its
just a way to relax, which is one of the things Calvin says. When he
finally recognizes the problem, then he can take steps to overcome it.
NM: Ashley, your character Ava is a pretty complex person. Do you see
yourself in her?
Ashley Bauman: I see a lot of my 20-year-old self in her. I relate to
her because I was in a pretty bad relationship with someone addicted
to drugs and alcohol. I let it fall on my shoulders to take
care of him, and this [script] really struck a chord in me. I dont
know that I handled it the same as Ava. She tends to be a pushover at
times, and I think I put my foot down a little more.
NM: So you brought real life experience to both the Calvin and Ava characters.
CZ: Ironically, yes.
NM: What about the aspect of Ava being a writer?
AB: I think thats a really romantic thing. I have been a bookworm
like her since forever. I was always the little girl who would spend
indoor recess reading instead of playing board games. I was perfectly
fine being in my own little world. From age 9 to whenever, I figured I
read a lot, I write a lot, so I should be a writer. I think that Ava
gets a big break, which is wonderful, whereas I dont know if Id ever
have that kind of success.
NM: Were you raised in St. Louis?

Directors Statement Chelsea Zotta

I am a completely self-taught filmmaker from the Show-Me state (Missouri)
where Midwestern ideals of hard work and entrepreneurship are necessities.
Filmmaking didnt appeal to me until about three years ago. In fact, since I was
a child I had a dream of being an actress in the movies. I spent a solid twelve
years studying acting and performing in a variety of theatrical productions and
films (short and feature length). However, I became bored with acting because
I had an even stronger desire to create: to mold characters and to develop my
own storylines. Storylines that interested me.
Since I was an avid reader and watcher of movies, going to Webster University
for English and screenwriting seemed like a natural step. I found myself creating lengthy backstories for each character and trying out different plots that
would best showcase each characters arc in an authentic and honest way.
My propensity for truth, another Midwestern trait, led to the development of
I Miss Me, a semi-autobiographical tale that combines many of the experiences from my failed relationships with troubled men who I thought I could fix.
Once I finished the feature screenplay, I was shopping it around to agents and
directors until I realized that every director either had his/her own scripts and/
or a go to writer. The only way to get my film made was to make it myself
- and fund it myself. With the economy crashing, the fact that I lacked experience and am a female, I knew that I was going to have difficulty fundraising,
much less being taken seriously.
To get the first-hand experience, just like that of a film school, I wrote and directed a short film with an experienced crew and was hooked. Filmmaking gave
me an adrenaline rush that I had never felt, even from acting. Next thing I knew,
I was working 100 hours a week to save up to direct my feature length script, I
Miss Me.