Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: @misscinematica | Hair & Makeup: @pattyuchi | Styling: @baisoudy
Niki Koss found her love of acting at a young age and since then has been in television shows such as Famous In Love and movies like Scouts Guide to The Zombie Apocalypse. She has recently stepped into new territory in her career after directing the film Night Night and starting a production company called K Factor Films. Koss talked to NYOTA about how her acting background helped when she sat in the Director’s chair and her advice for aspiring filmmakers.
Everyone has a different foray into acting or the entertainment industry. What initially sparked your passion for acting?
I’ve had a passion for acting for as long as I can remember. When I was three years old I told my mom I wanted to be an actress. It’s kind of all I know in a weird way. For whatever reason, the bug hit me at a super young age and hasn’t faltered since.
In early March a film you star in called Dreamcatcher came out and it’s a horror / thriller. What was it like shooting the film? Were there any scenes that were very intense or even scary to shoot?
Shooting Dreamcatcher was such an incredible experience. I loved every minute of it. Except maybe waking up before the sun every day. The cast was super close and had such a unique chemistry which just made it that much better for all of us. As far as scary scenes go, the scene where my character goes on a drug trip was pretty intense to film. We did a lot of improvising and just reacting off of whatever the director threw out at us from the monitor. It was scary because I didn’t quite know what I was going to do and had no control over any sort of plan. That being said though, it really was a fun and valuable experience.
What did you do to step into the shoes of your character Pierce?
I read the script a couple of times and wrote down every question I could think of about Pierce. Then I had a meeting with the director to discuss the answers to my questions together and develop her backstory a bit more. I also listened to a lot of music that she would listen to, which helped tremendously.
Tell us a bit about the film you directed called Night Night. What is it about and what drew you to the film?
I wanted my first feature to be a story of female empowerment. When I was initially approached with the script I was excited to have found a unique take on the concept. I loved the idea of taking on a story that I could relate to intrinsically. Maybe I couldn’t necessarily relate to her journey beat by beat, but I sure as hell have felt a plethora of emotions that she carried with her throughout the film. That was really exciting for me to take on and explore in a filmmaking aspect.
How helpful was your acting background when it came to directing Night Night? Do you feel as though you had a better understanding of where an actor should be placed in a scene or how they should deliver their lines?
My acting background was unbelievably helpful when directing Night Night. It allowed me to speak to the actors in this sort of secret language that only we understood. It also helped me understand how to make certain scenarios malleable to their individual comfortability levels.
What did you learn through the process of directing Night Night?
I learned so much when directing Night Night I don’t even know how to begin answering this! I’d say my biggest takeaway was making sure I stick to my gut when making vital decisions on set. I had a lot of weird ideas that I received some pushback on from people who didn’t totally get where I was coming from. On the next one, I want to make extra sure that I stay true to my creative instincts and don’t let anyone sway me. That being said, I was probably talked off the ledge a couple of times from some pretty cooky ideas so I’m definitely very grateful for the team I surrounded myself with.
You created K Factor Films. What inspired this decision?
I feel like the decision to start my own production company was a long time coming. I’m actually surprised I didn’t do it earlier. I think everything happens for a reason though and timing is incredibly important in life so I’m glad it happened when it did. I had so many projects happening at once that I could barely keep up. It made sense at the time to put them all under one umbrella to protect them and the artists behind them. I’m incredibly excited for what is to come with my company and for the projects slated for release this year. Stay tuned!
Now that you have a production company there is probably a lot of creative freedom in that. How do you go about choosing projects to work on?
I am still working on reigning myself in with this actually. I get so excited about everything that comes my way that I often forget to stop and really analyze whether or not it’s a good match for me and the company. That being said though, the projects I usually take on have either a positive message, create controversy in a productive way, or provide a cathartic escape from the sometimes very tough day-to-day.
The pandemic has caused a lot of change in the entertainment industry. How has it been adapting to the new way things are done? Do you see any of these changes remaining long term?
I think zoom is here to stay and I’m honestly not mad about it. Especially living in LA with this crazy traffic, I’ve saved so much time switching meetings that would normally be in-person to zoom. It’s also great because it allows the people in the entertainment industry to travel more and not be so tied down to LA. I’m actually really happy with that change and hope it remains that way post-pandemic.
What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Go out and create something! We have so many tools at our disposal right now to make art with, especially in the filmmaking space. If you want to be a filmmaker you first need to understand what kind of filmmaker you want to be. That means going out there and finding out what you like, what you don’t like, and what message you want to send to the world through your medium. Grab your iPhone and a few friends and make some art!