Life can be boring — but not in Isla Vista. As someone who has moved 22 times in 21 years, I know a thing or two about exceptional places, and IV has been the most interesting, most unique, craziest town I’ve ever lived in. It takes a special person to recognize special places, and that’s where I found Emma Susas.
You might have seen her on TikTok, where she’s increasingly getting recognition for her new film, Same Time Next Quarter. An aspiring filmmaker, Emma has a creative eye for everything on her Youtube channel — whether that be a hilarious and real reaction to Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS, Venice vlogs, or a fantastic video on turning another year older. Watching her life through her lens has been inspiring to say the least, but I wanted to know anything and everything about this remarkable short film.
In this interview, Emma and I talked about all the aspects of the film: the editing, content, experience, and everything you’ll need to know after watching her wonderful work.
“Why did you make the film?”
“I’ve made videos, short films, and content since I was nine-years-old and I love every part of it. However, my absolute favorite part is making videos for others and seeing their reaction to it. I knew I had to do something for my friends at UCSB to capture our experience. Isla Vista is such a special place filled with the most amazing people and I wanted others to see that too. It was just going to be a short three-minute montage video of the past four years — until my friend told me about an idea he had to interview his friends for his own recap video. He never followed through with it, but it inspired me to interview 30 of my friends and turn this short three-minute montage into a 36-minute short film.”
“If you could give advice to incoming students, what would it be?”
“My piece of advice in anything is to romanticize every little thing. Look on the bright side, and be a half glass full kind of person. This perspective shift changes everything! A lot of my short film is a highlight reel — don’t forget that. There were times, I’m sure for everyone, where we were stressed about classes, crying in our dorms silently, or wishing we could go home. Looking at the bigger picture and appreciating the small things, like how everyone migrates to the bluffs to watch the sunset or how lucky we are to live so close to the ocean, really helps pull yourself out of any sad thoughts and live life to the fullest! You can watch the last five minutes of my short film to see 30 of my friends’ advice because they are the most beautiful, insightful people I know and they have great things to say!”
“what was the hardest part of making the film?”
“Editing is for sure the hardest yet most rewarding part of making any film. It is both my least favorite and favorite part of the whole thing. I think I spent over 80 hours editing, matching up music, color grading, and more. The other reason why it took me so long is because in the process my laptop AND my hard drive (with ALL my footage on it) broke! Even though all my hard work was pretty much gone, I was so invested in this film that I couldn’t give up. Luckily, I managed to recover some footage and downloaded my old YouTube videos and it all worked out in the end!”
“If you were to do the film again, would you change anything?”
“Even though there were definitely rough patches, like my laptop and hard drive breaking and setting me back weeks, I wouldn’t change anything about that. I learned a lot from my mistakes and it’ll definitely prepare me for future films I make! But, I do think it would be really cool to make this into a full-length feature film and interview more people!”
“What was the hardest artistic choice to make?”
“The soundtrack. I knew I wanted to have good music in this film and so every song is copyrighted, meaning I don’t get any revenue off the ads on YouTube! But it was way more important to me to make a film that was true to Isla Vista that I’d rather have songs that capture that, than make money off of a video I didn’t think was authentic.”
‘What was your overall experience at UCSB, and is there anything change?”
“I had literally the most magical time at UCSB. While there were definitely things that weren’t so good, they still made our college experience ours. COVID sucked, but I never would have gotten so close with all my housemates if we weren’t quarantined together. Getting scammed $1000 to live in a bunk bed in a quad of an 18-person house sucks, but I loved living in an oceanside home with all my best friends. Everything happens for a reason. I was SO scared to move across the country not knowing a single soul at this school, but it was more than anything I could have ever dreamed of! It sounds super cheesy, but it really does all work out in the end.”
If you haven’t already watched the film and are reading this article, I implore you to go check it out. Emma truly has captured the mosaic of feelings that come with being at UCSB. Her genuine viewpoint on life is something I know I’ll rewatch throughout my life to get the rush of emotions only Isla Vista can give you.
Isla Vista is very much alive, woven into the fabric of the place and the people who call it home. The film stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of this community, a living narrative that continues to evolve with each passing day. It reminds us that, no matter where we come from, our shared experiences and stories are what connect us, and that the bonds formed in the heart of Isla Vista and on the campus of UCSB are ones that can never be broken.