About the Filmmakers

Celesta Davis
Director/Producer

"Hmmm, would I have done this if I'd known how hard it was going to be? Yes," she laughs. "In fact, I think I knew how hard it would be from the very beginning. But if I had admitted it out loud I would have scared myself to death, and it never would have gotten done." Did you ever wonder if it was healthy? "Oh yeah. All the time. There were so many times when I wanted to give up, times when I encouraged myself to give up. I'm amazed now that I didn't. But the stakes were too high. I had made a commitment to my little five year-old self as well as to my adult self, and I didn't want to let her down. That was the one thing I was not willing to do."

In fact, Celesta's little five year-old self was an outwardly creative child, putting on shows for her family regularly. And while Davis went into college as an English major with a writing fellowship, she graduated from college with a sociology degree and a passion for social issues. When the story behind "Awful Normal" began to unfold in her life, her instinct was to document it, and with a background in the arts, film was a natural medium. Although having never considered getting behind a camera, (her father was a photographer) she knew that no one else would be able to get to the heart of such a personal journey, and that getting to the heart of that truth was the most important component in reaching out to others.

Tim Skousen
Cinematographer/Editor/Producer

Hailing from Winter Park, Florida originally, it was in college that Tim Skousen's long list of film credits began. Nearing graduation as an Economics major, he took a film class based on his sister's insistence. After making his first film as a class assignment, his life was changed forever. He altered his major and decided to dedicate his life to film. Since then, he has won many awards for his short films, and has been able to produce and direct his own films while working consistently as an editor, writer and producer on other projects. His most recent project, Napoleon Dynamite (where he worked as 1st assistant director), was a huge Sundance success and was picked up by Fox Searchlight. His background in both narrative and documentary filmmaking is his greatest asset, providing him with the skills to be both the critical eye and the creative heart of his projects.

Filmography:

Shorts:                  
Leon (Best Script, Actor and Actress - Final Cut Film Festival)
Why I Hate Myself (Winner - LDS Film Festival 24 Hour Filmmaking Marathon)
Si Vas Para Chile (Official Selection - International Film and Technology Festival)
Next Door ("Best of" Selection - LDS Film Festival)
Behind Blue Eyes (Honorable Mention - LDS Film Festival)

Features:              
Napoleon Dynamite (2004, as 1st AD)
Eat, Drink, and Get Married (2004 as 1st AD)

Tim Irwin
Additional Cinematography/Editing/Sound Mixing

From San Jose originally, Tim has been doing documentary work for years. Having shot, edited, produced and directed his own works as well as a broad range of others, he is now working full time making documentaries.

Music                       

Kris Pooley
"Celesta Bossa 2"

To contact any member of the filmmaking team, send a letter to awfulnormal@awfulnormal.com.