What started from raw footage shot from a SONY camera would soon develop into the fulfillment of a lifelong passion shared by many, yet rarely achieved by few.

Reagan Yorke and Jillian Nicole Smith are no strangers to the illustrious world of film and entertainment: both of whom are also pursuing careers as full-time content creators on social media and have over 8 million followers combined. Now, the two 20-somethings are running their own independent production company and making award-winning short films. Our exclusive interview shares insight into filmmaking, and two young women are aspiring to make a name for themselves in one of the most elusive industries in the world.

What is S&Q Film?

Reagan and Jillian first met through a mutual friend, but their personal and creative connection developed almost instantaneously. The two were spending time by the sandy dunes along the Malibu coastline and began shooting by the beach for fun, provisionally armed with nothing but a basic SONY camera.

The resulting footage happened to be captured in S&Q mode — also known as slow and quick, which is a function that enables shooting at a rate of 1 to 60 frames per second. It ultimately creates a time-lapse and/or slow motion effect, and was the origin of Reagan and Jillian's company name.

“We didn’t know what it meant until our Director of Photography Orion told us that it stands for slow and quick.” Reagan informed me.

“We were kinda like, ‘wait, what if we just call ourselves it.’” Jillian laughed. And so S&Q Film was quickly born, in a way that fortuitously pays homage to the word's original definition.

For Reagan and Jillian, filmmaking has always been a lifelong passion and the mutual decision to start making their own productions was a relatively easy one. “It feels like a childhood dream come true.” Reagan confessed, describing how unreal it feels now that it’s become a reality.

The Creative Process

Now good friends and business partners, Reagan and Jillian are in tune with each other throughout the whole creative process. They are synced in a way that allows for production to flow smoothly, speaking to each other in a manner that’s incomprehensible to anyone else: even their own parents, they joke.

“We literally have the same brain,” Reagan said. “Sometimes when we’re editing, there are things we disagree on but we just talk through the process and it just always works.”

“Our shot list was like an actual language.” Jillian added, a testament to the solid relationship between the two.

Watch Reagan and Jillian's directorial debut, Weight, on YouTube.

Reagan and Jillian did it in only 48 hours, winning Gold for Best Experimental Short from the Independent Film Awards among many other awards.

“That was our first time ever directing anything,” Reagan explains. “We basically drove [our two lead actresses] to the middle of the desert.”

The desert Reagan refers to was an exterior set featured in Weight after location scouting for the perfect place to shoot their film and bring the world they envisioned to life. The two cultivate fleshed-out plots and stories around a fragment of an idea, transforming concepts into longlines and scripts.

They then focus on designing visuals by curating a plethora of mood boards and color palettes, inspired from the themes of A24 films. Next comes brainstorming shot design together: a process that tends to bleed into the production process as inspiration continues strikes unexpectedly.

“[Our style] is a huge emphasis on visuals and transitions. We’re very abstract and out of the box.”

Any viewer can observe that emphasis in Weight: the camera spins and swirls fluidly to immerse the viewers, high-key lighting drowns scenes in polarizing hues of red and blue, and bubbles aggregate from the frustrated screams of lead actress Megan Cavasar as she is submerged underwater.

After the success of Weight, Reagan and Jillian — still engaged in perpetual creative momentum — immediately got to work planning another production.

“We’re going deeper into the story aspect for our next project.” Jillian said.

“Our writing sessions were literally like therapy for us,” Reagan explained, alluding to some kind of catharsis when translating their feelings into words and metaphors. “We’re pulling from personal experiences to impact people and make them feel. It’s so fun to play with emotions and visuals.”

According to posts on both of their LinkedIn feeds, their upcoming short-film intends to “[explore] topics of alter egos and the inner battles that go along with it. These themes really excite us as they give the opportunity to explore trippy visual effects and unique perspectives.”

Behind the Scenes

Reagan and Jillian were previously connected to the film industry in some capacity, which adds a unique angle elevating the post and pre-production process. Jillian is a professionally trained actor, currently working for Nickelodeon as a host for their program Nick News.

“I’ve been acting for 10 years,” Jillian told me. “[It was] one of my main goals. But doing social media transitions and editing drew me more to the process.”

Jillian's personal TikTok account went viral in 2020 for her elaborate transitions and optical illusions stitched in between clips. Her background working with makeup and special effects contributes to visual aesthetics featured in S&Q's filmmaking style.

Similarly, Reagan studied film at California State University, Long Beach and previously interned at Paramount Pictures, where she has the opportunity to attend red carpet premieres and interview high profile celebrities. Although she acknowledges the importance of traditional education, Reagan also emphasizes how hands-on experiences in the field have significantly contributed to her work.

“It’s more than looking at a textbook and pictures, it's being there and actually picking up sandbags and figuring out lenses…it’s learning from being there in the presence.”

With combined experience behind and in front of the camera, Jillian and Reagan are able to communicate their conceptualizations more effectively to the cast members — especially during more emotional scenes to create authenticity.

Photo by Moises Uriarte

Throughout the conversation, Reagan and Jillian repeatedly refer to energy. Dozens of passionate people coming together to support each other naturally generates a collaborative and dynamic atmosphere on set. Even their responses to my questions pulsate with intense enthusiasm for the craft.

In the future, Reagan and Jillian told me they still aspire to direct and produce their own films. “We would do this every day for the rest of our lives. We want to make it a big production company, making feature films in theaters and collaborating with awesome actors.”

To those currently interested in acting or filmmaking but are hesitant about how to begin, Reagan and Jillian simply encourage readers to “go for it.” Everyone has to start somewhere, but not without embracing risks and finally breaking out of your comfort zone. To S&Q Film, all the caffeine-fueled late nights and sleepless early mornings, every sacrifice made along the way was worth it to watch their once intangible dreams and visions manifest into reality.

“Throw yourself into the fire.” Jillian exclaims, “Don’t overthink, just go for it. It will be the most rewarding thing.”

Quick-Fire Questions

What is your all-time favorite film?

Jillian: Whiplash.

Reagan: The Truman Show.

Who is an actor you would love to work with one day?

Reagan: Jennifer Lawrence. I feel like we’re all kinda out there and crazy, her energy would be really cool.

Jillian: Miles Teller.

Who would you cast to play yourself in a movie?

Reagan and Jillian: Jennifer Lawrence. (Yes — two Jennifer's Lawrences, one of whom is a clone of the other)

Favorite movie soundtrack?

Reagan: This is definitely [Jillian's] question.

Jillian: Hans Zimmer. He did Interstellar. And Justin Hurwitz, who did La La Land and Whiplash.

In another universe, what would your job be?

Reagan: I feel like [Jillian] would have a really niche job.

Jillian: Probably a geologist or skydiving instructor.

Reagan: Just tanning on the beach somewhere.

To keep up with S&Q Film, be sure to follow @sqfilm on TikTok and @sq_film on Instagram.