Director BIO:  Caitlin Gray (REVERIE)

Caitlin Gray hails from New York City and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She has spent the past 20 years working as a choreographer for tv, film, music videos, theatre and live events. Her choreography credits include the World and Australian premieres of Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby”, CBS “Reckless” starring Cam Gigandet and Anna Wood, and Sony Music artist The Veronicas “You Ruin Me”, which won an ARIA for Best Video of the Year. Like so many artists, Caitlin turned to creating/directing film to keep herself busy when Covid-19 shut down all avenues of production and theatre work, and discovered that she really loved it. While exploring film directing, she found a collaborative force in cameraman and editor, AJ Paug. When Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, Caitlin approached AJ about creating a voting PSA to encourage young, female, first-time voters to register to vote, called “Here Comes the Change”. After receiving commendatory feedback, the duo decided to create their first official short film, “Reverie”, using an idea that Caitlin had been dreaming about for years. She is excited to work on more projects that incorporate dance and movement into storytelling. Caitlin’s future goals include getting her new docuseries, “Dance Around the World”, produced, as well as directing a feature film.

Director Statement

The inspiration for this film is based on my own personal experience. Several years ago in New York City, I found myself engaged in a forbidden love. The connection between us was incredibly passionate and genuine, but for reasons outside of my control, the relationship would never be what I had wished it could be. “Reverie” is a story not of unrequited love, but of unfulfilled love, and the heartbreak – and ultimate acceptance- that comes with it.

I had dreamed about making this film for years, but the timing was never right. I was originally going to shoot it in Sydney, Australia with friends of mine from the Australian Ballet Company, but we could never successfully coordinate our busy schedules to make it happen during the times that I was there working.

When I moved to Atlanta, I met a young dancer who I instantly knew could pull it off the way I wanted and she agreed to perform in the film. We were wheels up from there.

I chose to shoot the film at Roswell Mill in Roswell, GA, because of the striking environmental setting. The rushing water, brick wall and bridge are all symbolic in the film. Another specific signature is that audiences never see the man’s face. The reason for this was two-fold: 1) I wanted the man to represent “every man”, so audiences could plug their own person into the storyline and 2) I wanted the story to be told from the woman’s perspective.

In making “Reverie”, I really wanted viewers to feel the genuine and intense emotional and physical connection between the couple, and at the same time, leave them room to interpret the film based on their own personal experiences. The crux of this story is universal and I hope that audiences can relate and experience it on a visceral level.