For two years, Ella Janes sat in her bed each night and waited until it was time to fly away. 

“Between the ages of four and six, I would go to bed in heels and a little dress with my hair curled,” said Janes, a sophomore majoring in cinematic arts, film and television production. “I thought Peter Pan was gonna come and take me to Neverland. I swore by it.” 

Some of that childhood whimsy extends to Janes’ current work as a filmmaker, telling stories under her production banner, ur girlfriend’s favorite films. 

“They’re ‘ur girlfriend’s favorite films’ because your girlfriend has really great taste,” Janes said. “If you can imagine your coolest, most amazing, incredible girlfriend, she loves [them].”

JJ Klein-Wolf, a sophomore majoring in cinema and media studies and a producer on some of Janes’ films, said she adores the universe that “ur girlfriend” thoroughly enjoys. 

“Ella really attempts to create these authentically absurd narratives that are so fun to watch and visually so exciting,” Klein-Wolf said. 

For filmmakers who may be interested, Klein-Wolf offers only praise for Janes’ ability to collaborate in crafting something bigger than herself.

“Ella is so fiercely loyal and so good to the people that are around her that it’s almost like she can convince you of anything,” Klein-Wolf said. “She’s just so kind and so supportive that anyone who knows her, who loves her, is willing to go to bat for her.”

That’s not to say Janes’ films are all fun and games. In her short film catalogue released so far, seemingly simple stories about mentorship, love and writing contort to reveal hidden, unexpected truths. Through all of those complications, however, Janes’ films all have a singular, sweet goal at heart.

“I really want to make two people in a movie theater hold hands. That’s [what] all my films aim for,” Janes said.

Janes’ journey with filmmaking began early and unconventionally: with a parody video of the popular and mermaid-centric “H2O: Just Add Water” television series, which she made with friends when she was just 7 years old. The video instantly went viral, which was not her intention. 

“The virality came to me — I didn’t come to it,” Janes said. “I just made something I wanted to make, as I do now, and whether people like it or not is kind of up to them.”

Nonetheless, the whimsy found on the “set” of that mermaid parody video has endured into the way Janes runs her sets to this day. Dillon Milner, a frequent cinematographer on Janes’ projects, explained that the way Janes runs her sets has a tangible impact. 

“Having fun on set can make a better-looking image,” Milner said. “At the end of the day, it’s about hard work and getting a finished product but also understanding that the tone of the set and having a good time on set leads to a better product.” 

These fun-loving sets have produced visceral, exciting films. To help describe her own films, however, Janes used the word “narcissistic.” 

“With anything I make, it is inherently narcissistic, because it’s my idea and my voice that people are backing,” Janes said. “But it can also be paired with a level of empathy. I think [in] a lot of my films, I try to share perspectives and bring people together.”

The word “narcissistic,” in conversation with Janes, is not presented as a positive or negative: it’s simply a fact of life as a writer-director, in her eyes. That doesn’t mean she’s not open to collaboration, especially with writing.

“Ideally, I’d like to play a piece in the process. I just love characters so much that I feel like it would be hard for me to direct a character if I haven’t lived with it,” Janes said. “I’m not limiting myself to writer-director.” 

This flexibility is already in motion. ur girlfriend’s favorite films, for the first time, is officially open for outside business. 

“We’re expanding the empire,” Janes said. “ur girlfriend’s favorite films is gonna start taking on other directors and projects, so we’re producing a film in the winter and looking to take on more projects.”

Janes has built a filmography and production house from the ground up that is already staggering, especially for someone who just began her sophomore year, and she’s ready to pay it forward, eager to share her world with the University’s sprawling film community.

“If there’s anything that anyone ever needs, I would be happy to help,” Janes said. “ur girlfriend’s favorite films is interested in listening to your story and helping you with your work — always.”