Arizona Filmmaker Explores Culture of Speed in ‘86′
Interview with filmmaker Marco Santiago
1. What inspired you to write “86“?
During the filming of a documentary I was producing in 2003, the BORSTAR Unit of the U.S. Border Patrol showed me the aftermath of a collision between a car and four border crossers who tried crossing Highway 86 in Southern Arizona by foot. Two of the border crossers were killed and the driver was seriously injured. The sight of the car’s smashed front end and the back-story of the border crossers left an impression on me. It formed the basis of a short story I eventually wrote that asks, “What would happen if four people, each with vastly different political views and cultural experiences, accidentally run over a border crossing couple?” I never got to make that short film, but a variation of it eventually evolved into a feature length script that includes three other intertwining story lines.
2. How did past projects prepare you or help you with “86”?
I enjoy writing – a lot. I also dread it. The act of writing something meaningful comes from within, which can be very scary. I personally feel that even when you write on a subject that’s not entirely familiar to you, you still have to own the story emotionally and intellectually. You’re going to bring a little something of yourself into it – good or bad, as well as how you feel about yourself and the world around you at the particular point in time you write. This kinda forces you to take an inventory of yourself. And if you’re honest about the process, it can be difficult, but I feel that it makes the writing more visceral, regardless of the genre. This is very rewarding. 86 forced me to do a lot of research in the areas of human smuggling, human trafficking, trafficking in human organs, and even abortion. The project deals with these things as well as themes that deal with familial dysfunction. My past projects, especially the documentary, which is still in post-production, has helped me tremendously with the research aspect of 86.
3. Where are you with the project and how is it different than prior projects?
Well, this is my first feature film project, so it’s kind hard to compare with my previous work that were more narrow in scope. Given that it’s my first feature project, I’m very fortunate that it has been optioned by one of my mentors from the NALIP Writers Lab, where it was work-shopped. The lab is organized by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and is sponsored by a list who’s who in the industry, which includes HBO, Time Warner, MTV, ABC Walt Disney, Fox, Universal, The Academy Foundation, Univision, the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the WGA as well as others. The program is quite impressive. It’s very similar to the Sundance Writers Lab. My producer on this project is a very capable one. She’s a great writer and story analyst. She’s been involved with great projects in the past, and I’m very fortunate to have her on my side. Some of the industry’s best are involved as mentors in this Writers Lab, and I feel that 86 is being given a lot of support. The project was also selected as a finalist for consideration to the 2007 Sundance Writers Lab. So between NALIP and Sundance, I like to think that the 86 concept resonates with people who know a lot more than I do – you know?
The other thing that I was excited about was being given an opportunity to participate in the 2007 NALIP Producers Academy as a director fellow this past summer. 86 and three other narrative projects were invited to participate in the two week program that allowed us to prep, shoot, edit, and musically score select scenes from our feature projects. Again, it’s very similar to the Sundance Directors Lab. This process proved incredibly valuable and exciting for me. It was great to be able to work with a professional cast and crew, most of who were flown in from LA. The process allowed me to flesh out some scenes, and I feel that my skills as a director were vastly improved under the mentorship from the likes of Luis Mandoki (When a Man Loves a Woman, Message in a Bottle, Angle Eyes, Trapped, Born Yesterday), Alfredo De Villa (Washington Heights, Adrift in Manhattan), and other highly accomplished directors, writers, and producers in the Industry.
At this point, we are doing some rewrites, and we hope to finish the script by the spring of 2008, at which point we’ll put it out there and hopefully we’ll attract the right talent who can deliver on the screenplay’s promise.
4. What is your goal with the film?
Like any other filmmaker, my hopes are to get this film made in a manner that resonates with the audience in a profound way and will deliver entertainment value. Although the film is an ensemble story with four interconnecting story lines that happen to take place along the U.S. / Mexico border, it unifying theme is something I’m very interested in exploring in all my work. 86 deals with the culture of speed in today’s society and the unintended consequences of living a hurried life in today’s world. The border is basically a metaphor for the border that each character must cross within themselves. In a nutshell, the theme of 86 is “Speed Kills.”
Hopefully we’ll get this thing financed and theatrically released, and that it will be the first of many films where I’m allowed to express myself and have something to say in this world. The theme in 86 is something I want to continue to evolve in other contexts and in other genre. I think it’s a theme that many people will relate to.
5. How would you describe the prospects for Latino Filmmakers today versus when you started?
I think these are great times for filmmakers of color in general, and Latinos in particular. It’s great to see filmmakers like Alejandro Inarritu, Guliermo Del Toro, and Alfonso Cuarón make their mark in a big way, but these filmmakers are out of Mexico. I’d like to see more Latino-American filmmakers do the same – American filmmaker of Latino descent. These films do not need to be Latino themed, but I do think that it’s important that they are told more and more through a Latino lens. There is a difference. I think it’s important that, regardless of the genre that we choose to tell our stories, whether it’s a Latino story that deals with the border, or stories that deal with white suburbia, it’s important to tell stories that resonate and challenge the audience. I think it’s also important to take risks. I really feel that today’s movie going audience is capable of digesting material that have something important to say but entertain as well. It doesn’t matter if it’s horror, comedy, drama, action, science fiction, or otherwise.
6. How is the filmmaker community in Arizona?
Filmmaking in Arizona is alive and well. It’s a growing community and it is close nit. Its proximity to Los Angeles is an advantage too. Organizations like IFP Phoenix have done a great deal to advance the film movement in Arizona, but there are other groups that help advance filmmaking. We also have some very good film schools as well. Arizona State University, for example, has recently introduced a four-year program. The University of Arizona has a good media program, and then you have one of the best two year programs in the nation located at Scottsdale Community College, which has over $1 million dollars worth of equipment, a new editing lab, and very good instructors with industry experience. There is also a nice digital film program at Collins College and the University of Advanced Technology.
7. What other projects are you working on?
I’m currently working on developing a second feature film project based on a novel I acquired last spring titled, How to Cope with Suburban Stress. It’s a suburban satire that deals with some challenging issues. It’s in the vain of American Beauty and Little Children. The Hollywood Reporter did a nice little write-up the book in August of 2006. The screenplay for How to Cope with Suburban Stress has also been work-shopped at the 2007 NALIP Writers Lab, and is also a “finalist” and in the running for selection into the June 2008 Sundance Writers Lab. I’m developing it with one of my mentors from the NALIP Writers Lab at UCLA. I’m also in the process of putting together a slate of films based on scripts that reading. It’s nice to get scripts sent my way, but it’s also time consuming and it’s something that I need to consider carefully. When you make a decision to develop a project, you have to live with it for at least a couple of years, and you better make sure that it resonates with; otherwise, it’s a waste of time, energy, and emotion, and chances are it’s not going to turn out that great. So you have to be passionate about any given project you take on.
I’m also in pre-production on a short film that I plan on shooting on super 16mm sometime in March called Fallen Hero. It tells the story of a divorced father who is in the midst of a divorce and his seven year old son in the aftermath of a school parking lot altercation in which the son witnesses his father get viciously beaten by another man (emasculated, if you will) in front of his classmates. The story deals with the disillusionment of the boy’s hero worship for his father and how he tragically deals with it at school when his classmates tease him about it. The story examines the delicate psychology involved in pre-adolescent males as it relates to their growing awareness of what it means to be a man.
8. What advice do you have for other Latino Filmmakers?
I think it’s important not to wait for others to validate your work or to give you permission to work – just do your films. I also think that it’s important to write. Whether you’re concentrating of acting, directing, producing, editing, or training to becoming a director of photography, it’s important to write. Writing develops story sense but it also gives you more ownership of your career. Finally, nothing gets done without it first appearing on the page as a well-told story. It’s amazing how things come together when there is a great story driving the process. People want to be a part of it.
Finally, things have a way of moving forward if you “take the time” to do it well in the first place. In fact, it moves forward in spite of you, taking on a life of its own. Develop your craft and seek out mentors and peers that can help guide you. Be careful of those who blindly tell you that your work is great! Seek honest criticism of your work. Don’t rush the creative process. Take a good look at what you’re trying to say through your work and then deliver it with authority because you know it’s your voice.
Los Pajarracos - A Mexican Filmmaker Experience in the U.S.
1. Tell us about your movie and how it was received in the U.S.? What was different than you anticipated?
Horacio Rivera: I have to say that people have given Los Pajarracos great reception in all the Latino Film Festivals where it has participated. People really enjoyed this story and appreciated its humor and social criticism. Regarding my forecast about the US film marketplace, I use to think that it was easier to release my film theatrically, but it is not. Advertising costs are higher and everyone is afraid to take the risk.
2. Could you tell us about your experience promoting your film in the US? What did you learn? What worked or didn’t work for you?
Horacio Rivera: What I learned is the distributor loses faith on your film pretty soon. So if you want people to see your film, you can not be waiting for your distributor to do the work, you have to become both distributor and spokesman of your own film. You have to reach your moviegoers on your own. We focused on strategies that maximized our opportunities to generate awareness of our film. It meant becoming a public relations expert, a kind of professional who always is aware of the mass media and film industry trends in order to take as many exposure opportunities as one can.
3. How important was it for your movie to participate in Latino Film Festivals?
Horacio Rivera: It is important in terms of image and awareness from the potential audience as well as the global film market place. By participating in a Film Festival, your film enhances its value in territories of the world where it could be sold. And it means potential revenues. In the case of Los Pajarracos, our sales agent, placed in London, has used the Festivals attendance of our film as a selling point in order to get interest from distributors of different countries.
4. What advice can you offer Latino filmmakers outside the U.S. looking to the U.S. to distribute their film?
Horacio Rivera: -1. Get as much information as you can get, regarding U.S. film market place. -2. Send your film to Film Festivals into U.S., and don’t expect it will get you the big prize, just conform yourself as people of the industry get awareness of your film. -3. Rather than aim for a conventional distribution deal whatever the terms, you have to focus on distribution strategies that maximize your opportunities to earn revenue from your film. And that usually means hanging on to as many rights as possible, and getting into a position where you can negotiate from a more favorable position.
5. What have you learned about distribution opportunities here in the U.S.? How does this compare with your home country or other markets?
Horacio Rivera: It is the same thing everywhere. If you want to get a distributor, please take notice that you will have to hand over complete rights of your film. It means that you will have to rely on a traditional distribution model, and most important, you will have to deal with the standard distribution model: theatre-owners take their slice, 50% of box office gross, the distributor takes his fee, typically 35% of gross, and recoups the cost of prints and advertising (P&A). What lasts to the filmmaker? Debts! If you are lucky, It will take two years for ancillary revenues, in particular, from the big revenue-maker DVD sales, to get the filmmaker obtains some cash.
6. Is there opportunity for Latino Filmmakers in the U.S. to distribute films in your country?
Horacio Rivera: Of course there is. But that is not the real issue, the main issue I believe is that a Latino filmmaker who lives in the U.S., does not know the way of thinking of the people who live in other countries in Latin America. I mean in most cases, they just know stereotypes. And it makes it harder to reach a big audience. On the other hand, if the film has a big advertising campaign, your will have a better chance to obtain box office revenues.
7. What’s next for you?
Horacio Rivera: By now I am developing a hilarious comedy called LIMBO: a curious story of a gay-boy, who suffers an accident. After that he goes to LIMBO -a place out of this word- where he will meet a couple guys who will change his life once the boy returns to the material world. I have to add that LIMBO is a super low budget film that will be distributed by myself.
Nataly Pena
1. What attracted you to Alamo Heights SA project?
Actually, I knew about the show long before it was in production through a casting director friend of mine, who then introduced me to Rick Cuellar, the creator of the show. Rick heard me sing at a film commission meeting in San Antonio which made me perfect for the role of Mirna on the show. She is the talented singer, black sheep of the main family. So it helped that I fit the role very well.
Also, I liked the whole concept of the show tapping into such markets as internet television and Pod-casting. I knew that through these channels we could reach audiences at an international level.
2. What are the goals for the show?
Well, I think just what I said. That the internet is a world wide network and through Alamo Heights SA we hope to attract greater numbers of people who will hopefully be avid viewers, and bringing them together and allowing them to make a connection through the show, that would otherwise be impossible if it did not exist.
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