'Salud' - Film Blog

Fri Sep 25

Urbanworld Film Festival

This acting journey of mine has been on-going for 10 years now.  I’ve never given up the dream of becoming a successful actor.  I never did nor did I ever doubt myself, not once.  Whether I’ll make it in this challenging profession remains to be seen but I tend to believe I’ll do well because I feel it.  As we head to the New York premiere of  “Salud” playing later today at the 34th St. AMC Loews, I’m not even going to lie, it feels exciting.  Thanks in great part to the Urbanworld Film Festival for the opportunity.  Finally the majority of my friends will sort of witness the type of work I’ve been putting into my craft these last 10 years.  There will also be other people in attendance.  Many I’ve never met but hopefully they will give me constructive criticism.  These are the voices that I’m seeking today because it’s a craft that I enjoy working in.  I want to hear what the audience has to say.   On top of that I’m working on my second feature.  To see your work in the big screen like that I can only imagine must be like when I watched the HD Mayweather/Marquez fight just recently at the movie theatre,.. BREATHLESS!!

I made “Salud” with no names and little money but to make up for it I found talented actors and crew members that were loyal and believed in the film.  “Salud” is a prime example of  “A Labor of Love”.  I hope you enjoy it!!

Sun Sep 6

Distribution

These days finding distribution isn’t guaranteed.  Many filmmakers including myself have encountered distribution companies that are interested in our films but don’t have the money.  Instead they want us to invest a few thousand to help with the start up package.  Many filmmakers have been gypped ten’s of thousands this way.   After all, they need money to start marketing my film as they say.  Unfortunately that’s not the way things work when they’re really interested in your film.  The economy has made it really difficult to get your film sold to a distributor and therefore many filmmakers are taking the next step in doing it themselves and putting them onto Blu Ray and Dvd’s.  Some have rented theatres across the U.S. for small in-house screening.  I asked myself, is filmmaking what I really want to do especially knowing that the indie film fest business is dead and I’m going to be struggling?  Yes! Because I have no choice!  I’m a full-time actor and as an actor I have NO LEGIT representation.  Therefore no one knows who I am.  My only solution is to create work for myself and show agencies and casting directors what I’m cable of.  In my case no one was calling me in to audition, so I made a 93min feature named Salud and cast myself as the lead.  Ballsy move you’re probably thinking, but thus far this year it was Winner - Best Screenplay at the Beverly Hills Fim Festival!  The festival circuit is still going strong for me and I have a lot of faith that Salud will continue doing good.  I strongly believe that if you do good work, whether you’re the actor or filmmaker, someone will eventually take note.  Never quit in that case, and just go with your gut feelings.

Tue Jul 14

NY SAG Screening (Screen Actor’s Guild)

has a monthly SAG Foundation event, where for one night they introduce an up and coming filmmaker’s work affiliated with SAG to SAG actors.  The evening in NY started fine until I walked into the room to sit down.  Little did I know that the room would be a full house!  I was nervous as hell because everyone in the room except for about 6 of them were complete strangers.  It was a very diversed crowd filled with Asians, Blacks, Whites, and Latinos.  What would be their reaction to my work?  Would they hate it?  Like it?  These were my fellow SAG members and I felt that if anyone would give me honest feedback, it would be them.  In the end, they were very enthusastic and had so many questions for me.  They really enjoyed the film and afterwards people were still asking questions.   A couple of them emailed me the next day to tell me that they were still talking about the film and thinking about the events that unfolded before them.  It was at the moment that I felt that I did my job, call me filmmaker, actor, whatever, I just wanted to tell a story and make it look real.  It wasn’t the first time I’ve been approached about “Salud” leaving an impact.  For me it was now a big accomplishment because afterall isn’t that why filmmakers make films, no?

Tue May 5

New Latino Filmmakers Series

for up and coming Latino filmmakers was held at the Anthology of Archives in New York hosted by Edwin Pagan.  The evening started with Free shots of Tequila being it was “Cinco De Mayo” and then 6 short films followed by “Salud”.  About one third of the audience remained for the Q & A.  After the Q & A, I met with some industry people who enjoyed the evening of films and I made new friends.  One of them would later go on to give us a whole page write up for her magazine.  The magazine is called “Defining Trends Magazine” a.k.a. DTM and the issue was the June 2009 issue.

Tue Apr 7
Closing Night Ceremony ends with an evening of Dinner followed by the Awards Ceremony.  Finally they announce the Best Screenplay award, but they pronounce it “Salu-teh”.  Naturally we all clap to whoever won the prize but 30 sec. go by and no one goes up for it.  Finally I’m thinking this person probably went to the bathroom, when all of a sudden from 200 feet away I see the programmer Steve signal to me.  I turned around because I thought they finally found the guy but Steve is signaling for someone to come up from my direction.  I turn around but no one is there, finally I turn to Steve and point to myself, he nods yes.  I turn back around but no one is there and turn back to Steve again, ME?  Yes he says, at that point I start to take a couple of steps and Steve signals me in.  Ahhhh, what a relief I said to myself, “HOW FUCKING EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  I then ran to the podium because I didn’t want to waste any more of there time and tried to make it a quick speech and go.  I thanked the festival, Nino Simone, the staff, my cast & crew and the photographer (a lady) who I never mentioned for calling me and my cast member Rene, “Nobody’s” on Opening Night at the Red Carpet.  Well guess what? I said, today I’m “Somebody”, and it’s because of people like her that fuel me to continue achieving success in my industry.  The rest was just a quick thank you and off to get interviewed by some media for the winning.  The after party was interesting, as I was sipping on my screwdriver, a car whizzes by and a lady jumps out at high speed right in front of us.  Later on I would have my friend Rene drive me home because I was a bit tipsy.  Low and behold we get pulled over by the L.A. cops for making an illegal left turn.  The Officer asks us to park the car to the side and turn it off. We listen and he approaches the car, “License and Registration?  Do you know you just made an illegal left turn right?”  Rene apologizes because he didn’t see the sign.  “Where are you guys coming from”? asks the Officer.  Rene tells him, “We just came from an Award Ceremony”.  As Rene is saying that, I lean my hands slowly to the backseat and pull the trophy closer to me.  At the same time I start to pray that the Officer doesn’t mistake it for a gun.  I kept saying, please just don’t shoot me on my last day here in L.A., and bong, he sees the trophy.  “This is the trophy we won this evening” I tell him, the Officer smiles and asks, “You mean like from an indie film festival”?  I nod yes and he lets us off by just saying to be careful with the signs next time.  As the officer gets back in the car and we pull away, Rene and I started hysterically giggling non-stop like two 8 yr. old boys!! Lol!!

Closing Night Ceremony ends with an evening of Dinner followed by the Awards Ceremony.  Finally they announce the Best Screenplay award, but they pronounce it “Salu-teh”.  Naturally we all clap to whoever won the prize but 30 sec. go by and no one goes up for it.  Finally I’m thinking this person probably went to the bathroom, when all of a sudden from 200 feet away I see the programmer Steve signal to me.  I turned around because I thought they finally found the guy but Steve is signaling for someone to come up from my direction.  I turn around but no one is there, finally I turn to Steve and point to myself, he nods yes.  I turn back around but no one is there and turn back to Steve again, ME?  Yes he says, at that point I start to take a couple of steps and Steve signals me in.  Ahhhh, what a relief I said to myself, “HOW FUCKING EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  I then ran to the podium because I didn’t want to waste any more of there time and tried to make it a quick speech and go.  I thanked the festival, Nino Simone, the staff, my cast & crew and the photographer (a lady) who I never mentioned for calling me and my cast member Rene, “Nobody’s” on Opening Night at the Red Carpet.  Well guess what? I said, today I’m “Somebody”, and it’s because of people like her that fuel me to continue achieving success in my industry.  The rest was just a quick thank you and off to get interviewed by some media for the winning.  The after party was interesting, as I was sipping on my screwdriver, a car whizzes by and a lady jumps out at high speed right in front of us.  Later on I would have my friend Rene drive me home because I was a bit tipsy.  Low and behold we get pulled over by the L.A. cops for making an illegal left turn.  The Officer asks us to park the car to the side and turn it off. We listen and he approaches the car, “License and Registration?  Do you know you just made an illegal left turn right?”  Rene apologizes because he didn’t see the sign.  “Where are you guys coming from”? asks the Officer.  Rene tells him, “We just came from an Award Ceremony”.  As Rene is saying that, I lean my hands slowly to the backseat and pull the trophy closer to me.  At the same time I start to pray that the Officer doesn’t mistake it for a gun.  I kept saying, please just don’t shoot me on my last day here in L.A., and bong, he sees the trophy.  “This is the trophy we won this evening” I tell him, the Officer smiles and asks, “You mean like from an indie film festival”?  I nod yes and he lets us off by just saying to be careful with the signs next time.  As the officer gets back in the car and we pull away, Rene and I started hysterically giggling non-stop like two 8 yr. old boys!! Lol!!

Thu Apr 2
Opening Night Ceremony at the Red Carpet was exciting.  Lots of video cameras, flashes, colorful dresses, drinks, interviews, sponsors, etc., nothing I had imagined.  Immediately I drank a couple of margaritas to calm me down before walking the Red Carpet.  None of my actors could make it except Rene Rosado who attended every evening event that I went to.  Every night was loaded with lots of fun and needless to say plenty of booze.  The highlight of the Opening evening took place when Billy Zane took over the Red Carpet and the cameras came out of nowhere to catch him, hundreds of them!  Rene and I were next on the Red Carpet and as we started walking forward, all of a sudden a female photographer yells at the top of her lungs, “These are nobody’s” just as we step onto the carpet.  It was like if someone had yelled “Yo mama sucks your daddy’s nipple hair” silence .. cricket.. cricket..   At that moment I almost wanted to walk the other way.  Of course only about 6 cameras took pictures of us, if that. Buzz kill!!  Later on the evening we headed to the Roosevelt Hotel for the after party but also to try and forget that “we were nobody’s.”  Shame on me I continued to say to myself.  I felt bad that my momma had raised a nobody who was now hanging out with a group of higher class people drinking martinis listening to non-dance music while I drank my usual “Corona”.  I must admit though that one song from Michael Jackson did come on “Off The Wall” and I was the only person to dance by MYSELF!!  Everyone else was too busy making sure the olives were still lingering in their drinks.

Opening Night Ceremony at the Red Carpet was exciting.  Lots of video cameras, flashes, colorful dresses, drinks, interviews, sponsors, etc., nothing I had imagined.  Immediately I drank a couple of margaritas to calm me down before walking the Red Carpet.  None of my actors could make it except Rene Rosado who attended every evening event that I went to.  Every night was loaded with lots of fun and needless to say plenty of booze.  The highlight of the Opening evening took place when Billy Zane took over the Red Carpet and the cameras came out of nowhere to catch him, hundreds of them!  Rene and I were next on the Red Carpet and as we started walking forward, all of a sudden a female photographer yells at the top of her lungs, “These are nobody’s” just as we step onto the carpet.  It was like if someone had yelled “Yo mama sucks your daddy’s nipple hair” silence .. cricket.. cricket..   At that moment I almost wanted to walk the other way.  Of course only about 6 cameras took pictures of us, if that. Buzz kill!!  Later on the evening we headed to the Roosevelt Hotel for the after party but also to try and forget that “we were nobody’s.”  Shame on me I continued to say to myself.  I felt bad that my momma had raised a nobody who was now hanging out with a group of higher class people drinking martinis listening to non-dance music while I drank my usual “Corona”.  I must admit though that one song from Michael Jackson did come on “Off The Wall” and I was the only person to dance by MYSELF!!  Everyone else was too busy making sure the olives were still lingering in their drinks.