The date is coming soon! My flight leaves from L.A. early January. I am excited and anxious to get my east coast trip going. I was looking at the weather online and its going to be COLD! I think its going to average in the lower and upper 20's. That's cold for me. I am a California kid. The weather never gets lower than 60 degrees on my side of the coast. But it is all good. I went to go buy some thermos to keep me ass warm. Its looks like I will be dressing in layers.
Besides that, I have been buying a few things for my trip. The most important thing I bought was a zoom lens. For the interviews that I have been doing so far, I have been using a 50mm lens. I like the look, it gives a natural wide eye-look, as if one would normally see something close to 1-3 feet away. And the depth-of-field on it is great. But since I am going to be out and about, I am going to need some sort of zoom lens to be able to control the focus while I am walking or moving around indoors and outdoors. I decided to get a 35-105mm lens on ebay. I like this length because you are able to get wide enough and its good enough to get a medium close-up on your subject. The lens allows me to have a good fair enough distance from my subject, so I can control and rack focus quickly. In my opinion, for someone who is on the move a lot, a lens over 200mm will take some time and be a little tricky to keep everything in focus. Another reason why I chose the 35-105mm zoom is because its decent in low light situation. The glass is not as thick and it doesn't cut down on too much light compared to a 200 or 300mm lens. Even though its a slower lens, it is manageable to work with. I purchased the lens on ebay, so I hope it is in good shape as the posting indicated. So Ill keep you inform.
Another thing I purchased was a mic adaptor that goes on top of the camera. The adaptor allows me to hook up a shockmount w/ microphone on it. I thought this would be helpful, since I am not going to have a boom operator. I purchased this already on ebay and received it. This purchase is all good!
The last thing I bought on ebay was some lens caps for the 50mm lens. The lens had some generic caps that did not fit properly. I had to purchase lens caps that had the correct sizes because I want to avoid any scrtaches or any possible accidents that can effect the glass! That would suck to find a scratch on the glass while I am filming!
I bought a few sheets of diffusion gels to help me light as well. I bought the gels at a local Theatre shop by my home. This will help me control the hard and intensive brightness from the light kit I have.
Things are coming along! So far so good. I am always crossing my fingers!
This is it for now.
Junior Gonzalez
The filmmaker
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Another Rideshare to L.A
Got in this morning at 1am into L.A. - I got dropped off at the NOBAR where I was meeting my cousin, since I am staying at his place for the weekend. If you live in North Hollywood (NOHO), that's the neighborhood bar that everyone goes to. I've met some good friends and creative people there. I feel the NOHO area is where there are the most real-down-earth-people working there way into Hollywood. I spent most of my time in this area. My boy works at the door and a bunch of us always hang out there. Its a energy filled with creative folks who are actors, directors, and post production guys.
When I got dropped off at the bar, the whole gang was there. They were laughing at me, saying I was crazy for taking rides from strangers. The guy who gave me a ride was pretty cool, I learned that he went to LMU like I did. I told my friends, "I gotta do, what I gotta do." That's just how it works. I had to return to L.A. for another shoot for my documentary. The Salvadoran author had a book presentation at a college. I thought it would be a good idea to get some more b-roll and show that he is trying to get his name out there. Plus, I feel more footage the better! I had to explain to a friend while having a couple of beers at the bar that I would be coming down to L.A. more than often. I moved back to the bay area a year or so and for the most part I've been going back and forth to L.A. for certain productions or to have meetings. Therefore, I had to keep my friend in the loop since I have not talked to him for awhile.
He was telling me, I needed to move back... I am in no rush, I mentioned that I have a good freelance videography job in the bay. That means I don't work everyday, I have free time, and most importantly I get paid good money. Because of the economy right now, I couldn't find a gig like that in Los Angeles. I was very fortunate to find something. I had to take care of myself better because at the rate I was going, I probably would of been homeless and broke! Not fun at all, but that's an artists' life. A mentor and a professor of mine from my LMU days always would tell me to never forget about the FOUR P's -- PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERANCE, and a PAYCHECK. He would say, eating and have a roof over your head is important to stay in the game. You gotta survive. Its true! So I am making it work for me.
So the four P's has always been a survival tool for me. It has kept my dream alive!
That's it for now.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
When I got dropped off at the bar, the whole gang was there. They were laughing at me, saying I was crazy for taking rides from strangers. The guy who gave me a ride was pretty cool, I learned that he went to LMU like I did. I told my friends, "I gotta do, what I gotta do." That's just how it works. I had to return to L.A. for another shoot for my documentary. The Salvadoran author had a book presentation at a college. I thought it would be a good idea to get some more b-roll and show that he is trying to get his name out there. Plus, I feel more footage the better! I had to explain to a friend while having a couple of beers at the bar that I would be coming down to L.A. more than often. I moved back to the bay area a year or so and for the most part I've been going back and forth to L.A. for certain productions or to have meetings. Therefore, I had to keep my friend in the loop since I have not talked to him for awhile.
He was telling me, I needed to move back... I am in no rush, I mentioned that I have a good freelance videography job in the bay. That means I don't work everyday, I have free time, and most importantly I get paid good money. Because of the economy right now, I couldn't find a gig like that in Los Angeles. I was very fortunate to find something. I had to take care of myself better because at the rate I was going, I probably would of been homeless and broke! Not fun at all, but that's an artists' life. A mentor and a professor of mine from my LMU days always would tell me to never forget about the FOUR P's -- PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERANCE, and a PAYCHECK. He would say, eating and have a roof over your head is important to stay in the game. You gotta survive. Its true! So I am making it work for me.
So the four P's has always been a survival tool for me. It has kept my dream alive!
That's it for now.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
Monday, November 22, 2010
L.A. Trip Over
I'm back in the Bay area. This time around I took a shuttle bus. It was a long 7 hour ride, but made it safe. I am happy with how the week went. Like I said before I had an interview last Monday and Tuesday. My Thursday meeting went well. The meeting lasted about two and half hours or so. He gave me some background of him being a student in El Salvador protesting for peoples rights to him becoming a professor in the states. I informed him of why I wanted to do this documentary and I gave him some background of how I grew up. We immediately developed a good relationship. The professor was very happy that I am taking interest in the culture. He knew and I knew that this type of project is needed. One thing that I learned from our conversation was, "In order to make changes for the good, one has to learn and understand their own changes so that good is taught to others." That's exactly how I feel and I hope to show that in my doc.
The conversation was good and it looks like the professor is going to jump on board with the project. He was very insightful and knowledgeable. He is exactly the person I need that will give some credibility to my film. Not only does he help run a Central American program, but he is an anthropologist, who studies culture.
Since he wants to get involved, I am going to see if I can get permission to use the University's name and exploit their Central American program. I really want to give them credit, since they are the only school that offers a degree in Central American studies. It is important because they are also being part of a movement of a Central American culture that is finally being appreciated and recognized. I think it would be good for the program to get some recognition, but I will have to wait from the professor to see if I can get an legal approval from the school. I'll cross my fingers and hope the school comes on board too. Things are coming together, I still have a long way to go, but the process has begun.
I didn't get a chance to get together with one of the rappers. Our schedule did not allow us to meet. It looks like we are going to schedule something on a later date.
This is it for now. Now I am going to catch up on some sleep that I lost this past week.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
The conversation was good and it looks like the professor is going to jump on board with the project. He was very insightful and knowledgeable. He is exactly the person I need that will give some credibility to my film. Not only does he help run a Central American program, but he is an anthropologist, who studies culture.
Since he wants to get involved, I am going to see if I can get permission to use the University's name and exploit their Central American program. I really want to give them credit, since they are the only school that offers a degree in Central American studies. It is important because they are also being part of a movement of a Central American culture that is finally being appreciated and recognized. I think it would be good for the program to get some recognition, but I will have to wait from the professor to see if I can get an legal approval from the school. I'll cross my fingers and hope the school comes on board too. Things are coming together, I still have a long way to go, but the process has begun.
I didn't get a chance to get together with one of the rappers. Our schedule did not allow us to meet. It looks like we are going to schedule something on a later date.
This is it for now. Now I am going to catch up on some sleep that I lost this past week.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
LA LA Land
My trip coming down south on Sunday was safe. I actually took a ride-share from the bay area, where I am staying at the moment. The good part is I only spent $13.00 dollars to come down. So I can't complain with that! It definitely works with my budget. I stayed with a friend for the first couple of nights. After that I stayed with my cousin, who is also a filmmaker.
Last Monday and Tuesday was productive. I filmed the activist and writer that I mentioned. I thought it went really well. He had a lot of important issues that he brought up that concerned the Salvadoran culture. I was pleased with his honesty and presents. I believe he is going to make a major impact for the documentary.
My friend helped me do the camera work, so he was very helpful. This is the same guy is the one who will be lending me his camera. He has an HVX, that allows the camera to have attachable lens. While shooting HD and using interchangeable lens gives a nice look. It almost feels like, if it is being shot on 16mm. It was good to have help. My friend and I both carried equipment around town. We had the lights, boom pole, camera , and other utilities. This made me think about having an extra hand when I do my East Coast trip, but in reality, I don't even know if that is possible.
So I have to do a shot out to my friend and say thanks for helping a btotha out! He's an up and coming filmmaker as well, we've been helping each other for the last few years or so. The grind has been crazy, but we still leaving the dream. He's made an indie film and some shorts. He definitely has the drive. Its always good to be around people like that because it makes you step up your game. There's a saying, "in order to be successful, you have to surround yourself with successful friends."
I have a meeting on Thursday with the professor and hoping to meet another salvi rapper.
Ill keep you updated. This is it for now.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
Last Monday and Tuesday was productive. I filmed the activist and writer that I mentioned. I thought it went really well. He had a lot of important issues that he brought up that concerned the Salvadoran culture. I was pleased with his honesty and presents. I believe he is going to make a major impact for the documentary.
My friend helped me do the camera work, so he was very helpful. This is the same guy is the one who will be lending me his camera. He has an HVX, that allows the camera to have attachable lens. While shooting HD and using interchangeable lens gives a nice look. It almost feels like, if it is being shot on 16mm. It was good to have help. My friend and I both carried equipment around town. We had the lights, boom pole, camera , and other utilities. This made me think about having an extra hand when I do my East Coast trip, but in reality, I don't even know if that is possible.
So I have to do a shot out to my friend and say thanks for helping a btotha out! He's an up and coming filmmaker as well, we've been helping each other for the last few years or so. The grind has been crazy, but we still leaving the dream. He's made an indie film and some shorts. He definitely has the drive. Its always good to be around people like that because it makes you step up your game. There's a saying, "in order to be successful, you have to surround yourself with successful friends."
I have a meeting on Thursday with the professor and hoping to meet another salvi rapper.
Ill keep you updated. This is it for now.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
Friday, November 12, 2010
West Coast Filmming Starts Next Week in Los Angeles!
I added a couple of more interviews to the documentary - a Salvadoran writer/activist and a professor from a Central American Program. These are key players that would take my documentary to another level. I felt I needed the two because - one, the Salvadoran writer/activist has a written published book about the "Salvadoran-American Experience." I said to myself, his interview would go smoothly along with the Hip-Artist story because he as well talks about making changes within the culture. I happened to finish reading his book last night and I was blown away... its very inspirational! You felt his words and passion. I have to say, "what a life." Check out his book, "Hope in times of Darkness." I have been in touch with this individual for quite some time and it turns out that next week would be a good time to do any kind of filming. So I had to take advantage.
So I had to make arrangements to get a camera. My hommie came through with the camera. Ill talk about him soon. He's another filmmaker making his way in LA.
The second individual is the professor. He teaches and coordinates a Central American Program in Los Angeles. And get this... This university is the only college in the United States...I repeat ...the only college in the United States that offers a degree in Central American studies. I thought that was interesting. I reached out to this professor to see if he can help me with the history section for my doc. Who better then a professor who teaches Central American politics from El Salvador?...He's like an historian. And to top it off, he's Salvadoran too. I set up a meeting with him next week to talk more in detail of what I need for my doc. He would be helpful for my doc because I know for a fact everyone is going to mention the Civil War and Pre-Civil War of ES. Therefore, I wanted to find a professional who specializes in that department. Scheduling a proper interview will be tricky, but I will get a better idea next week of when I can film. I hope to meet up another salvi hip hop artist, if I can too... we'll see.
I was planning to film these individuals after my east coast trip, but time and scheduling was going to be an issue. It made sense to take advantage of time and availability. So it was a good idea to make moves now. Who knows how it would be in a few months or so. I didn't want to wait around and find out.
At the moment my East Coast trip is all set and a done deal. The guys from New York and DC know that I will be traveling from California... So we will see how it all goes down.
From my understanding with docs, you have to adapt with real-time - meaning, filming will be on-the-go and you have to be prepared for on-going changes and curveballs.
I'll keep you posted of how next week goes. Production started a little sooner than what I anticipated.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
So I had to make arrangements to get a camera. My hommie came through with the camera. Ill talk about him soon. He's another filmmaker making his way in LA.
The second individual is the professor. He teaches and coordinates a Central American Program in Los Angeles. And get this... This university is the only college in the United States...I repeat ...the only college in the United States that offers a degree in Central American studies. I thought that was interesting. I reached out to this professor to see if he can help me with the history section for my doc. Who better then a professor who teaches Central American politics from El Salvador?...He's like an historian. And to top it off, he's Salvadoran too. I set up a meeting with him next week to talk more in detail of what I need for my doc. He would be helpful for my doc because I know for a fact everyone is going to mention the Civil War and Pre-Civil War of ES. Therefore, I wanted to find a professional who specializes in that department. Scheduling a proper interview will be tricky, but I will get a better idea next week of when I can film. I hope to meet up another salvi hip hop artist, if I can too... we'll see.
I was planning to film these individuals after my east coast trip, but time and scheduling was going to be an issue. It made sense to take advantage of time and availability. So it was a good idea to make moves now. Who knows how it would be in a few months or so. I didn't want to wait around and find out.
At the moment my East Coast trip is all set and a done deal. The guys from New York and DC know that I will be traveling from California... So we will see how it all goes down.
From my understanding with docs, you have to adapt with real-time - meaning, filming will be on-the-go and you have to be prepared for on-going changes and curveballs.
I'll keep you posted of how next week goes. Production started a little sooner than what I anticipated.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Last Four Years...
I didn't have a chance to say happy November! That means Thanksgiving is around the corner, along with Christmas, and sooner than you know it... the year is almost over. I can't believe it! And on top of that...I have been working on this documentary for the last four years or so. Wow! four years ... sometimes I can't even believe it. So today I wanted to give a little background of how I got started with "Words of Revolution." Everyone always asks me, "why this project?" Well, this project hits home for me because it concerns my Salvadoran roots.
After attending Loyola Marymount University, I continued living in Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to find work through the entertainment business doing grip jobs, office work, or assistant duties. I gained a lot of experience from working at these different places and I have to admit...it actually schooled me on the "game." There's definitely a BIG difference from what you learn in school and what you learn in the working field or I should say the "Real World." Overall, I took the opportunity and it has made me a little smarter about the entertainment "game." But the only problem was, I wasn't trying to climbed the corporate ladder.
I'm a filmmaker - I make films! Therefore, during those times I was looking for a project that was unique, a story that would make some noise, and hopefully have a project that would make an impact in the film world. Most importantly, I wanted to find a project that would have a small budget. Though it did take some time to find that project. At that time, I was writing scripts, but they had too much of a big budget (so finding money would be a pain as well). I did short films, but they weren't something that could of turned into features.
But that all changed when I decided to go to a festival in August 6 of 2006. The event was called "Dia de los Salvadorenos " (Salvadoran day). This event is celebrated every August 6 and it celebrates pride and culture for Salvadorans living in the United States. In Los Angeles the event is a weekend long of festivities.
So this was something I had to check out! But I mainly wanted to go because it dealt with my culture and I wanted to experience something different. To be honest, I never knew something like this even existed. So I brought a camera to record the festival that was happening at Exposition Park by USC. When I got there, I enjoyed the Salvadoran food, listened to cumbia music, and I was meeting other Salvadoran folks.
While wondering, I noticed on the other side of the festival was a stage for live music. I was curious of who would be singing. I automatically thought to myself maybe an old-school cumbia group will be performing. But when I was getting closer, I was hearing people free-styling in hip-hop, but in Spanish. On stage, I saw a Salvadoran artist rapping to the crowd like a super star. I was blown away by the way he was rhyming. He was talking about the culture and politics. This artist immediately caught my eye. I was more surprised because I had no idea that Salvadoran Hip-hop even existed. The next guy that came on stage was just as good. He had this deep and powerful voice that was vibrant. Next thing you know more rappers followed.
I liked the other Salvadoran hip-hop artists, but the first two just grabbed my attention immediately. I was so intrigued that I wanted to learn more about them and their music. There was a backstage area that I happened to find my way to. I saw the first Salvadoran Artist that I liked and I approached him. I introduced myself and he said, "Whats up, my name is Santos." He was a cool guy with a lot of presence. He seemed to have that star quality in him. I learned that he was from the Bay and SD.
At that moment I was thinking to myself ... I wanted to do something with him, maybe make a video, make a movie - I really didn't know what, but I wanted to do something. We exchanged numbers and I told him "expect a call." He just said "hit me up whenever, I'm down." Thereafter, I got a hold of the other Salvi Artist. His name was Robwest and he was pretty cool as well. He lives in the heart of Los Angeles. While conversating, I found out that him and Santos were good friends. We talked a little and also exchanged numbers as well. But before I was about to leave, he gave me a sticker that read, "El Salvador Rap.Com." He said, "make sure you check my website." And I sure did that same day.
That website opened a lot of doors for me. I learned that there was a whole Salvadoran underground music community. I was blown away! I learned about different artist, reviews, and music videos. It led me finding more people on Youtube and Myspace. Around that time I got a Myspace account so I can reach out and listen to more Salvi music.
Through the website of El Salvador Rap.Com, I learned about "Reyes Del Bajo Mundo." They were a group from New York. The website led me to their music videos that they made in the past. They've been around for awhile and I didn't even know it. There videos were really good, they were creative, and shot very well. Their music had a lot of swag, vibe, and a lot of energy that made me want to watch again. I think within a week or so I reached out to them and introduce myself as a filmmaker. I kept learning and learning about this Salvi Hip-Hop. During this time I was only into making narrative films. I knew with everything I knew about the Salvi Hip-Hop, it would be difficult to make a feature film, only because their were too many things to cover and touch on. So that's when it hit me... I should make a documentary out of this.
I'm a big fan of documentaries, but I didn't know too much about making one. So I did some research and called some ex-school buddies of mine that had experiences with Docs. One of my friends gave me some good leads. He mentioned for Docs you need to do a proposal. I said, "huh?" So he gave me some websites to look at for some sample proposals. The more I was surfing on the net, the more I learned about programs that help financed doc projects.
After learning all that, I started writing my proposal. It took me the first year to develop my story. I made a lot of progress that year. The artist that I was in contact with the most was Santos. He was my guide to understanding a lot about the music scenery. He was a big help. Everything seemed to fall in place and I wanted to make this doc about these Slavi Rappers, their music, and why they even chose to use Hip-hop as their form of expression. I fell in love with the idea!!!! And finally my baby was born!
The doc would touch on these Salvi artists' who are from different places in the United States. And more interestingly, they all knew each other and became friends because of the music. I want to explore that - "different groups, different places, and one cause"
So ideas were rolling in my head. I meant every word that I wanted to make this project. I used my resources and called people that I thought could help... but to make the story short - Nothing happened - I had little help or no help at all.
At the end of that year, Reyes del Bajo Mundo was flying to LA for a show. It would be my first time meeting them in person. So I wanted to take advantage! They were down-to-earth guys. They were straight New Yorkers saying,"Yo," "Kid," "Son," all the time. When I met them, I also met FenomeDon. He was from the D.C area. We talked and he was into the idea of the Doc. He was glad that their was something positive representing the culture. He was a smart guy and we got along pretty good. After watching their show on the Hollywood strip, I knew FenomeDon would be a good piece to add to my doc. All of them rocked the show and just had represented! It was good to meet them and they were even happier when I told them I wanted to make a doc about them. That night, I re-wrote my proposal and added FenomeDon to the mix. Everything was going as planned. Now, I had to figure out how to find some money to finance my project.
When the proposal was done that year, I felt it still needed more work. For some reason my vision wasn't transferring on paper as i wanted. Something was missing! I needed to add another element to the doc. There was not enough layers to have a full length story. Eventually, I figured it out. I decided to add a history section about the culture. I feel that the history has played a major role in the salvadoran culture. In turn, the music was born because of the history. If I tied history and music together, then I have something.
For example, through Santos I learned that hip-hop was also spreading in El Salvador. Groups like Pescozada were talking about poverty, politics, and violence. I thought that was interesting. Here I figured it would be a good idea to include a history section into my doc. This would help the audience understand the culture and music more. And as I mentioned in my first blog - The Civil War in El Salvador was a tragedy.
The following year I started sending out my proposal to programs. Every proposal that I sent out that year was all rejected. I didn't know why, but it happened. I couldn't figure it out. I really believed that I had a good story.
Time was passing and the rejection letters were mounting. Maybe the programs did not understand my vision??? I really didn't know why... But it bugged me. That's when I decided to make a trailer and show some sample work. I talked to Santos and I told him the situation. He thought it was a good idea to show some sample work. Therefore, we made some arrangements where I would spend some time with him. I got some footage of his daily life, collected old footage that he had, shot some concerts he was performing, and got a short interview from him. During that time, Santos gave me a copy of his first album, "Dialecto Nativo." It was an album where he collaborated with Pezcozada. I have to say that album is classic! I decided to use one of his song to go along with my sample trailer.
Not only was I filming Santos, I had some footage that I shot at the festival and I happened to shoot footage of Reyes del Bajo Mundo when they were performing on the Hollywood strip. I had enough material to put together a trailer. It took me about five months or so to assemble a 2-3 minute trailer. I went through every footage as detailed as possible. I stayed up late nights and worked every weekend to create various cuts. The trailer turned out to be very good. I was very happy with it. I was getting some good feedback from peers and friends. With the trailer you can clearly see the potential of the project. I said to myself, "with this sample work there is no way that I can get rejected from programs or investors." But I did.
I re-wrote and re-wrote... I even had my friend who is a very smart, beautiful, and a very creative writer to help me with my proposal. She helped a lot with clearing my thoughts and expressing my words carefully. We simplified the proposal. She was a big part of the proposal and I thank her everyday. I really believed that my proposal was very sound. Now that I have revised my proposal and finished making a trailer, I felt very confident about my project. I was hoping this time around that someone would believe in my project. And again... I received more rejections.
The year after that I had to take some time off away from the project. It was heartbreaking and frustrating that no one would listen or give me an opportunity. I ended up getting involved with other projects to keep my mind off "Words of Revolution." These other projects weren't something that my heart was into, but it was work. So I was a little lost and felt maybe "Words of Revolution" was not good enough. But deep down in my heart, I knew that wasn't true. While time was passing, it was also hard to focus on my project. I was off and on with a job and being unemployed at times. Financially, things got rough for me because it was when the country was in the height of a recession. Not too many jobs were available and a lot of people were loosing jobs. So I had to act quick before things could get a lot worse, like being homeless. I was working so hard to to find financing for my project... But nothing was rolling in. It was getting difficult for me to dedicate my time to the project because I had to find money to pay rent, eat, and live.
One year was passing, another year was passing, and another year was passing... It was getting to the point that nothing was moving forward. I was afraid of loosing faith from the Salvi Artists'. I was scared that they wouldn't be interested in the project anymore because there were times that I would be out of touch. But the good thing is I wasn't completely out of touch. I would send emails here and there and maybe give them a call to let them know I was still around. I'm just glad they didn't give up on me. It was tough and I had no other choice, but to take a break. I ran into a wall! I had to re-group and take a step back because financially I was not in a good situation. Going through emotions, I ended finding a freelance gig and also ended up writing a script based on my documentary (I figured out a structure that would work for a feature). It ended up becoming the Salvi version of "8 mile." It's still in works, but I'll save that for another conversation.
The time off helped a lot. I decided to give it another try and re-write my proposal. I ended up sending my proposal one last time... And again it was rejected. I had no clue what the issue was. I kept revising my proposal. And then after awhile I said to myself, "Why do I need to re-write?" I'm basically writing the same thing over and over. I was only expressing my proposal in different ways and re-arranging the structure... Then I said, "Who am I writing this for? For the programs or for myself?"
This is my project, my voice, my vision! That is when I woke up and said, "its time to make moves."
I never been so attach to a project as I am to this one. But, I really believe in it, its my baby.
This is all for now.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
After attending Loyola Marymount University, I continued living in Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to find work through the entertainment business doing grip jobs, office work, or assistant duties. I gained a lot of experience from working at these different places and I have to admit...it actually schooled me on the "game." There's definitely a BIG difference from what you learn in school and what you learn in the working field or I should say the "Real World." Overall, I took the opportunity and it has made me a little smarter about the entertainment "game." But the only problem was, I wasn't trying to climbed the corporate ladder.
I'm a filmmaker - I make films! Therefore, during those times I was looking for a project that was unique, a story that would make some noise, and hopefully have a project that would make an impact in the film world. Most importantly, I wanted to find a project that would have a small budget. Though it did take some time to find that project. At that time, I was writing scripts, but they had too much of a big budget (so finding money would be a pain as well). I did short films, but they weren't something that could of turned into features.
But that all changed when I decided to go to a festival in August 6 of 2006. The event was called "Dia de los Salvadorenos " (Salvadoran day). This event is celebrated every August 6 and it celebrates pride and culture for Salvadorans living in the United States. In Los Angeles the event is a weekend long of festivities.
So this was something I had to check out! But I mainly wanted to go because it dealt with my culture and I wanted to experience something different. To be honest, I never knew something like this even existed. So I brought a camera to record the festival that was happening at Exposition Park by USC. When I got there, I enjoyed the Salvadoran food, listened to cumbia music, and I was meeting other Salvadoran folks.
While wondering, I noticed on the other side of the festival was a stage for live music. I was curious of who would be singing. I automatically thought to myself maybe an old-school cumbia group will be performing. But when I was getting closer, I was hearing people free-styling in hip-hop, but in Spanish. On stage, I saw a Salvadoran artist rapping to the crowd like a super star. I was blown away by the way he was rhyming. He was talking about the culture and politics. This artist immediately caught my eye. I was more surprised because I had no idea that Salvadoran Hip-hop even existed. The next guy that came on stage was just as good. He had this deep and powerful voice that was vibrant. Next thing you know more rappers followed.
I liked the other Salvadoran hip-hop artists, but the first two just grabbed my attention immediately. I was so intrigued that I wanted to learn more about them and their music. There was a backstage area that I happened to find my way to. I saw the first Salvadoran Artist that I liked and I approached him. I introduced myself and he said, "Whats up, my name is Santos." He was a cool guy with a lot of presence. He seemed to have that star quality in him. I learned that he was from the Bay and SD.
At that moment I was thinking to myself ... I wanted to do something with him, maybe make a video, make a movie - I really didn't know what, but I wanted to do something. We exchanged numbers and I told him "expect a call." He just said "hit me up whenever, I'm down." Thereafter, I got a hold of the other Salvi Artist. His name was Robwest and he was pretty cool as well. He lives in the heart of Los Angeles. While conversating, I found out that him and Santos were good friends. We talked a little and also exchanged numbers as well. But before I was about to leave, he gave me a sticker that read, "El Salvador Rap.Com." He said, "make sure you check my website." And I sure did that same day.
That website opened a lot of doors for me. I learned that there was a whole Salvadoran underground music community. I was blown away! I learned about different artist, reviews, and music videos. It led me finding more people on Youtube and Myspace. Around that time I got a Myspace account so I can reach out and listen to more Salvi music.
Through the website of El Salvador Rap.Com, I learned about "Reyes Del Bajo Mundo." They were a group from New York. The website led me to their music videos that they made in the past. They've been around for awhile and I didn't even know it. There videos were really good, they were creative, and shot very well. Their music had a lot of swag, vibe, and a lot of energy that made me want to watch again. I think within a week or so I reached out to them and introduce myself as a filmmaker. I kept learning and learning about this Salvi Hip-Hop. During this time I was only into making narrative films. I knew with everything I knew about the Salvi Hip-Hop, it would be difficult to make a feature film, only because their were too many things to cover and touch on. So that's when it hit me... I should make a documentary out of this.
I'm a big fan of documentaries, but I didn't know too much about making one. So I did some research and called some ex-school buddies of mine that had experiences with Docs. One of my friends gave me some good leads. He mentioned for Docs you need to do a proposal. I said, "huh?" So he gave me some websites to look at for some sample proposals. The more I was surfing on the net, the more I learned about programs that help financed doc projects.
After learning all that, I started writing my proposal. It took me the first year to develop my story. I made a lot of progress that year. The artist that I was in contact with the most was Santos. He was my guide to understanding a lot about the music scenery. He was a big help. Everything seemed to fall in place and I wanted to make this doc about these Slavi Rappers, their music, and why they even chose to use Hip-hop as their form of expression. I fell in love with the idea!!!! And finally my baby was born!
The doc would touch on these Salvi artists' who are from different places in the United States. And more interestingly, they all knew each other and became friends because of the music. I want to explore that - "different groups, different places, and one cause"
So ideas were rolling in my head. I meant every word that I wanted to make this project. I used my resources and called people that I thought could help... but to make the story short - Nothing happened - I had little help or no help at all.
At the end of that year, Reyes del Bajo Mundo was flying to LA for a show. It would be my first time meeting them in person. So I wanted to take advantage! They were down-to-earth guys. They were straight New Yorkers saying,"Yo," "Kid," "Son," all the time. When I met them, I also met FenomeDon. He was from the D.C area. We talked and he was into the idea of the Doc. He was glad that their was something positive representing the culture. He was a smart guy and we got along pretty good. After watching their show on the Hollywood strip, I knew FenomeDon would be a good piece to add to my doc. All of them rocked the show and just had represented! It was good to meet them and they were even happier when I told them I wanted to make a doc about them. That night, I re-wrote my proposal and added FenomeDon to the mix. Everything was going as planned. Now, I had to figure out how to find some money to finance my project.
When the proposal was done that year, I felt it still needed more work. For some reason my vision wasn't transferring on paper as i wanted. Something was missing! I needed to add another element to the doc. There was not enough layers to have a full length story. Eventually, I figured it out. I decided to add a history section about the culture. I feel that the history has played a major role in the salvadoran culture. In turn, the music was born because of the history. If I tied history and music together, then I have something.
For example, through Santos I learned that hip-hop was also spreading in El Salvador. Groups like Pescozada were talking about poverty, politics, and violence. I thought that was interesting. Here I figured it would be a good idea to include a history section into my doc. This would help the audience understand the culture and music more. And as I mentioned in my first blog - The Civil War in El Salvador was a tragedy.
The following year I started sending out my proposal to programs. Every proposal that I sent out that year was all rejected. I didn't know why, but it happened. I couldn't figure it out. I really believed that I had a good story.
Time was passing and the rejection letters were mounting. Maybe the programs did not understand my vision??? I really didn't know why... But it bugged me. That's when I decided to make a trailer and show some sample work. I talked to Santos and I told him the situation. He thought it was a good idea to show some sample work. Therefore, we made some arrangements where I would spend some time with him. I got some footage of his daily life, collected old footage that he had, shot some concerts he was performing, and got a short interview from him. During that time, Santos gave me a copy of his first album, "Dialecto Nativo." It was an album where he collaborated with Pezcozada. I have to say that album is classic! I decided to use one of his song to go along with my sample trailer.
Not only was I filming Santos, I had some footage that I shot at the festival and I happened to shoot footage of Reyes del Bajo Mundo when they were performing on the Hollywood strip. I had enough material to put together a trailer. It took me about five months or so to assemble a 2-3 minute trailer. I went through every footage as detailed as possible. I stayed up late nights and worked every weekend to create various cuts. The trailer turned out to be very good. I was very happy with it. I was getting some good feedback from peers and friends. With the trailer you can clearly see the potential of the project. I said to myself, "with this sample work there is no way that I can get rejected from programs or investors." But I did.
I re-wrote and re-wrote... I even had my friend who is a very smart, beautiful, and a very creative writer to help me with my proposal. She helped a lot with clearing my thoughts and expressing my words carefully. We simplified the proposal. She was a big part of the proposal and I thank her everyday. I really believed that my proposal was very sound. Now that I have revised my proposal and finished making a trailer, I felt very confident about my project. I was hoping this time around that someone would believe in my project. And again... I received more rejections.
The year after that I had to take some time off away from the project. It was heartbreaking and frustrating that no one would listen or give me an opportunity. I ended up getting involved with other projects to keep my mind off "Words of Revolution." These other projects weren't something that my heart was into, but it was work. So I was a little lost and felt maybe "Words of Revolution" was not good enough. But deep down in my heart, I knew that wasn't true. While time was passing, it was also hard to focus on my project. I was off and on with a job and being unemployed at times. Financially, things got rough for me because it was when the country was in the height of a recession. Not too many jobs were available and a lot of people were loosing jobs. So I had to act quick before things could get a lot worse, like being homeless. I was working so hard to to find financing for my project... But nothing was rolling in. It was getting difficult for me to dedicate my time to the project because I had to find money to pay rent, eat, and live.
One year was passing, another year was passing, and another year was passing... It was getting to the point that nothing was moving forward. I was afraid of loosing faith from the Salvi Artists'. I was scared that they wouldn't be interested in the project anymore because there were times that I would be out of touch. But the good thing is I wasn't completely out of touch. I would send emails here and there and maybe give them a call to let them know I was still around. I'm just glad they didn't give up on me. It was tough and I had no other choice, but to take a break. I ran into a wall! I had to re-group and take a step back because financially I was not in a good situation. Going through emotions, I ended finding a freelance gig and also ended up writing a script based on my documentary (I figured out a structure that would work for a feature). It ended up becoming the Salvi version of "8 mile." It's still in works, but I'll save that for another conversation.
The time off helped a lot. I decided to give it another try and re-write my proposal. I ended up sending my proposal one last time... And again it was rejected. I had no clue what the issue was. I kept revising my proposal. And then after awhile I said to myself, "Why do I need to re-write?" I'm basically writing the same thing over and over. I was only expressing my proposal in different ways and re-arranging the structure... Then I said, "Who am I writing this for? For the programs or for myself?"
This is my project, my voice, my vision! That is when I woke up and said, "its time to make moves."
I never been so attach to a project as I am to this one. But, I really believe in it, its my baby.
This is all for now.
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Grabbing a few things for the trip...
I can say that I've had a productive week. I went to buy a few things for my trip that I know I will need. One was I bought a 16gig SD Card for my MY TOUCH phone. I needed a good amount of gigs because I will be using my phone to take production stills. I want to make sure I take enough pictures for my project so I can use them for posters, programs, websites, postcards, etc,.. and a 16gig SD card is plenty of room for a 1,000 or so pictures.
I have to say my phone camera works pretty good. I changed the settings on my phone, so that I can get the best quality picture as possible (size and pixels). I've done some testing already and I am very pleased with the image quality. I'm not trying to get too fancy with my production stills or buy an expensive camera to take pictures. But I do care about quality... My Touch phone is not bad and it works with what I am trying to do. A generic brand SD card cost me like 25.00 dollars. Since I'm on a budget, it works for me! It is better than buying a $800 hundred dollar or so camera.
The other thing I bought was a mono-pod. Its a tri-pod without the other two legs. Its basically one pole, one stick, or whatever you want to call it that supports the camera... I thought this would be more useful because it is light and it doesn't take too much room. I had some experience using a mono-pod when I was filming a roadtrip documentary with my friend. It was handy and easy to use. Its the main reason why I wanted to buy one. I figured since I would be out-and-about with my talent going to different locations, a mono-pod would be convenient to travel while shooting. I'm just trying to be efficient with my time. Also, I wanted to use the mono-pod because I want to limit the movement of the camera. I don't want to give my project TOO MUCH of a hand-held style. There is nothing wrong with a hand-held style, I just prefer not to have too much shakiness. When I mean TOO much, I mean like the TV show NYPD Blue.
The last thing I got was a medium size duffel bag that has wheels. This item I wouldn't say I bought because a friends brother donated the bag to me. He knew I needed one. "Its an early Christmas present," is what he said. I was looking for a this type of bag because its big enough to pack stuff inside and small enough to carry or roll. I am trying to limit bags as much as possible. These days most airlines charge WAY too much to check in multiple bags. I'm packing light anyways, all I'm taking is underwear, t-shirts, and a couple of pants. And I can't forget my equipment ... thats the most important part!
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
I have to say my phone camera works pretty good. I changed the settings on my phone, so that I can get the best quality picture as possible (size and pixels). I've done some testing already and I am very pleased with the image quality. I'm not trying to get too fancy with my production stills or buy an expensive camera to take pictures. But I do care about quality... My Touch phone is not bad and it works with what I am trying to do. A generic brand SD card cost me like 25.00 dollars. Since I'm on a budget, it works for me! It is better than buying a $800 hundred dollar or so camera.
The other thing I bought was a mono-pod. Its a tri-pod without the other two legs. Its basically one pole, one stick, or whatever you want to call it that supports the camera... I thought this would be more useful because it is light and it doesn't take too much room. I had some experience using a mono-pod when I was filming a roadtrip documentary with my friend. It was handy and easy to use. Its the main reason why I wanted to buy one. I figured since I would be out-and-about with my talent going to different locations, a mono-pod would be convenient to travel while shooting. I'm just trying to be efficient with my time. Also, I wanted to use the mono-pod because I want to limit the movement of the camera. I don't want to give my project TOO MUCH of a hand-held style. There is nothing wrong with a hand-held style, I just prefer not to have too much shakiness. When I mean TOO much, I mean like the TV show NYPD Blue.
The last thing I got was a medium size duffel bag that has wheels. This item I wouldn't say I bought because a friends brother donated the bag to me. He knew I needed one. "Its an early Christmas present," is what he said. I was looking for a this type of bag because its big enough to pack stuff inside and small enough to carry or roll. I am trying to limit bags as much as possible. These days most airlines charge WAY too much to check in multiple bags. I'm packing light anyways, all I'm taking is underwear, t-shirts, and a couple of pants. And I can't forget my equipment ... thats the most important part!
Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
Thursday, October 21, 2010
I Woke Up and Said To Myself, Its Time To Make Moves!
Hello Everyone! This is my official introduction of my documentary "Words of Revolution."
Words of Revolution is a documentary about a culture trying to revive and progress from a history of violence. Many Salvadorans fled the country of El Salvador to escape a
treacherous civil war that happened during the 80's. Communities started to erupt across the United States, in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, and DC. After leaving their own country because of war, politics, and poverty - Salvadorans had to settle and find their own identity in the United States.
The Salvadoran culture was left with a sense of fragility and a loss of innocence after the civil war. Therefore, through the hopeful voices of Salvadoran Hip-Hop artists' in the United States, their music and interviews will takes us on a journey to understand the culture and the new Salvadoran generation living in the United States. They will speak about their experiences, culture, politics, while also bringing awareness of their homeland that still struggles with poverty and violence. These artists' are trying to begin a new chapter in their history… chapter of peace…prosperity…and unity. These musicians have a mission to bring awareness, educate those who do not understand the culture, and also move their culture to a better light and future.
I have been researching my project for about four years now. I've had a chance to meet and spend some time with these Artists' that lives in Los Angeles, San Fran, New York, and DC. I learned that their music have connected them together. Now, they are trying to bring their music from the underground to the mass media. They have allowed me access to their world and I will be exploring how their music is trying to touch the world.
Now that you get somewhat of a taste of the project. Now its my mission to make it happen. I have had problems seeking financing from private investors, lab programs, personal resource, and non-profit organizations. It was an emotional hit for me after receiving rejection letters...after rejection letter... after rejection letter... after rejection letter... I could go on and on. Like I said, this project has been in works for the last four years. It bothered me that time was passing by and money was always an issue.
So I literally woke today and said, "Its time to make moves." It took me four years to say that, but when your back is against the wall and you're running out of options - I was risking the chances of NOT making this project at all. The only choice I have now... is me! Am I able to make this happen?
So I'm in talks of getting equipment. It wasn't easy, but I became a pest. It was the only way! I'm finally taking this project into my own hands and spending money out of my own pockets. Today, I made this blog to document my journey of making this project.
Also, I booked a flight to start filming my interviews in the East Coast. My first day of production will be Jan 6, 2011. Its finally happening! No matter how long it took, I stuck with the process and the hard times. I never stopped believing in "Words of Revolution."
Buying my plane ticket was the first step. I will keep you posted from now till it's done.
Welcome to my blog!
This is Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
Words of Revolution is a documentary about a culture trying to revive and progress from a history of violence. Many Salvadorans fled the country of El Salvador to escape a
The Salvadoran culture was left with a sense of fragility and a loss of innocence after the civil war. Therefore, through the hopeful voices of Salvadoran Hip-Hop artists' in the United States, their music and interviews will takes us on a journey to understand the culture and the new Salvadoran generation living in the United States. They will speak about their experiences, culture, politics, while also bringing awareness of their homeland that still struggles with poverty and violence. These artists' are trying to begin a new chapter in their history… chapter of peace…prosperity…and unity. These musicians have a mission to bring awareness, educate those who do not understand the culture, and also move their culture to a better light and future.
I have been researching my project for about four years now. I've had a chance to meet and spend some time with these Artists' that lives in Los Angeles, San Fran, New York, and DC. I learned that their music have connected them together. Now, they are trying to bring their music from the underground to the mass media. They have allowed me access to their world and I will be exploring how their music is trying to touch the world.
Now that you get somewhat of a taste of the project. Now its my mission to make it happen. I have had problems seeking financing from private investors, lab programs, personal resource, and non-profit organizations. It was an emotional hit for me after receiving rejection letters...after rejection letter... after rejection letter... after rejection letter... I could go on and on. Like I said, this project has been in works for the last four years. It bothered me that time was passing by and money was always an issue.
So I literally woke today and said, "Its time to make moves." It took me four years to say that, but when your back is against the wall and you're running out of options - I was risking the chances of NOT making this project at all. The only choice I have now... is me! Am I able to make this happen?
So I'm in talks of getting equipment. It wasn't easy, but I became a pest. It was the only way! I'm finally taking this project into my own hands and spending money out of my own pockets. Today, I made this blog to document my journey of making this project.
Also, I booked a flight to start filming my interviews in the East Coast. My first day of production will be Jan 6, 2011. Its finally happening! No matter how long it took, I stuck with the process and the hard times. I never stopped believing in "Words of Revolution."
Buying my plane ticket was the first step. I will keep you posted from now till it's done.
Welcome to my blog!
This is Junior Gonzalez
The Filmmaker
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