If you missed part one of my interview with the director fear not, you can read it HERE.
So let's get it started..
Girls Walk Into a Bar,(Click link to watch the film) Touted as the “First Major Motion Picture Made For The Internet,” and I asked the director why are we distributing this film on the internet and not seeing it in theaters?
The quickest answer is why not? The real answer is the producers approached me and said hey that they have seen ELEKTRA LUXX and you make these movies with an amazing cast and they are very inexpensively and them seem to be structured like Woman In Trouble that was like a 10 part structured film, and would you be interested in doing that for the internet and giving the movie away for free? And to me the idea sounded so goofy that I thought yeah its a great forum, because I would like to prove you don't just have to have a video camera pointed at a person who is funny doing skits on the internet. That you could actually make something with production value, actors and steady cams and have that be something that you split in chunks, just like TV did fifty years ago a sponsor could come aboard and give them a little 50 second clip and that would pay for the movie.
This idea for distribution for an independent film, right now is at a wholesale right now really as we know that marketing and distribution so expensive right now, so studios right now have to justify in making a movie they have to make the most main stream movie, that would appeal to the most people to justify their investment, and that the 30,40,50 million in marketing and movie. It would be so cool if we could figure out a parallel, you know studio type of system that is not competing with Hollywood where you can make the kind of movie that Hollywood can not afford to make right now.
Cause what I find very encouraging always is that I am a movie goer, but Hollywood right now is set up to make certain particular genres, you know I don't have the choice of cool neo black and white film noir or three different westerns, but these movie audience like so if you can figure out how to make them so that they are not loosing movie to the studios, and you could actually show the whole world the movie in that forum like with Youtube, Netflixs or iTunes I find that very exciting.
Also I think that the internet before was do you really want to watch a movie on such a small device, and thats not true anymore. With streaming you can just stream a movie to you television and watch it and it looks beautiful.
I put out a huge curve ball with my next question. I asked Sebastian about turning down films. Either writing or directing. I tried my hardest to get some of the titles he turned down. But my man was solid as a rock.
Of course. Oh if I told you that would be so bad, I would look so bad.(both of us laughing) In Hollywood ultimately it goes more for actors but you are known less for what u did then for what you turned down. It's the only power you truly have. I certainly have turned down films, I have written alot of horror movies and I really like horror movies. But I have turned down things that I thought were just like really unredeemable or just for the shock value. Does the planet really need this? NO and should it come from me. I don't know if I could look at my kids and say "Hey this is the movie I wrote" so I have turned down things like that. So not to be so bleeding heart about it. But yes I have turned down films.
Are you working on anything new right now?
I can't really talk about anything, mostly out of superstition. I don't want to put the energy out there until it's a done deal.
You basically made a Hollywood dream come true. A young man from Venezuela who makes it big time in Hollywood. Your a screenwriter and director making movies that you want to make. As a kid did you always dream about coming and making it in Hollywood?
That's a great question I haven't been asked that before. I don't think I ever imaged that fully in Venezuela and have that manifest itself. When you grown up in many countries but certainly growing up in Venezuela, Hollywood is only a dream. The thought of going to Hollywood to make movies is you know it, mind as well said I going to build a time machine, go to the center of the earth and then to Mars.
From a very early age I was only interested in movies. I at first thought I wanted to be in movies, until I realized that wait a minute somebody has to write these things for Harrison Ford to be saying and somebody has to direct it. So that became much more appealing to try and create the thing.
The real answer is No.I never imaged it and I think at the risk of sounding really corny, I think that anytime that you can do what you love to do and what you would do for free, but your getting paid for it you have really succeeded.
I do feel very grateful and fortunate and I really don't take it for granted. Cause I have had real jobs for a long time. So I don't take making movies which is basically getting paid to play for granted. I love movies and they are magical to me.
And that's all folks.
Sebastian Gutierrez is one of the nicest and coolest guys I have ever talked to in Hollywood. And I wish him nothing but the best in the future.
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