Interview #92

—So, tell us about the 'making of'.

—Basically I just did what I like to do the most: show myself talking about something that happened to me. It's pretty simple, a stage, where the whole story was shot, two actors, a camera, a couple of friends who helped me.

—And here you are doing the same thing. So, how did you came up with the idea?

—I was sitting at a class, listening to the teacher. Then I got lost thinking about what happened, and I imagined myself talking to the camera, saying that keeping count was too easy; and it was. My mind made a switch and she was standing in front of me, dressed as cowgirl, with a gun on her hand and a smile on her face. And that was it, I decided that I was going to shoot the idea.
—How did you find the stage?
—On a trip to one of the beaches I like the most. I was driving and took a detour, and one of my friends told me to stop so he could take a picture of some cows. When we got home, I ran into that picture looking at the whole album. The landscape was perfect, totally 'western'. I don't think my friend cosidered what was behind those cows (laughs). But this was a few months before I even came up with the idea; it was by accident. 

—You say you like to show yourself, but, is that why you appear on the title?

—Kind of. I thought that no one would represent the way I was feeling at that moment, and that to really show the feeling I had to do it myself. At first I thought it was great (laughs), but now that I see it, I don't think I did a good job either.

—Do you think it would have been better with a real actor?

—Yeah, totally. Starting with the 'look', you know? An actor has some sort of a model body, is handsome; I don't have that kind of body (laughs), actually at that time I was a little fatter than I am right now, so. It was merely a whim.

—What about the girl? Are you satisfied?

—(Laughs) Well, yes, but they're different.

—Who?

—The girl in the story, and the girl in real life. But none of the girls that I knew they would do a good performance were as pretty as I wanted. I know it sounds misogynist, but is just that I wanted a girl that was outstanding. In the end the girl that did the part is not outstanding, but she has the body, and the look in the eyes I was searching for. But still, the real girl would have done a better performance, 'cause she knows how to act or behave that way, even though she's not an actrees. She loved to be in front of the camera.

—Why did it took you so long to release it?

—'Cause after the shooting we had two weeks to finish the editing process. We had to deliver it to this guy who was supposedly going to arrange a presentation with the other flimmakers. In the end nothing happened, and I left it the way it was, then the girl I was dating at that time saw it and suggested some improvements, like turn it black and white, or the music. So we took that semester to make those corrections and record original music. Then I went away for six months, and it was after I returned when it was finished.

—How did you feel on the presentation?

—I wasn't there. I had to work the day it was showed so I couldn't go. The next day I went down to the contest and I ran into a friend. "I saw it; it's good", he said. Then one of the judges said that the music was horrible (laughs).

—Obviously, someone else won the contest...

—(Laughs) Obviously. But it was a great experience, you know? I learned that no matter how many times I contest in these festivals, I'm not going to win. It's not like I was hoping to win, but you have to study filmmaking to do something good, unless you're a natural on it, which I'm not, so. There are certain techniques or tricks that can be learned only studying. Plus the story wasn't innovative, so.

—Are you considering to get into any film academy?

—No, not at all. It is really expensive, not only the academy, but the production, the filmmaking, and you don't make as much money as you want or hope. And I don't love filmmaking, so I'm not willing to live that way, that's why I sold myself.

—Yeah, you suck by doing that (laughs).

—I know, but I don't care; I'm a material girl (laughs).

—Are you planning to do another one?

—Yeah, I guess.

—When?

—I don't know yet.

—Alright. Thank you so much.

—No, thank you.

—We'll be back after this...