#my toxic trait is being able to prep for recording

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Newt: time for screm

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Its 5:17 pm

  Welcome to “8 Questions with…..”

I recently was approached by a producer named Chris Morrisey about talking with our next guest Emmanuel Osorio,a 19 year old film director who is prepping his first film for release. Now normally interviewing a artist with no track record is a high risk because there isn’t anything the public can actually see for themselves. But as anyone who knows me either through my blog or in real life can tell you,I love to find new voices no matter where they may come from. Giving a young man like Emmaunel a platform to share his story is no different from giving a band their first show or in my own case,sharing my first film review. We all have to start with step one,right? Besides,I could sense that same excitement I feel when I was talking with Chris,he has found a talented director and smart young man in Emmaunel Osorio and believes he is destined for big things….and my gut is telling me that Chris is right. With that in mind..let’s go ask Emmanuel his 8 Questions……

    Please introduce yourself and tell us about your current project.

    My name is Emmanuel Osorio and I am a 19 year old Latino filmmaker, writer, actor, producer and film buff. I was born and raised in the amazing city of Los Angeles and I am currently working on my first feature film titled “BLASÉ L.A.”   Blasé L.A. is a semi-autobiographical time capsule of Los Angeles that follows a group of young millennials growing up in this fame and selfie obsessed city. Prior to Blasé L.A., I had a huge interest in photography and visual art. I have photographed everything from editorial fashion shoots to landscapes and everything in between. I also have directed and acted in several plays prior to jumping into filmmaking. It felt like a natural transition to combine the best of both worlds and explore what comes out of it. 

While you’re only 19, Los Angeles has a way of making folks grow up a bit faster. What three impressions has growing up in Los Angeles left on you?

     Growing up in the city of Los Angeles has very much shaped me to be the person I am today. Hollywood and the entertainment industry made a huge impression on me early on, it is hard not to be dazzled by the glitz and glamour of it all. I always enjoyed reading books and watching movies as a child but I didn’t always have time or access to it because I was busy with school work. My mother always pushed me to attempt new things to the best of my ability. She constantly placed me in environments that I would learn from. When I was able to, I would focus on music, dance, art, acting, and sports. At a very young age, I was hand selected from a group of children to participate in an all-paid dance scholarship in Downtown L.A. While doing that, I started to notice that opportunities for success can be found anywhere if you are determined and willing to put in the effort, so I tend to strive for perfection as much as possible in anything I do. 

   I feel that L.A. is so diverse with many different cultures and that made a great impression on me as well. Most of the people I met growing up moved here from somewhere else to pursue their dreams in the entertainment industry. I feel that I learned a lot from just hearing people’s various stories about life before arriving to L.A. and I got to witness the ups and downs and see how much dedication is involved if you want to become successful in any type of career.  I decided early on that when I finished high school I would focus on making my goals a reality. This city offers so many opportunities and there is room for everyone to succeed. 

   After high school, I got a scholarship to a college 60 miles outside of Los Angeles and my family highly encouraged me to accept it. I was torn because this college is in a very secluded location and I knew it would isolate me being so far away from L.A. While there, I felt very sheltered and continued to work on writing and photography as a creative outlet. It was easy to get distracted because the other students there didn’t have many career goals and were just attending classes on auto-pilot. There was a cabin fever vibe with everyone being stuck on the campus with nowhere to go, so the kids were all about partying at night and oversleeping the next day, then showing up late to classes — not caring if you completed the assignments or received good grades. It, unfortunately, was a toxic environment and I realized that if I stayed there, I would never be able to focus on achieving my dreams. I needed to take a leave and come back to L.A. On the bright side, the college party lifestyle experience gave me a lot of material to put into my script. I was able to make lemonade out of lemons, so to speak.   

What led you into making your own films? 

   I always have been fascinated by movies and the stories people tell visually. In my early teens, I began to discover a lot of classic Hollywood films and game changing movies by directors like Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo Del Toro, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and Robert Rodriguez. Watching their films inspired so many ideas of my own, I decided that I want to do what they do. These filmmakers have opened up a whole new creative space for me to play in and I am loving every minute of it!

I read the synopsis for your film,do you feel your generation is shallow and materialistic? Is film one of the last things that will bring people together for a face to face interaction?

    I do notice people of all ages with those traits but it’s all because of smart-phones and advanced technology. I feel that going to the cinema is one of the only places right now where you have to shut your phone off for two hours and focus on something other than social media. I think it is great that a lot of movie theaters are very strict about making sure nobody can interrupt a film.  During High School and my short time in college, I felt a lot of the kids there were all about social status and there is a huge obsession with the internet and how many “likes” and comments you get on your social media photo posts. At times, It all seemed like a competition. I love that technology has evolved and that we have access to use these tools to our advantage, but I remember recently sitting at a restaurant with a group of friends and some of us were texting each other even though we were sitting directly across one another at the table. The minute the food was served, everyone whipped out their phones and took photos of the food for their instagram feeds. Times like that make me feel like my generation can be superficial and shallow. Going to a movie theater with a group of friends and then talking with each other about the film after it ends feels special. I appreciate that outlets such as Netflix and Hulu exist and people have more access to discover films, but I truly hope people continue to keep movie theaters in business by taking the time to escape and experience the stories we dream up and create for everyone. I want my films to be seen on the big screen in dark cinema. If someone watches on their cell phone or laptop there are too many distractions and you don’t get the full experience. 

What are three things that surprised you the most in directing a film for the first time?

    The first thing that surprised me was how easy things started to come together once the script was completed and I started to map out how to turn this all into a reality. I was able to get great feedback and suggestions from people I met in the industry through networking. They happily gave me great advice just by politely asking a lot of questions.

   Another thing that surprised me was how comfortable I was at solving problems by finding creative solutions. Instead of being stressed or disappointed if we lost a certain location or couldn’t get a brand we specially wanted for a scene, I was able to tap into my creativity as a writer and tweak the script or dialog to make things work and still be satisfied with the changes.   

   I also wrote the main character in the film for myself to perform as an actor since the storyline is semi-autobiographical. I think it was surprising was how challenging, yet rewarding it was to direct myself and rely on my crew and producers to guide me through it. There was a huge  trust involved and I couldn’t have an ego or be too self conscious when we filmed the scenes I was in. 

How did you go about gathering the resources and money for your project? Why would investors gamble on a newcomer? How did you pitch your film?

     That was a big challenge in the beginning and very intimidating while writing my script. I asked a lot of other filmmakers what avenues they took to raise money or find investors. Most of them suggested crowdfunding or making a short film as a calling card to show to film studios and possible investors. I was lucky enough to meet my producers through networking at film screenings and various film events. Everyone I met told me they were impressed that I have such a drive and determination at such a young age. One producer said I should just be daring and make the full film and skip making a short. This producer introduced me to other people he knew in the industry that he felt would connect with the storyline and overall vibe of the project. Things clicked and came together and I was lucky enough that people believed in me and the project and decided to take a chance on me. Things came together very quickly which was a little overwhelming, but it all felt right and as if it was meant to be,  so I am even more determined now to make sure this film is a huge success. I truly want to have a long term career in this industry and continue making films for years to come so I am willing to invest in myself and work as hard as possible to achieve my goals. 

What three directors working today do you admire most and why?

      Quentin Tarantino is a huge inspiration to me! I regularly go to see films at his movie theater, the New Beverly Cinema,  to discover many classic films I didn’t have a chance to see growing up. I feel like his career and the success of his films have paved the way for people like me by proving that anything is possible. Guillermo Del Toro also inspires me. He is so humble and I recently attended the unveiling presentation of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It made me think that one day I might be able to have my own star as well. Robert Rodriguez is another huge inspiration. I read his book Rebel Without a Crew early on and it gave me so much confidence to take chances. His motto is No risk, No gain.  

What kind of films do you want to make? Do you feel the bigger the budget the less creative freedom you lose?

    I want to make films that open doors for other people and inspire others to follow my footsteps. If I can do it than anybody else can if you put in the hard work. I want to tell compelling diverse cultural stories and come up with original ideas that Hollywood hasn’t showcased yet. I want to have creative freedom at any budget. I feel like if you stay true to your creative vision you can tell stories with any size budget. I hope to continue to surround myself with people who believe in me and believe in my art to be able to do this for as long as possible because I love it!

What is next for for you after this film?

    BLASÉ L.A, is currently in post production and should be ready to premiere in early 2020. Cannes Film Festival is a big goal. I would like to tour the film in as many cities and countries as I can. I want it to be seen in as many theaters as possible. I have some other scripts I am starting to write but my main goal right now is to present BLASÉ L.A. to the world. I definitely have a follow-up film in mind but I think it will all come together once this film is released. 

The cheetah and I flying to watch your latest film project but we are a day early and you are playing tour guide,what are we doing?

    The great thing about L.A. is that there are so many different things to do within a short drive (as long as you don’t run into too much traffic). L.A. is a place where you can go to the beach in the morning then drive two hours to the mountains and play in the snow. It is a melting pot of so many different cultures and amazing mini cities. You can go to downtown LA and feel like you are in New York, then head over to the beach and soak up the artistic hippie vibe of Venice Beach. You can get a gourmet latte and window shop at all the posh designer stores in Beverly Hills then head to Disneyland and be a kid again. There is a place to basically fit every mood. There are so many famous landmarks and historic places that all can be seen in just a few hours. Hollywood Boulevard is a must if you are into anything movie related. I love this city and my film BLASÉ L.A is also a loving tribute to it.

    I like to thank both Emmanuel for the interview and Chris for helping secure it.We will be looking forward to seeing “BLASE L.A.” in 2020 and reviewing it as well We wish nothing but the best for Emmanuel….

You can follow Emmanuel a couple of different ways:

You can follow him on his very busy InstaGram page. You can also see whats coming next via his IMDb page.

Its been an incredible time as of late with all these interviews but don’t worry,the cheetah and I are still reviewing films/TV shows as well and have some great films coming up.

Feel free to drop a comment below and thank you for your support! 8 Questions with………film director/writer Emmanuel Osorio Its 5:17 pm Welcome to "8 Questions with....." I recently was approached by a producer named Chris Morrisey about talking with our next guest Emmanuel Osorio,a 19 year old film director who is prepping his first film for release.