In celebration of our anniversary on October 15th, we’re revisiting some of our favorite moments of the last 11 years.
Today, we asked our Chief Cultural Officer and Head of Production to pick the shoot that they thought was the most memorable. Full disclosure, this includes a particularly good anecdote about film legend Harvey Keitel.
Jose Barrera, Chief Cultural Officer
Pick: Feist’s “The Bad in Each Other” from Academy+, directed by Martin de Thurah.
What made this shoot the most memorable?
The most memorable thing about it was the process. It was like reverse engineering everything that we knew worked in terms of how to approach a big production, the project scaled upwards and downwards every day of pre-pro. Basically we set out to scout and cast on the go, Martin had a general idea of what the film would be, so that helped narrow down the type of areas that we scouted. We were looking at five or six places per day, and we would show up unannounced in the weirdest places: boxing gyms, markets, dancing halls, schools, hotels, people’s houses, farms and churches. I remember at one point we had a “shot list” of 60 locations that could appear in the film. Casting wise, we must have seen over 100 people. In the end we had to scale it to what was possible to shoot in four days, but we always kept it flexible. During the shoot we would swap scenes if something didn’t feel right or if the light wasn’t good. That definitely kept us on our feet, it felt like we were a caravan of gypsies traveling all over Mexico City, always ready to shoot!
Where did you shoot?
Everywhere! There is so much stuff that is not in the film, whole scenes with new characters and stories! But for the sake of doing a re-count here it goes, in Mexico City: we shot in Coyoacan (the puppeteers), Roma (photographers house), Centro (some Feist scenes at a Hotel and a Market), San Rafael (running shots), Santa Maria La Ribera (the house with the girls and a market with Feist), Naucalpan (the fireworks and the old man with the kid), Merced Balbuena (the scene with the cleaning lady and the man who fall in love, it was actually a union’s office), Guerrero (the magician and the dancing hall). Outside Mexico City we shot mostly in Puebla (the scenes with the girls running), and near a town called Tepeyahualco (the scene with the twins saying goodbye).
Looking back on it, would you have done it all the same or done anything differently?
I wouldn’t change a thing.
Did you learn anything from the experience?
Oh man! It was such a powerful experience. One that I will always remember and try to replicate.
Ihxel Perez, Head of Production
Pick: “Outlaws” from LEGS Media and Belstaff, directed by Geremy Jasper.
What made it the most memorable?
When Mr. Harvey Keitel confused our CCO with his Eye Doctor. We had an amazing cast (including David Beckham), an amazing director and an amazing production company, with a one-of-a-kind script that allowed us to go above and beyond creatively and really show off just how much this City has to offer.
Where did you shoot?
Mexico City and the vicinity State of Hidalgo.
Looking back on it, would you have done it all the same or done anything differently?
All the same!
Did you learn anything from the experience?
Highly creative projects such as these bring out the best from everyone: crew, actors, company drivers, vendors, etc. And they create a bond similar to the ones you get to experience on long format films.
