INTERVIEW with Geraldo J. Uscategui
Can you explain to the audience your career?
I've been writing professionally for about a decade now. It all started with my novel, The Rumdog Chronicles, and I haven't really stopped since. I published “A Work in Progress” in 2018 and then I started to adapt those manuscripts into screenplays.
How many years have you been making movies?
This is actually my first feature-film. I was fortunate enough to have a solid and experienced crew of filmmakers and solid, behind the scenes talent. I did some television work as background and then was
featured on a census PSA, but I think I realized that I was much more comfortable behind the lens.
Why did you start making movies?
As a writer, you always envision your characters with your mind’s eye. I think something just clicked one day, and I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be something if you could visit just make the characters come to life?” I
now realize that this is just something that I would eventually evolve into.
Tell us a little about your project. What will the audience be able to see in your film?
People will undoubtedly see the fragile, human condition. Our psyche is a very sensitive thing. In FLUX, there’s many instances of just locked in we are with what we think we know, and how much we would struggle if all that we believed was not necessarily true. The entire film is promised on our visceral, emotional rejection of the supernatural.
Why did you do this project?
It was an interesting think-piece that we had the talent for, and we believed it was a film we could afford to make.
One of the problems some directors encounter is directing actors and dealing with some actors, especially in the amateur world. How do you see this topic? What kind of work do you do with them?
I think the most challenging aspect of directing was the “managing” personalities. Again, I was lucky enough to have a few seasoned pro’s on set, so the lesser experienced actors honestly just followed suit. We had a few table reads to allow the actors some elbow room to play with the characters, and they made different choices at times. I simply tried to allow my actors to be the character they believed it to be, and I’d tweak those portrayal a bit to help mold them into the same character I envisioned.
A good movie takes care of all departments. But normally we can not allocate all the resources to have a good photography or spend a lot of money on sound post production or budget to hire actors. In your project what % have you allocated to. I don't just mean money but time as well. Of 100% of the time/money, what % did you dedicate to each department?
-Direction: I did not take any salary. But I gave 110% of my time and effort!
-Photography 20%
-Sound 10%
-Postproduction 30%
-Work with actors 20%
-Art direction/locations: 20%
If you could go back, what would you change about this project? (1 thing only)
I’d try to get a few more locations.
What are you happiest about this project?
I’m super happy that this film is being so well-received. It’s not a big budget film with lots of explosions, rather it's a dramatic, thought-provoking piece on what may be an emotionally triggering subject.
Make a wish to the movie gods. What do you ask?
A 3-picture deal to feature our eclectic collection of talent, and the powerful stories that are ready for production.
What movie would you have liked to direct?
Hmm. Good question. I would have to go with the 1991 film, “Once Around” starring Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and Danny Aiello. It was the first time that I watched a movie over and over, wishing that I
had been part of the production. There was singing, there was drama and just good ol’ acting!
What kind of cinema do you like? Genre, directors, actors?
I love all genre’s. Drama, Sci-fi, Comedy. I'm a film buff in general. I love emotional stories where actors that
can just sit and deliver a line. Or a powerful scowl. A facial expression is sometimes
more powerful than words. If I had to pick a director. M. Knight Shyamalan
Imagine that all the movies are going to be lost. If you could save 3 movies, what would they be?
Wow. That's a tough one. You already know “Once Around,” “Signs,” and probably “The Godfather.”
If you have more projects underway, can you give us a bit of information?
We have a few videos projects underway. I’ll be collaborating with PopfilmsProductions again
with a feature. It’s a thriller we've been developing and are just getting to roll into pre-production. We’re also in pre-production for another dramatic feature in the late fall. Canon has come on board for that film, and are going to sponsor us with a ton of filmmaking equipment so we’re putting those pieces & numbers together.