INTERVIEW with Jose Carlos Gorritti
Can you explain to the audience your career?
Yes. I always wanted to be an artist but never felt good enough to pursue a career as a performer, so I became a technician. Working behind the scenes was a safe way of making a living in the arts without facing my insecurities. I started out making music and eventually made the move to audiovisual sound which is what I do for a living. “The Son of... the Holy TV” is my directorial debut.
How many years have you been making movies?
Sixteen years. The first 3 back in my country of origin, Peru, and the rest here in the USA, where I live.
Why did you start making movies?
Because I see movies as the ultimate art form.
Tell us a little about your project. What will the audience be able to see in your film?
“The Son of... the Holy TV” is an experimental documentary comedy that explores the influence that television has on society. In many ways, the audience will be able to see themselves in this movie... some things they’d like, others probably not so much.
Why did you do this project?
Directing felt like the natural step forward in my career. The subject of the movie was chosen because criticizing television had become a trend back in my country and then a climatic moment happened when people turned to the streets to protests against the so called “trash TV”. That got my attention. People were complaining about the low cultural quality of entertainment based shows, however, my observation was that if trash was to be found anywhere on television it was on the news. I also didn’t understand what was so hard about turning off the TV. You don’t like it? Why do you keep watching it? Specially in the era of social media. Well, turns out the answers I found were a lot more interesting and complicated than I was expecting.
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?
Not just directors, crew members and producers also find some talent difficult to deal with. When I first started working in films, I realized that the sound department always works very close to the talent because microphones need to be hidden on their person and a certain level of intimacy is involved. So, I decided that learning a bit of acting would make me a better technician and I took acting classes.
What I learnt is that, as an amateur actor, when you’re in front of a camera you are at your most vulnerable state and whatever insecurities you have will get amplified to the point of affecting your normal behavior and the people around you.
As a technician there’s nothing I can do because it’s not my place but as a director I make sure that my cast knows that I have their backs and that I trust them. Giving them confidence goes a long way when it comes to preventing diva behavior.
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?
I agree. In my case, time was a bigger resource than money and that allowed me to wear many hats on this production. My focus was always to be as efficient as possible by allocating my resources were they mattered the most. Having the biggest positive impact on the final product was a determinant factor in the decision making process. In that sense, while every department you mention was important, my biggest focus was on writing the story, creating graphics and producing the score. I’m surprised you didn’t put music on the list. I’m adding it because its impact is bigger than any other department.
Music: 25 %
Direction: 11 %
Art direction/locations: 18 % Photography: 7 %
Sound: 7 %
Postproduction: 29 %
Work with actors: 3 %
If you could go back, what would you change about this project? (1 thing only)
The computer I worked with. It showed its age when the time came to start rendering graphics and it slowed me down a lot. Obviously, what this really means is: the budget.
What are you happiest about this project?
I’m happy that it exists. Against all the odds, it’s an indie movie done in the most indie way possible. I could have quit so many times and I didn’t.
Make a wish to the movie gods. What do you ask?
Please, send us cameras with bigger dynamic range. We don’t need more resolution, we need more dynamic range!
What movie would you have liked to direct?
There’s a trend, that’s been going on for a few years now, of popular IPs being destroyed by their copyright holders who approve the release of insultingly bad remakes, sequels, spin-offs, etc. I would choose any of those at random and make a version that is respectful to its canon and fans.
What kind of cinema do you like? Genre, directors, actors?
I love fantasy, things that take me out of reality. Also mysteries, suspense. I like trilogies and franchises in general because in addition to provide entertainment they create communities of fans. I love directors and actors who have strong artistic signatures.
Imagine that all the movies are going to be lost. If you could save 3 movies, what would they be?
The Ocean’s Trilogy by Steven Soderbergh.
If you have more projects underway, can you give us a bit of information?
Yes, before moving on to start developing my next movie, which has already been outlined, I will release the soundtrack of “The Son of... the Holy TV” as an album and also a book in which I explore in great depth the entire making-of process of this movie. I believe that my experience can help aspiring filmmakers learn more about this beautiful art. I also regularly give updates on my projects on my social media.
People can find me in all the regular places, in English, as @JCGorritti and in Spanish as @Gorrittismos or by going to my website jcgorritti.com
The best way to contact me is by emailing me at info@jcgorritti.com
Thank you so much for this opportunity. I appreciate it.