00:25perspective and perception
00:27you know obviously with angel
00:29that's I mean we see that when he's
00:32in that one meeting
00:32his friend wants to change the perception of the story
00:36he wants to tell you know
00:37and that's true that's you know obviously
00:39there's a certain ghosting to that
00:42there's the coding there's all kinds of stuff
00:44going on but it's interesting
00:45to look at a character's perspective
00:48but how they want to be perceived
00:50versus how they think they
00:52need to be perceived that's why the
00:53scene with Mia right at the end
00:55and I don't want to give too much away
00:57it really decodes that
00:59to show that you know what do you want
01:02yeah I think
01:04it's interesting you're saying that I think
01:06you know Jay wrote something and I think
01:08that again I connected to this idea of
01:09this is something that I think anyone
01:12anyone who's like a
01:13a person of color
01:16you know anyone's a minority
01:17will understand these levels
01:19of microaggressions these levels
01:22of I'm trying to help you
01:23but like the undertone of it is
01:25I'm trying to help you
01:27be less you
01:28because you need to be
01:30more mainstream
01:31or whatever that is
01:32it's a sense of like
01:34I'm accepting you
01:35but I'm only accepting part of you
01:37you know
01:37I want to shape you this way
01:40and
01:41there's this interesting thing
01:42that I think
01:43you know
01:43when I watched it
01:45I was like
01:45I'm so glad that it came across that way
01:47that there's a thing
01:48you know
01:49the code switching is a thing that happens
01:50there's a thing called
01:51code
01:53there's code shifting
01:54and code
01:56shifting
01:57and then there's a
01:58code changing
01:59and they're different
02:00shifting is kind of like
02:01you're still yourself
02:02but you're adapting to different environments
02:03and there's something about Angel
02:05that he just is himself
02:07everywhere
02:08and it's interesting
02:09that the different people
02:10put on a different view of him
02:12that's what I thought was interesting
02:14it's like
02:15he's himself
02:15in the whole movie
02:16I'm not like
02:18massively changing
02:19depending who I'm talking to
02:20it's not that I don't
02:21interact or meet them
02:22where they are
02:22but he's himself
02:24and when he's in these meetings
02:25they're like
02:26oh
02:26we see you as this Latino guy
02:28we see this aspect of you
02:29we're going to make this movie
02:30and all of us have that
02:31I've been in so many meetings
02:33where people are like
02:33oh I see like
02:34you're spicy
02:35whatever
02:35and they're putting all this stuff on me
02:37and I'm just like
02:38this is weird man
02:39like I think
02:39I'm just like kind of a dude
02:41and I'm bilingual
02:42and I grew up an immigrant mother
02:43and like you know
02:43I am
02:44I'm
02:45Mexican dude
02:45like you know
02:46whatever
02:46I was born here
02:48but like
02:48I had Mexican roots
02:49but it's like
02:50that's not
02:51it's not I'm one or the other
02:52it's like I'm both
02:53I'm all
02:54and then that was like
02:55a really interesting thing
02:56to be like
02:57this dude is just who he is
02:58and the perception
02:59is not his own of himself
03:01it's everyone else's version of him
03:04you know
03:04so I thought that was like
03:05a really interesting thing to see
03:07and how
03:07again
03:08he doesn't really take it personally
03:09even at the end
03:10well not to give too much away
03:12but
03:12it's him making the decision
03:13to be like
03:14oh man
03:15I'm not going to ask for permission
03:17for people to see all of me anymore
03:19that's the journey
03:20the journey is like
03:20I'm going to be myself
03:22and I'm going to do my thing
03:23like that's kind of
03:24the journey that we're taking here
03:25right
03:25and
03:25and I
03:26you're right
03:27that it's a lot of it's unspoken
03:28it's in the reactions
03:29it's in hearing what people are saying
03:31and understanding deeply
03:33what they're actually saying
03:34versus what they're saying out loud
03:36and their energy
03:36it's kind of like
03:37uh
03:38okay
03:39I see where I stand here
03:40and I don't like it
03:41and I don't like it
03:42and I love
03:42I kind of love that
03:43that it isn't
03:44again
03:45it's not punchy
03:45it's like
03:46it's going
03:47it's like very fluid
03:48and very like
03:49I don't know
03:49there's something really cool about that
03:51that I
03:51that I really
03:52I'm glad that that stuff
03:53comes across
03:54when you say that
03:54it's not in the dialogue
03:55that
03:56that makes me very happy
03:57to hear that
03:59so fucking good man
04:01a friend of mine brought me here
04:02a long time ago
04:06I love places like this
04:07so authentic you know
04:09oh yeah
04:10yeah
04:10for sure
04:11thanks for hanging out with me tonight
04:13yeah
04:14I'm glad we reconnected it
04:16same here
04:16it was all fun
04:17fucking great
04:18was that party
04:19dude that was actually really fun
04:20right
04:20yeah
04:20that was the after party
04:21you know
04:22well it's a character piece
04:23in many ways
04:24it's plot driven
04:24but it's a character piece
04:25I mean Jay
04:26could you talk about
04:27perspective and perception
04:28in that way
04:28because you know
04:29writing there's a certain voice
04:31that has to come across
04:32in terms of
04:33the character
04:34but in terms of the
04:35overall
04:36you know
04:36picture
04:37that's
04:37that's your approach
04:39you know
04:39and you have to give that perspective
04:40you know
04:41while showing
04:42because you're a filmmaker
04:43you're at LA
04:44you're doing all this
04:45you don't want to make it too meta
04:46but you also want to make it
04:47you know
04:49respective of what
04:50the experience is
04:51if you will
04:52I mean I think
04:53Jeff nailed it on the head
04:55in terms of the perspective
04:56and perception thing
04:57the one thing I'll add
04:59is that
04:59you know
05:00I come from the Linklater
05:01Sean Baker style movies
05:03where like
05:04it's very slice of life
05:05and very you know
05:06observational
05:07of like what
05:07what
05:08how grounded
05:10something could be
05:11and how
05:13I don't know
05:14I think
05:15I think for me
05:18the biggest
05:19the biggest
05:20compliment
05:21that I could get
05:22from this film
05:23is
05:24it's
05:25it's real
05:26it feels real
05:27I think
05:27and
05:28and that's the only way
05:29I can
05:30describe it
05:31to anyone else
05:32about what this movie is
05:33because
05:33not a lot of people
05:35haven't seen it
05:36I'm really excited
05:36about what
05:37people will think of it
05:40I'm not necessarily
05:41nervous
05:42if I'm being honest
05:44it's more just
05:44this excitement
05:45of just like
05:46I hope
05:46people can see
05:47what I see
05:48and maybe
05:49I'll hopefully
05:50be for the better
05:50wow
05:51that was
05:51the wrap party
05:52was okay
05:53you know
05:53it was the wrap party
05:55but no one lets loose
05:56that's why
05:56oh the double party
05:57the Taylor classic
05:58yeah
05:58Taylor classic
05:59that's why I do
06:00the after parties
06:00I remember the classic
06:01Taylor double dorm parties
06:03yeah right
06:04you had to keep
06:04the party going
06:05got it
06:05and you got to be
06:06Colin
06:07how cool is that
06:08he's cool man
06:09he's a cool dude
06:09he's great
06:10he's a good director
06:11and he
06:12he liked you
06:13yeah
06:14yeah
06:17so what happened
06:18and my last question
06:19to both of you
06:19well congratulations
06:20being in Dance With Films
06:21they're very
06:22specific about
06:23how they select
06:24and I've known them
06:25for years
06:25I do both coats
06:27usually
06:27I'm sorry
06:27I won't be there
06:28in person this time
06:29it's just a
06:29conflict of schedule
06:30but the
06:31you know
06:31it's interesting
06:32because what you're
06:33talking about
06:34anticipation
06:34looking forward
06:35to how people react
06:36what's interesting
06:37that over my experience
06:39is the memory of it
06:41you know
06:41how you look
06:42like the memory
06:43of shooting this movie
06:44the memories
06:45that you had
06:46when you were
06:47in your early 20s
06:48you know
06:48just going nuts
06:49trying to
06:50get everything done
06:51to where you are now
06:52you know
06:53those kinds of things
06:54you know
06:54can you talk about
06:55the power of memory
06:56and power of expectation
06:58but accepted expectation
07:01of what
07:01you want to accomplish
07:03versus how you'd like
07:04the audience
07:05not necessarily
07:06to react
07:07or to digest
07:08but to see
07:10what you're doing
07:10this is kind of
07:11my first like
07:12lead role
07:13like where I'm like
07:13I'm in every single
07:14scene in this movie
07:15and I
07:16you know
07:16I've been acting
07:18for a long time
07:19and I've done a lot
07:20of stuff
07:20I've done so many
07:21different things
07:21and I
07:22you know
07:22I come from
07:23a theater background
07:23so I've been doing
07:24just a lot of stuff
07:25and the experience
07:27was oh man
07:28I've wanted to be
07:29like a lead actor
07:30or a star
07:31in a thing
07:31for so long
07:32and this comes along
07:34and it's this very
07:35grounded character piece
07:36it's like we said
07:37slice of life
07:37it's very
07:38it kind of hinges
07:40on whether or not
07:41you believe who I am
07:44care about who I am
07:45and kind of like
07:46like the character of Angel
07:48if like
07:48if you know
07:49and there was this moment
07:50before we started shooting
07:51where I was like
07:52oh man
07:53if like
07:54if for whatever reason
07:55people are not picking up
07:56what I'm putting down
07:57they're just gonna be like
07:57this sucks dude
07:59and it was this very scary moment
08:01of
08:02it's like
08:02I want this thing
08:03I want this thing
08:04I want this thing
08:04and then the universe is like
08:05here you go
08:05and you're like
08:06oh man
08:07that's heavy dude
08:08but to me
08:09like
08:10you know
08:10the memory of doing it
08:12it like
08:12it was like a blur
08:13it happened really fast
08:14we shot very quickly
08:16and you know
08:17when I saw it
08:18it was a year and a half
08:19after I think we shot it
08:20maybe
08:21roughly
08:21something along those lines
08:23in a year or so
08:24and I was really disconnected
08:25from when I saw it
08:26but I was like
08:27whoa dude
08:28we like captured something
08:29very special
08:30and at the time
08:31you never know
08:32you never know
08:33sometimes you feel like
08:34it's incredibly special
08:34when you're making it
08:35sometimes you remember
08:36whatever
08:37and sometimes you just
08:39have no idea
08:39and I remember watching it
08:40and being like
08:41oh man
08:42this is
08:42this is real cool
08:43this is real cool
08:44this is something
08:45I think people are
08:45going to connect to
08:46and that to me
08:47the memory part of it
08:48making it
08:49to me was a really
08:49kind of formative experience
08:51being like
08:51oh this is what it is
08:53this is the importance
08:54of like what you said
08:55the non-spoken things
08:56and the character
08:56and kind of knowing
08:58every piece
08:58of where you're supposed
08:59to be at
09:00and what the arc is
09:01and where you're going
09:02you know
09:02and that was a really
09:04it was a really big lesson
09:06to me as an actor
09:07like a huge huge lesson
09:08to me as an actor
09:08big time
09:09so I
09:10yeah
09:10so I'm glad to share it
09:12and kind of what Jay is saying
09:13I'm very proud of it
09:14so I can't wait
09:14for more people to see it
09:19all anyone could ever talk about
09:20was our film
09:21it's really easy to think
09:22this is the city
09:23where dreams come true
09:24without thinking of all
09:25the people that are out there
09:25fighting to keep that dream alive
09:27what about your dream
09:28your dream is here
09:29if you just keep giving
09:30and giving
09:31what are you going to have
09:32back for you
09:48you saw it every day
09:50you saw all the different takes
09:51you saw how it cuts together
09:52how those moments breathe
09:54could you talk about that
09:56because you've been with it
09:57all the way to this point too
09:59so
09:59it's been quite a journey
10:01I mean even from the first day
10:02of shooting you know
10:03I was
10:04I knew what I wanted
10:06you know going in
10:07and I was fortunate enough
10:09to have my actors trust me
10:11because you know
10:11obviously we're super indie
10:13super shoestring
10:14and there's a lot of trust involved
10:16especially when we start
10:17facing challenges right
10:19and we face a lot of challenges
10:21sometimes locations
10:22weren't actually secure
10:23and there's all these
10:24different things
10:24and so for me
10:25I just had to hone in
10:27on what this story
10:28actually means
10:29and you know
10:31once we all kind of figured
10:33what that was
10:34it just started to kind of
10:35keep going and going and going
10:36but to go back on the memory
10:38side of it
10:39like after we filmed
10:40I had to step away
10:41because it was so draining
10:43to be
10:44to do a feature film
10:45it's my first feature film
10:46I didn't realize
10:48how draining it could be
10:50so I actually put it aside
10:51for a few months
10:52and until I finally got
10:54into the edit room
10:55and I think that was
10:56the best thing I could have done
10:57because it allowed me
10:57to separate it from it
10:59from the experience
11:00and now see it as a viewer
11:02and be like
11:02okay what do we have here
11:04and that allowed me
11:05to kind of figure out
11:06the pacing
11:07figure out the scenes
11:08rework the scenes
11:09on like what actually worked
11:11and what didn't work
11:12and you know
11:13as a filmmaker
11:14you feel married
11:15to everything that you shoot
11:16but then not everything
11:17that you shoot
11:18is going to be gold
11:18right
11:19so like I had to have
11:20those conversations
11:21with myself
11:22about like well
11:22is this really needed here
11:24is this here
11:25like do we need this line here
11:27and there was a lot of that
11:28and you know
11:29for better or worse
11:30it was just me
11:31in the editing room
11:32you know
11:34it's all on me
11:35on whether you know
11:35people enjoy it
11:36and I'm fine with that
11:37because I again
11:38I made the movie
11:39that I wanted to make
11:40and I am really proud of it
11:41and I think people
11:42will resonate with it
11:43it's not just an LA story
11:45it's not just a Latino story
11:46it's a universal story
11:47about you know
11:49that it's never
11:50too late to dream
11:57you
12:02you
12:04you
12:06you
12:06you
12:15you
