Texas Filmmakers in Los Angeles, CA

Our first trip to Hollywood!

We traveled to Los Angeles, California for the first time this week to attend the 2013 Texas Filmmakers Showcase Screening in Hollywood. As we mentioned in a previous post, our short documentary film following artist Vincent Valdez was selected for the showcase along with five other short films by Texas Filmmakers. We were honored to screen our work alongside filmmakers Kat Candler, Tony Costello, Eric Steele, Craig Whitney, and Russell Oliver Bush. Here we all are at the screening:

2013 Texas Filmmakers Showcase, photo by Alfred Cervantes

The screening was held at the Directors Guild of America Theater on Sunset Blvd. Houston Film Commission Deputy Director Alfred Cervantes served as the MC, introducing the program and filmmakers during the screening. There was a great audience turnout to watch the presentation. A reception was held across the hall, which gave us a chance to meet the other filmmakers, talk about the films, and get feedback from audience members. It was a pleasant surprise to meet Texas-born actors, producers, and directors currently living and working in Los Angeles, including Producer & Director Lindsey Villarreal. Villareal’s short documentary film “Canto de Familia” screened in the same program we screened “Vincent Valdez: Excerpts for John” at CineFestival this year. It was great to have the chance to talk to Lindsey about her film and her current projects in LA. After the reception we went for cocktails with Alfred and fellow showcase filmmaker Tony Costello. We talked about our favorite films and upcoming film projects late into the evening, ending the night with a drive around famous landmarks in West Hollywood.

Our visit to The Getty Center Los Angeles

We decided to make the most out of our trip to LA by staying a couple extra days. We rented a car and drove up into the Hollywood Hills on the day following the screening. Our third day in Los Angeles was spent walking along Venice Beach, visiting Santa Monica Pier, and The Getty Center. The Getty was a wonderful venue to visit not only for the art collection, but for the beautiful architecture and gardens.

The Getty Central Garden

In the evening we met up with friend and Los Angeles-based artist Ana Serrano, who we met and worked with at Rice Gallery last year. After a fancy dinner we visited Los Angeles County Museum of Art after hours to see Urban Light, an assemblage sculpture by Chris Burden on display in front of the museum.

Urban Light by Chris Burden at LACMA

Ana served as our tour guide, driving us all around LA to see different neighborhoods and historic landmarks. The city is so quiet at night which gave us a chance to see so much more without all the traffic. Driving around with Ana was a great way to end our Los Angeles trip. Overall we had a wonderful time in LA and are looking forward to visiting again soon.

-M&A

2013 Texas Filmmaker’s Showcase

Video still from our short documentary Vincent Valdez: Excerpts for John, 2012

We’ve had our eye on the Texas Filmmakers Showcase since 2008, when we were given a DVD collection of their 2007 Showcase during our visit in Houston to be part of the Southwest Alternate Media Project’s Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship Program. We met Houston Film Commission Deputy Director Alfred Cervantes during the program’s initial meet and greet at the Houston Vistors Center. Our mentor during the fellowship was filmmaker Ya’ke Smith, whose film The Second Coming was featured on the 2007 DVD collection. We had considered submitting our work over the years, but hadn’t produced a film that we felt was appropriate for the showcase. We knew when we completed our documentary following artist Vincent Valdez that it was more than just a short online artist profile. The film felt like a step forward as filmmakers, so we decided to submit the film for consideration in the showcase earlier this year.

Video Still: Vincent Valdez, working in his studio

Last month we got a call from Alfred who informed us our film had been selected for the 2013 showcase. We were so excited to get the news, and didn’t even realize that we were invited to Los Angeles for the premiere showcase screening. Imagine how excited we were to find that out! Los Angeles is a city we’ve been wanting to visit for years. We’ll be staying for a few extra days to meet with friends (including LA-based artist Ana Serrano), relax at the beach, and check out some museums.

John, painting by Vincent Valdez

More about the L.A. Screening via the Houston Film Commission Website:

There is something for everyone in the 90 minute Showcase comprised of projects selected by a jury panel that represent the creative, bold filmmaking that comes from Texas. The Showcase is designed for Los Angeles-based producers, agents, and studios representatives to screen the early work of talented Texas cinematic storytellers.

We’re heading to L.A. today for tonight’s screening at the Directors Guild of America Theater on Sunset Blvd. Visit the Houston Film Commission Website for more information.

-M&A

Soo Sunny Park at Rice Gallery

We are very excited to share our short documentary film following artist Soo Sunny Park’s installation at Rice University Art Gallery in Houston, Texas. It’s been such a privilege to document the artists and installations for our series at Rice Gallery, and Soo Sunny Park’s installation Unwoven Light was no exception.

When we met Sunny we knew right away that she was going to be an incredible subject to follow. Her installation is visually stunning, and she is such a kind and welcoming person to work with. We are so grateful to the Rice Gallery Staff for speaking so highly of us to Sunny before we began filming. We were also very grateful to Sunny for making lots of time for us during filming.

As usual, we made two trips to Houston to produce the film. The first was to meet Sunny, follow her process, and film an interview. We were joined by Rice University Film Student Sophie Feng during our second day of filming. We talked to Sophie about how we became filmmakers, and our process while setting up for the interview in Rice Gallery’s new RG cubicle space. Sunny was a bit apprehensive at the beginning of our interview (as most artists are), but before we knew it she was opening up to us completely. It was so wonderful to have an artist speak candidly about why they make the work they make. To us, her interview comments added a new layer to the already powerful work.

On our second trip to Houston we got a few last process shots, attended the opening, and documented the completed installation. It was obvious that the audience was completely taken by Sunny’s work. Not only is it absolutely beautiful, but it’s hung in such an inviting space. The following day Mark took several hours documenting the space so the completed film could reflect the variety of experiences an audience member has while meandering through the work.

We hope we did the experience justice, but also captured moments you may have missed if you have only visited once. Luckily the exhibition is on view through August 11, 2013. We are completely inspired by Soo Sunny Park’s work, and we hope that through our film others will be too. Thanks to Sophie for making us feel like mentors for a day, and to Sunny and her partner John for being so kind. Enjoy the film below!

Watch the entire Rice Gallery Film Series on our Vimeo Channel. View these images on our Flickr page.

– M&A