interview :: roberto munoz :: filmmaker of 'dear j' :: CubeCity e n t e r t a i n m e n t


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Interview with Roberto Munoz
On making the film "Dear J'"; on working with actress Karen Lynn Gorney; on what gives him inspiration...
{{ Date: December 2006 }}
Q: As a filmmaker, what exactly is your job?
A: Well, like most indie filmmakers, I wear many hats. On [this film], I was one of the scriptwriters, I produced, and I co-directed. While I do have the overall vision for the film, I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the creative core. My co-director, Mann Munoz, stationed himself out on the floor with the actors while I oversaw the monitor image. As in any film, there’s a whole list of people who contributed creatively.

Q: Where did you get the idea for your film?
A: It arose from a need to speak truthfully about the human spirituality.

Q: What is the film about?
A: The film follows a fictional, less-than-perfect James Jamisin. As a Christian evangelist, he strays into uncertain territory, dating and falling in love with an unbeliever who tragically dies in a car crash. Her untimely death leads him to commit himself to a mental health facility. The story picks up when he is in the midst of this unusual yet creative self-imposed therapy as he deals with his crisis of faith. During his time of self-analysis, James begins to fall in love with his attractive female counselor.

Q: Is the film autobiographical?
A: Yes, a little. All films are at least somewhat autobiographical in that in many ways we all share aspects of the human experience. Certain elements are true to life while other elements are purely fictional. To clarify, I have never been an inmate in a mental facility. But I have visited various people in mental institutions.

Q: Karen Lynn Gorney is in your film. Where did you find her?
A: Our casting director, Michael Kricfalusi, alerted me to her availability. I was astonished as a first-time filmmaker to have someone of her experience and caliber on board. Karen loved the script and we interviewed her at the Salisbury Hotel. She’s a real pro and a pleasure to work with. She rounds out a cast of equally talented, if lesser-known, actors.

Q: Where did you shoot your film?
A: We shot primarily in Whitestone, Queens, New York City.

Q: Do you have any funny stories or anecdotes?
A: The most memorable day of the film shoot was when our high quality boom microphone stopped working properly, thus effectively halting production. Our “McGaffer,” Kevin Wiley, realized the problem was due to a rare and failing 9.7 volt battery. After a frantic search—calling all the equipment houses we could think of, but to no avail—our second camera operator stumbled across a simple solution: 6 large hearing aid batteries. The “McGaffer” made a sleeve with gaffer’s tape and inserted this new “battery” into the boom mic. Problem solved. Miraculously, we lost only about two hours of production time that day.

Q: How long did it take to shoot?
A: Due to location availability, we had a very short shooting schedule. 12 days for principal photography, and about 3 extra days to shoot additional footage.

Q: What was the most challenging thing you encountered?
A: Filming a full-length feature film with a core cast of thirteen and about a hundred extras in a two-week time period. The crew worked 18 hour days. At the end of each day, we collapsed under the stress and intensity of the filming schedule we had imposed upon ourselves. But over all, solid organizational logistics, a great cast and crew, not to mention numerous miracles from heaven, pulled us through.

Q: As a Filmmaker, who are your influences?
A: I have no official film school background, although, I’ve been in the entertainment industry since my concert-promoter days in the 1980s. Paradoxically, my influences borrow unconsciously and eclectically from everything I see. Consciously, I attempt to create a developing, non-derivative film style.

Q: Do you have another film in mind?
A: Several. The first will be a sequel to this story. It occurs against a backdrop of the creation/evolution debate.

>> back to press room

:: Buy the DVD ::
Filmmaker Roberto Munoz's first film project

Copyright © 2008
CubeCity Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Interview with Roberto Munoz On making the film "Dear J'"; on working with actress Karen Lynn Gorney; on what gives him inspiration... {{ Date: December 2006 }} *Q: As a filmmaker, what exactly is your job?* A: Well, like most indie filmmakers, I wear many hats. On [this film], I was one of the scriptwriters, I produced, and I co-directed. While I do have the overall vision for the film, I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the creative core. My co-director, Mann Munoz, stationed himself out on the floor with the actors while I oversaw the monitor image. As in any film, there’s a whole list of people who contributed creatively. *Q: Where did you get the idea for your film?* A: It arose from a need to speak truthfully about the human spirituality. *Q: What is the film about?* A: The film follows a fictional, less-than-perfect James Jamisin. As a Christian evangelist, he strays into uncertain territory, dating and falling in love with an unbeliever who tragically dies in a car crash. Her untimely death leads him to commit himself to a mental health facility. The story picks up when he is in the midst of this unusual yet creative self-imposed therapy as he deals with his crisis of faith. During his time of self-analysis, James begins to fall in love with his attractive female counselor. *Q: Is the film autobiographical?* A: Yes, a little. All films are at least somewhat autobiographical in that in many ways we all share aspects of the human experience. Certain elements are true to life while other elements are purely fictional. To clarify, I have never been an inmate in a mental facility. But I have visited various people in mental institutions. *Q: Karen Lynn Gorney is in your film. Where did you find her?* A: Our casting director, Michael Kricfalusi, alerted me to her availability. I was astonished as a first-time filmmaker to have someone of her experience and caliber on board. Karen loved the script and we interviewed her at the Salisbury Hotel. She’s a real pro and a pleasure to work with. She rounds out a cast of equally talented, if lesser-known, actors. *Q: Where did you shoot your film?* A: We shot primarily in Whitestone, Queens, New York City. *Q: Do you have any funny stories or anecdotes?* A: The most memorable day of the film shoot was when our high quality boom microphone stopped working properly, thus effectively halting production. Our “McGaffer,” Kevin Wiley, realized the problem was due to a rare and failing 9.7 volt battery. After a frantic search—calling all the equipment houses we could think of, but to no avail—our second camera operator stumbled across a simple solution: 6 large hearing aid batteries. The “McGaffer” made a sleeve with gaffer’s tape and inserted this new “battery” into the boom mic. Problem solved. Miraculously, we lost only about two hours of production time that day. *Q: How long did it take to shoot?* A: Due to location availability, we had a very short shooting schedule. 12 days for principal photography, and about 3 extra days to shoot additional footage. *Q: What was the most challenging thing you encountered?* A: Filming a full-length feature film with a core cast of thirteen and about a hundred extras in a two-week time period. The crew worked 18 hour days. At the end of each day, we collapsed under the stress and intensity of the filming schedule we had imposed upon ourselves. But over all, solid organizational logistics, a great cast and crew, not to mention numerous miracles from heaven, pulled us through. *Q: As a Filmmaker, who are your influences?* A: I have no official film school background, although, I’ve been in the entertainment industry since my concert-promoter days in the 1980s. Paradoxically, my influences borrow unconsciously and eclectically from everything I see. Consciously, I attempt to create a developing, non-derivative film style. *Q: Do you have another film in mind?* A: Several. The first will be a sequel to this story. It occurs against a backdrop of the creation/evolution debate. >> back to press room		:: Buy the DVD :: Filmmaker Roberto Munoz's first film project
Copyright © 2008 CubeCity Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. create \| liberate \| innovate