The making of “Gazpacho”

I find myself writing a screenplay. Why? Because, I am shooting a film. I have done a casting call and I have the main actors lined up. We’ve even done a promotional photo shoot. The news is starting to circulate, “Gazpacho” the movie is in pre production. It’s true, it is. And, soon, I will do a press release.

The idea for this movie started brewing in my head when I was in film school, a few years ago. It wasn’t much of a story, but more like a grouping of visuals—images I had never seen on screen before. The film was originally going to be shot in Chicago, but now it’s being made in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The concept is still the same—the audience experiences an average day of a group of mobsters—that is anything but normal.

Sure, there have been many organized crime movies before and I am sure there will be many in the future. But, I’m not concerned with that. What I am concerned with however is the life of my characters. I want them to be more human than human with an all too familiar sense of purpose. I want the audience to empathize with them even through acts of cruelty. Yes, it’s a hard task, but an interesting challenge nonetheless.

Like any good mob movie, there will be plenty of savagery. Although, I want the crimes to have a, David Lynch, surrealistic feel. I need the reality of these people’s lives to make you feel utterly disturbed. I want you to scream to yourself, “this isn’t real, this isn’t real, this is only a movie—get a grip.” It will feel very personal almost invasive. A movie that accomplished this very well was, “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.”

I have read the incongruent process of many Directors and their take on screenplays. I’m finding this an interesting foray myself. I’m producing my first-feature-narrative and I’m not following the standard-expected process: screenplay, pre production, production, post production, etc…I don’t have a completed screenplay and I’m still not sure about the ending. I am not particularly worried about these factors, I am just going to shoot the first scene and get the ball rolling. Of course, I am going to document this process and see how things pan out. I don’t believe that there is any one way to shoot a film. As I don’t particularly follow rules—the craziness of how this movie gets made is a big part of the fun for me. I think that production should be a story within itself and worthy of screen time.

Yes, there will be rehearsals for the actors. Locations are being scouted and a few have been selected. But a big bulk of the film is still in my head which is a very Dalí type of place. I have to stay true to my vision: nothing is as it appears and yet, it will be right in front of you as a movie.

“Gazpacho” the movie is coming soon.

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