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Title: De-mente
Runtime: 12 min
Country: Spain
Director: Lorenzo Ayuso
Placement: Award of Excellence
Synopsis: Klaus, a failed actor, shows up at midnight at the house of his old pal Genio, another actor whose career as a TV star is way more successful than his friend’s. Klaus has something crucial to tell him: he has had premonitory visions since childhood, and that night, he had seen Genio in his dreams.
OR: What was the inspiration for your film?
LA: As long as I can recall, the idea came up when my dear friend and go-to-actor Sergio [Sánchez Shaw] talked one day about the idea of having premonitory visions. I can’t remember why we were talking about it, but the idea kept in my mind for so long. I thought it could make a really cool and quirky start for a short story: to watch and listen someone telling a disturbing dream with fear of it happening to someone else or to himself… But I had no story in my mind yet! The subtext came later: having many actors as friends, I know how hard it can be for them to live by their vocation, not to give up. I know for myself the struggles of making movies! Then one day, these two ideas clicked together: Genio is a well balanced, well behaved artist, who understands how the world goes, how to be successful and how to stay in the present moment; on the other hand, Klaus is also a great actor, but also a lost cause, someone who, although talented, lost the track and got lonely. And that loneliness drove him a little looney. The vision that Klaus allegedly says he had is a good excuse to confront each other and their friendship. The biggest compliment I’ve received for ‘De-mente’ is when people tell me that Genio and Klaus remind them of someone they know, pals with similar issues – not necessarily pals with premonitory powers but… Well, you know what I mean.
OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
LA: I started thinking about the idea that later became ‘De-mente’ more than two and a half years ago, and the last draft of the script was finished in May 2014. I enjoyed so much the experience of writing, but I didn’t really know what was going to happen. After parting ways with the company that produced my first short film, ‘Evaluación Final’, I had been making a couple music videos and doing storyboards for some projects, but I had no real contact with any other producer at the time. I felt it was like starting all over once again. I was a little disenchanted, to be honest, and somehow that feeling transpired in what I wrote. So, I sent the script to a good friend of mine and a former classmate, David P. Sañudo, asking him if he thought it was any good. Coincidentally, he had recently founded his own production company, Amania Films, alongside his associate and main producer, Luis Espinosa. A couple of days later, David called me back: not only he had read the script, but he passed it to Luis, and they both liked it so much they were willing to make ‘De-mente’ happen. I almost couldn’t believe it! A year later, we were filming it and started what I hope it will be a long-term producer-director relationship.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
LA: Well, I really love this format! I’ve always been a fan of short stories and short story authors like Richard Matheson, who’s a great influence in my body of work as a writer – and definitely a major influence on ‘De-mente’. Sure, short films are an apprenticeship form of training in the craft, but they also can be a crafted form in their own right. I think the most challenging and interesting aspect of working in this kind of format is to understand that: if you want to succeed making a short film, then don’t think of it as a teaser for something bigger or a reel to prove all the things you can do at once, but think of it in its own terms.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
LA: I’d say time constraints, which on the other hand are the main problem in any production. ‘De-mente’, the story in itself, was shot in two days, but previously we had to shoot the game show the characters are watching while talking, in order to have it playing in the TV. We shot that a week before, so we were in quite a hurry to edit and add all the effects needed. Our visual effects artist, Azahara Gómez, made a tremendous effort to finish it well, and it looks great! But in general terms, it was an easy production… Or at least as easy as it can be!
OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
LA: If you allow me, I would like to quote the advice Jack Hill, one of my favorite American filmmakers (‘Spider Baby’, ‘Coffy’), gave in an interview some time ago. He said, “You have to really give it 100 percent or more, because there are thousands of other people trying to do the same thing. So, you have to really give it your all”. I couldn’t say it better myself. Be passionate of what you do, prepare meticulously for the shooting and don’t let details derail your schedule. And take care of your cast and crew, trust them, because they are the ones who’ll help you to succeed. Dedication is all you need. Oh, well, and a good craft-service too!