We all gamble one way or the other.
I live in the only place in Texas where there’s a casino, and I know many avid gamblers including my beautiful wife.
Today she opened the doors to her new business.
It’s a learning center. A place where kids can learn and have fun. A place where adults can learn either English or Spanish. Teenagers can improve their algebra or reading.

This business had been in her head for many years, but she never had the money for it. Or maybe she had the money and the thought of investing gambling on a new business seemed too scary, too damn risky.

When she finally took the step to quit her job (as a college professor), to take care of our son (full time), she suddenly got her last check ($10,000) and after months of talking about a business, she finally took the plunge and rented a place, invested gambled thousands of dollars and created a place exactly how she envisioned a learning place should be.

Was she successful? YES.

On the first day she opened her website (the place was still in the works), she had filled a whole summer camp session (without any advertising).

The lesson: We all have to gamble; and if we gamble smart, on actual human ability, on passion, on great ideas… Well, you really can’t go wrong with gambling like that. It’s something that will pay off, in some way or another.

On the movie front, our goal is to create the best movies in the world, and we’re gambling with our time. And since time equals money, we have a very valuable asset.

I’ve been hacking at this script for quite a while now, and I am at the final stretch. However, this is a very important piece of the filmmaking process and we cannot afford this to be mediocre or lame. If we are going to put a great amount of money, human effort, belief, passion and a shitload of hard work, then this script has to be fucking great.

If all else fails. We can always go back to initech.

PS: Congratulations Gaby.
PSS: Grisi, thanks for your talent and dedication.
PSSS: Thanks to everyone (on standby), who will help to make the Heart of Treviño possible.

For more info on Gaby’s new biz, head on to: www.thecenterofintelligence.com

In the book Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters, the author Michael Tierno states that all (great) movies have a simple question that needs to be answered by the end of the movie, and that this question should be planted by the beginning of the film.

I agree 100%.

I used to use the “sling-shot” method (wish I could remember who coined the phrase): What happens in the first part of your story is what is going to drive the rest of the movie. The whole weight of the first act has to thrust forward the rest of the movie.

Except that it didn’t work for the biopic I am writing.

I found that this “Question/Answer” method would work much, much better than what I had.

I have no conclusion for this post, but I do have several examples from this “Question/Answer” method:

Rocky: Will Rocky succeed in “going the distance” with the champion (against incredible odds). Answer: Yes

The Shawshank Redemption: Will Andy Dufresne escape from Shawshank? Answer: Yes.

Scent of a Woman: Will Lt. Col. Frank Slade succeed in killing himself (after a great trip in New York). Answer: No (and that’s ok). It’s OK because the question gets answered. They closed the loop, and we got a great movie.

PS: It also the job of a great filmmaker, to not only answer the question, but offer so much more.

From the Quick Dirty Trick Blog:

http://quickdirtytricks.blogspot.com

Official signing ceremony

This week I finally signed the distribution deal for our second feature film Ash Wednesday: Capitulo Unus!
It’s been a long and winding road and I’m glad that that part of our lives has finally come to a close.

Of course we’re thrilled that it is going to be distributed, however the distribution chase has been exhausting (to say the least).

We made Capitulo Unus with the intention of making a mark and making things happen for our careers. It was risky, it was bloody but it was the movie we really wanted to make. A meaningful action movie with a strong statement.

When we finished it in 2007, we had high hopes.
We were sure we were going to take everyones breath away. Which we did. Just not the way we intended to (HAHA).

I submitted to distributors and got several positive responses.
One from our old current distributor Venevision International and the other from Laguna productions.
Laguna offered us $13,000 and a piece of the gross revenues (too good to be true, to tell you the truth, but we went for it). Venevision had offered us a little more upfront but nothing on gross points.
We went with Laguna, I signed and sent the contract.
More than six months passed and I never received a contract back. The deal was signed on our side, but not on theirs.
The deal was still on (I guess), I got anxious and canceled the whole deal.
Their excuse was the usual, “…in this economy”. Lost cause.

Our friend Hector had gotten another offer from a new distributor.
Their upfront offer was okay, but they wanted to keep the rights for 21 years!
We finally told them what we wanted and that’s where communication broke down.

We were back to square one.

We finally went back to Venevision International.
We were not exactly received with arms wide open, but we were received nonetheless.
Thankfully, an offer was made and accepted.

Conclusion

In any artistic profession it is very challenging to get your work published.
To have your work published is to have your work validated. It means that your work is worth watching and worth paying for.

I am very grateful to all the incredible people that helped make Ash Wednesday: Capitulo Unus.
Even though we didn’t reach the outcome that I expected… Well to be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I am not disappointed. I am thrilled to have worked with such incredibly talented and interesting people, the good times were great and the bad times were very awful (jajaja incredible stories to tell).

We met some really cool people and it took us to some really cool places, frankly I couldn’t ask for anything better.

If this movie would have been a giant success from the get-go, we would have never had met the incredible Jesse Treviño.

So there you have it. The written and recorded (brief) version of how we distributed Capitulo Unus.
Capitulo Duos in the making? Maybe. But first we got two movies to knock out first.

In the meantime we are in the pre-production stages on THE HEART OF TREVIÑO.
We are hoping for more great times and awful times alike.

Satisfied!

There’s a new blog in town, but don’t panic!

It’s very narrow and geared toward filmmakers and it is called QUICK DIRTY TRICKS.

Add it to your RSS feeds, bookmark it or add it to your twitter.

Just like the name implies, it is a minimalist blog with quick tricks any filmmaker can use in making a movie, be it in editing, directing, writing or simply for quick inspiration.

Here’s the last post I wrote about one of my favorite words: Inspiration.

Inspiration: Everywhere

The real trick to writing is not how well you write, but what you write about.

Just like anything else, the more passion and fire a work of art has, the more powerful it is.

If you feel, you have what it takes to write, but don’t really know what to write about. Then disconnect your computer, and get out there and have an adventure OR find someone that has had an adventure. Even if you don’t end up writing that person’s particular experience, it will burn a fire in your heart and inspire you to write something powerful.

Today, I went to the Witte museum in San Antonio; to my surprise there was an incredible exhibit called: Stories of hunger and resilience.

Each picture had headphones on the bottom with each persons story about hunger, home, love and about life. Each was different; some were scary, some were sad, some had happy endings, but they were all beautiful and very inspiring.

My point is: inspiration is everywhere, sometimes we just got to stop and listen to the world.

This blog will continue to focus on the films we make and the people who make them!

Happy reading!

Source: http://quickdirtytricks.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/quickdirtytrix

Projects: Ash Wednesday- Capitulo Unus, The Heart of Treviño

Call it chance, destiny, luck or whatever you may call it, that’s exactly how we met Rolando (or Rol, to his friends).

It was September, 2006 and we were in Monterrey, MX doing the soundtrack to Ash Wednesday with our friends and great artists Waris Rodriguez and Giuliano Innocenzi.

A week before we arrived for the soundtrack, Giulias & Waris went to a school reunion in their hometown Sabinas, Coahuila, where they saw their old school chum Rolando. They chatted for a while back and forth about everything that they had done with their lives and were excited that they all had chosen a path that involved music.

Giulias and Waris told Rol about the movie soundtrack and Rol was intrigued, and to our luck he was also going to be in Monterrey that same week.

Sure enough, a week later we met Rol at the studios and I was very excited to work with Rol, because he had been built up as a piano prodigy.

To my surprise, he not only is an accomplished pianist but also an accomplished opera coach AND a really nice, down-to-earth kind of guy. Very rare to have that combination in any human.

The funny thing is, that was the only night we’ve only been with Rol for two nights in person. Thanks to the internet we’ve become friends and have recently collaborated for THE HEART OF TREVIÑO.

This guy really pours his soul into every piece.

For THE HEART OF TREVIÑO, he composed an incredible piece that will grab your soul, break it to pieces and then put it back together, it’s that powerful.

The piece is entitled: “Pintando las calles…” and is inspired by Jesse Treviño himself.

I cannot wait to see how we can take “Pintando las calles…” further… An orchestration is in our to-do list for the soundtrack, but I guess we’re going to have to wait and see what the future holds for all of us!

Here’s “Pintando las calles…” live:

Waris, Me, Rol and Paco

Me & Paco getting things done (Hardcore!). (Outside Jesse's House of Art)

Even as far as cliche’s go, today was a very f***ing beautiful day.

And actually, these whole past two weeks have been nothing but amazing, but enough of the generalities and let’s get down to the meat of it all:

• Sunny skies, not warm, not cold. Perfect weather all-day-long.
• We finished our shoot with Jody (Parks and Rec, San Antonio), which was cool (we got to earn our cash).
• Then we went to the Barnes and Noble and stumbled upon a really cool f***ing book called “Film Club”
• Next we visited our good friend Jesse Treviño, to clarify some stuff for the script AND to get another dose of f***ing enthusiasm.
• Next we visited with our good friend Robert G. Rdz, to clarify some financial questions we had for the movie.
• Next we visited with Office of Cultural Affairs (with our dear friends Lindsey & Sebastian!)
• NEXT we went to the hospital. My new nephew Santi Harbison Mendoza (picture below) was born today. Which was THE f***ing highlight of the day. My dear sister Luana was in labor for quite some time until she finally made it through. We were all worried sick, until the news came of the delivery. It’s quite a rush and a quite a heavy feeling of love for a new human being that will take this earth and bend it to its knees. FTW.
• NEXT, Paco and myself were homesick and we hit the road back home. Frank Turner, Basi and propagandhi provided the entertainment for the ride home.
• NEXT, here I am, writing this post. A new uncle. A new perspective. Happy.

On Jesse Treviño: I am happy to report that he looks great and I just admire his f***ing enthusiasm (There’s no other way to put it, there’s “enthusiasm”, and then there’s “f***ing enthusiasm”). Even though his health is not at 100%; his persistence is very overwhelming. Even if I wasn’t making a film about Jesse, I feel very privileged to be in his presence. I don’t think I have ever met a person like him in my life and I am very glad that this movie will let audiences around the world to finally know Jesse.

Me, Jesse & Paco after probing Jesse for some cold hard facts. Picture taken by our good friend Gabe Velasquez.

Also, I am trying my best to write the best f***ing script anyone has seen. I am glad to report that after many, many, many, many rewrites, I have finally grasped the whole concept of the movie. I have been wrestling with the script for almost a year and I am (finally) very happy with what I have right now.

It is filled with surprises and hits all the right notes, but there is still much left to do. And in keeping with my writing spirit I will be in hiding from the world for at least two more months until I finish this damn thing.

Thanks for all your well wishes and support for THE HEART OF TREVIÑO. I can’t wait to finish the script.

Until next time,
Your friend, Ricardo (f***ing) Mendoza.

PS: Thanks again to Jesse Treviño for formalizing our relationship and setting it in stone last week. A handshake can only go so far, but a signature is a commitment. Thanks for trusting us. You will NOT be disappointed.

My sister Luana with my new nephew. aaawwwwwwww.

Basi, Me, Paco & Roger. Happy with contract in hand. Taken Feb 8, day after Frank Turner gig.

This is one of my favorite Treviño paintings. Tribute to John Lennon. Imagine.

There’s many ways to skin a cat, if you were so inclined to, and if you’re in a country where that’s legal, like La Pryor (just kidding).

The way I like to write a screenplay is to first jot down all of the important pieces you’ll need for the script, like grabbing the necessary ingredients before making a meal. This time around I am jotting down not only ideas but shots I have planned, cool quotes, background information and an extended outline. All this is put into my trusty moleskine notebook.

This screenplay is a little special because I’m dealing with true life events and there’s hundreds of pages of research, hours of recordings (both audio and video), and hundreds of pictures to go through.

Once I have a strong feeling for structure in my notes I would type it all up, (I’m not here yet, but I’m close). I would read it, edit, cut, add and do it all over again, until it is completed.

When completed, (and this is the fun part!) I get a stopwatch, turn it on and start  visualizing the movie while reading the script. The movie unfolds as if I were watching it, I feel like a kid playing with a cardboard box. After this I would tweak, add, edit, cut, delete, paste until my heart’s happy and singing zip-i-dee-doo-dah out of its valves.

I hope to have a first draft really soon.

Also, please spread the word, rate and comment our promo on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SSvqVlXxKw

Stephen King’s book On Writing is very recommended and some screenwriting blogs (google them) are also quite helpful!

Our new promotional teaser for our upcoming new film!

The film’s website is also open for business at: theheartoftrevino.com

We’ve been working on this project since mid-2008; thanks to all our friends who have helped us make this promotional teaser, thanks to you we are one step closer for this film to be in theaters worldwide.

Jesse Treviño has been an inspiration to all of us and we are humbled and excited that he has put his life’s story in our hands, and naturally we won’t disappoint.

In no particular order we’d like to thank the following folks whom have helped us along the way in this project, and will continue to support us:

• Jesse Treviño (of course)
• Jesse’s family
• Felix Padron- Office of Cultural Affairs
• George Cortez and the Cortez family
• Bert Cecconi
• Gabriel Q. Velasquez
• Robert Price & Luisa Wheeler
• Robert G. Rodriguez
• Frank J. Garza
• Rosemary Kowalski
• Juan & Terry Vasquez
• Ricardo Romo
• Arturo Almeida
• Lionel Sosa
• Frank Herrera
• Elizabeth Rodriguez
• Alicia Treviño
• Alex & Jesse Villarreal

I also want to appreciate the following, on the making of this promo:

• Paco Flores
• Roger De Los Santos
• Hector Hernandez
• Rolando Garza (Piano on “Pintando las calles…”)
• Oscar Ortiz LBASi (Score for The Heart of Treviño promo teaser)
• Alexander Probst (Logo design)
• Gaby, Rickito Mendoza and Marcus Moncada
• And me, for my hard work (ha-ha)

There’s also many artists working behind the scenes that we’d also like to thank: Patricia Vonne, Lorenzo “Chacho” Saldaña, Alonzo Avila, Jacqueline Martinez, Alfredo “Huesos” and many others that have pledged their support!

This film is under development!
We will be posting news and updates right here on this blog, but you may also want to add us on twitter: www.twitter.com/heartoftrevino

Thanks to the hundreds of people that have helped us out along the way in making this a reality, all the artists around the world! Thank you! (We’ll put a listing of credits soon)

We still have a ways to go. We are in full pre-production mode and we don’t expect to be in production anytime soon…

HOWEVER, We are very, very, very excited to be working on this project. We have been at it since May of 2008 and we are very humbled to have been selected to make this happen.

I expect the website to our film to be live on Thurday Oct 22nd, along with the teaser…

Thanks again to everyone that has pitched in!

We love you

More to come…

Don’t take your pajamas and ditch the sleeping pills. At 11:59pm, October 10 (Saturday) Ash Wednesday: Capitulo Unus will finally screen in San Antonio!

Capitulo Unus will be the closing event for Una Noche De La Gloria organized by our friend Gabriel Quintero Velasquez.

The screening will be in the Westside of San Antonio at the Guadalupe Theater at 11:59pm

This glorious cool event is an art festival featuring more than 300 artists, including the illustrious Jesse Treviño, LBASi, Chista, and many, many others…

It’ll be a fun event; get more info here:
http://myspace.com/lagloriaarts