Interview: Emmanuel Osorio Details The Making of BLASÉ L.A., His Debut Feature Film

indieactivity : Introduce your film briefly?
Emmanuel Osorio : My debut feature film is called BLASÉ L.A. – The movie follows a group of decadent young millennials growing up in Los Angeles in the current “selfie-obsessed” modern digital age. My goal is to premiere the film at the Cannes Film Festival 2020, followed by a theatrical USA release and an eventual international film tour all over the world.

indieactivity : Give your personal experience with the story, production and marketing?
Emmanuel : The film is semi-autobiographical, so I wrote the script based on several of my own eye-opening experiences growing up in Los Angeles. The city has provided me with the perfect inspiration as the backdrop for these unique stories to be brought to life. I am 100% involved in all aspects of the making and marketing of the film. This is my baby after all, so it is with great pleasure that I nurture and unleash it on to the world.

indieactivity : Did you start writing with a cast (You or any) in mind?
Emmanuel Osorio : The main character is based on myself but turned up a notch to make the character more cinematic. For the other roles in the film, I infused certain personality traits of people I’ve come across into the characters, but ultimately, I wrote the roles with the intention of the actors bringing them to life during the casting process.

Interview: Emmanuel Osorio, 19-Year Old Director & Filmmaker BLASÉ L.A’s Trail

indieactivity : How long did you take to complete the script? (Do you have a writing process?)
Emmanuel Osorio : I let the idea for the film brew for about a month before I started writing, but once I sat down and fleshed out the blueprint for the film, I was able to complete and polish the screenplay in a few weeks.

indieactivity : How did you develop ‘BLASÉ L.A.’?
Emmanuel Osorio : When I got the idea to bring my stories to the big screen, I spent some time going through old photographs, videos, memories and archived art. After I formed the ideas into a storyline, I wrote a blueprint synopsis out and used that to brainstorm scenes and dialog. Music is always a huge inspiration when I write. If I am working on dialog or setting up certain scenes, listening to music can instantly set my ideas into motion and get them down on paper.

indieactivity : How was it financed?
Emmanuel Osorio : I have been lucky enough to garner interest in the project by surrounding myself with other L.A. film industry enthusiasts that connected with my ideas from the start and encouraged me to hit the ground running to get this film made.

indieactivity : Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business you still struggle with?
Emmanuel Osorio : I did not go to film school so I feel like I have learned so much making this film and am continuing to learn hands on. Everything about the filmmaking process is very exciting to me and I don’t feel like it is a struggle because I am doing something I love so much.

indieactivity : How long was your pre-production?
Emmanuel Osorio : this is a placeholder text, that indicates that the content for this template must be placed between this block, to allow the article hold a firm structure and also kill time for the writer or editor.

The pre-production stage is crucial to me because it set up the foundation of the film. It took a few months for me to bring everything together, but I felt I had to strike while the iron was hot and jump into the making of the film since the subject is very timely and takes place NOW. I didn’t want to wait too long to film because it is sort of a time capsule of things that are currently happening in the city of Los Angeles. Things quickly can change if I waited too long to film.

indieactivity : What was your rehearsal process and period?
Emmanuel Osorio : I like to spend time working with the actors and focus on the psychological development of my characters. So before actual shooting I spent about three weeks of non-stop rehearsals.

indieactivity : You shot the film in days. How long were your days?
Emmanuel Osorio : The film took about six weeks to shoot but because it has a large ensemble cast and many locations all over Los Angeles, we had to tailor the shoot to fit all the different actor schedules and availability of places we shot.

indieactivity : Did the tight shooting schedule make it harder or easier? How did it affect performances?
Emmanuel Osorio : Yes, tight schedules can be overwhelming but as long as you are super organized and your team is always on the same page as you, then the shoot can go as planned. There will always be unexpected occurrences and interruptions, but I felt like the people I had working alongside me supporting my artistic direction made the ride as smooth as possible.

indieactivity : How much did you go over budget? How did you manage it?
Emmanuel : I was lucky enough to stay true to the budget of the film, but I had to call in a few favors from various friends and resources to make sure things were completed realistically.

indieactivity : How important is marketing? Do you think a project can make any dent without it these days?
Emmanuel Osorio : Yes! Marketing is key these days to reach an audience. There are so many outlets to show films nowadays and growing up in the 21st century, there are definitely more advantages to debuting a feature film with this generation of technology. Social media plays a big role in the film so I feel like it’s the perfect way to get the word out there and target audiences worldwide.

indieactivity : What was the experience like working with such a small shooting crew?
Emmanuel Osorio : It actually worked to our advantage because things are more controlled and everyone is on the same page. When you have a larger crew, communication can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. With a smaller crew you can get things done much quicker and you are able to have less things fall through the cracks.

indieactivity : The film looks stunning. How did you get such a good look when shooting so fast?
Emmanuel Osorio : I started out at a young age with a huge interest in photography. So everything I create is very visual. I was fortunate enough to be able to translate the visions in my mind onto the silver screen.

indieactivity : Did you look at rushes? On what format?
Emmanuel Osorio : Yes, because we shot the film digitally, I was able to review the footage immediately which was a huge advantage in making sure the film was technically and visually what I wanted it to be.

indieactivity : What were the advantages and disadvantages in the way you worked?
Emmanuel Osorio : I think all filmmakers would love extra time to spend shooting as long as possible but realistically the actors and locations are only available during certain dates and times, so you just have to be as organized as possible to make everything work and come to life.

indieactivity : What else have you got in the works?
Emmanuel Osorio : After the film is released and reaches the widest audience possible, I plan to continue acting and writing, I also plan to expand my horizons by not only continuing to make other feature films, but I am already planning to involve myself in other artistic and entertainment industry related business projects. I love Hollywood and plan to be a part of it for a very long time!

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