We recently connected with Fransua Durazo and have shared our conversation below.
Fransua, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
When Covid put me out of work, waiting tables, I turned to what I do best and that was creating content. In a world that was shutting down, many of us creatives and non creatives were seeking a new way to work virtually and how the work can be productive and presented through a screen while still meeting company goals. I began offering help with editing posters flyers and video content, taking pictures for real estate and web designing. Once the money started coming in I knew I had a business being born, but it was the process of creating and seeing my clients happy with my work that made me feel like I was done helping someone else’s dreams come true. Instead I was going to work on my own and put all effort into my own business creating content of many sorts.
Fransua, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a multi-skilled camera operator, filmmaker and live stream editor with experience contributing to demanding, small and large-scale video productions. I have been responsible for several aspects of production for fast-moving live events, including dance productions and music videos. My experience includes lighting and shooting single and multi-camera interviews for documentary filmmaking, both on location and in studio. My professional experience includes working as a camera operator under the mentorship of Director Francis Ford Coppola on Distant Vision, a live cinema proof-of-concept production in 2015. At Oklahoma City Community College, I earned an Associate’s Degree in Film Video Production and earned my BFA in Directing Cinema at Columbia College Hollywood in 2022. In 2021 I began to put all my effort into Fransua films where I work as a live stream, editor for an improv group and manage their social media, promotions and marketing, I do freelance film, work, cinematography, and Web designing for different clients from real estate to dance Class flyers and I’ve also started a business Fransuas holiday lights were I design decorate and install Christmas lights for residential and commercial homes. One thing that sets me apart from others is I put a lot of heart into what I do that means that I really care about peoples projects and their vision and I’m able to utilize my talents through relating to people and through life’s journeys ive learned from and been on, to navigate myself whether software hardware, and bring it all together to create Content that delivers the message to its targeted audience, visually.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Just this year in July 2023, after completing year 2022 investing over 10 K of my own money into two films that I wrote directed and produced. I’ve come to a financial instability that had put me out on the street due not only to the high cost of living but the risk I took in investing all my hard work and money into my films. I just wrapped production and paid the last 100 dollars to an actor on my film. In 4 days my rent was due. That was September 2022 and by July 2023 I was behind several month and would find myself living in my storage in North Hollywood. As much as I promoted my films to be released by spring 2023, I was more concerned about surviving each day at a time and finding work. I had to put a lot of my artist talent on hold and look for what some called “a real job”, but with the writers strike hurting film gigs and the hospitality strike hurting waiter gigs, I didn’t know what to do and how to pivot. I was stuck and lost. Finally I reminded myself of what it takes to be a creator and a good one at that. It was the exact thing I was going through. Struggle, pain, life, society, poverty, and sacrifice. I began to utilize and embrace my situation by writing my experience which landed me a copywriting job for kswiss which I then left as I was able to save enough to get back on my feet and back to fransuafilms and holiday lights.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
It’s very simple. I know and I see the talents I possess. The stories I write and the gift of a creative eye. I wanted to use my skills in film to bring people’s story to life and I fell in love with the visual design of how two people act, and how they interact together to create a powerful loving relationship all while acting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.fransuasholidaylights.com/
- Instagram: fransuafilms
- Facebook: Fransua Durazo
- Youtube: Thepasadonutsimprov