Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Soliz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chris, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

The positive feedback I received from my peers is what really made me want to pursue a career in Film Production.

When people who aren’t your family and/or friends start to take notice and respond positively, It made me see that not only did I love what I was doing but others did too. And that’s all the motivation I needed to know I was on the right path.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My Name is Chris Soliz and my video production business is Sol Cinematics. 2017 was when I decided to start my own Video podcast about Sneaker culture called “unseamed”
it was when I was producing that show that I was forced to learn how to record and edit my own content, I never went to school or even picked up a camera before this show.

From my own podcast to sneaker events and shows I filmed it all. Even making my way to Mexico City for probably the biggest show I had ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of them.

From there, people I did and didn’t know would love my work and it gave me the motivation to keep going and eventually bringing me to where I am today.

The biggest compliment I get is when people ask me “You did this?” after seeing my work. Because to me, that’s telling me that in your mind you put me in this box, and you can’t believe that I was able to create what you just saw. Its me breaking out of the that box you put me in and that’s a great feeling, that’s how I know I was good at something.

After the podcast ended I went on to bigger projects like music videos, real estate, marking promos and even took the knowledge I learned on my podcast and used it to help elevate and Co produce “Mazi’s World’ which after I left went on to sign a deal with Davies Entertainment and have been the premier Video podcast in San Antonio since.

It was really the music videos that really got me noticed quickly in my city and word of mouth spread fast on my work.While working with so many artists and also having my own passion for music, it gave me an idea to create ” The Cypher Project”. It was like a mix of the B.E.T cypher and Def jam poetry in one concept. I found local lyrical rappers to come and give me their best verse they could deliver without a DJ or beat to rap to. It was meant to be raw, in your face and unapologetic. And I did it in such a way it would be hard for another person to replicate it cause I knew it would create clones or at least make people try to do their own version.

I was able to do two seasons of ‘the cypher project’ and plan to end it after the 3rd one. But I am currently working on a secret project that I want to finish before I get started on season 3 and Unfortunately its been tough trying to get this “secret” off the ground, at least not as fast as I would have liked. But I’m not giving up and I definitely have the patience to make sure it’s exactly how I envisioned it.

That’s one thing about me, I have a high standard with anything my name is attached to and will make sure it meets my standards or you won’t ever see it come out.

Even when working with other creators, I voice my opinion and don’t cut corners when I’m involved. I don’t hold back and never sugar coat anything. When you work with me you get my best and I expect the same.

I remember when I was first starting out and would reach out to all the creators I looked up to and they wouldn’t give me the time of day to let me watch and learn from them. So with lots of help from YouTube and my own eagerness to create I was able to meet and even surpass those I looked up to. Gatekeeping runs rampant in this industry and that’s one thing I will never do, if you want to learn and have questions. Im always willing to help another creator trying to learn.

But there is also those people who say they want to learn and want to do what I do, but when I put them in a position to do what they asked for, they don’t show up, makes excuses, are lazy or just simply show no initiative. This isn’t easy by any means and takes a lot of discipline to learn and get good at, whatever your goal might be.

Eventually while working on lots of various projects and leaning in to the more cinematic side of content I would produce, I started to realize that I wanted to be a film director. I love making people feel emotions when viewing my work, it’s what I strive for.

So that’s when I decided to strictly focus on film making, I wanted to dive into that world and never look back. I got rid of my canon camera and jumped into a RED Komodo cinema camera. I figured if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right and force myself to learn the cinema side of this industry. I lost a lot of clients doing this move, but I knew that’s the direction I wanted to go and nothing would stop me. Every now and then I still create for artist that I admire and would love to work with, but its few and far between. You’ll be lucky to get a Sol Cinematics video these days, if at all.

Since then I’ve started working on my own script with the help of an awesome script writer I always wanted to work with. I have also have been a DP (director of photography) on a few films locally. My work ethic and “eye” for capturing video has spread fast and has gotten me into more and more work everyday. I just got recruited for the Local 48hr film fest and have 3 films to DP in the very near future.

Movies is where I belong and will stay. Hopefully one day I get to work with actors, producers and cinematographers I’ve always looked up to. Im fulfilled with what I’ve done on all other aspects of video creation. Film is next on my list to conquer.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

When your not coming from film school, you don’t have the network to do much unless you do it alone. But looking back Im glad I never went to film school, I was forced to make mistakes learn and then make more mistakes. That’s where I got good, doing it all myself and learning all aspects. From being on set and working the camera to editing, sound and color grading. I was forced to learn it all if I wanted my work to stand out. If I slacked in any category I knew it wasn’t my full potential and if I wanted to get more clients I had to stand out. Robert Rodriguez is definitely an inspiration to me, he does it all on his films aside from acting and he is also from San Antonio, which gives me even more motivation. And if you know someone who is better at something than you are, Hire Them! Having a team or freelancers to rely on is crucial in this industry. I loved doing everything myself in the beginning, now all I want to do is find people who meet my standards and work with them.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I just want to create work that resonates with the audience it’s presented to. I want you to laugh, cry and everything in between. I want to show the world that my stories are worth telling.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Sol.Cinematics