We were lucky to catch up with Edgar Salas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Edgar, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

We learned our filmmaking skills the way many creators have – trial and error. It started when I had this idea for a short film, and I asked a friend to be part of it. We were just going to film casually; phone camera, no lights, etc. However, my mom, often saying “Don’t half-ass things”, was not about to let me film like that. So, we started looking for used filming equipment we could use. We met many people who sold us great gear, were super supportive, and even took time to give us tips and tricks. So, armed with a ten year old Canon fx300 and a five page script, we started shooting. There was no course correcting, there was no research ahead of time. We just went and filmed it. Film production nowadays with very accessible cameras is easier than ever before, and jumping right into is the best way to start. That ‘just do it’ attitude has been our most essential skill; not worrying if we were ready or good enough, not second guessing ourselves. With time and experience came more knowledge on camera work, shot lists, acting, directing, and much more. Today that fearless attitude continues to help us as we strive forward. It’s not easy to get into jobs that seem too difficult, but there’s no growth without challenge.

Would I do anything to speed up the learning process? Asking others with experience or watching filmmaking is a great way to learn more. As soon as we started taking the help people offered (shooting locations, craft, props, etc), the shift from pre-production to post became a lot smoother.

We promised ourselves that during every production, we would “Remember to Have Fun”. It’s important! Productivity isn’t always the most important part of filming. It’s ok to goof off a little on set, ease tension every once in a while, and enjoy your time with the cast and crew. In fact, this element of film is so important to us that we made it the official slogan of Familia Salas Productions.

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

I’ve been acting ever since I was 9 years old (I’m 16 now). I got suggested to join an acting class when a lady I encountered thought I was…photogenic? Not sure what she saw in me all those years ago, to be honest. Regardless I’m glad I pursed acting anyway. Starting about 6 years ago I began to film myself to sort of showcase what I could do, for reel material to share with casting directors. I did music covers, skits, and some vlogging content as well. Doing this built me a bit of a reputation, and when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit I found myself with lots of free time; no school, no sports, no auditions, and no music. So, since I had been doing short films and recording for years at this point, I naturally thought I’d come up with a few video ideas. I had some stuff I liked around the beginning of 2021 and so I got some friends to film with me. Among the many things we were able to do thanks to plentiful amounts of empty spaces, we shot the scenes for a five page script I wrote about a pizza delivery guy. I actually really liked what we ended up with, and it was pretty fun to shoot and edit it. So, I decided to turn the script into a web series, “Pizzaman”. Just a simple, short series about this guy who gets in trouble during his deliveries, but the friends I shared it with enjoyed it and thought it was funny. They even wanted to be in it! So they got written in. With each new episode, I grew my directorial skills. Every shoot I learned something new, eventually implementing shot lists, a prop/equipment list, and call sheets. After time, we seemed to require more filming equipment, different settings, more props. Almost seamlessly, we ended up with a full set of filming equipment. People started to share and become interested in hiring us to man their projects. Then, others from those jobs would meet us and hire us from there.

We decided that with all this hiring, it was time make it official. My family created our own company, Familia Salas Productions LLC. We create packages and services for low budget film productions; from script development to editing and film scoring, we ended up developing all kinds of film skills, personnel, and equipment to offer these services. We prefer to do short films, but we also provide social media packages for small businesses. I’m super excited for the future! We do our to best to treat our customers with respect, provide them with options and affordable prices, and most important of all, guaranteed high quality products. We don’t do it for the money. We do it to improve our skills, to build relationships, and to have fun.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

My favorite aspect of being an artist is the freedom it allows. I have time for near all gigs, events, and work, and still have time to hang out with friends and rest often. It also means I have time for my classes, development of other skills, and learning the things necessary to live on my own.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Our mission is to create entertaining and funny short films, We believe it’s important for people to take shorts break from life to laugh. We also enjoy exploring Latino culture, since most of us in the company are Latinos, and throwing in some Español here and there. Funny movies are what we enjoy watching the most, and what we feel the world could use more of. We also pride ourselves in being a vehicle for new talent to hone their skills.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://familiasalasproductions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/familiasalasproductions/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC-X1bmjHTLCAESrBGGcddw/videos