We were lucky to catch up with Eric Espinoza recently and have shared our conversation below.
Eric , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I had a huge interest in film as a child but it wasn’t until the end of high school that I even considered pursuing any form of art as a career. I have gone through various stages of artistic pursuit. Middle school brought me music in the form of an electric guitar given to me as a present. I spent the following two years miserably trying to memorize chords and misplacing fingertips a centimeter too high or low. To this day I can’t configure my hand to make the necessary shapes; but I still love the attempt. My early high school years saw me drawing and painting more than playing music. It was the first time I got peer recognition for a skill that most didn’t have. My works weren’t masterpieces by any means, but my ability to whip up a funny image in just seconds was notable. Then came writing. Eleventh grade creative writing class really opened my eyes to what was previously known as a task or homework. The freedom given to me to write out my points of views, experiences and arguments was therapeutic and justifying. In addition to this, I also gained self recognition. I recognized the amount of effort and enjoyment in writing. I was able to produce so much with so little. Finally, senior year had me performing the daunting task of choosing a career. My math skills weren’t the greatest, I found science fascinating but my grades didn’t reflect that all. Reading and writing weren’t an issue for me, but the idea of being stuck in an office pushing paper sounded horrible. In the midst of this frustration, I went to my comfort zone, movies! My mother worked for a Technicolor factory packaging newly released vhs tapes when I was a child. She always brought one or two back for the family. All of my childhood and teenage years were spent watching movies. VHS, DVD, Bootleg DVD, on TV, at the theater. More than music, drawing, painting and writing; movies always held a special place in my heart. Rewatching the same film a hundred times. Watching the outtakes, BTS, and interviews. And there it was, my future career. It encompassed everything I loved: writing, making images and composition of music. There was no looking back from that point, almost ten years ago now.
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 got my start as an independent filmmaker through CSUN where I majored in film production with an emphasis in Cinematography; however, my true passion is directing. Since finishing school in 2019, I’ve been consistently working on various small projects. I’ve directed a multitude of music videos/live performances. Some of these artists include Alec Groulx, Derek Thalken, Civilian, Dust Collector, and graffiti artist PRESSER. And while most of these projects have been micro-budgets, I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved with little resources. If I’m able to brag about myself in any aspect, it would be my ability to work with a tight budget and produce an entertaining piece of art. These skills have been put to the test over the last year as I’ve collaborated with writer/director Joseph X Casillas and his production company Gladlyinsane where a number of sketches and short films have been made with limited money, time, cast, everything; but the results are great.
In addition to directing and cinematography, editing has also found its way into my life. Again, working with a very limited budget comes with its obstacles. Affording an editor is one of them. In this industry it’s either time or money, if not both. And with no money, I had to invest my time into learning how to edit. Starting off with Premiere Pro and making my way to Davinci Resolve, the last four years have seen an incredible growth in my skills. I’ve gone from editing promos to podcasts, music videos, life performances, short films, and a feature length style documentary.
This year will see my continuation with Gladlyinsane, collaborating with music/film artist Jackson Lackey, and my writer/director short film debut. And in the following years I hope to realize my dream of strictly focusing more on writing and directing. Specifically dramas and thrillers revolving around the Chicano/Indigenous experience.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I am a Chicano of indigenous descent. Both my parents immigrated from Puebla, Mexico. I am the youngest of four children raised by a single mom. Growing up we had very little money, space to live in, time with our mother, resources in general. I chose to attend school with no money and pursue a career in an industry that is famously unstable. I was lucky enough to have been chosen to be one of four directors in my production class for the senior thesis, but this dream was cut short after the pandemic hit. I’m embarrassed to say that I was unable to finish the film, but proud that I’ve continued to pursue my dream. In the years that followed I’ve worked in the inbound team for a major retailer, been manager at two separate movie theaters, and worked security for The Regent music venue.
My second break came when I was hired to work as a Covid PA for a Disney show. This lasted for about six months until the writer and actor strikes happened. Since then, it’s been back to working small odd jobs to be able to afford rent and finance my film projects. Everyone’s path in this industry is different; and while most people have had much more difficulty, I can’t say that I’ve had it easy. God knows I’ve gone my fair share of days without eating, bank balances entering the negatives, and hundreds of days spent working dead end jobs while planning and scheduling the next film shoot. Yet, I regret nothing.
I’m nowhere where I wanted to be in my career by this age, but to say I’m not proud of what I’ve overcome and accomplished would be a lie.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a filmmaker would have to be the overwhelming sense of satisfaction that drowns my body when I complete a project. It feels like jumping off a plane. I’m always trying to push myself forward and venture on to new territory. I get these crazy ideas and concepts in my head that sound easy and feasible at first, but once I’m in it, I realize how ludicrous or underprepared I am. Then I push forward. A quick one hour editing session becomes the whole day. A shot list gets revised five times during a shoot until it’s finally thrown out. A sketch zags when it should have zigged and the whole crew/cast just rolls with it. Just finding yourselves in tight spots and having to come up with solutions. This must sound horrible to most people, but this is what being creative is all about. I love it.
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Image Credits
All images were produced, created, taken by Eric Espinoza.