We recently connected with Miguel Lopez De Leon and have shared our conversation below.

Miguel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

As an actor and filmmaker, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on, and am currently filming, is my second feature film “Bellow.” Bellow is a thriller about an exhausted man who is trying to survive a relentless haunting by a supernatural entity. This film is very special to me for so many reasons, but mostly because it is a summation of all the lessons I’ve learned from all the film projects I’ve completed so far. As of now, I’ve directed, acted and written fourteen short films and one feature film, and have learned so much from those experiences. Everything from setting up shots, lighting, editing, ADR, pacing, character arc and story structure have been such valuable lessons that I am now incorporating into my second feature film. Also, as all of my films are currently making the rounds at various film festivals, I am constantly learning from the audience reactions at my film screenings, in terms of what does and does not seem to get a reaction or resonate with them. I also try to learn from watching all the other amazing films screening at the festivals, as well as meeting and chatting with the other attending filmmakers and creatives. I’m always in awe at the talent, skill and perseverance that these incredible women and men have, and I’m truly inspired by them. So now that I’m filming my second feature, I’m doing everything I can to incorporate all these experiences and lessons that I’ve learned along the way, to make Bellow as good a film as it can be.

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 first real steps to becoming an actor and filmmaker began when I studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. The academy is largely a theatre-based school, so we studied everything from Shakespeare, scene study, dance, and voice, to mime and fencing. I loved my time at the academy and I’m so grateful to all the amazing professors there who really taught all of us so much, and gave us all the foundation and skill set we needed to better pursue our career paths. After graduating from the academy, I got an agent and began going to auditions. At the same time this was happening, I also wrote a fantasy novel and submitted it to various publishers. As luck would have it, even if I did book a few acting roles, I got an offer from a publisher for them to publish my manuscript, and that was how my career as a novelist started. Many years and ten novels later, I decided to return to my original form of storytelling, which was performing. This time, however, instead of only auditioning for roles in other people’s films, I decided to direct, write, and act in my own film projects, and submit them to film festivals. I’m still very new to being a filmmaker, but I’ve had the best time shooting my films and attending film events. As of now, I’ve completed fourteen short films and a feature film, and I’m currently in the middle of shooting my second feature film “Bellow”. All my completed projects are making the rounds at various film festivals, and I’m so grateful and humbled by the positive responses the films are receiving. If someone had told me a few years ago that I would end up being an award-winning filmmaker, I would not have believed them. Although I want my films to be fun and entertaining, I also want them to tackle themes that I think are relevant and interesting—such as grief, loss, death, loneliness, mental health and the supernatural. It’s important to me to make films and tell stories that let people know that whatever struggles they may be going through, that they are not alone.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn was a notion that I had that getting an agent or manager and going to auditions was the only avenue to acting in films. I realize that it’s not for everyone, but for myself, it was such a good fit to utilize that path, but to also make and act in my own films. With social media being so prevalent, combined with all the advanced technology we have these days, it’s become the norm for so many to film and edit there own little videos and post them online. If you incorporate additional steps to the filming and editing process, you could potentially turn similar types of shot footage into short films. I’m not saying it’s by any means easy at first—at least it wasn’t for me—but I’m so happy that I now have multiple avenues to act and tell stories in, and that I’m not solely putting my ability to work into someone else’s hands.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love being an actor and filmmaker. I find it so rewarding and fulfilling to be able to share themes that are important to me, and that hopefully resonate with the audiences that watch them. To write screenplays and make films that revolve around grief, love, loss, and loneliness, but to hopefully tell them in a way that can comfort the viewer, or even make them laugh, is truly something that I am grateful for. I’m also so inspired by all the actors, filmmakers and creatives that I’ve met at film festivals and film events. These women and men are so resilient, creative and determined that it really motivates me to do the best job I can.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.migueldeleonart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miguellopezdeleon1/?hl=en
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8905409/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0