Apr 05, 2019

Interview with NYFA alum Ivonne Garcia

Interviews Discussions: 0

NYFA alum Ivonne Garcia - the winner in the nomination "Best Photo Story With Text" shared all the most interesting facts about her creative way and the process of creating her story "Luna, you want to be mother".

Ivonne, how did you decide to become a director? What did you start with? What are you doing right now?

As an actor I always enjoyed creating characters and bringing them to life but I’ve discovered that I can do more as a storyteller. I started studying acting and screenwriting 5 years ago, then filmmaking was the next step to put everything together. Currently I continue writing and doing still photography. Acting is also part of my life.

How did it come up to your mind to make a project in a format of a photo story - photo comics with a plot? What experience did you get? Why is this format interesting?

When I got the information about the contest I was very curious about it. It was a quick way to make a visual story and besides it was perfect to have the option to add text under the photos to give more details to the plot. This format is very interesting because you don’t need a big budget to produce it and still photography is easier than recording video and sound. There is no limits for imagination.

“Luna, you want to be mother” - tell us how did the idea for the story appear? You have managed to bring up the subjects about the value of motherhood, relationship, government and a personality.

“Luna, you want to be mother” came to my mind from the idea of how society will manage the overpopulation in the future. So I imagined a scenario for women that want to experience motherhood but with the restrictions of futuristic laws.

How were the images of the main characters created and how was the casting held?

I had in mind the image of a mixed couple to emphasize the desire of being parents that humans have no matter the ethnicity or the culture. Fortunately, casting the main characters was an easy task because I’m always surrounded by talented actors.

Tell us how did you prepare for the shooting - what did you start with and what was considered at the last very moment? Were you following the storyboard or was it improvisation? What was the most difficult about the preparations?

I think that pre-production is key for success. First I wrote the story in the same way I do for filmmaking. A storyboard was necessary to plan the shooting and create a schedule to optimize time and resources. Then I did a location scout and prepared props, makeup and wardrobe. No loose ends were left.

Tell us about the crew, who were working on this project and how were the tasks spreaded among the staff? What was your shooting day like?

This project was done by three people, the actors and myself. I was very lucky to have such a great team because everyone collaborate doing extra activities like hair and makeup and setting lights. It wasn’t easy to shoot but the great attitude and energy of the actors made everything possible.

What scene was the most difficult? What was the most pleasant thing about the shooting process?

The shooting was very smooth and I think the most difficult scene was the one that had special effects with the lights in Luna’s belly because the wires were visible and we had to change wardrobe many times to hide them. As a director my favorite scenes were those where both characters had to react to each other and I really enjoyed seeing my story to become alive in front of my eyes.

Tags: cine-books photo contest luna-you-want-to-be-mother-278 photo story with text

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