Sergio Valenzuela Episode Summary
In the studio this week is filmmaker and owner of Silver Phoenix Pictures, Sergio Valenzuela. We talk about Sergio’s first adventures in filmmaking, what it’s like working on multiple award-winning documentaries, and so much more!
Sergio Valenzuela Episode Notes
In the studio this week is filmmaker and owner of Silver Phoenix Pictures, Sergio Valenzuela. We talk about Sergio’s first adventures in filmmaking, what it’s like working on multiple award-winning documentaries, and so much more!
Sergio Valenzuela Lightning Round Answers:
- Favorite Movie – What the Bleep Do We Know!? / Hobo With a Shotgun / Black Dynamite / Dances With Wolves
- Last Movie You Watched – The Vampire Diaries
- Favorite Director – Darren Aronofsky / Oliver Stone
- Underrated Cinematographer – Josh Shreve
- Coffee or Tea – Coffee with Makers Mark
- Pineapple on Pizza – Sure
- Favorite Camera – The one the client can afford.
- Three Films to Watch Before You Die – Smoke Signals / Dog Day Afternoon / The Dirty Dozen / Hidden Figure
Episode Links
Silver Phoenix Pictures on YouTube
https://www.infocuspodcast.com
Looking for more episodes? Check here
Get In Touch
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Sergio Valenzuela Transcript
Bill Cornelius 00:05
Hi, I’m Corey. I, Bill and together we host the infocus podcast.
Corey Allen 00:11
Yeah, we do.
Bill Cornelius 00:13
So Today on the show we have special guests, Sergio Valens wailoa award winning filmmaker, or hermetic master of knowledge, whichever you want to refer to him as. And how many mushrooms you take. How’s it going, sir? It’s going fantastic, man. How you guys doing? Good. Good. So you You are an experienced editor as experienced director, you’ve done some producing. Yes, you’ve worn a lot of hats.
Sergio Valenzuela 00:39
I’ve worn every hat. And I’ve even had to go get coffee for people. So even from the ground everyone everybody’s got a nice after I won an award.
Bill Cornelius 00:50
Hey, it’s it keeps you humble, right? Yeah, it
Sergio Valenzuela 00:53
does it really. Actually, I let what I like to say about this industry is in this industry. It’s the only industry where the guy getting the coffee on the next project. He may be the director.
Bill Cornelius 01:03
That’s true. Yeah, that’s very true. So remember to treat your coffee gators with respect because you might be working everybody. Oh, everybody. Yeah, not
Sergio Valenzuela 01:12
gonna happen to the kid that you know. Just starting out. Here later. You see him and he’s doing something huge mean like, Damn, dude. That’s awesome. Yeah, but you never know.
Bill Cornelius 01:21
And you get the proud dad feeling. Right? Yeah, exactly. He came up with me. He learned from Rex Malloy. So, Sergio, we’ve known each other for a while through like Zack Adams and a lot of the same circles. And I know, I know, you’ve edited some footage that I’ve shot over the years with Zack. When when did this all start for you? When did you first decide you were interested in film?
Sergio Valenzuela 01:48
Honestly, it probably wasn’t until I got into my 20s because my teen years I didn’t. Wasn’t I was into movies. Yeah. And I’m so grateful that I actually grew up as an 80s. Kid, because I got to see all the class the best Ghostbusters. You know, a night writer. Every 80s movie that came up? Yeah, you know, I was part of that. All the music and everything. So I’m so grateful for that.
Bill Cornelius 02:13
That was the golden Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 02:14
big time. And so during that time, all these special effects are coming up in movies, practical stuff. So that’s what I wanted to do coming up as a kid get into doing special effects. I look at the job, Lascaux makeup center years ago. Of course, this is before they were accredited or fair now. Because before they had websites and stuff like that, you literally had to call their offices and get information. And they mail you a booklet, you know, brochure stuff. And so I looked at that, and I’m fortunate I can afford it. Because since he was literally you got to drop that full amount on there. In order to go to the cloud. I couldn’t afford it. So I got into the military to get money to go to special effects School, which I never did. I ended up becoming a filmmaker.
Corey Allen 02:56
Interesting. That’s so originally you wanted to start in the FX world.
Sergio Valenzuela 03:01
Yeah, I want to do FX on December heads and monsters and guts and all that shit.
Corey Allen 03:05
What was was the Fangoria magazine was like the night yeah. Growing up. And then I’m sure the movie FX.
Sergio Valenzuela 03:13
Oh, yeah. love that movie x. The Deadly art of illusion. I remember that.
Bill Cornelius 03:17
Yeah. I don’t know this
Corey Allen 03:20
effects. You gotta check it out.
Sergio Valenzuela 03:23
It is. So honestly, if you I mean, think about it nowadays. And you look at the storyline, the plot to it’s kind of way over the top stupid, where a special effects artist is going to get involved like what the FBI or CIA to Oh, yeah. Bring out a criminal organization. It’s a great, great pitch.
Corey Allen 03:40
As a kid, you watch that you’re like, I want to be an artist. Yeah, because
Sergio Valenzuela 03:44
I did a bunch of cool stuff there. They did this one scene where they were supposed to be like, Leeuwarden the bad guys. And so they pretend this girl was taking a shower. And it was all done with projections and smoke machines and the look through the window looks like it was a girl taking a shower. Yeah, yeah. What’s your life?
Corey Allen 04:02
Looks like it’s like a live action behind the scenes like, like every seeing like, Oh, that’s how they do that. But then, like, in your mind, that’s also the movie like, interest is a wild concept.
Sergio Valenzuela 04:15
Like I said 80’s ‘kid.
Bill Cornelius 04:16
Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.
Sergio Valenzuela 04:18
All the true fans know what that is.
Corey Allen 04:20
That is amazing.
Bill Cornelius 04:21
Yeah, he’s wearing a karate kid.
Corey Allen 04:24
Johnny Lawrence. Daniel Russo. All Valley karate championships, right?
Bill Cornelius 04:28
Yes. Which I love. Cobra Kai. Zap keeps getting on me about
Corey Allen 04:35
what’s wrong with this guy. You can see yourself out the studio. Yeah, exactly. I know. This. I’m leaving.
Bill Cornelius 04:40
I’ve not seen anything. So weird. So okay, so you went into the military to raise money to go to Effect school textbooks at
Sergio Valenzuela 04:50
that time effect school was eight to 10 grand. And of course this is like a analysis early 90. So that was maybe like 20 grand. Yeah close to it yeah by today
Bill Cornelius 05:03
yeah and so when you got out you You didn’t go to effects school but then you got into just regular filmmaking what were your your first gigs like what what got you
Sergio Valenzuela 05:16
I did a I did a lot of research and stuff of course back then it was all out of magazines it was in you know as easy it is today I don’t know how to do this I’m gonna get on the go on YouTube YouTube and watch video now I know how to do it. So it cameras back to more expensive as hell yeah,
Corey Allen 05:34
yeah, well just the whole process like you couldn’t just go from shoot to edit and everything same day.
Sergio Valenzuela 05:40
Oh, no, no, I get film Well, one of the things that you know when I got back from my rack we decided by now you’re gonna laugh the state of the art camera back to the Canon xR One S
Corey Allen 05:53
Yes. I’m gonna say the XL two but the
Bill Cornelius 05:56
XL one is.
Sergio Valenzuela 06:00
That was the mini dealmaker camera camera standard have that teeny tiny body a massive lens on this thing he was so like, the weight on it was just so just
Corey Allen 06:10
awkward. that would that would have the 24 p No, that was before 24 XL to Xl 24 P.
Sergio Valenzuela 06:18
But that thing I mean, if you shot three hours worth of oil, you know if he shot three hours with the film, you had to sit there and digitize in real time. Three hours worth of film. He had that thing up and lay that back.
Bill Cornelius 06:29
Yeah, that screwed up or drop frame. Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 06:30
you’re starting all over again. Yeah, but what that was my original question. Like when you? Yeah, yeah, that’s what we’re doing. That’s actually when I got back from Iraq. I got the Canon XL one. I bought a Mac. Got I picked up a final cut. Final Cut Pro for HD. Oh, hmm. He was just had come in HD. Yeah, he wasn’t really HD. That’s what I started on his final cut pro four HD bought that. And basically just ran around with the camera on my own. I didn’t know anybody didn’t know anybody in Tennessee and filmmaking or anything like that, because I had just come back from my rack. Yeah. And then I’m standing at the grocery store at the convenience store one day. And the guy standing in front of me in line in front of me.
He says, Yeah, it’s great day to day, I got shot in the back with the with the M 16. And then he says, we got about four more. four pages of script left. Now’s like blink. So hey, started talking to him comes out, come to find out. He was retired military. And he was an actor here in town. Oh, gentleman by the name of BJ Brown. BJJ. You remember BJ? Right? I do. Yeah. ralphie awesome, dude. Love that dude.
Unfortunately, he passed away several, several years ago. But I got to talk to him. And we just could course go to the military. And I had just got back from Iraq. So he was like, Oh, hey, come on. Yeah, yeah. And so him and I clicked and we started doing work together. And that’s how I met Zach. I ended up putting together my very first short film ever. But the confession of Johnny black. Did that put that together?
We shot that ended in a good? Yeah, good. It was a little film about this mafia Hitman, who basically comes to terms of with what he’s doing. He wants to get out and he approaches the boss to, you know, I want to get out. And so the boss basically tells him, Hey, you know, maybe you just need to go connect with God. So of course, guy goes to church, and that’s where the hit happens. Bam. What was cool is I actually used the Catholic Church downtown. And when the when that priest asked me what the short film was about, I told them, I said, Oh, it’s about this guy who’s in the mafia and he comes to terms with what he’s doing. He turns to Jesus to save them.
Bill Cornelius 09:02
inside the church,
Sergio Valenzuela 09:03
that sounds pretty good. You go ahead and shoot it. Alright, so we did a shot it did the death scene really quick. got it done.
Bill Cornelius 09:11
This is how you do true indie films,
Corey Allen 09:13
right gorilla. He didn’t lie to him. didn’t tell him Oh, yeah, he didn’t tell him. Tell him what he needed to know.
Bill Cornelius 09:20
He didn’t he didn’t want to spoil the
Sergio Valenzuela 09:22
matter of fact, I don’t even think I ever sent him a copy of it. Of course, probably wouldn’t send it now. Yeah,
Bill Cornelius 09:29
so it’s funny like you and I almost have kind of the same origin story when it comes to getting into our first gigs because BJ and Zack, they hired me for the first time back in the day. And of course, BJ was the guy who started skydive films originally. And him and Zack were doing like Southern haunts that was part of PBS series.
Sergio Valenzuela 09:56
Which I’ve told them I put a bug in his ear here lately. I was like, yeah, you need to reboot. You know, bring it up, to, to monetize, instead of having that 90 select, and let’s redo it and redo it scary. Yeah, that’d be something we do. Every project now.
Bill Cornelius 10:10
Yeah, that would be so cool. And for those who don’t know, I think Zack mentioned it in his episode. But Southern haunts was a series about different hauntings around the South that ran on PBS, not just there.
Sergio Valenzuela 10:24
It was, specifically, historic locations. Right, right.
Corey Allen 10:28
Like a haunted vibe or haunted? Yeah.
Sergio Valenzuela 10:32
We did this place up in Franklin can turkey call the octagon house. And it’s actually one of like three buildings in the US. That’s octagon shape. That’s actually brick. Every I think there’s like 200 and some odd buildings like that. That’s that specific structure. Yeah. But they’re all made out of wood. And these, these ones, particularly is made out of brick, for whatever reason, make some extra special for whatever reason.
Yeah, but we went and shot there. Of course, we’re walking around, getting be referred, and we did the interviews, the B roll footage is walking around. Yeah. Well, I’m walking around and I walk into what’s supposed to be the nursery. And as soon as I walk in, the the color on the camera in the room looks pink now. I walk out of the room, and everything looks fine.
And they walk back in so I’m adjusting my settings thinking maybe it’s the window pane maybe something Yeah, maybe the paint something. So I called the other camera operator, I was with us. I’m like, Hey, man, come on. Bring your camera here. So he brings in and same thing. Why is this got this? pinkish tint, we can figure it out. But we checked every other room, nothing this one particular room, pink tint on the walls.
And so we’re sitting there messing with this. And then the the lady that owned the building, she comes over, she’s like, what’s going on? And we’re like this room. It’s the cameras acting weird kind of walk in here, the walls turn pink. But if you’re standing outside, they they look fine. But right, as you step in that threshold, they had this pink tone to how, and she goes, Oh, this room is really weird. She’s like, there’s noises that come out of this room. There’s nobody in it. And then once a year for I forget, she said, we can have for two weeks.
The window sale just gets covered with 1000s of flies like in the movies like when you see like, oh, there’s no explanation for it. They’ve had a What is it a they’ve sculpt the walls, they brought in cadaver dog to see if there’s anything dead in the walls. Nothing just literally, this particular time of year it doesn’t, doesn’t fail. Well, suddenly, just when it gets covered the flies, for whatever reason.
Corey Allen 12:33
Like screw I’m sure there’s like a scientific explanation for the time of year and maybe there’s a leak. But the fact that when you walk into the room and like the cameras all over gets all messed up my hard pass. I’m good.
Sergio Valenzuela 12:46
Well, right around that time we were doing that we had another buddy that was into ghost investigations and stuff like that. And he says to me and Zach, he says, Hey, man, when we got this house, it’s really really hot stuff happens all the time. And of course, we’re like, oh, that might be pretty cool. And then he says, Yeah, we just found out it might not even be a ghost. It might be a demon. We’re like No, no. no. no ghost is stuck where a tat demon can follow your ass wherever you go. No. Not at all. Oh, come on, man. We’ll be fine. I was like no. Here’s a camera you can borrow it that’s the red button press.
Corey Allen 13:26
That sergios limit do almost anything for the shop. A demon no demon.
Sergio Valenzuela 13:31
Right demons can be off off a bridge upside down. demons.
Bill Cornelius 13:39
So So most of what you were doing early on was with both shooting and editing.
Sergio Valenzuela 13:45
I see early on I did a lot more editing than I did shooting. Because I everything that Zack BJ and that the small group friends that we had at that time. I was basically really the only editor in the group. Yeah. Which I didn’t want to be to be honest with you. I hated the simple fact that everything was on any DVD. Yeah. You just handed me eight tapes when you mentioned
Bill Cornelius 14:07
digitizing footage. I hadn’t thought about that in a long time because I’ve tried to block it out. I mean, that was that was awful. That was real time digitizing. The kids now they’re lucky. Lucky. They don’t have to sit there in the car and start editing. Yeah, that was that’s awful man. Like, digitized.
Sergio Valenzuela 14:26
About right before Corona hit. I was going through. Do one of my shelves and I literally found a bag in the back corner that basically had all the mini DV tapes that we did back. Yeah. And it was a huge bag. Yeah, about 30 tapes. And I think at that time, Zach was still doing the the the what is it the kids film course in the summertime that he used to do?
Yeah. And he said something about tapes and I was like oh, here you go, man. Just have these blanked out. And he goes holy shit when you get the new starts going through and he goes, wait a minute, this is Southern hearts episode to this time I haven’t seen any of these he’s like in forever. They just pull it down Sit down. He’s like, wow,
Bill Cornelius 15:13
these are these are my tapes. Yeah.
Corey Allen 15:15
This is my history, right? Yeah,
Bill Cornelius 15:17
I’ve got I’ve got the same I’ve got like a huge duffel bag of my gear closet full of mini DV tapes. Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 15:23
I finally just was like, I don’t even have a mini DV camera. So I’m just Yeah, get rid of them. I don’t plan on saving. It’s not like your home movies where you’re like,
Bill Cornelius 15:30
Oh, you know, it’s early gigs.
Corey Allen 15:33
It’s early gateway, less sentimental, probably more heartache and like bad memories. This was a terrible.
Sergio Valenzuela 15:39
Well, I just watched the confession of Johnny black a few months back. First thing I ever did. And I’m just sitting there just cringing going, what the fuck was I thinking?
Bill Cornelius 15:49
You got to start. So
Sergio Valenzuela 15:50
what do you do, but it’s the whole fun of the whole process. You know, one thing that I really really do miss about those early days, is walking on set and everything just seemed so magnificent. And just, you know that feeling when you first walk on the set. You see it on people that have never been on set and you invite them on set?
Yeah. And they walk in. They’re like, Wow, this is so cool. Yeah, I miss having that feeling. Because now I’m like walking. I’m like, Alright, we need to start shooting in about 30 minutes and you’re like, Damn, I kind of miss that feeling.
Bill Cornelius 16:19
It becomes normal. It does. Yeah.
Corey Allen 16:20
demystified.
Bill Cornelius 16:24
Magic.
Sergio Valenzuela 16:25
Yeah, it really does. Yeah, I do miss that.
Corey Allen 16:28
Have you ever considered going back and re shooting? first shoot?
Bill Cornelius 16:35
Well, I was gonna say, Have you have you at any point decided to revisit effects work? No, because that went along with it sucked as much as the effects did so. Well. I mean, just like in general, like you were you were interested at one point and go oh, like, have you ever thought about exploring that again? Really? No.
Sergio Valenzuela 16:55
That’s never really crossed my mind. I mean, I love watching horror movies and sci fi sci fi is my genre. And so I mean, I just kind of just get lost in it. And I don’t really just, you know, it’s not like when you’re watching a movie as a filmmaker I look at though, I wonder what that like, what kind of lighting they’re using on this and that type of stuff. Yeah, now watch. sci fi or horror movies. I just watch them for fun. Like, I wonder if they use the kind of late tag Good, good disconnect.
Bill Cornelius 17:21
That’s good to have that disconnect. It is still enjoy stuff.
Sergio Valenzuela 17:24
Sometimes. It’s hard. I said, This is my wife after a while we like huh? Did you see that cup? It was half empty. Now it’s full. Like I don’t care. It’s watching the damn movie.
Bill Cornelius 17:33
Where was the script? Superman, right. So So when did iron will come about and what was the kind of the inspiration behind that? Um, I
Sergio Valenzuela 17:45
will actually iron Well, we were actually editing hunger in America. Oh, it’s right. Yeah, hunger in America. And when Zach brought the iron will project to me. Okay, man, I had just finished doing a music video for Steven Cochran pieces. Oh, right. Right. And of course, he’s big in the veteran community. And after Zach worked with Stephen, of course, he got to hear all this stuff out. Well, not only Steven, but as admins, all this.
But he got to hear all this stuff about post traumatic stress disorder and veterans committing suicide and all this other stuff. Yeah. And of course, that was that flipped the switch. And then he was like, man, I gotta do something about this. And so he approached me like, Man, you’re a better you’re a filmmaker, you got a unique perspective on this. I want to put this together, but I want you to direct it.
And at first, I was kind of hesitant. Of course, we were in the middle of another project. And I’m not thinking about, you know, starting a whole other one right in the middle of this. Right. And then the other thing, too, I knew as a director, specifically since or, especially since I knew the content, I was gonna have to really kick open some doors that I don’t know if I was ready to Yes. Because have a dealing with post traumatic stress and combat and all that stuff. And yeah, finally we, you know, I said yes.
And we got the ball rolling on that. And one of the things that because I had seen other documentaries, about what is the veterans, the post traumatic stress and everything else, and yeah, decent, if you know, a lot about psychosomatic stress. And then one of the things that I kept hearing about from people was, or from other veterans was, I don’t understand why people don’t understand me, I’m talking in English, I don’t know.
So I keep hearing a lot of this. I don’t understand. And honestly, from both sides, from veterans sides and from family sides, and I started really thinking, why the hell don’t people understand this? I mean, we’re speaking English. I mean, right, right here on the table. And then I realized people don’t know shit about us. As far as people know, you join the military, you take off to basic training, you run around a lot, you shoot some weapons, and you come out, you know, a couple months later and boom, your soldier. That’s honestly all that people know. Yeah.
They don’t know about the conditioning. They don’t know about the mindset they don’t know about the camaraderie. They don’t know anything. Yeah. So that’s one of the things that I was like, This movie has to have that because it has to have an explanation of who we are and why we are. And that’s one of the big things in the beginning where we start talking about the reasons he joined the military and everything from family tradition to 911. To Hell, highly even shitty ass neighborhood, I have no way out of this. Yeah, you know, and even stories, I have kids, I gotta take care of them, you know, little things like that. So it’s bands,
Corey Allen 20:29
you know, so much to the makeup of the individual versus just the outcome of the post traumatic stress.
Sergio Valenzuela 20:35
And literally, and then the other thing we could also explain to you is that you see it firsthand in the film is going through basic training taken us not know, civilian kid that doesn’t know his head from his ass. And, you know, 234 months later, depending on what your job is, boom, you got a hard charging killer. Yeah.
Because honestly, I mean, that’s what it’s all about your kill here. And they tell you this in the military, doesn’t matter what your job is, you can be communication, you can be Intel, you can be infantry, your first job as a soldier, yeah, that’s your first job to kill the bad guy to protect us, you know, that’s your first job.
And it’s really the process of turning a civilian into that, that will show in the film. And then of course, we start getting into deploying for the first time when that was like making contact for the first time what that was like, and basically, from start to getting all the way back home, and then everything else that happens getting home. So we laid out really, really well.
Corey Allen 21:34
Yeah,
Bill Cornelius 21:35
let’s see, I think like, and I think that film resonates a lot because it was directed by you who who’s gone through that process. And, you know, you understand it from it’s not just some random director off the street. Yeah, that doesn’t fully understand it, trying to tell a compelling story like you’ve lived it. So you can see that in the film for sure. Like, it’s
Sergio Valenzuela 21:58
definitely got that. One of the things that will got a lot of the really good conversation out within the interviews was right off the bat, I realized that in dealing with veterans, I couldn’t sit there and do like a regular interview like you and I, yeah, I had to literally sit there and get out of my box.
And honestly, just make it like if it was just two buddies hanging out having a beer. Yeah. And that’s our conversation. Yeah. And it was natural. It just flowed beautifully. Because it was two guys hanging out. Yeah, Bs and about the shit that bothers us.
Yeah, you know, I’m coming back. And it was beautiful. And boom, boom, everything slid up. Actually, a lot of the guys told me that some of the stories that they told that was the first time telling those stories, oh, because they were so comfortable to tell a story. Because when one of the things that one of the big reasons veterans don’t tell stories to civilians, is because number one, you’re not going to understand the magnitude of the story number two, you end up getting interrupted a lot.
By people asking what military acronyms are because you talk in the military, right? You use acronyms. You talk military terminology. And before you know people, what’s that? What’s that mean? What’s this? And you’re like, well, man, let me get this point across.
Corey Allen 23:16
If I have to explain the details of the story, you probably aren’t going to get that story.
Sergio Valenzuela 23:21
Yeah. And so these guys were like, No, you made me feel comfortable. And then Chris Krieger was in the film who actually has a an organization that provides service talks to veterans. The story he told he said, that was the first time he’s ever told that out loud. That’s Yeah, and and actually, in his interview, he got so emotional.
We had to stop the cameras, and give them a five minute break. And luckily enough. The the camera operator that I had at the time, which Mike Stryker was dp, but at that moment, mica mica Ehlers? Yeah, he was a camera operator at that moment. And I’m so grateful for him because he was so smart in that moment, because I said, cut. And he didn’t cut. He left that role. Oh, yeah. So that’s that section that you see me Get up and actually get Chris Krieger a hug.
Yeah, that was actually what we taught afterwards. And I thank you, Mike, for that. It was awesome. So he was on his toes for that. Yeah, that was very powerful. And after I realized that he had shot he had captured that I was like, Oh my God, thank you so much. Rock, dude. Yeah,
Bill Cornelius 24:25
yeah, I had I had a similar experience when I did hear me now the bullying documentary because that was something I went through. So when I would talk to these people who have never shared a lot of them were shy, they didn’t want to share their story of getting picked on and being suicidal and all that.
So I would start like you said, like having like almost like hanging out having a beer like, I just talked to him about my story and just get one on one and personal with them. But I’d like secretly have the camera rolling just in case they started opening up testing. So that’s that’s how I got a lot of
Sergio Valenzuela 24:59
love. One of the things that you learn from experience because yeah, I’ve seen, you know, young filmmakers that are like, cut. Yeah, soon as the actor finishes and cut. Yeah, what are you doing? Dude, you got an SD card, you literally have hours to always be rolling. And that’s one of the things yeah, that comes with experiences. Let it roll.
Bill Cornelius 25:18
Yeah, yeah, cuz you never know what you’re, it’s it’s when, especially when you’re dealing with regular people that aren’t actors that aren’t performers, you’re putting them on the spot. So if they feel like they’re on the spot, they’re probably not gonna give you the good stuff. But if they’re, they’re relaxed with you. I mean, that’s definitely a pro tip for anybody doing documentary or like corporate work or anything that’s not like, professional talent.
Corey Allen 25:43
Yeah. If you’re not running rolls of film, like it’s safe to get a little extra. You know, I think the other thing that you mentioned, and we talked about this with a prior guest, just talking about, like the decision of whether or not to engage specifically in a documentary, but it could apply to any projects is there’s like, you have to be cognizant of the emotional connection that you have to the story that’s going to be told.
And it sounds like like in this instance, like you weren’t immediately like, Yes, I definitely want to do this, because like, to your point, it was going to open up some doors that you had already closed or either weren’t ready to open up. And I think that’s for filmmakers that specifically want to work on projects that are maybe their social impact, or there’s some sort of narrative or documentary style, like telling a real life story versus something that maybe makes sense from start to finish.
You know, I think the thing Barrett said was, life doesn’t always make sense. And that can make it really difficult emotionally to tell a story like that. Yeah.
Sergio Valenzuela 26:45
I think some of the best documentaries out there are the ones where the filmmakers get really involved with the subject or you know, what’s going on. Actually one of the finest documentaries to watch it’s it’s honestly, it’s a train wreck and a half your watch the wonderful whites of West Virginia
Bill Cornelius 27:01
that I haven’t seen it, but Mike Stryker shot a lot of it. We talked to him about it. Oh my god.
Sergio Valenzuela 27:08
If you’ve ever met my striker, he’s the most awesome. This is the most. He is the sweetest, just like innocent. I mean, just it he’s like a big kid that I love him. But to know that he’s associated with that film just makes me laugh. Show me
Corey Allen 27:26
some of the stories he told you. Oh, God.
Bill Cornelius 27:28
Yeah. Why he told him on the show is
Sergio Valenzuela 27:31
Yeah, he told me that’s some of the craziest stuff didn’t make it into the documentary. I can’t imagine. He told me that there was one night that a couple of family members got into an argument. And so they just pulled that gun and started shooting at each other. So here’s camera operators, boom operators dive in over cars behind a wall. are sitting there busting caps at each other.
Bill Cornelius 27:52
I just know my you know, Mikey, he was just like, there was just a lot of interesting stuff that happened. But it’s reserved reserve. Yeah. So yeah, he hates talking about that movie, too. He’s like, Yeah. It was an experience. Yeah, I’m sure he was. So iron. Well, you had quite a bit of success with iron well, awards. You were on the news, weren’t you? like I did. I did a few news days. A couple of awards for that. We got
Sergio Valenzuela 28:28
Minnesota Film Festival, we walked away with the People’s Choice Award. Nice. And then samsa, which they’re like a health organization type of thing. They have an awards thing. And that particular year that iron will came out. They were doing mental health for that year. So that’s how the reason we ended up getting iron will into the samsa Awards.
Bill Cornelius 28:53
That’s good, Dan.
Sergio Valenzuela 28:53
So we ended up yeah, it was perfect timing. So we ended up getting a word from them for that. Awesome. And so
Bill Cornelius 28:59
have you have you heard since iron wills been out? Have you heard from veterans or anybody? not out yet? Oh, really? No. Really? Yeah. What’s, uh,
Corey Allen 29:12
what just on the just on the is it?
Sergio Valenzuela 29:19
Getting entertainment bought from us to distribute it or not to distribute to get a distribution deal. And of course, this was before Corona. This is right after we finished the movie. They bought it from us. They were gonna do a instead of just putting it out there. And just boom, here’s another documentary on on post traumatic stress.
Yeah, they were trying to get a campaign together and take it to VA centers and medical centers and military bases and really get it out there and really, you know, do a huge campaign behind it. Yeah. And they were trying to get the film itself onto Netflix. And then something happened where it kind of got delayed and then a bunch of other delays and then they had Almost a distribution deal, but then the distributor wanted to edit it way down.
And they were like, no, we’re not going to do that to this film because we need actually, there’s probably about another 30 minutes that should have been in the film, but we only see trimmed it down over time. So that’s why I believe it’s a 10 an hour and a half now. Yeah. And so but that’s what they’ve been is back and forth trying to get district distribution deal. And, of course, right. As they were getting ready to do get one crona hits and yeah, everything just falls apart. That’s crazy. So it’s been almost four years since we finished at close to 105.
Corey Allen 30:37
And so it’s it’s made the rounds on some festivals made the rounds. Yeah, I suppose. Yeah.
Bill Cornelius 30:42
It’s I just assumed it was out just, I mean, I was at the premiere and I’ve seen lots of it and everything. So I guess I have the inside. Honestly, I
Sergio Valenzuela 30:50
haven’t watched it in a couple years to be honest with you.
Bill Cornelius 30:52
Yeah, it’s it’s been I mean, that’s that’s a shame and needs to it needs to be out there. It’s It’s very good. And honestly, that that goes to show we’ve talked about this too, is distribution is it’s a lot. Yeah. And it can be a mess. And it mostly is a mess more often than not
Sergio Valenzuela 31:12
what that’s the thing you never know cuz iron. Well, Zack and I were like, for sure this is gonna get huge distribution, for sure. Huge. Boom, there it is on the shelf. And then another movie that we worked on that we thought
Bill Cornelius 31:26
this isn’t going to go anywhere balance. It was a balancing the scales. Yeah.
Sergio Valenzuela 31:33
And boom hits huge. Yeah, you know, so you never know.
Bill Cornelius 31:37
Well, it’s just like,
Sergio Valenzuela 31:38
balancing the scales with an interesting project to work on.
Bill Cornelius 31:41
Yes, well, we’ll get to that in a second. But but with iron. Well, it’s like because I know a Tim vana Stieg I worked with him briefly. He gave me a lot of distribution advice. That was really helpful. When I was young. I said he was awesome. Yeah, when I was trying to get here me now out and just for the audience, Tim vana. steeg was a producer, who was living out in LA at the time and worked with a lot of us in Nashville, and just like, a great dude, hustler, who just hustled all the time, all day long.
I don’t think the guy slept. Like he was always working on something nice. And he was like, if he said he was gonna do something he did. Yeah, yeah. And he, he called me to give me some advice about distribution, because Zack was like, you need to talk to him. He’s got some words. And, you know, I remember the first thing he said to me, you know, he talked real fast. And he was really excited all the time.
And he was like, the thing you need to understand about distribution is, no matter what you do, you’re gonna get fucked. It just you have to decide to decide how big or how little you’re gonna get fun. Yeah. And I was like, thanks, Tim. All right. So so all that to say, like, with iron will, I mean, it’s that same thing. It’s like, you never know what’s gonna happen. And it can be the greatest film and iron will is fantastic. Like, it’s a really good film. And it’s just like, they get locked up in the business side.
And that’s, that’s, it’s intimidating for us as creative people to even be a part of that. But but then it like, it’s such a letdown when, when you do have this great product, and it gets hung up somewhere. Yeah. And the business side, which it just sucks. I hope it gets out soon.
Sergio Valenzuela 33:25
I hope so too. Yeah, yeah. Cuz it’s definitely a documentary, I should have been out there already helping people out because that was the whole purpose of putting it out was to, you know, help veterans with what they’re dealing with. And but help also families and friends understand what we’re dealing with. Yeah.
And, you know, it was put into perspective where you can easily understand and easily connect with each other. Yeah, yeah. So the people that I have seen it so far, that’s what they come away with the data. You know, there’s more you walk away with more of understanding on both ends.
Bill Cornelius 33:59
Yeah. And and me like somebody who’s never been in the military, like, I understood it a lot more after watching it. I mean, I thought I thought it had a great impact.
Sergio Valenzuela 34:07
Well, that’s one of the things when we go go back to when Zach and I started up early on, and I was doing all the editing, I hated all the editing. Honestly, I hated it. But at the same time, I’m so grateful for it, because it’s actually made me a much better storyteller. Yeah, yeah. Cuz I mean, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much shit I’ve edited over the years. I mean, but yeah, now it’s, it’s a lot easier for me to look at footage and piece of story together.
Yeah. Yeah. And that’s one of the things that we ran into with balancing skills. Yeah, with that one, and then price a legacy to your auntie trying to figure out some sort of storyline because Aussie footage and the way things were laid out, we’re kind of all over the place. Yeah. So you kind of got to go through all this. bs pretty much to find the good stuff.
Bill Cornelius 34:56
Yeah. So So let’s talk about balancing the scale. Zack Zack talked about it a little bit he said you know like any anybody honestly that’s an editor who has to edit footage that they were not on set for I have much so much respect because that that gets tough like you said, like forming a story out of stuff you’ve never seen before material you’ve never worked with, like, explicitly talk about balancing the scales because that because Zach talked about just how much how long.
Corey Allen 35:34
For the for the listeners that can’t see sergios face this this? Yeah, this is another door he’s not ready.
Sergio Valenzuela 35:43
How many some whiskey after this? Yeah, yeah. Now, honestly, all overall, the movie turned out to be really good documentary. I should be really, really good. But yeah, the process of getting there was like pulling teeth. Because the producer, so the director, the producer, husband and wife, Sharon, and her husband, john, their lawyers, not filmmaker, never did anything with film.
Yeah, she started balancing the skills back in the 90s. Right, interviewing all these female attorneys. And staff did a bunch of shooting back then dropped the bus stop the project for God, decade and a half and then picked it back up again. When Zach Zach came on board to help her out and stuff. Yeah.
And so they bought they shot a bunch of other stuff that actually a lot of it was what the same attorneys, and but now those same attorneys that were just up and coming back then are now like, Justice of the Peace, or like they’re on the Supreme Court in Georgia, where they’re like, yeah, huge people. And so, but them not, I mean, there was hundreds of hours of footage. And the one of the problems that I ran into going through this footage was them not being first time filmmakers, their questions were not organized.
And like we haven’t organized. Yeah, like anytime Zack brings me a documentary, or anybody else’s banana tree. I know for a fact that all the questions are going to be the same. It’s going to be laid out. ABC 123. Yeah. And you have a flow, you know, unless you get a specialist or something, then you have a specific type of question for them. Yeah. These questions were all over the place. Like what? What are the clips that I started watching?
I’m sitting there watching this. And it starts off talking about lawyer stuff. And then the lady she was interviewing says something about living on a farm. And then for the next 45 minutes, we didn’t talk anything about but farm and chickens. Oh, that’s awesome. You had five dogs? What were the names? Oh, he had chickens, what colors were they? Or did they you know, drink the poop. I mean, 45 minutes of this. And I’m like, ah, I mean, there was a lot of stuff like that.
Corey Allen 37:53
And because you were not involved in the project at the time as the editor, you have no choice but to sit there and watch.
Sergio Valenzuela 38:01
Like a single two sentences right in the middle of all that, that connects this to this. And he has to sit there and watch it. I’m like, ah, but and then the other problem that we had with that putting that documentary together was them not being first time filmmaker, or them being first time filmmakers. And being attorneys, they were looking at the Edit as attorneys.
So there was overkill on information. It was literally the narrator would be like, Hi, this is justice of the peace, Barbara. And then the next shot would be like, Hi, I’m just this other piece. Barbara, the lower there would be like, this is just another piece Barbara. And then like five minutes later, so you know, just the piece Barbara here. Oh, that another night? And it’s like, no, this is this is it took us forever to make them realize this is not a deposition. This is not a trial. Yeah, this is a documentary. Very good. We don’t want people to watch
Bill Cornelius 38:57
this. Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 38:58
we don’t need the same thing in here five times. Yeah. 233 debt the most. The it’ll stick. And then some of the other stuff we ran into. Which is funny thinking about first time filmmakers. I mean, literally, that have never anything. Yeah, some of the questions that we got, like I put a shot of because they were from Atlanta. I put a shot of Atlanta in there.
And it was a shot from like the 90s. Atlanta. So it looked like old VHS video if it were. Man. How are people going to know that to Atlanta? I’m like what you mean? Well, there’s nothing on the bottom that says Atlanta. How are people gonna know? I mean, people might want to start questioning to the footage and documentary and I’m like, I have never in my life sat there in a documentary, watch the whole thing. had somebody go, Hmm, I wonder if that was actually London. I wonder. And I’m like, that is
Corey Allen 39:50
not going to happen because in the context of the story at the moment, we know we’re talking to someone from Atlanta. Yeah. So automatically your brain goes like okay, it’s Atlanta.
Sergio Valenzuela 39:59
grass. It literally This documentary was supposed to take us about nine months to cut with all the footage and everything it took two years. Two years. It wasn’t until the partway into the second year maybe like a year and three months into it that it finally clicked to them.
Bill Cornelius 40:18
I think I think that’s when Zach stopped doing mixers because he was just in the trenches.
Corey Allen 40:24
Trying to get that what
Sergio Valenzuela 40:25
he should have done is had more mixers and had more alcohol that would know but that’s how that one went. But honestly, pulling teeth throughout the whole thing so many things just not working right. But what we ended up with was a fantastic documentary. It’s been it’s made the rounds all over the world and I say world cuz legit has been showed all over Europe to two different law firms out there. All the female lawyers, I mean, honestly, all the law firms love it.
Yeah, just because it literally tells you, hey, these great women have come up and and are better than a lot of these male attorneys get the shaft, they get paid 1000s of dollars less just because there’s when I went. And it’s very, it’s pretty interesting. We didn’t know way to where it keeps your interest because yeah, I’ve told people I did a documentary of women along like, yeah, there’s nothing about that.
That sounds interesting at all. Yeah. But when you watch it, you’re like, Oh, this is pretty interesting, because we go back and talk about touch a little bit on, you know, when they did law in the 60s and 70s was completely different, or literally, you know, your boss to slap you in the ass path. Yeah. And you can say a damn thing about it. You know? And if you did, I do. Yeah. Yeah. So completely different. Yeah. We’re, but it talks about all those early years, and then what they had to go through. And then you know, where they’re at now, which I mean, some of the some of the journeys that these women took to get to the position.
They’re amazing women to come, especially in the south that there was one, she’s on the Supreme Court, black lady. And she said when she got into law, of course, this was like back in the 80s. She said it was tough, not only because you’re a woman, because you’re also black. Now she’s on Supreme Court. She’s, she’s like the actually for a while I forget from what years? They were. But she was like the whatever, Supreme Court judge for Georgia for a while, right?
Bill Cornelius 42:30
Yeah. And that’s I know, that’s been out on national PBS
Sergio Valenzuela 42:34
PBS. It’s been and then the Sharon and john the producer for that have actually taken it across the country and they do presentations at what is it a law universities and they actually do it for? What is it law firms? Also, there’s law firms that’ll hire them, and they’ll come in and show the movie and talk about everything makes awesome. Yeah, they lay it out.
And they’ve done it. They’ve gotten international with it, but the funny thing is, they’re doing so well with it. But they still don’t have distribution. That’s they’re not even worried about distribution, because they’re getting it out there to the people. They want to get out doing
Corey Allen 43:09
it doing it their way. They’re just
Bill Cornelius 43:11
hustling it themselves.
Sergio Valenzuela 43:12
Yeah, they are. They’re making a killing doing it. And it’s getting out there and it’s getting some serious really good recognition. Which you know, it’s funny because a lot of distribution but
Bill Cornelius 43:22
yeah, that’s that’s crazy. Yeah, it’s crazy how this industry works, you just never know it’s unpredictable and so similar to prices are similar to balancing the scales price of legacy, which was another case where it was a lot of footage from a crew that you weren’t a part of you and Zach came on board and you had to make sense of all this footage like talk about price of legacy some
Sergio Valenzuela 43:48
price a legacy price a legacy Originally, I wasn’t even the director on price a legacy I got hired by Tim to organize all the footage yeah from the from the original shoot and basically put together the premiere pro project file and get it all together and then have it also transcribed. So while we’re doing all that teams working with chance lander and Bruce and of course he’s planning it.
Okay, the next step is this this this this and this and laying it out for them while all that’s happening Tim passes away. Yeah. And so he passes away we find out and I lose contact with chance and Bruce for like three or four months and because my only contact was through Tim and so three or four months go by and I’m kind of start realizing I got all this footage to this wrestling documentary. What am I gonna do with it?
So I start going through all these old emails can’t find any contact information that just by chance I happen to look one of the early emails and I think chances information just happen to be on there. And yeah, of course I call him up. It’s funny because I called him up to find out what you know what The next step was and he goes, man, he’s like, I had no idea how to get ahold of you. He’s like, literally last night. I prayed all night for something to happen somehow get in contact with you. And here we are. Nine o’clock in the morning, you’re calling? Wow, that was like No way. It’s kind of cool that we got to talk and what do you want to do with this?
We’re gonna He’s like, I don’t know, man, we still trying to figure it out. After losing Tim, we just kind of don’t know what direction to go. We’re looking at a director now. And I can’t remember the director’s name. But he’s a he’s on the same company, part of the company, Adam Carolla owns their production company. And for some reason that they were talking to him. And when, for whatever reason, they decided not to go with him, and they still couldn’t figure out what to do.
And then I, you know, put the bug in his ear say, you know what, I have a good idea what the footage looks like. It’s, you know, you maybe have 40 to 60% of a documentary here. Because that was the unfortunate thing about the original footage. It was the same thing as balancing the scales where the interviews were all over the place. Yeah, there was no structure to the interviews even. It almost felt like they grabbed a bunch of film students who said go shoot me a documentary on wrestling and bring you back to stuff.
And so I had this mishmash of stuff. I mean, and even some of the interviews were like, really all over the place. Like there was one interview, it was like about a 40 minute interview with the sheriff of Perry, which he was the one that for most people that know don’t know this, Perry, Oklahoma was where they caught Timothy McVeigh, Oklahoma City bomber, okay. And this particular Sheriff was the guy that actually pulled them over and the rest of them.
Oh, wow. So there for like a 40 minute interview with the sheriff on Timothy McVeigh, which has now we’re doing a documentary on Perry, Oklahoma, the town. Yeah, totally. But he has nothing to do with the wrestling. I put a little blurb in there in the documentary itself, where it says, you know, Perry, Oklahoma was also the home or where Timothy McVeigh was captured. That’s it done so that when people Okay, so I see with that. Yeah, and but what is it? MLS my train of thought,
Bill Cornelius 47:18
all this footage from all over the place, all over the place. For him the story.
Sergio Valenzuela 47:25
About 30 40% of the done are, basically their interviews are just all over the place. And then so I put a bug in here and say, you know what I’ll do I say, I’ll tell you what, I’ll come out here and reshoot some of this stuff, and do the post production for this amount, which is way less than the original expat.
And so, you know, they had little powwow about a couple days that Okay, let’s go for it. And so we started, I started laying out what I want to do with the documentary and stuff like that. And one thing, originally, the documentary was very supposed to be very ESPN expos a type. Yes, sports documentary.
Corey Allen 48:05
And that’s not a good feel.
Sergio Valenzuela 48:06
No, no, I hate those things. Because to me, it reminds me of those old NFL movies that they would put out right after the Superbowl, like a hype movie. Yeah, literally an hour and a half of just pay yourself in the back. And, you know, and I don’t want that for this. And what the nice thing was, is talking to chance, and all of our conversations that we had, the thing that kept coming up was Perry town, community, people helping each other and this and that.
And finally, you know, I figured some sort of structure and I said, chance. You know what this movie is missing? We need to tell the history of the little town and where the building block for this wrestling program came from? Because it came from somewhere but just didn’t start wrestling program in high school. And all right, we are eight came from somewhere.
And he wasn’t too sure about it. Of course, first time filmmaker less dude. Trust me, we need to tell the story about the town. Yeah. And he was kind of, and so finally, after we shot all the footage and everything else. I edited something together with, you know, the hillbilly of the town. And same thing with him. I clicked Yeah. Okay, I get it now. And then once he saw how that segwayed into the next action, and you know, reinforced that Yeah, then he Oh, yeah, I get it now.
Okay, cool. Yeah, luckily he was he was very open about a lot of stuff that we were doing so it gave me the freedom to go. Let me try this out. And if it worked, it worked. If it didn’t, I screw let’s cut I’m gonna sit there and push because my whole thing you know, was telling a good good story that is going to have longevity because that was my goal. Because I mean, the wrestling program has been around for 42 years now.
As far as winning because of winning, we talk about this but the reason they even have it documentary is this little town since 19 5019. And I forgot, I should know this information, we just finished editing this damn thing. Since since 41 years ago, they have actually, if not one, every single state championship, they’ve won every other one. So they’ve never gone more than two years without winning the state championship.
They’ve that record never been broken. No other university High School, anybody has a record like that, where they either win consecutively, or they just give one year. Yeah, they don’t win. Well, you know. And so that’s one of the things that I was looking at the, this program has been around for so long. And in talking to a lot of these guys, a lot of the mentality has not changed, it’s still the same mentality, it’s, you know, suck it up, drive on push harder type of stuff. Yeah. And so seeing the beauty in that consistency, I want this movie to have longevity. I didn’t want it to be dated in any way. I didn’t want it to be a huge pat on the back.
So the way I laid it out, I laid it out in a way to where even if you didn’t know a damn thing about wrestling, and you weren’t interested in wrestling at all, the story itself would make you go, Oh, this is actually pretty interesting little town and what they’ve done and stuff like that. And I’ve had people on both sides that are big sports people that are you know, no stats that you shouldn’t know, just because you need to fill your brain with something.
Corey Allen 51:29
Given that you’re given a space up to
Sergio Valenzuela 51:33
a night. Yeah, exactly. at the bar playing that game. And I’ve had friends that don’t do sports at all. They’re like us into filmmaking to drama class in high school. Yeah, did banish it and get the same response. Man, this was so interesting. I was at the edge of my seat. Want to know if they won or lost? And I was like, cool.
So it’s like Cujo. Who’s yours? Yeah. Hell yeah. And so because that’s that was my whole goal is to make it to something that this little community 1520 years from now can watch it, and everything still clicks and everything still there. You know, I wanted to use it as an inspirational piece for somebody that either wants to just get into wrestling into Shiro, or isn’t too sure about it or wants to do something.
Maybe the film just inspired, not necessarily wrestling because honestly, the way this is laid out, you can do this for anything to be honest with you the way it’s laid out. You can, you know, it’ll help you take that first step into wrestling or some other sport or shoot filmmaking where you’re like, Yes, I can do this, but you won’t know until you actually do. All right. Yeah.
Bill Cornelius 52:42
That’s awesome. And so it’s, it’s like killing it right now on Apple, or is it apple?
Sergio Valenzuela 52:49
I hate on Apple. It’s on iTunes. It’s on Google Play. And I believe it’s on YouTube. Also.
Bill Cornelius 52:57
Is it in like the top 10 or so?
Sergio Valenzuela 52:59
It was? It was number two on I know, it’s an iTunes?
Bill Cornelius 53:03
Yeah, I think it was for a while.
Sergio Valenzuela 53:05
And then I think he got up to number two also on Google Play. And then of course, it dropped back down to 37. No big deal.
Bill Cornelius 53:13
No big deal. You got Oh is a trace Atkins. Who narrates Yes. tre
Sergio Valenzuela 53:19
seconds. That these voice just hit fit the whole documentary. just unbelievable. Yeah, it’s he nailed it. Yeah, he was awesome. Actually, we got him. Thanks to Mike Stryker, my music video. He does quite a few of his trace Atkins videos with Andrew rosaria. Another great film. Yeah, they do both a tree shakin videos and, you know, we’re like, Hey, you trace. You know, he was a guy. Let me ask him, because we found out to trace was into wrestling is funny. After we asked him, we found that it wasn’t. He’s not wrestling. He’s into rasslin.
Corey Allen 53:57
Yeah, exactly.
Sergio Valenzuela 53:58
Different. We’re in the south. You know what that is? If you’re not in the south, you probably like somebody in New York. Come on. Yeah. Not wrestling.
Corey Allen 54:07
If you guys if you don’t know that pretty similar. No, they’re not. But also very different. Yeah, they were the same speed. That’s about it. Now, you’ve done far more projects than just documentaries. And we talked a lot about your documentaries, which, and we’ll leave links to all of those in the show notes.
But I would love to talk about one of the web series you share with us the masters of the box. Yes, I got into that series. I might have to cut that one out. It’s such a super interesting concept. And like, I love the approach like this kind of blended voiceover of the what the players are doing at the table similar to the drunk in history, which I think is how you kind of introduce it, but how did you get into that?
Sergio Valenzuela 55:00
Actually, for most people that don’t know what he’s talking about, it’s I basically took the concept of drunk history as far as somebody telling the story, and using their voice over the live action. And I took a critical role if you don’t know what critical roles, it’s a dungeon dragons series on YouTube, where the little shootout at the table and played Dungeons and Dragons, and Slayer, there’s no facts.
There’s no enemy. There’s nothing shows where people Yeah, but if you’re, you know, into role playing games, it’s a lot of fun. Yeah, well, love drunk history, huge fan drunk history. And one day I was I had just finished watching a bunch of drunk history, got into the computer was doing some editing in my head critical role playing in the background, it’s come to sit in there.
And of course, when you’re being creative mind just kind of go in and all of a sudden, then click click drunk history and, you know, critical role. And so I really started looking on how am I going to develop this take the, you know, this little concept. And so finally figured out the bugs and I got a crew together, and I think it took us five weekends to do six episodes. Okay, yeah, six episodes, but it’s a whole lot of fun to watch it,
Corey Allen 56:18
it was like I was really got into it just, I think that like the approach of like that similar like drunk history, like you have, you know, what’s going on at the table and like, you see this interaction, but then when you cut to that live action role playing, and like they just, it was so well done, is really good.
Sergio Valenzuela 56:36
But a big part of that was was the players at the table, the players at the table, we’re not actors that are like in critical role. They’re all voice actors. Of course, they’ve been playing dungeon dragons for years. So they’re very averse to doing voices and getting really into the characters. That’s one of the things I love about the show.
But the people that were on my series are not actors at all, literally, just a bunch of nerds at lunch, a play. I just love to play. And I said, You know what, just be yourself. Yeah, that’s, uh, you know. And it’s funny, because if you watched all the episodes, you can see that right at the beginning, they were all really nervous as
Bill Cornelius 57:11
the authenticity. Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 57:12
well as as they got more into the game, I can, you know, cameras and lights disappeared, and they were all in the game. And you can see it as the show progressed, that really got into my favorite really is Kelsey Murphy, she plays black door, which is the door fighter, which she’s a very pretty girl. And black door is this door, that’s probably about five feet wide. four feet tall. The placement is awesome. But she plays ham.
She does the voice for him. And she plays him with a Brooklyn accent. And she cusses like to say it’s awesome. Especially since you see, you know, them both standing next to each other Kelsey. And and by golly, you’re just like, wow, this perfect guy really loves that character. But everybody had fun putting that together. It was a lot of fun. There’s a lot of work, though. Yeah, cuz logistically, it’s a it’s a nightmare.
Corey Allen 58:09
Yeah, my question that probably to that point is, on the day of filming the role playing like the the actual production? I assume like are you giving all the actors that read at the table beforehand to learn it similar? Like song? Are you playing that as like live playback? Or both?
Sergio Valenzuela 58:30
You mean on onset as we’re doing a live action? Yeah, I know, what we did is the table stuff, we had an audio recording on set, and basically did this lip sing to it, which was funny, because the actors that I talked to, when we’re talking and they said it was one of the easiest acting jobs they had, because they didn’t have to worry about number one, truly remembering the lines. And then number two, concentrating on what emotion they’re putting out.
Because it’s already there, in the voice of the actress, they just have to read, they just have to redo it. And they said it was so easy to console, it was easier for them because they could concentrate on their mannerisms and other stuff like that. Yeah, so they had a blast doing it. And I’m honestly wanting to put together you know, when we finish that up, it didn’t hit as hard as I want it as I wanted to just because social media marketing just kind of weird.
And then yeah, we were supposed to have like a last minute investor come in, and drop some money. And we’re gonna use that to get the social media marketing really way out there. And that didn’t happen. And then, like, just as we were trying to gain traction in Corona hits. Oh, yeah. And so it kinda It was kind of this roller coaster of stuff. So, you know, luckily, on a show like this, and the content isn’t one of those things that, you know, a year two years from now, it’s already passed and gone.
You’re not going to put out there and you know, no, this is something that, you know, five years ago, people were still loving playing, you know, dozens James doing Five years from now, people are still going to bench Oh, stuff like that. So it’s not anything. So I’m kind of like I need to get out there but the same time, okay.
Bill Cornelius 1:00:07
There’s always gonna be a market for Yeah, there’s
Sergio Valenzuela 1:00:09
definitely a market for it. Yeah. And especially the way it was done. So a lot of fun. And, you know, one of the things that I got from the the players at the table, they were, it was funny, because they were so over ecstatic to literally see their characters that has been nothing but on paper and your imagination, imagination standing in front of you.
Yeah, that was one of the things that were like, this is so cool. They’re like, I get to, you know, touch, you know, blagged or a photo or, you know, all the other characters. And they were just like, Wow, this is so much fun.
Bill Cornelius 1:00:42
That’s a great concept. See,
Corey Allen 1:00:43
what I’m hearing though, is there’s a chance there might be a season two,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:00:46
yes, yes, I’m working on trying to get season two together. Honestly, what I’m trying to do is get a big enough budget. So we can do this the proper way. Cuz honestly, 630 minute episodes, which, originally I was gonna do three one hour episodes, but because of YouTube, we need to get more content out there. So I broke it down into three or 630 minute episodes.
But yeah, when we do this, again, I want to have, like, actual budget for this, and have longer episodes that are an hour long, to be honest with you putting this putting that project together. Geoffrey Turner, who was the other producer on the project, which he’s an awesome dude, he came on board, he actually wrote the storyline for the actual adventure. And then what is the Kevin Drury who is the dungeon master we had an basically the storyline, and he turned it into the actual gameplay and everything else. Yeah. But
Corey Allen 1:01:44
and, and I lost my train of thought again, that’s okay. This might this might be taboo for me to ask, but I’m curious. Just and I’m sure others are like if they see that, from a creative standpoint, can give me like a range of what the total budget was.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:01:57
Yeah, the three episodes or three episodes, six episodes 30 minutes apiece, we did that on a $25,000 budget. Over five weekend, five weekend. And to be honest with you, most of that budget went to craft and locations, because everybody else had jumped on board was like physicals that you ever I’m talking here? Yeah. Yeah. Like all the cameras that we got.
There. They were pre. Yeah, but I see that has jumped on it. I should we had to pay for Studio 615. Because we use one of their back studios to shoot the gameplay. Yeah, you look really nice. We paid for that. Yeah, we paid for that. few other little things. Actually, none of the actors or anybody got paid, nobody on crew got paid. It’s because of the concept there because I do this the coolest thing ever.
Bill Cornelius 1:02:49
That’s one of the things we don’t talk about enough is sometimes your concept is so attractive that people will want to sign up and help out I
Sergio Valenzuela 1:02:57
see the best. The best example of that is a short film that was done several years ago called butterfly circus. It’s a gorgeous film, man. It’s the film though, the short film that was shopped around Hollywood for the longest time to try to get it out there. And, you know, for whatever reason, people were just not biting on it. And then somebody brought it up again, because several years ago, and for some reason, everybody in Hollywood jumped on it. That was major.
I want to say maybe it was during the writers strike that this happened, where people weren’t doing stuff. Yeah. And everybody saw the script. They loved it. But it’s a gorgeous script. It’s supposed to take place in the late 1940s. And so they had all the actual cars from that time. And it’s about this Carnival that travels around the country and stuff like that. And it’s called the butterfly butterfly circus, well, they somehow end up at another Carnival and see how really bad their performers are being treated and stuff like that.
And then there’s this one guy there, who’s a was a big actor, he actually has no limbs, no arms, no legs. And of course, in that Carnival, he’s getting shit on all the time. And he basically escaped that Carnival, it comes to the butterfly circus. And basically, they show him that he’s worth more than what you know, he is it’s a beautiful story. It was done so well. That at the end of it, you just feel show, but it’s one of those movies that will rip your heart out. make you cry, and at the end, I’ll leave you smiling. But yeah, it’s one of those films. It’s beautiful me to get a chance to watch. It’s called. It’s been out for several years. That’s cool. Yeah. Great movie.
Bill Cornelius 1:04:33
So out of out of all the things that you’ve done editing, directing, producing, shooting, like what what is the most creatively fulfilling for you of all those roles? For me
Sergio Valenzuela 1:04:43
directing the act to be honest with you to balance it? I’ve been doing this 15 years now, I think. Yeah. And when it comes to editing, I’m coding to that point where I’m just kind of burnt out. Yeah, yeah, boy. Yeah. And honestly, it people All the time. Yeah, I mean, you I got a buddy now right now he’s been doing tons and tons of YouTube videos for last couple years.
And he’s to that point where he’s like, I’m over these damn YouTube videos to the point edit them but I gotta pay bills. And then when you get something new no matter what it is you’re like, Oh yeah, like what was it there for the longest time? few years back I was doing about country music’s good music here and there. Oh, man, of course is paying the bill. I feel
Corey Allen 1:05:27
that Yeah, my
Bill Cornelius 1:05:28
Nashville experience everybody up to
Sergio Valenzuela 1:05:30
the point where I’m like, not another country song. And then Zach brought me a project through Gabba entertainment. Remember, they were doing their ugly Christmas sweater party? Remember? Oh, yes, yes. Yeah. Well, they were having me kind of promo for them. And they wanted me to use some EDM to cut it and cut like a music video.
They brought that to me. And I was like, What? I was like, hell yes. I sat there had a blast with it. Because even just listening to the different beats and editing to a completely different type of beat here was just so much fun. I was like, Oh, I can do fast edits instead of instead of firing on Yeah.
Bill Cornelius 1:06:07
Yeah, that’s that’s that’s the Nashville experience truly when you work in production is how many country videos have you worked on? Luckily, the
Corey Allen 1:06:15
music scene is definitely it continues to evolve. Like it’s
Bill Cornelius 1:06:18
it’s diverse. But now. Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:06:21
yeah. But several years ago now, it was literally just
Bill Cornelius 1:06:24
yeah. I mean, to be fair, I’ve only done a handful of country videos. Most of what I’ve done has been rock and
Corey Allen 1:06:31
yeah, rock, just rock. I guess I’ve been fortunate that it’s been like more pop country more like modern.
Bill Cornelius 1:06:39
Yeah, you’ve done a few you’ve done more country,
Corey Allen 1:06:42
like newer country than I have. But it’s not like 90s country? No,
Bill Cornelius 1:06:48
I don’t think anybody’s doing that anymore.
Corey Allen 1:06:50
I mean, it exists. It exists. Yeah. Nobody I know shooting that.
Bill Cornelius 1:06:55
So what what’s been in your 15 years of doing this? Or more like what’s been would you say your most your biggest failure creatively? Huh? You’re like a lesson that you have biggest,
Corey Allen 1:07:11
biggest lesson? Biggest? what’s what’s the biggest fuckup you’ve had? What did you learn from that?
Bill Cornelius 1:07:18
What did you learn?
Sergio Valenzuela 1:07:21
Don’t trust that producer as dangling that carrot in front of you. You do this for free will make millions.
Bill Cornelius 1:07:28
exposure, exposure, exposure bucks
Sergio Valenzuela 1:07:30
exposure. You know how many times I’ve heard that, Hey, I got a project. No, I don’t got the money. But we put it together and I can get it sold. But won’t give you credit. Yeah, we’ll give you credit. here recently I had somebody approached me that this project bah, bah, bah, bah. You know, you can hit it here. It’ll be a wonderful credit to you. I sent him a picture of me holding my fucking me. Don’t need the credit. Yeah, yeah. Here it is. It was funny because my wife is in the back when I take it. I’m like, being silly. Smile. And
Corey Allen 1:08:08
but now, in the past. I feel like that is a lesson you’ve learned because you did that?
Sergio Valenzuela 1:08:13
Oh, yeah. We’ve all Yeah, we’ve all done that. Yeah. Somebody dangles that right, carrot, you’re like, Okay, I can do, like I had a company years ago. did that to me kept dangling a carrot. Oh, you know, and they were doing stuff at the Hard Rock. And they had, they had a couple days at the Hard Rock where they were being artists. And they would perform and they did a lot of stuff around town set of stages. And this and that. And the owner was like, Oh, hey, don’t do this.
For me. He was always paying like, crap to pay 50 bucks. But you know, this goes, you know? Okay, so after about a year and a half of just that I was just like, actually, he called me one day. And I had done a ebk for one of the artists. And what is it? Oh, it was a weird situation. Because normally, we do all the business through the through the record label. Yeah. And boom, it’s done there. Well, this time, everything went to the artists. So the artists paid me directly.
And, you know, the labels are, they were basically like, just, you know, do it, take care of it and you know, the artists, blah, blah, blah. I’m like, okay, so we do everything. And just as I’m finishing up the BK, you know, I get an email from them that says, hey, send us the video for final approval, bah, bah. Like, so I thought I’d buy for a second. I’m like, okay, they didn’t pay the client paid. So I gotta get permission from them to make sure your final approvals Okay, from them. Yeah. So I said to them, say, hey, email me, you know, send me have the artists just send me a quick, you know, email saying, hey, it’s cool that they have final approval.
And the only reason I’m saying that is because they paid you guys so technically, they’re the client will I get Make this you know who the fuck do you think you are? questioning? My artists blah, blah blah blah. Yeah. So I just, you know, at that point I was just like screw this I’m not going anywhere at these people I fired right back and say you know what? I don’t talk to you like that. So don’t fucking talk to me like that, as as far as I’m concerned Fuck you and fuck you artists.
Guess what? I’m doing just fine. I won several awards and then they’re still doing the same fucking thing. Yeah, and that’s the one thing about living in Nashville in certain cities. You get a lot of snakes in the grass. Yeah. And that’s the one thing in this industry you really, really do. And it’s one of those things you learn as you’re coming up to spot them, you know, you gotta
Bill Cornelius 1:10:41
watch out. Oh, yeah.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:10:42
Oh, yeah, yeah, I mean, we’ve all had it. I’m pretty sure you started heard stories from
Bill Cornelius 1:10:47
Mike and I I’ve had my own Oh, yeah, like it’s we’ve all been there. But it’s you know, it’s it’s it’s part of it part of coming up you know, you learn it. You hope you learn from it. Right? Right. get screwed to arts part of your hazing. Yeah. Yeah, you’re gonna get fucked. You just have to realize how big or how little you’re getting.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:11:08
Exactly. I missed that dude, man. Yeah, he used to literally call me every single morning. Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to Tim? Well, it’s five o’clock here in LA. I’m out for my morning walk. And I already had my coffee. I’m like Jesus Christ.
Bill Cornelius 1:11:21
I’ve already put a treatment together.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:11:24
He had an idea for a treatment. So I just put it together this morning. As I was drinking my coffee.
Bill Cornelius 1:11:29
I went out to LA with Zack, like a couple years before he passed away, and we had dinner with him. And we were at his place briefly. And he just had all this concept art up on the wall. And he was like, I’m working on the sci fi thing. And I was just impressed by the just the amount of work that dude just like right put together. It was always just thinking about something. He’s like, I got I got this happening. And just no bullshit. Just Yeah. After it.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:11:58
Definitely filmmaking was a priority. Unless it came to the Vikings. The via drops everything for the Vikings was big. He could have had a meeting with Spielberg who like no,
Corey Allen 1:12:09
Vikings, the Vikings game?
Bill Cornelius 1:12:10
Yeah. So speaking of lessons learned, if you could give any piece of advice to someone who’s trying to get into the business, what would that be?
Sergio Valenzuela 1:12:25
You had to be completely insane to be in this business. I agree with them. Yeah. Yeah, you have to have issues.
Corey Allen 1:12:33
And just come to terms with that.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:12:34
come to terms with that. Yeah. And just give it turns out, you’re gonna put your issues on on the screen, embrace. Embrace it. Yeah,
Bill Cornelius 1:12:41
make money off of it somehow.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:12:43
Honestly, the best advice is, no matter how hard things get, just keep going, man. Yeah, cuz there’s been many times trust me that I got to that point where I’m like, screw this. I’m done with filmmaking. I’m gonna go do something else. And then not just keep pushing and then certain other project comes along that, you know, puts you in a better place. It’s
Corey Allen 1:13:05
a reinvigorated, get you really bought in.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:13:07
Yeah, so I guess now there’s, I’ve been doing for so long. It’s like, I’m to that point, right. Just pick and choose my projects. I don’t want to do that. It’s a good place. Yeah. You know, I don’t want to do that project right now. It’ll be done. No. I’m good.
1:13:21
No, no,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:13:22
no, you need me. I don’t need you. keepin it real me.
Bill Cornelius 1:13:31
Oh, yeah. There’s a lightning round time. lightning round. We still don’t have a cool intro.
Corey Allen 1:13:40
I think our intro is just,
Bill Cornelius 1:13:42
it’s just us saying we don’t have an intro. Yeah.
Corey Allen 1:13:45
Alright, are you ready? Ready? Not really. all time favorite movie.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:13:52
I don’t have one. I really don’t. And the only reason why is there so many great movies and different genres. Yeah, I can never pick just one like for as far as documentaries. One of my favorite documentaries to watch is What the Bleep do we know? You know, I’ve heard of it before he talks about sacred geometry and, you know, bunch a bunch of robot stuff. Yeah, I like that. But then I also like really, really indie films like a hobo with a shotgun.
Yeah, and then like Black Dynamite Yes. Yes. He stuff like that. And then also like really like epic stuff. Like one of my favorite like epic type of movies to watch if I got like three or four hours to kill, like dancer. The wolf. Love dances was a to me. That’s gorgeous, epic. And then I also like, classic movies. Like literally two weeks ago, I sat down and watched Pelle Reiner with Clint Eastwood. Hello writer. And then I think I watched it also watch the good, the bad and the ugly. Of course here was as a film I sometimes I hate watching old movies as a filmmaker because You’re like, Oh, that’s so bad.
1:15:04
Why did you do that? He
Bill Cornelius 1:15:05
didn’t know back. Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:15:06
they did it. Which is funny because I went back and watch the tried. I tried watching a night, right? I got two episodes into it and I had to stop the continuity on that thing was just so all over the place. I just cringe I get it in the storyline. I’m like, why was this even?
Corey Allen 1:15:26
You know everything. How much work went into it? Oh, yeah, yeah, you just gotta respect that grind.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:15:31
But the funny thing is, everything else that was on TV at the time was at the same level. Yeah, a team was at the same level Dukes of Hazzard with the same level. Same, you know,
Corey Allen 1:15:40
I just That’s crazy. Bring up the eight the ATM I’d strongly consider like, I wonder if I could go back and binge watch that.
Bill Cornelius 1:15:45
It’d be rough. A little bit talk. Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:15:49
cuz it’s, it’s so it tends to? Not necessarily campy but yeah. I mean, because literally, I have all the 18 episodes that I’ve watched as much shooting that they do as they do they never hit anybody. Any special forces guys, Delta Force never shoot a single film killing machines. Or you never. I mean, they can build like a watercraft out of an old boat and some barbed wire. But they couldn’t hit the damn side of a barn What the hell is wrong with them? That’s true.
Bill Cornelius 1:16:22
They had Mr. T though they did. There’s all that gold chain. Yeah.
Corey Allen 1:16:27
That’s similar like, like guys that are like, really into guns are former military and they’re watching movies and like, I haven’t seen you reload once. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Like you just you recognize it really quickly. Yeah.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:16:39
Yeah. I love the john wick movies. But being military I’m like, Dude, that gun doesn’t hold 50 bullets.
Corey Allen 1:16:45
Yeah. That is great for cinema. Like I get it like he’s he’s a really fast reload, but I didn’t see it. Right. Yeah. Didn’t happen.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:16:55
Actually, Val Kilmer had the fastest reload in the movie for the longest time. Up until recently. Which which movie that was a heat. Oh, well, he
Bill Cornelius 1:17:07
does like, like, hey, tried for realism. And I really went for it.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:17:11
Yeah. Well, that is literally, it’s a split second scene. He’s literally they’re getting shot at by the cops and he’s behind a car. And he shooting forward. And he runs out of ammo and somebody shoots from behind me turns around. He literally goes click that quick. And to date that was up until I think last year he had the fastest magazine chain in the movie. john wick beat him up. Yeah, shocker. Yeah. So,
Bill Cornelius 1:17:40
but he had totally changed magazine.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:17:44
He had the record for longest time. It’s funny movie records. Yeah.
Corey Allen 1:17:47
Yeah. I mean, Kiana put in hours a Terran. Tactical.
Bill Cornelius 1:17:51
Oh, yeah. He’s
Corey Allen 1:17:52
impressive stuff. Yeah. And then followed all those up with another bill and Ted,
Bill Cornelius 1:17:59
which I heard was really good.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:18:01
I watched actually, if you a lot of people didn’t like the last bill and Ted, but if you’re a huge fan of the first two. It has that same feel. Yes. Whoa, it’s everything. It I mean, yes, it is difficult. Looking at counter reason. Go on. No, that’s not Ted. Because Ted is not this giant dude. That’s all muscle bound. Yeah, Ted’s is skater looking kid that, you know, Ted
Bill Cornelius 1:18:30
said but Ted’s not john wick.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:18:32
Yeah. With that facial hair. Yeah, but he makes it happen, though. I mean, it’s, you do get to a certain point in the movie. You’re like, okay, that’s dead. But at first, you’re just like, I still keep seeing john wick and wait for him to pop up.
Corey Allen 1:18:46
When does the vengeance come out? Like Yeah. Alright, last movie that you watched.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:18:51
last movie that I watched was? Jeez, what did I watch? I’ve been I’ve been been binge watching TV shows lately. Okay, so let me see
Corey Allen 1:19:04
last last TV series you got into here in the life of me. I was just watching The Vampire Diaries. I’ll reserve my judgment.
Bill Cornelius 1:19:16
Hey, if it’s good, it’s good, right?
Corey Allen 1:19:17
Yeah. I do have a favorite director.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:19:20
Actually, no. Same thing with movies is there’s so many great directors out there that I don’t have. But they can I’ve never been that type of person. I don’t have a favorite sports team. I don’t have a favorite music musician. I don’t have a favorite town. I don’t have favorite Nothing. I just kind of just here for it all. Yeah, like as far as writers go. I love Darren Aronofsky.
He’s a fucking nut stuff that he comes with. I like Oliver Stone. You know, that I like the way he thinks in the way his storytelling is actually. I was working on a script right before Corona hit, where I was taking the whole concept that Oliver Stone did with Natural Born Killers, and you know, using projectors on the walls to project images and things like that. Yep. Same similar concept in another movie that I was working on. Nice. Nice. So but yeah, Oliver still also like what is it? Of course you’re big time big name directors you Spielberg and stuff like that because those guys made all the movies that I grew up with, right.
Corey Allen 1:20:28
So.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:20:29
Yeah, yeah, I mean, I grew up with all those at arachnophobia. I mean, Ghostbusters. I’m actually I’m kind of leery about the new Ghostbusters just because I’m like, I think it’s gonna be good. I hope so. Oh, it’s gonna be good. Yeah, cuz that’s last Ghostbusters with the girls. I didn’t Yeah,
Bill Cornelius 1:20:46
that’s it was the script with that. That script is? Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:20:50
I actually for me, it would have been quite a bit better if What’s his face? Hemsworth Chris Hemsworth. Yeah. If they hadn’t made him so stupid. I think that would have been better because there was enough comedic
Corey Allen 1:21:07
really,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:21:08
yeah, there was but also Janine was not stupid. Janine was New York. She was tough. She gives you attitude. Yeah. So I was kind of expecting the similar thing with him to him just to be a hot bot and stupid, where the girls are like, Oh, my God. I was kinda like,
Corey Allen 1:21:24
yeah, that’s a little far off. Yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:21:27
I wish they would have made him more like Janine or brought in a female to play that character and just made her more like, Janine, you know, or hell. That would have been cool. If it were like this Jenny’s daughter. That would have been cool to tie in. You know, the original Ghostbusters. Yeah, yeah.
Corey Allen 1:21:44
What about cinematographers, cinematographers? No, no. All right.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:21:53
I see one of my favorite photographers. here locally is Josh Reeve. I worked with him quite a bit but as far as like Hollywood, cinematographers now, but as far as here locally goes, I mean, my favorite guys are. Josh Raven Stryker. Those are my go to that. Actually. I got another buddy that that I do a lot of work with that. You probably know. Andy burchett.
Bill Cornelius 1:22:16
The I I’ve met him once.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:22:18
He doesn’t do as much dp as he used to. He is taking a step back. He’s been B. He’s been doing a lot more camera work on reality shows. Last time I talked to him was a couple few weeks back and he was working on Property Brothers. Oh, yeah. He was running around with them. And then after he was getting done with them, he was supposed to be jumping on a bus with big Kenny a big and rich and they’re supposed to be doing something.
Corey Allen 1:22:43
Nice. All right, we’ll line it up a little bit. Coffee or tea. Beer. Excellent choice. Excellent choice.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:22:53
But if I have to choose coffee with Maker’s Mark
Corey Allen 1:22:58
All right. All right. All right. Pineapple on your pizza.
Bill Cornelius 1:23:04
On some pizzas, only if it’s Hawaiian. You are losing Corey. Corey.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:23:11
You can’t have this on the plane. pepperoni can’t have it on the supreme it has to be like the Hawaiian with the with the ham. Yeah, and pineapple.
Bill Cornelius 1:23:19
I agree.
Corey Allen 1:23:19
All right. I’ll I’ll give it a try.
Bill Cornelius 1:23:22
You should we should do it on the show.
Corey Allen 1:23:24
Oh, we could just give up a film school Friday for a feed Corey Pizza Friday.
Bill Cornelius 1:23:30
Yes. Your crew.
Corey Allen 1:23:32
Nice. All right. Favorite camera. The one the client can afford this guy produces Yes.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:23:42
Actually, actually I just bought a Blackmagic Pocket 4k okay about a month ago so I kind of played with it a little bit loving the look on it. haven’t really gotten just deep into it. But everything that I have seen so far. Footage runs awesome. Yeah, and I ended up picking up some we’ll do some really inexpensive shit on lenses from their cinematic lens from the 70s and they’re stupid dirt cheap. They’re Japanese knockoffs of some like really nice lenses. And that come to find out that the guts of these things are actually Pentax glass and guts. Oh,
Corey Allen 1:24:20
yeah, so there and then this company just rehoused them or
Sergio Valenzuela 1:24:23
no I think they I think back in the 70s probably just pay attacks actually made them for Shin on they were basically subcontracted out there so they were of course stuff was built way different back in the 70s they actually built to last Yeah, so they basically just put them out and here recently they become surfacing up again has been really really good. inexpensive but if you this way I got five lenses I from a 28 millimeter all the way up to a 200 millimeter and everything in between.
For less than 600 bucks. Oh wow. Here’s the thing. Have you had to get an adapter because you know how your What is it? Is it the Micro Four Thirds? No, I had to get the adapter from Micro Four Thirds to M 42. Screw on other Shin ons are in 42 screw ons. So, but it looks awesome. Check them out. I’m
Corey Allen 1:25:15
a big tech nerd so I’m gonna
Sergio Valenzuela 1:25:17
I here recently I’ve started getting into like vintage lenses. Yeah, yeah,
Corey Allen 1:25:21
some of these lenses. Yeah, that’s another reason I think I’ve set a Leica RS Oh, nice yeah,
Sergio Valenzuela 1:25:27
that’s another reason I picked up the the pocket 4k cuz it’s very versatile on what types of lenses a lot of
Corey Allen 1:25:33
adaptability
Sergio Valenzuela 1:25:34
it just for shits and giggles I gone to bH photo the other day. I was looking at microphone, third cinematic Zeiss lenses. Just sitting there drooling. Looking at my screen. The cheapest one was 5600 bucks. I’m like, yeah.
Bill Cornelius 1:25:45
Better Off renting those. Right? Yeah. Yeah, but I’d like to say like I own. Oh, yeah. Pretty much. You’d get a lot more gigs. As
Corey Allen 1:26:02
long as you charge for
Bill Cornelius 1:26:03
it. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:26:05
I just don’t have 100,000 a drop on a whole set of lenses they need but you’re right. Yeah. corinto Yeah.
Corey Allen 1:26:12
three films. Everyone should see before they die.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:26:16
three films every once it’s seen before they die. That would be Dog Day Afternoon. Good. Good one. You haven’t seen it. You suck. I love the classics. Another great cinematic movie that you have to watch. Just for fun would be the Dirty Dozen. Okay, Dirty Dozen. And then here recently, I’ll pick a new film that I had a lot of fun watching was Hidden Figures. Oh, yeah. That was a great movie. That was so good. Yeah, it was really, really good movie. Yeah. I mean, there’s so many movies and like, dude, I love your heart. You’re seeing that with doc Kilmer. Oh yeah, he’s an FBI agent that has a murder on a reservation. And oh, they get them on there. And he’s supposed to be like, half Native American.
But he looks like Johnny Knoxville from you know, Notre Dame. like shit like that the Native American but that’s actually a really, really good movie that actually came around around the time that there was a lot of Native American movies coming out. There was dances, wolves came out, Thunder heart came out. And then one of my actually, actually now I’m changing one of those smoke signals. Okay, you’re seeing that? He was. Up until that time, it was the very first movie written, produced, directed and starring all Native Americans. Oh, yeah. Smoke seamless, great movie. It’s about what would you call it coming of age movie?
Kind of probably. Yeah, yeah. But two guys that one of his dad’s one of the guys. His dad dies. And they basically got to make this journey to to bury his dad. And it’s, you know, they’re making this journey. It’s actually really, really good, man. We saw smoke signals. That’s cool.
Corey Allen 1:28:04
Yeah. to your list. I’ll include whatever. Nice, sir. Yeah, it’s, it’s been great.
Bill Cornelius 1:28:10
Yeah. Thanks for coming on.
Corey Allen 1:28:12
I know you guys have known each other for a while. It’s great to get to meet you and hang out for a little while. That was fun.
Sergio Valenzuela 1:28:17
It’s been forever since I’ve been on the podcast. I’m glad to be back.
Corey Allen 1:28:20
I’m glad we could reintroduce you to the world. Yeah. We’ll leave I will leave links to all of your all your projects, all the stuff we talked about today, we’ll leave all those links in the show notes. For our listeners, we know you have a lot of podcast options. We appreciate you choosing us. If you like what you heard today. Go ahead and leave us a like leave us a little subscribe maybe. And if you’re on Apple podcasts, please leave us a rating it would help us out a ton it would. And until next time, feed your crew. Feed them something
Bill Cornelius 1:28:53
Hawaiian pizza
Corey Allen 1:28:55
maybe at the wrap party
