Got lots and lots of editing done…actually the part I was having debates over on how to segue into the next topic really wasn’t a debate at all. It just showed up. Thanks for showing up! In the story line of the film, introducing the majority of the people involved with BAY ROOT PRODUCTIONS (www.bayroot.com) was first. Setting the stage for the main characters to speak on such topics as being independent artists, I had to show them in their creative environments. One, it adds authenticity to their insight on the various topics of the documentary. Two, it provides the audience with chance to become familiar as I noted in an earlier blog.

The second part of the story line in the documentary is presenting the issues and conflicts to our main characters…Its just like any other story where you have the hero and the antagonist, basic shit really! So my segue was based off of a quote by Kahlil Gibran in regards to struggling. I’ll save the quote for the film but some of the struggles indy artists face are money, work, and juggling them all together to keep peace of mind while still harnessing that creative energy.

Money being the huge antagonist to just about any artist, especially independent ones. When I say independent, I mean truly solo like out of your own pockets independent. So in this portion of the film, you’ll see the main characters speak about some of the sacrifices they had to make in order to stay afloat while mainting that creative passion to keep making music.

“Another situation again where we had to take something to the pawn shop”, explains Ben Espinoza in regards to what happend to the ASR-88 they once had. The pawn shop was a common storage place for BAY  ROOT PRODUCTIONS as they were coming up. Just as long as the money was there to bail it out, they would pawn a piece of equipment to make ends meet and in a more serious situation, to get cash for some food.

These times were difficult and I need to have all the characters talk about this. Talk about the realities that an independent artist faces. Everything from making rent, to paying bills, to going to work feeling like a zombie. Yet they all still had that one common goal of making some new music. This is important in the film because it sets the tone for the bad guy, or the opposition one faces in choosing a career like music, hell even film.

I can’t even lie and tell you I haven’t thought about pawning my Technics 1200  and some other shit for some quick cash these past few weeks to help get a new graphics card, to help get some food into the fridge, to go see my lady when she was having a tough time…

On top of all that still find the energy to be creative! The documentary at this point also explores that point or crossroad that every dreamer has. And this is what makes the difference between a dreamer and a dream chaser…or as I put in my Facebook status, “there are stars and there are stargazers”. Simply meaning the difference between dreaming and chasing the dream is the amount of your comfortable life you are willing to sacrifice.

Let’s be real. I’m an independent filmmaker. And up until now I was afraid to claim that title because of all that comes with it, anything from wow factor to wanna-be famous director, to deeply insightful troubled emo person..the list goes on. But now I know what it is like to be and independent filmmaker because I’m going through it now. Its not about directing a cinema house classic, not about writing some great story, not about yelling cut and action. Being an independent filmmaker is about staying on that path and continuing to fight through the struggles while keeping peace of mind and harnessing that creative energy into your work while sludging through the mud. Just like the BAY ROOT PRODUCTIONS camp in this documentary, you will see and feel their struggles. – M. Reyes