Savvy filmmakers often borrow literary devices to tell their stories. For example, a few weeks ago we showcased “Oreb,” which used personification to picture Rome in the time of Covid. With “Ghosts,” Diego Escobar and Natalia Varela employ a child’s point of view to capture the pandemic in El Salvador. An interview with the imaginative and resource filmmaking team follows the movie.
Interview with Diego Escobar and Natalia Varela
Diego is a writer, director, filmscore composer, and producer. Natalia is a Sound Designer, DJ, writer and producer.
MobileMovieMaking: What led you to becoming filmmakers?
Diego and Natalia: Our motivation comes thanks to the work of other talented directors and artists that inspires us to create. We both started in the advertising industry and from there tried to get involved in more artistic projects.
MobileMovieMaking: How did you develop your moviemaking skills?
Diego and Natalia: To make movies we strongly believe that you need to watch movies. Our “film school” has been watching movies, and then learning by trial and error. Natalia learnt all the aspects of movie sound design while studying sound engineering in London.
MobileMovieMaking: Who influenced your approach to making movies?
Diego and Natalia: There are several directors that inspire us every day. Among them we can mention: Darren Aronofski, Tarkovsky, Stanley Kubrick, Dennis Villaneuve, Alejandro Gonzáles Iñarritu, and Terrence Malik.
MobileMovieMaking: What gave you the idea for “Ghosts” and especially using the child’s point of view?
Diego and Natalia: It started with our being in total lockdown. At the time we filmed it, the lockdown was at its strictest phase here in El Salvador. People were allowed to leave the house only for groceries twice a week. This was a radical change for our three-year-old daughter, who has been going to kindergarten and who didn’t understand why we couldn’t go outside. It was from there that the idea grew of making a movie about how kids will remember this time.
MobileMovieMaking: How did you plan the shoot?
Diego and Natalia: The first thing we did was write the general idea, then we wrote the script based in what would be (spoiler alert) the letter that the mother is reading in the future. Because of the lockdown, we didn´t have the time and resources to make a storyboard so we basically jumped straight through the production plan and shot list. The shooting took about two weeks.
MobileMovieMaking: How did you find the cast? Their performances are wonderful.
Diego and Natalia: Thank you. At the time we couldn’t see anyone, so the cast is our daughter Luna, Natalia, and Natalia’s grandmother. This made the process easier and—thanks to this limitation—we were lucky to get a natural connection between characters. It was almost like a documentary.
MobileMovieMaking: Can you tell us anything about the locations?
Diego and Natalia: All of the film was shot at our house. The outside shots are from across the street or a few streets from our house. We filmed this during the most strict part of the lockdown, so we didn´t have many options. This situation pushed us to be more creative and to work with the resources and tools that were available to us.
MobileMovieMaking: What gear did you use?
Diego and Natalia: It was shot entirely on an iPhone 7 with Filmic Pro. The sound was later recorded on Pro tools, and the music was composed and recorded on Logic Pro.
MobileMovieMaking: What are the advantages of shooting with a mobile device rather than a traditional camera?
Diego and Natalia: One of the main advantages is the time saved in setting up and mobility. This allowed us to capture shots of an impatient toddler without the limitations of setting up professional gear. We could capture natural moments that might otherwise have been lost in the process of a professional set up.
MobileMovieMaking: Any disadvantages?
Diego and Natalia: It was difficult getting a professional resolution in dark scenes. Zoom-ins were limited as well.
MobileMovieMaking: During the shoot, did you encounter any unexpected problems?
Diego and Natalia: Some of the problems were trying to capture the scenes as we imagined them in our head through a phone. We had to change around some of the ideas to make them work.
MobileMovieMaking: Could you tell us about creating the audio?
Diego and Natalia: The sound track was one of our favorite parts. Diego is a composer and this was a personal film. We saw a lot of references for the music, such as the Tree of Life and the Arrival. So, we knew immediately what we wanted. But the real challenge was to make it sound as organic as it sounds, with what we had available to us at the moment.
MobileMovieMaking: What about the editing?
Diego and Natalia: We use Premier Pro for editing. Because we were trying to reach a festival deadline, the editing process was done simultaneously with the shooting. At the end of a shooting day, we would sit down, import all the scenes, start the selection process, and then edit. This allowed us to have a clear sense of what shots were really crucial to get the next day.
MobileMovieMaking: How do you feel about the finished movie?
Diego and Natalia: We are happy with the final result. There are always changes we feel we could have made, but overall we are happy to have found that people connected with the movie. “Ghosts” won the two main awards at Cinephone: the Grand Jury Prize and Best Short. At SF3 it won for Best Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Female Creative. We also won the super shorts category at Salute Your Shorts Festival and Best Inspirational Film and the Quarantine Film Challenge, which screened at the San Diego Film Festival.
MobileMovieMaking: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out making movies?
Diego and Natalia: The most important advice we could give is to always pay attention to the audio. One of the biggest beginner mistakes is to not give any importance to the audio aspect of the movie. This can make your film seem ‘Low budget’. Sound is as important as the video.
MobileMovieMaking: What’s the best way for readers to keep up with your your work?
Diego and Natalia: You can follow the film’s Instagram page. There’s also Diego’s Instagram page and Natalia’a Instagram page.
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The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “Ghosts” as the Mobile Movie of the Week.
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