The harm caused by the pandemic is incalculable. But if we look for a silver lining, we recognize that COVID has inspired many filmmakers to capture life during the lockdown. One of the major topics has been relationships. Can they be maintained via the cloud? No one suggests that online communication equals the real thing. But does it have value?  Peruvian filmmaker Miguel Reyes offers his response to that question in “The Portrait of Loneliness in Quarantine,” winner of the Best International Short Film Award at the African Smartphone National Film Festival. He focuses particularly on virtual love. Currently, we can share only the trailer, but we believe that this 60-second preview says a lot. You’ll find an interview with the director (below).

 

Interview with Miguel Reyes

MobileMovieMaking: What motivated you to become a filmmaker?

Reyes: Since childhood, I  have had an imagination that overflowed beyond thoughts. I wanted to let others know what I created. I found that movies would be the best way to show my ideas to the world.

MobileMovieMaking:  How did you develop your moviemaking skills?

Reyes: I studied audiovisual communication in school, but basically the cinema was my classroom. I learned a lot by watching movies and reading reviews.

MobileMovieMaking: Are there any filmmakers who influenced you?

Reyes: I really like Asian films. While I was making “The Portrait of Loneliness in Quarantine,” I saw many films of Hong Sang-soo, Wong Kar-wai, and Bon Joon-ho. And I generally love the work of Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen. They are my inspiration, my personal guides to being able to create and give a direction and style to my work.

MobileMovieMaking: What gave you the idea for “The Portrait of Loneliness in Quarantine”?

Reyes: This is a personal perspective of what it would be like to meet someone in such a difficult time. The experiences that we obtained during social distancing were the basis for for the script. The story is a reflection of  people who were locked up in quarantine and who were interested in meeting new people all over the world, while dealing with current issues such as cultural differences. I wanted to give a message of hope and strength. The story completely emerged during my quarantine. I thought a lot about the activities I was carrying out, and the experiences I had meeting new people online. I wanted to create characters that resemble people I’ve known over all these years. I’ve also been curious to about how people live in other parts of the world. And I wanted to tell a story in which the characters are dealing with circumstances they had not imagined.

MobileovieMaking: How did you plan the shoot?

Reyes: It had to be a totally virtual project because of the pandemic. Working inside the house on a team video call, we didn’t have the facility of being fully on stage but this did not prevent us from making a short film. We had to coordinate by video call the person in charge of photography, the art, and the actor along with an assistant. We all learned something new  as we faced the challenge of making the action seem as natural as possible, emphasizing everyday situations.  We wanted to capture  people who know each other through virtual means, for which the internet resources created a very unique language.

MobileMovieMaking: Could you talk about how you cast the movie?

Reyes: As the project was totally virtual, we had the great opportunity to do a worldwide casting, looking for two actors who could connect without necessarily working together at the same time. Erika Huey Tan is an actress from Malaysia and Gian Paul Miranda is from Peru. They are 13 hours apart so it would be difficult for us to record at the same time. But we rehearsed a lot to be able to have this result. They are both extremely talented and I look forward to working with them again on a new project.

MobileMovieMaking: What about your approach to directing?

Reyes: I had in mind a high-quality, technical and artistic film project. The aim was to generate new experiences for the entire team while telling a beautiful and ambitious story. This project is my first time directing and I was able to handle everything from the idea to the post-production. I was able to use many resources that I have been able to experience before: music, painting, my year when I studied Chinese, and knowing how to use internet tools like meeting new people. In addition to directing, I also worked as the editor and colorist. Doing these various jobs made me happy because I was able to use all my knowledge in the short film.

MobileMovieMaking: In addition to the iPhones, what gear did you use?

Reyes: Being locked in during the making of the short film and working on it through video calls, we played with what we had at home. Our actors worked with generic LED lights used on social media.. During editing we used Premiere and Logic for the sound mix.

MobileMovieMaking: How long did the shoot take?

Reyes: Six days. We first did three days with Erika Huey Tan and then three days with Gian Paul Miranda.

MobileMovieMaking: During the shoot, did you encounter any unexpected problems?

Reyes: Yes, we found that filming was exhausting, especially for the actors who had to work in different areas and also act. Language was our second weak point. Not everyone in the team spoke fluent English to communicate with Erika, but it was fun. We learned a lot.

MobileMovieMaking: Was there anything special about creating the sound track?

Reyes:  I was able to express in words my feelings towards the story. Then my partner Juanfra and I found the perfect musical style for the confinement. It’s very similar to the type of music I listen to. We had the support of my favorite Peruvian singer Cristina Valentina,  who provided the songs “Happy State of Mind” and “Emotion.” Plus the Peruvian band Trazar Diamantes shared their song “Pá’ginas en Blanco.”

MobileMovieMaking: Could you talk about your approach to editing the movie?

Reyes: I edited with Adobe Premiere. My main job has always been that of editor, so I had to be the one  to edit this film. Doing so enabled me to continue creating according to what I had in mind.

MobileMovieMaking: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out making movies?

Reyes: Creating and thinking is something beautiful but you must encourage yourself to take the camera, and to invite your friends to participate. When you see the result, it will be like your daughter/son, your little baby that you will not want to let go of. You will want everyone to see it and to show it in festivals. But above all it is something of yours, and along the way you will find many details to improve. So get ready, focus on the story, collaborate with your friends, use what you have, and be patient. This is about failing a lot and learning from that. Not everything goes as planned. With a lot of optimism and creativity, you will be able to see your ideas on a big screen.

MobileMovieMaking: What’s the best way for readers to keep up with you and your moviemaking?

Reyes: You can find the news and premieres of the short film “The Portrait of Loneliness in Quarantine” on  Instagram and on YouTube. My projects, my life and my precious wife is always on Instagram.

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The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “The Portrait of Loneliness in Quarantine” as the Mobile Movie of the Week.