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Title: The Kiss
Runtime: 12 min
Country: Mexico
Director: Carlos G. Davila
Placement: Award of Excellence + Best Actress
Competition: June, 2015
Synopsis: What do you do when your best friend shows up at your front door asking you to kiss him?
OR: What was the inspiration for your film?
CGD: When I read Mark Harvey Lavine’s amazing play The Kiss, I immediately related to the characters. I think this story is a universal one that speaks volumes about the fine line between friendship and the possibility of something more.
OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
CGD: The idea to shoot this film came from the main actor, Roberto Cavazos. He had been in one of Mark’s plays and had read The Kiss. He then contacted me wanting me to produce it and make it into a short. When I read it, I said that I would produce it but with the condition of having me direct it as well.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
CGD: I think the most challenging aspect as always is budget. With short films there isn’t much of a distribution window and a return of investment prediction you can make to possible investors. So getting the money is the most complicated aspect. Other than that, I think the format is amazing, and one that should be paid more attention to.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
CGD: Time. Other than our almost non existent budget, time was a challenge. We shot the whole short in 12 hours. So keeping up with the shot list was extremely important. But even though we were on a huge time crunch, we did manage to waste about an hour at about 4am just goofing around, which is always good to keep spirits high.
OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
CGD: Stop wasting time, and shoot your short. Get a good script, thats the base of the film, if the script sucks, the film will suck, even if you’re the best director ever with the most expensive gear ever. If the script is good, even if you suck, and the DP sucks, and the actors suck, and have crappy gear, most likely the film will be good. The script is everything. The rest you can tweak in the editing room…. and don’t skimp on sound. Sound makes everything look better, that might not make much sense but its true.