Erica Buitron: Organized Chaos
What got you into filmmaking?
My best friend growing up wanted to be a screenwriter, and he succeeded. He would give me scripts to read and critique. I fell in love with the process of bringing words on a page to reality.
What do you find to be the most exciting aspect of production?
It is the performance of the lovely orchestrated dance: Every crew member and actor has a distinct role in the dance. The symphony wouldn’t be whole if any one person were to be missing.
What challenges did you face on the NEET Snacks campaign and how did you and the team
overcome them?
Honestly, this one one of the best organized productions for many reasons. We shot in our home town of San Antonio, and Than and I have a great rolodex of filmmakers in the area. That made it easy to compile the team we knew could get the job done. I think the challenge was getting the props and set decoration done properly to portray the vision Than had in his head. When you get people who work well together, you’re able to solve challenges easily and effectively as a unit
What is your approach to pre-production to ensure the success of a project?
Pre-production is the single most important part to a successful shoot. You need to have your crew, locations, permits, gear, rentals, etc. I like to have a consistent team that works well together. Then the work is fun and we flow well together.
What inspires you recently?
What inspires me recently is to follow my heart and travel. We, as a society, have been
conditioned to think logically about every single thing to such an extent that we lose our passion. When I travel, I get lost in a lot of things; my own thoughts, the town, the people, the culture, the food, the beauty in nature. I find the whole concept of leading with love to be the answer to most of life’s questions.