The FIC Monterrey 2017 celebrated the 10th anniversary of Industry Day, which reflected on the development of the film industry in Nuevo León.
In the first conference Ten years of industry: reflections of the audiovisual industry in Nuevo León, a dialogue took place between the Mexican producers Gabriel Guzmán, Lesslye Yin Ramos, Emilio Leija and Carlos Dávila. According to the panelists, some years ago it was difficult to make films in the city because the equipment and the necessary personnel could not be obtained, since there was no consolidated industry.
However, little by little, this situation has changed, because at the moment Monterrey has a more solid industry. In addition, it is one of the cities where cinema is most consumed: «The production has developed a lot, and it is a synonym, is a reflection of the national industry. (Now) … much more is filmed in Mexico. We already spent that difficult time where there were no cameras, equipment, people… conditions have greatly improved. In addition, Monterrey has great potential, it is one of the cities where cinema is doing better, here we go to the movie theatre a lot”, Guzmán said.
Lesslye Yin also emphasized that one of the most important factors for successful film projects is to have a good script, since the purpose of filmmakers is to sell stories: «We are in the business of selling stories, we do not sell a wonderful crew, not the newest gadgets, we sell stories that move», the filmmaker said
On the other hand, Carlos Dávila agreed that the script is the core part of films. But it is just as important to look for ways to make film projects profitable, to form an industry: «People who are just starting out have to think about the movie business, how am I going to make money? Because if there is no money then it does not create an industry. If you do not generate money you will not continue to grow», he advised attendees.
Emilio Leija, the youngest of the lecturers, shared with the public how he got the means of production for his short film Goldfish, which he made with more college friends. He also encouraged the public to knock on doors and seek alliances in order to make movies.
The second conference, International co-production, two experiences was given by Lilia Velasco and Edher Campos, who spoke about the production processes and the international collaborations they have made with their production houses.
To get financing and other financial support, the originality of a project is fundamental: «I always try to look for something that I would like to produce because they are projects that will always accompany you, so you have to draw attention. I like to break the mold”, Velasco said.
For his part, Campos mentioned some co-productions he has had with the Czech Republic, Canada and Colombia. In addition, he stressed that the key tool for these partnerships to be successful is communication: «It is important that there is good communication and good planning because you are going to be working at a distance,» he said.
In the panel Project Development for open television, the public was able to familiarize themselves with Canal 14, Una voz con todos project, which contains a lot of audiovisual material made in Mexico, as well as co-productions with other countries in Latin America and Europe.
The 10th Industry Day concluded with work tables Imagine today the industry of tomorrow where the speakers and the general public discussed and reflected on the future of the film industry in the state and in the country.