Hey everybody, this weekend I am busy with some personal projects, so no effect this weekend, but don't worry because i've got something that I think Mogulville will really like, I got an interview with the Cinematographer and Writer on "Similo", Miguel "MacGregor" De Olaso and Bruno Zacharias, i've been following MacGregor's work for a few years on DVXUser and RedUser, and i've always been a big fan of what he's been able to accomplish on small budgets, and personally I think he is a real inspiration to independents working everywhere. So when I heard that they was working on expanding his short film "Similo" into a larger project, I jumped at the chance to try to help the project out. So without further adieu, here is Mac&Zac talking a little bit about "Similo". Check after the interview for more ways you can help "Similo".

Wes: Can you tell us a little about who you are, and what exactly "Similo" is?

MacGregor: SIMILO is a science fiction love story set in the year 2064. The polar ice caps have melted. The world struggles to survive drought and poverty. But those few who live in the new cities in the arctic can live a happy life. At least, that´s what they want to believe. And what exactly is a Similo? Similo: An artificial person designed to be the perfect lover. Similo comes from the word Simulating.

If I remember correctly, you two met over DVXUser correct? Can you tell us about how you two met each other, and when you started working together?

Yes, that's right. We first met 5 years ago at dvxuser.com. We chatted a little with private messages and we realized that we were living within 20  minutes from each other ...

You shot a teaser for the film a very years back, were you surprised by the response to it and how much it's been passed around?

Yes, of course! The response to it was amazing. In fact, that teaser opened many more doors than we expected. Since then we directed 3 shortfilms and several commercials and we became friends.
 

I still get amused from time to time when I show the teaser to friends, and they almost always tell me, "Yea, that was definitely shot on film", and almost never believe me when I tell them it was shot with a Camcorder (much less in SD resolution). Can you talk a little about what all went into creating the "look" of "Similo" and what you think it is that you're putting into your work that is able to make people think it was shot with film?

90% of a good photography  comes from shooting at beatiful/attractive things. The work of the art department is usually more important than the work of the DP. No matter how good the DP is, if he has to point his camera into a cheap looking bedroom, it will always look bad. So I guess the only magic in Similo was choosing the right locations and using the best lighting conditions.

So why did you feel the need to expand the original teaser into a full 25 minute shortfilm now? Was it always the plan since the beginning to expand it or did you only decide to do it after people responded so positively to it?

We made that teaser for the same reason much people do: to get funds to make a bigger, and more amazing project. Our original plan was to make this 25 minutes short, not the 6minute piece that you have seen. 

How long have you been working on the full shortfilm, and when did you start shooting it?

Zac: We started planning on shooting a script called Similo back in 2005. Since then the script evolved into many different stories. We started shooting in the summer of 2007. Unfortunately the producer ran out of money so we were not able to finish shooting principal photography. 2 yeras later, Mac decided to finish the project with his own money, so he got the rights back and we completed the shooting. The main reason why this short has taken so long is because it´s almost half an hour long (that´s 1/3 of a feature film lenght) but we are shooting with pocket money. And because we aimed for the best quality possible, sometimes that meant shooting only during the last 45 minutes of the day in order to capture the scene with the best light. This slows things down quite a bit. 

This is definitely a big increase in the complexity, with a lot more actors, sets, costumes, and VFX that is involved this time. How many of those great sets did you have created for the film, and where did you do most of the shooting?

Most of the shortfilm has been shot in Spain, but he had to travel quite a lot in order to find the locations that we wanted. We spent a week in the Canaray islands, in the Atlantic shooting most of the exterior scenes. And for most of the interior shots we had to pick up the right architecture found in different cities. We were looking for this particular white clean architecture which is not easy to find so we had to spend days searching for the best spots.



What all is left to be done on the film that the donations will help to get accomplished? 

The budget we have to finish the short is over K. That will cover VFXs, prints, sound, masters and shipping costs. It might sound like a lot of money just for post, but shooting film is expensive.

 When can people expect to see it done and in festivals? Do you have any other distribution plans?

We plan to release the short on the summer of 2010. Expect a worldwide distribution in film festivals as well as Bluray short after for those people interested in getting a copy. We are considering printing a project development book including concept art and BTS photos too.

What other projects do both of you have upcoming that people can be on the look out for?

We are currently developing a scifi feature film, which is different from the visual style of Similo. It´s a dark and dirty thriller set in an overpopulted New York. 

I would like to thank MacGregor for talking with me a little about "Similo", and I can't wait to see the finished project. 

But on to how you here at Mogulville can help, over at Kickstarter.com, Producer Mike Hedge has set up a page for "Similo". They need to raise almost ,000 to finish the VFX on the short, they are almost there, so everything you can do to help them out would be awesome, even a dollar can help the project along. 

So stop over by their page over at Kickstarter, and check it out. Also check back here regularly for updates on the project.