This Monday we were able to get on a Zoom call with film director and visual artist, Indigo Suave. We were able to delve deep into the creative mind of the upcoming director. We were able to transcribe the most important moments in the over hour talk we had with him.
Was there a particular event or time that you recognized that filmmaking was not just a hobby, but that it would be your life and your living?
- I didn’t have to think too hard about it. It was something that just felt right. I was at college choosing my classes freshman year and something in me just told me to take film classes. Film has been something I was always interested in doing but never had the time. They didn’t offer that type of stuff at my high school so this was finally my time to really go after it. I did and have never looked back.
What makes a film great for you? Are there certain qualities that make a film better for you?
- I think we all the same, but a great film for me is when I’m able to feel it. That feeling could be anything but you just know there’s something there inside you. It’s really not something you can explain in words because it’s not necessarily the words of the film that you remember but moreover how those words make you feel. The films that do that the best are the greatest in my eyes.
Films evolve through the creative process – sometimes most dramatically in the editing process. It’s often really hard to reconcile the difference between what we desired and what we achieved. How have you encountered this and how do you move through it?
- The first time I really experienced this was my first visual project (Alchemy) I did in Iceland. I had all these great ideas in mind, all these dope shots I was going to get, but when I got there I had to throw most those ideas out the window. The weather was so crazy, so windy, so cold—I barely managed to finish the shoot. And by the time I got back into the states and looked at the footage, I was like ‘oh boy, this is going to be something interesting’. What I realized in this whole process was that sometimes we are able as artist to pull off our imaginations but other times we’re not. That doesn’t mean we created something shitty, all it means is that your idea evolved and visualized in a way you didn’t expect. That’s what ideas do, as long as you had a foundation for that idea you’ll realize that what you finished with is not too off from what you originally imagined.
Film, perhaps more so than any other popular art form, is the compromise between art and commerce. How has your art been shaped by both the money you have had or not had? Especially being a student do you create with budget limitations in mind?
- My friend, Lulu says it best “work with what you got”. That is an art as well in creating visuals working with what you have. But honestly, I never find myself too limited because ideas are limitless. I’ve never really had a project big enough where I’ve actually made a budget, except one which racked up to about 5k. But I believe as long as I have my camera I have enough to make anything. Skills are executing great ideas, the rest is just technique.
I am a big believer in the importance of social media in many aspects of the film process. Are you on social media and do you use it in your work? Why or why not?
- Yes I’m mostly on IG. I believe it’s important to use it because people are on their phones all day. We live in an era where we want to be entertained all the time. It’s not really a great thing, but that’s how the world is right now. I use it as a platform to show the projects I’m working on and to also share the projects I have finished. I also try to share it in the most creative way I can, and that’s why specifically IG platform works best for me.
Do filmmakers have any responsibility to culture? Do you feel that being a creative person requires that you give back or tell a particular story or not do something else? Why or why not?
- I believe whatever you make is a reflection of who you are. Art represents the artist as well as the audience who listens and loves it. This doesn’t mean everything has to have a sole searching purpose, but it should have a purpose. I believe an artist holds a responsibility to themselves to create something they are proud of and also understand that it has the power to inspire and change others.