Grace: Who or what inspired your film? 

Sebastian: That’s a hard question to answer, because this project has been a weird mixture of two other projects and has been done at a weird place in my life. This is the first project I did after being accepted into the Bachelor’s of Fine Arts, Experimental Track at UCF, and this was my first studio course. It was my first time shooting, and it became a messy piece that all came together nicely at the end. I’m really happy to be here to talk about it on a platform like this. 

Grace: Is this one of the first films you’ve worked on in the experimental track?

Sebastian: Yeah, officially. I have a previous film called “Those Who Sit Above” which was my first “go” at experimental filmmaking. This film was my first official step into the track with that modality. 

I’m very inspired by David Lynch. I’m not sure if that’s evident in that first film. That’s kind of my gateway into experimental cinema. I was introduced by my two partners/friends that I make films with, Alessandro Bellido de Luna and Carlos Irazabal. They introduced me to “Twin Peaks” and “Eraser Head.” From there, my filmmaker mentality changed completely. I was able to think about film in ways that I had never thought about film before. 

Grace: Is that where your interest in experimental filmmaking start?

Sebastian: Absolutely. If it wasn’t for my friends, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you. I am very, very grateful for them. 

Grace: What projects are you working on now?

Sebastian: Like all of my projects start, they start very scattered or until I am able to wrangle it down. I’m also working on a narrative-ish film, but it’s also experimental. I would like it to be a feature-length project. I’m taking inspiration from Stan Vandeerbeek and working on a loose adaptation on Alice in Wonderland, which carries a lot of themes and concepts from “In the Eye of the Beholder” that I wasn’t able to play around with. I thought this would be the perfect place to explore more. 

Grace: What kind of themes and concepts are you looking to explore?

Sebastian: I feel like all of my films circle around a point. All of my films start with a central image or a concept. With The Eye of the Beholder it’s hard to do. A man takes out his eye, which we don’t see because like they say, the eye is the window…

With that film it was that exploration of memory and searching, because memory is a very important thing to me. I’m always reminiscing and thinking back. I find memory fascinating. The way we remember things is not always crystal clear. That’s what I put within my film, but I shifted. I like exploring identity and the state of confusion that I sometimes find myself in. I see that I’m a filmmaker, but sometimes I don’t feel like one. It’s that crisis of identity.  

Grace: What do you mean by that ‘crisis of identity’?

Sebastian: Back in high school, the film program there was like a TV production program where there were morning shows and things like that. Unfortunately, we had lost our teacher, then we got a substitute. I lost the momentum I had going. I didn’t produce a lot of work during high school up until senior year. That was my first break in my filmmaker wall. It served as a foundation.   

Since graduating high school, it's been a lot of trying to figure out what I truly want to be or trying to be that filmmaker because there’s also times where I have doubts on the career path I’m taking. It’s a constant struggle to reassure myself that I’m on the right path. 

Then, things happen- like where I submitted this film. And I’m like, “You know what? I should [submit] just because I made this.” Getting that validation- that your work surprisingly matters or people enjoy it- that’s what keeps me on track. 

Grace: What is something for your film that you were really excited about-maybe something you didn’t expect to work out, or something that you loved how it turned out?

Sebastian: When reviewing the footage, there were some parts where I thought, “Okay, that didn’t work well” or “That actually looks really cool.” The exciting part was after I put the project together. There were effects that worked surprisingly well, specifically an editing trick within the film. That’s why I love editing. You find those moments that you didn’t think about when you were shooting or planning. It’s just you sitting down in front of the computer and playing around the footage. 

The other exciting part was the score. Carlos connected me with another friend who was interested in music and scoring. Unfortunately, the scoring wasn’t ready so I had to make my own within Garage Band with instruments. Then, the friend returned with the score. Although I was attached to my version, Carlos suggested merging them together because they were different but had separate functions. One sounded like a track, the other sounded more instrumental. Putting the two together made the final piece, and everyone was so impressed by that. I’m not a musician by any means, but making that was probably the most fun part. 

Grace: What was your reaction to being accepted into Visions 10?

Sebastian: Seeing that acceptance email and knowing that you don’t accept many films, it felt like a huge honor. I’ve seen the promotional screenshots from other filmmakers and they all look way beyond mine. Mine feels out of place. But having a spot next to everyone feels so, so good and exciting. 

Grace: What do you want viewers to take away from your film? 

Sebastian: That’s a hard question. I have a theme in mind, but that’s something I can’t pass on to a viewing audience that I want them to take away as their own. Everyone is their own interpreter. I don’t know what everyone should take away from it, but I hope that they enjoy it. That’s why I love experimental modality. You get that freedom of expression, I guess you could say.  

Grace: Is there anything else you’d like to discuss today?

Sebastian: I’m so grateful for my two best friends, Alessandro and Carlos that helped me out with this film. Also I’d like to mention my family, and I’m also grateful for my professor, Elizabeth Danker Kritzer, because she encouraged me to submit to Visions. Finally, I want to thank Johanna Lopez, Peter Benitez, and Valentina Irazabal who provided her beautiful eye for the film. 

To learn more about Sebastian, please follow him on instagram @sebasfmp and @missingframeco