FUGUE FILMMAKER'S who r they????

A Fugue Fimmaker KNOW'S he doesn't KNOW! There are no geniuses in fugue filmmaking, just over-achiever's and driven passionate souls!

An F.F. has no inflated, nor, deflated ego. We are workers among workers. We are not better than or less than; hence, HUMILITY is paramount! No pun intended. An F.F. can't be egotistical, because nobody wants to donate their time, or house, or acting abilities to a "Jack-Ass!"

Again, we Fugue Filmamkers make movies w/ budgets of less than $20,000.00; however, more often than not, less than $10,000.00, and if you're like me, less than 5,000.00!

We strive to make Big Budget INDIE or STUDIO films. Once discovered, Producers LOVE us because we save them millions of dollars!!

Robert Rodriguez made his first feature film with $7,000.00 and became a sensation. Now he is making multi-million dollar films. Read his book REBEL without a CREW! Or in my view, From FUGUE to FORTUNE!

There is no methodology in terms of starting and finishing our films! We pick the lock!!

On that note, I'm heading back to the editing suite, my studio apartment, to continue editing my current FUGUE feature, MEXICAN AMERICAN PSYCHO!
Below is a clip from the movie. love, jd

More on the "Fugue Filmmaking" approach.

Fugue filmmaking is a departure from "traditional" filmmaking approaches mainly taught at expensive film schools. Fugue films are made with less than $20,000.00, and usually, though not always, are funded by the filmmaker himself.

Clever approaches are developed in order to meet the lack in fiscal demands of making a film.

For the record, we Fugue Filmmakers don't negate or condemn Film School, Studio Films, or Independent Filmmaking. As a matter of fact we strive and look forward to making a "STUDIO" film or "INDIE" film. Fugue filmmakers are the "Lottery winners" who discover their niche is in film and make them no matter what. We only worry about the start and completion of our own projects.

There is no "Right," or "Wrong" way to make a movie; therefore, If you want to shoot your FIRST DRAFT and don't want to bother with re-writes cause your anxious to get in the trenches and shoot your film then "Do" it! An adavantage and perk to being a Fugue Filmamker.

Traditionalist may consider this approach, "Half-Assed," but anybody who's ever actually made a film knows there is nothing "Half-Assed" about making a film! It's brutal!!

Then again, It's none of our business what others think about us! love, jd

"Fugue Filmmaking" 101

FUGUE [fyoog]

1. Music. a polyphonic composition based upon one, two, or more themes, which are enunciated by several voices or parts in turn, subjected to contrapuntal treatment, and gradually built up into a complex form having somewhat distinct divisions or stages of development and a marked climax at the end.
2. Psychiatry. a period during which a person suffers from loss of memory, often begins a new life, and, upon recovery, remembers nothing of the amnesic phase.
[Origin: 1590–1600; < F < It fuga < L: flight]

FUGUE

1. dissociative disorder in which a person forgets who they are and leaves home to creates a new life; during the fugue there is no memory of the former life; after recovering there is no memory for events during the dissociative state
2. a dreamlike state of altered consciousness that may last for hours or days
3. a musical form consisting of a theme repeated a fifth above or a fourth below its first statement
Definition: departure
Synonyms: beat*, break*, breakout, escape, escapement, escaping, exfiltration, exit, exodus, fleeing, fugue, getaway, getaway car*, lam, out*, powder*, retreat, retreating, running away, slip*, spring*
Main Entry: forgetfulness
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: unremembering
Synonyms: absent-mindedness, abstraction, amnesia, blackout, blank, block out, blow, brain fade, carelessness, dreaminess, fugue, heedlessness, hypomnesia, inattention, laxness, lethe, limbo, negligence, nirvana, oblivion, obliviousness, paramnesia, repression, short memory, suppression,

I am no longer an INDIE FILMMAKER but a FUGUE FILMMAKER! Most INDIE FILMMAKERS are truly not indie as they have a budget of millions! Would you call that indie????
For me to be a FUGUE FILMMAKER I must be "Absent-Minded" in terms of funding, cause for all intensive purposes, there are no funds. I must forget I have no money to make my films; therefore, I must dissacociate from that concept, and create a new way of filmmaking, FUGUE FILMMAKING!
Fugue Filmmakers are told their films SUCK, but because we are in a constant, FUGUE, forgetful, blackout state, these criticisms never enter our consciousness; thus, we maintain dreamlike flow and stream of thought; and, therefore developing "Impressionistic" work. More to come.....

The "FF!" Onward, soilders! love, jd

Filmmakers FEEL! Here we go again, another "OPRAH!"

DUCK life's "Fast balls" pitched, and aimed right to your head!

Why you CRYING! What r ya writing about this time, "film boy?"

I'm glad you asked! I'm feeling forlorn due to various episodes related and not related to film! This filmmaker FEELS crestfallen right now, but I must still move forward, NO MATTER WHAT!. Feelings COME and GO! Follow through with your commitment and passion for FILM! jd
P.S.
I know, WAAAA! :) Thank you, Oprah!

Pain is mandatory, misery, OPTIONAL!

In "Life" PAIN is mandatory. In "Film" PAIN is mandatory, as well. Expect your ego and heart to be ripped to shreds, In terms of everyday life, and in terms of your skills as a filmmaker! DEAL with it! GO through it! Life is in session. There is no way AROUND it, BELOW it, or ABOVE it! Go THROUGH it. Then get OFF the CROSS cause the next guy feeling sorry for himself needs the wood!. Or, you can stay in the PAIN, and the negativity, and go back home! In my case, I would go back home with my tail between my legs to McAllen, Texas and just be MISERABLE. No way, Jose! I'm staying in the light, and realizing my dream! Hey, I'm living it! I'm "More Better" already. Pain is Mandatory as I was in pain when I wrote this, but now I feel better. No need to be miserable. I will go back to editing my film:) love, jd
P.S.
"Geez, Louise," this post belongs like on the Dr. Phil show, YUCK! :)

Friday Night Lights!

Fellow filmmakers, friends, and foe alike,

It's Friday night, and you're in the final stages of editing your film, do you:

A: Take the weekend off and go "Party"
B: Take the weeekend off and sleep
C: Both A and B
D: Finish your film!

LOOK at me CLOSELY.....{{{{{{{DDDDDD!!!!}}}}}

Now have a great weekend, and go EDIT!!!! love, jd

Clarity....bring it on!

I asked this guy at the coffee house today if he had read my blog, and he responded, "Ya, you're just bragging about yourself!" Here is a case and point of, "It's none of my business what other people think of me." Move forward as "Intent w/out ACTION" is fantasy. Start and finish your film by doing what's in front of you and being PRESENT! Clarity, what a GIFT! love, jd

LOSE the SPIDER bite, DOG,... wHaT, que?!

Alright, so the title seems a bit disjointed, vague, WIERD! What ya complaining about? That pretty much sums up this Blog!haha... Let me "Esplain." Well, I woke up at about 5:30 a.m., mind you, I had just hit the sack at around 3:30 a.m. since I am hard at work editing "Mexican American Psycho," when I noticed a Spider Bite, or bite of some sort on my arm. I know I didn't bite myself! Hey, I heard that, keep the coy remarks to yourself! Anyway, so my "Boy Scout" First Aid training taught me to apply ice to bites of that sort. I did then I didn't want to lie in bed with an ice pack doing nothing, so I chose to write. As mentioned in an earlier post, I've started work on a new screenplay, LOSE the DOG; thus, I worked on that, and thus the justification for the disjointed, vague, and wierd title to this post! See, ya skeptics, there is a methodology to my maddness. Now go get a spider, ant, dog, or self BITE, and get to work on your next script! Incidentally, the bite is "More better" now:) with mucho amor, jd

FIRST SNEEK PEEK into the "Brain" of MEXICAN AMERICAN PSYCHO!

Here is the first look into my new feature film my "lovelies!" :) jd

Shin splints!.......what???

Yes, I'm starting to develop "Shin Splints," which is an injury to your shins. Shin Splints are a result of running on the same pair of "Running shoes" for too long. Why, "Filmmaker Boy," did you wear the same shoes for soooo long, thus causing this unfortunate injury? I'm glad you asked me that BLOG PERSON! Running shoes cost a fortune! Sorry, not in the indie filmmaker's budget. The amount of money I'd spend on a pair of running shoes is at least a half a week's rental in LIGHTS! Filmmakers need lights in order to illuminate the Actors and Set. Like, "HELLO," can you imagine, ___________, CAMERA, &&&&...ACTION! Wait one minute! What happened to the LIGHTS!?!?.......Oh crap, I'm WEARING THEM!!!!! ......NOT!!!!!! love, jd

Proud to announce the BIRTH of a NEW.....

Fellow filmmakers and friends, I'm so proud to announce the BIRTH of a brand new TEN pound, I mean PAGE, SCREENPLAY!!!!
That's right, I wrote the first ten pages today, but I really conceived of the idea about nine months ago. I have named the screenplay, LOSE the DOG! I will keep you posted on the progress of this new script.
Currently, I'm in the final stages of editing MEXICAN AMERICAN PSYCHO then I will go into pre-production on my next film, THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE then CHRISTMAS ORPHANS. For the record, as I have posted before, I am just about FIVE FILMS old! YEA!!!! love, jd

Another FROM BEHIND the SUNFLOWER post...

Here is another YouTube post, sneek peek, into my indie flick FROM BEHIND the SUNFLOWER. This stars Jeff Conaway from GREASE and TAXI fame. Also, the UP & COMING beautiful Swedish Actor, Madeleine Falk is "Right On," in her performance! I'm in this flick, too. :)

The morning was FLAT! And, I was PLEASED....

I woke up this morning to a flat tire. As the frustration and anger began to slowly infiltrate my head, my neighbor, who has never had a car, and walks everywhere or takes a cab, walked by on his way to the coffee shop and wished me a good morning. I've always felt sorry for that fella, but I realized this morning, he probably feels more sorry for me. He'll never have to worry about a flat tire, unless he loses a leg or something. Okay, I know, that wasn't funny. Anyway, I'm PLEASED for this little lesson. Today, and all we have is TODAY, that guy was at the local coffee house sipping a hot cup of Java, while I waited for Triple AAA. Now I'm PISSED! Just KEEEDING, love, jd
P.s. You may ask, "Mata Man, what does this post have to do with filmmaking?" I'm glad you asked. Finish your film, sell it for a lot of money, and buy two cars so in case you wake in the morning and one of the car's tire is FLAT! Go finish your FILM, and be PLEASED! :) Below, for your consideration, is a music video I made sometime back.

More DIVORCE CEREMONY clips!!!

I just added another clip of the quircky romantic comedy,....okay, I know, all my films are QUIRCKY! I even spell qiurcky, QUIRCKY! Anyway, this movie stars Apollonia Kotero from PURPLE RAIN fame, and also in this clip you will see the other leads, Julia Vera, and Ingrid Oliu of whom both starrred in the hit film REAL WOMAN HAVE CURVES! Also, you will see great performances by the amazing Salvador Benavides, Mario Valdez-Juarez and Sabella St.Hilliare, and you see a bit of MUA as well!! Happy viewing... Oooh, thats sounds like a "Wake" or somthing:( Happy Video watching!!! Mucho Love, jd
P.S. You can see all my Posted Movie clips on YouTube.com Just enter JD Mata.....

Turn UP the HEAT!

If you live in L.A., and it's 35 degrees, and you're a filmmaker, and you're close to finishing the editing phase of your fifth film which happens to be named MEXICAN AMARICAN PSYCHO, and you have no HEATING in your studio apartment, cause it's been turned OFF, cause you're damn broke, cause whatever income you have goes back into your film, and your only source of warmth is the hair drier THEN it's time to "Turn UP the HEAT!" The PASSION that BURNS deep in your soul for ART must now set your heart on FIRE and carry you through this last phase of the cinematic process, and that my friend will be your HEAT and translate into the BIG BUCKS THEN you can pay the gas bill! love, jd
P.S. Below is a scene from my fourth film THE ELEVENTH STATION!

No "WEIGHTS, no DATES!"

Filmmakers, get off your arse and find a gym. Forget the holidays! Our Christmas is making a film, so we are always prone to feeding the food sack! Especially during the editing phase. We sit behind a computer and eat Wheat thins w/ peanut buttter, chocalate bars, muffins, and then some. The babes will appreciate it as well. Hence, the reference above. Heehee.. We're gonna make MILLIONS off our films only to keel over from a heart attack in the Jacuzzi at our Palace in the Hollywood Hills! NOT!!! You see what I mean, jelly doughnut! I got you! You read DOUGHNUT cause that's what the food sack is craving! You know what I mean, JellyBEAN! Go to the gym for the love of FILM!!!!!!!!!! :) as for me, "Curls 4 the Girls!"...jd
P.S. Below is another clip off my second film FROM BEHIND the SUNFLOWER.

Coffee, tea or....FILM!

I just returned from my "Office," JENIFFER'S COFFEE CONNECTION, and I'm gearing up for another editing session of M.A.P..
May I suggest to the one or two people who read this Blog to indulge in a cup or two of "Java!" Research suggests that coffee improves judgement and reduces the urge to committ suicide! Filmmakers, pay close attention to the latter! Just keeeding....heehee Anyway, caffeine is my drug of choice, and my ONLY drug of choice! Okay, since you corraled me into the subject, and I'm not one to preach, may I suggest to stay off any type of Mind Altering Substances. Nothing more will alter the direction of your film than TWEEKING! Off my soapbox and off to editing, you too...go, scoot, bye, love jd....
Oh by the way, below is a scene from my second film LOS GIRASOLES, starring the amazing, JEFF CONAWAY, from the cult film GREASE and T.V. hit sitcom, TAXI! Also starring is the amazing sweedish actor MADELEINE FALK and me....ciao!

Blog, blog, blog, blog..........!

Listen here busters! I'm in the final stretch in terms of finishing my latest film project, MEXICAN AMERICAN PSYCHO! So, if these blogs the next couple of weeks seem uninteresting, boring, less than average then come KICK my BUTT! I should be in my most CREATIVE, LUCID state of BRAIN Power right now! I must finish STRONG, therefore these BLOGS must also be PROFOUND and POWERFUL! Okay I'll settle for entertaining. I must go edit now:) bye love, jd

"SICK" of editing

I'm not SICK of editing per se, but I'm feeling ILL today. In the filmmaking process, if your gonna get sick, Post-Production is the ideal time. As a matter of fact, I highly recommend it! Okay, I know what you're thinking, the fever hasn't broken and "Mata Man" is delusional. On the contrary, because I'm sick, I haven't gone anywhere! I've just been here in my studio EDITING all day. Incidentally my STUDIO is my studio apartment! You get my "Drift!" Now quit sitting around reading this lame "Post" and go get the FLU, so you too can stay home and EDIT all day!!! Love, jd

P.S. Below is a taste of PAN DULCE, off my first film, 2004.

Another day at the office.

Hola chicos, and chicas,

Another day at Jennifer's Coffee Connection, "The Office," in Studio City, California has come and gone. I have an IBook G4 with 1.4 gigs of ram loaded with FINAL CUT PRO, the editing system I use to EDIT! I have my project, M.A.P. on a LaCie 200 gig hard drive that I FireWire to my lap top and I'm off to the Editing "Races." I'm near the completion of the film and it's kinda cool showing some scenes to various friends that hang here at Jenn's. So far nothing but positive reactions. I'm loaded with caffeine and I'm off to set up for my music gig at ERNIE'S TACO HOUSE. I play piano, guitar, and sing in case you didn't know. My GREAT friend the GENIUS Steve Worth suggested I try not to force the "Cleverness" in writing this blog and just write. I think that's an excellent suggestion. Check out the "World Famous" STEVE WORTH'S website at the link below. BYE, jd

http://www.animationarchive.org/

TAIL WAGS the "DAWG!" ....... NO WAY, "ESE!"

Dear Beloved Indie Filmmakers,
Do the BEST you can, and stay OUT of the way of the results. In other words, your film KICKS ASS, because it's your labor of LOVE and YOUR creation! It's NONE of YOUR BUSINESS what OTHER people think about it. Yes, I know, we filmmakers are VERY passionate and our emotions will get in the way; however, after the cognitive meltdown, MOVE ON to the NEXT project, and the NEXT, and the NEXT! Otherwise, you might as well go home to TEXAS, or whatever turnip truck you fell from, with your TAIL between your legs! Don't let people's comments, GOOD or BAD, in terms of your film, WAG you, DAWG! Now, start wagging your tail proudly, and go finish your film, cause you have about two weeks before SCREENING time!!!!!!! Below is a clip from my second film, FROM BEHIND the SUNFLOWER....jd

So CLOSE, yet so...... F................A..........................R!

Hi,
Filmmakers don't have children, they have films. My latest brat, MEXICAN AMERICAN PSYCHO, is so close to completion, graduation. However, there is still so much work to do. Once I'm finished with the "Rough Cut" in terms of the editing, I must then add FOLEY which is in layman terms, sound effects. Then I must add and finalize MUSIC then "Sweeten" the overall sound. You wanna go to the beach for the weekend? ARE YOU CRAZY!!! Go finish your FILM!!! SO CLOSE!!!!! :)..jd