Eduardo Luna: worthy example to follow
By Argelis V. Wesley
Eduardo Luna (IMBb) is now at the LFM blog for a new installment of our interviews with experts from the entertainment industry, which are designed to provide essential information to people interested in pursuing a successful career.
He is one of the most notable Latino producers in New York. In his dizzying career, he has made 20 productions, including documentaries, short films, feature films and music videos. His film projects have been submitted for consideration at international film festivals such as Tribeca, London and Cannes, among others. Recently, he was nominated at the Black & Latino Film Awards for feature film productions "Un Delinquente en Nueva York" and "Donde Quiera Que Vayas". These awards recognize the work of writers, directors and producers of cinemas that are within the independent film industry in New York.
Eduardo was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States at the age of fourteen in 2009. While in high school, he enrolled in a video production class at the prestigious Gregorio Luperon High School. From there, his passion for film arises as his teacher realized his outstanding talent when he made his first documentary. Later, he studied film at Maysles Cinema Center and Urban Arts Partnership in New York City.
During our interview, Eduardo explained in depth the functions he carries out as a film producer. They range from analysis of the film proposal, preparation of the breakdown of the script into categories, recruitment of the cast and crew, selection of locations, preparation and management of the budget based on the needs of the script, , premiere planning, marketing efforts and distribution of the film, among other activities.
He continued stating that the pre-production of a film can take from three months to a year, depending on how large the budget allocated for a film is. As for the steps to select the cast for a movie, Eduardo warned that if you have a good story you can get the actors. He also said that networking is vital, as well as the participation in events and dialogue with potential actors.
He revealed that his favorite Latin director is Robert Rodriguez and would like to produce a film with Benicio Del Toro in the future. His most recent production is El Fantasma de mi Novia with Cuban actor William Levy, which premiered in May of this year.
Before concluding our interview, Eduardo shared tips for anyone interested in establishing himself/herself as a film producer, which I have summarized as follows:
Plan
Make efforts
Meditate
Ask the Universe
Do not create limitations
Believe that everything is possible
Have a good work team
Choose the right people for your project.
As you can see, Eduardo is a worthy example to follow as he is an emigrant who has conquered the entertainment industry in the United States thanks to his perseverance and positive attitude. Undoubtedly, the future of this talented Dominican filmmaker is very promising. Do you dare to emulate it? Follow him on his social media @eduardolunany.
You can see the full interview Eduardo Luna gave us here:
“If a movie goes wrong, you can blame the producer.”