Meet Francisco Aguilar | Filmmaker
Why did you pursue a creative career?
I tried the opposite career for a while ahaha, originally I was in school studying business and for about 3 years I was in this cycle of school/work and It felt sorta empty, just personally, I came to this realization that if I stay in this lane, my life is pretty much complete. Anything to come would just be an extension of what's already here (bigger house, bigger job, newer car, etc), and the thought of that bored me. Around the same time, I was at that point in my life where I was trying on different personas Like, “Is this me? Do I want to go to law school? No. Is this me?... I don’t really like people….wait for no I really like people.. I don’t... who am I? Where do I fit in the world? What is…”.....haha eventually I landed on Photography and that sorta just kept opening up other “worlds” within, I would start having thoughts like “ Man If only I could add sound, movement, words, it would make this so much more cooler” ….evenutally I realized I was thinking like a filmmaker, I discovered my medium.
Quickly after this realization, Covid -19 arrived, and I was in a very privileged situation where I wasn't really affected by it. My father was/is a frontline hero, as they say. So economically my family wasn't under any added stress. We just sat inside, kind of bored. This allowed me to sit with my thoughts in a way I don't think I’ve ever had before. This crossed over with my growing interests in /personal growth/mindfulness/spirituality.ahaha I don’t really know what to call it, I just started to look beyond/within…and well I was hit with an epiphany,
One day I’ll be laying on my deathbed, and I don't think ill be wishing I put in another hour in the office, listening to someone micromanage my ass out of some ego trip they're on… haha…I think I’ll just rest easier knowing that I left “art” behind, a part of me, a part of my soul.
So I applied to, two universities. I wrote them both a letter, and I explained I have zero experience in filmmaking but I have an ambition, heart, and work ethic unlike any other student they will meet and I promise I will give everything I can to make sure they don't regret my acceptance. ( I was pretty much on my knees, begging). Luckily Temple University gave me a chance. I don't really know who read my letter and said you know what..let him in. But thanks, whoever you are. I hope I continue to keep my promise. haha
So to finally answer the question, Why did I pursue a creative career? I was hit with a bunch of epiphanies all in the span of a couple of months and I decided to follow them.
Tell us more about your career goals, what can you share with our community?
As for career goals, these next 2 years or so I’m focusing on short films. There are a couple of technical exercises I want to work on, just some things I want to get out of my system. I have a couple of ideas that need a longer run time, so eventually, ill move on to feature films. Once I feel Like I'm ready. (or of course, if the opportunities arrive, ill be ready)
There's a series I'm working on (Something about us, 3 seasons)
I’m always shooting photography, so of course getting that into more exhibits would be great. I have made two photo books and that was pretty fun to put together, I’m sure ill do more in the future.
Recently I've been writing more poetry/music and it's been really fulfilling, I hope one day I can look back on my life and be able to listen to some musical albums I’ve created but as of right now, I'm still pretty far from that, cinema is still consuming my entire waking life.
I will say though, literature was my first love, I’ve always been a big reader from a young age so while I don’t have any ideas right now for a novel, I can see myself writing one in the future.
Seems like a lot, but it's just a giant list of things to keep me excited and active through life, always keeping me more aware of the beauty of life. You know like, life is going to flow by no matter what and I might as well do a couple of things as I’m passing through haha. Might as well fully embrace it and see/accept all that is passing through. Plus I really don’t like cycles. I try to experience something new every single day. Even if it’s as small as where do I sit to drink my coffee. Just you never know what new perspective will unlock something else within.
What got you into films?
Films have pretty much always been in my life, I watched a fair amount growing up thanks to my family taking me to the cinema. Recently actually I had a conversation with my dad, trying to figure out what was the first film I saw on the big screen. We couldn't figure it out ahaha, I think King Kong (05) or Polar Express (04) but that feels a little late. I don't know, it’s definitely not the first time but it’s some of the earliest memories I have in the theater. So for now I'll claim either of those two.
Anyways it wasn't until college that I took on more of an interest in keeping up with the current cinema landscape, I watched Parasite (2019), Roma (2018), Call me by your name (2017), and Moonlight (2016). Absolutely changed my perception on what films can be, they were no longer films but another art form. Eventually, I discovered Richard Linklater, Agnes Varda, Sean Baker, Mike Mills, and Eric Rohmer's filmography. Up until this point, I didn't understand how to structure films together, in the sense of how to write a good character, story, and world, but what I picked up from these filmmakers is that film can be a reflection of life, you can replace plot with time, and that there really is no proper structure for a film, learn the best way to communicate your story, the inner thoughts of your characters, and how to communicate your own voice, then a good film will be born.
I will say I do think I’m still getting into films, i’m a very late bloomer into this world, so I think I’ll always be playing catch up hahaha…I somehow made it through two years of film school without watching Citizen Kane, do the right thing, godfather, Goodfellas, Casablanca, etc To be honest, most American classics are still on my watchlist. I can't tell ya just how many times I’ve gotten “WHAT YOU HAVENT SEEN THIS?!, HOW YOU’RE A FILMMAKER” HAHA
I'll watch them eventually though! I just don’t really watch films that “ I have to watch”, I watch films I want to watch. To be honest this is more of a result of my “anti-authoritarian” personality. I just need to find them on my own.
But I do watch anything anyone recommends personally to me. So maybe I'm just waiting for someone to tell me to watch these haha. [ ;) ]
What’s your definition of success?
Probably being happy with what you do and where you are in life.
I don't tie in success with my career, you kind of have to as an artist. It's not really up to us, whether what we do is considered any good, plus if history has taught us anything, the world is an extremely unreliable critic. ( I mean freaking VINCENT VAN GOGH died thinking he was a failure. ) Sometimes we are just born in the wrong era and that's okay, as long as you are happy with what you're doing and where you are in life, you’ll feel successful because of other things that are in your control.
Personally in my life, success will be reaching a certain goal of mine. Which is to own a house ( hopefully designed by me) on some large piece of land. where I can grow my own fruits/vegetables and raise.. animals (I'm sorry I've tried veganism and I can’t do it). I just want a nice big private space where I can invite my friends/family and just create stuff and vibe out.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition for your success? People who supported you. Who would you like to shout out?
Sure yeah, I mean tbh all of my friends and family, I cherish them so much. They are my heroes, and they deserve the entire world. But for this, I will mention there's this group of friends I have, I considered them the Original squad, I’ve known them for a while now, approaching a decade of friendship. I’ll share some thought`s about them, and what makes them so special.
Adam: He's the most welcoming person you'll ever meet, not just in the context of others but he welcomes life in a way I wish we all did. I don’t think I’ve heard him say no.
Wanna watch this weird movie = yeah let’s do it
Wanna go on a walk = sure
Wanna eat this= yeah
Wanna go to a baseball game = uh…sure.
Brandon: He’s such a dad, you'll be at a random party and hell stress over a stranger not having a spot to sleep. His empathy is admirable. ( Also a very good EDM artist @baumanmusic )
Joe: One of the greatest listeners, when you talk to him, he really listens to you. Knowing the boy he was and seeing the man he is today, witnessing his transition as a person has been a gift.
Journey: Anyone who has ever met him, knows his smile. His life philosophy is he wakes up hoping to make someone just a little bit happier. His constant decision to pick kindness is admirable.
Julian: the most present person I know, whenever I feel lost, he is my light of guidance. Spend some time with Julian and he will remind you of the beauty in sharing a meal, laughter, and everything else that we sometimes take for granted.
Larry: simply one of the kindest souls I’ve met, I can’t even find the proper set of words to express my gratitude towards him. He’s just like that older brother we all deserve. He's there for you with zero ego, he might not know the answer or know what direction to lead you in, but he's there.
The thought of knowing someone for such a long time, it's sorta like time traveling, looking at a person and seeing them in the present and the past, concurrently. That mode of transport only works with those one has known for a significant amount of time.
I’m working on my website right now so it's sort of messy, so in the meantime anyone can follow me on Instagram, I try to share most of my work with my friends/family through there.
@franciscoo__aguilarr
Also, I will quickly mention, the last couple of months of my life have been consumed by this Experimental doc I’ve been editing, “Moto, the cat of Apt 2022”. It should be released this summer, I'm really excited to share it.