I never get tired of telling this Ron Gonzalez story. Because it is a story you can NEVER forget. WE can NEVER forget. We will always be in debt to this amazing person for being a class-act, a true talent, and a good friend.
Back when we were getting ready to shoot our last short film BUTTERSCOTCH in March of 2009, Scotch director Jon Keeyes knew he always wanted to work with DP Ron Gonzalez and vice versa. And once again we can thank Scotch actor REECE RIOS who had worked with both Keeyes and Gonzalez before for setting this u). And so we locked it in. Got the locations, catering, actor's schedules, and everything else locked and loaded. But then Ron got the call to work on a month long plus feature film called CARRIED AWAY in the middle of the Arizona Desert. So in order for him to make it to Dallas in time to shoot our Scotch he would have to skip his two days off and he and his crew would have to pull an 18 hour all-nighter driving back to Dallas from the desert for a 7 AM call time with all their gear. Then two days later he and his crew would have to turn right back around and make the drive back to the desert to pick up where they left off on Carried Away. I mean, who does that?!? Ron Gonzalez and his amazing crew. So when it came time to look for a DP for Virgin Mary Christmas of course you know who we called. And not only did we want Ron as a DP, we wanted him to help produce the film.
So for those who don't know what what a DP (Director of Photography) is:
Plans, directs, and coordinates motion picture filming: Confers with DIRECTOR, regarding interpretation of scene and desired effects. Observes set or location and reviews drawings and other information relating to natural or artificial conditions to determine filming and lighting requirements. Reads charts and computes ratios to determine required lighting, film, shutter angles, filter factors, camera distance, depth of field and focus, angles of view, and other variables to produce desired effects. Confers with the ELECTRICIAN to establish lighting requirements. Selects cameras, accessories, equipment, and film stock, utilizing knowledge of filming techniques, filming requirements, and computations. Instructs camera operators regarding camera setup, angles, distances, movement, and other variables and signals cues for starting and stopping filming. Surveys set or location for potential problems, observes effects of lighting, measures lighting levels, and coordinates necessary changes prior to filming.
Ron Gonzalez does it all: He's a cinematographer, editor, director, photographer, and he even acts! There's no stopping this guy. His career is growing so fast where his specializes in the latest cutting edge technology of the Red Camera where only a few have been before (Peter Jackson, Steven Soderbergh). Just look at some of his credits:
- The upcoming feature RISING STARS starring Barry Corbin (No Country for Old Men, Northern Exposure, One Tree Hill)
- The upcoming feature CARRIED AWAY written and directed by Tom Huckabee (exec. Produced Frailty with Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe)
- In 2008 Ron and his team won the prestigious Telly Award (and numerous festivals) for the documentary A JOURNEY TO IRAQ
- BUTTERSCOTCH directed by Academy Award Finalist Jon Keeyes (produced over six feature films for HBO, MGM, WB, more)
- HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE MUSIC IN YOU
- The big festival hit THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE (Starring Butterscotch’s Arianne Martin)
- Loads more...
Here's some places on the Net where you can learn more about Ron Gonzalez:
Journey to Iraq:
http://www.journeytoiraq.com/
Carried Away:
http://www.carriedawaythemovie.com/The/Home.html
Butterscotch
www.butterscotchfilm.com
The Other Side of Paradise:
www.theothersideofparadisemovie.com
Ron's Production Company - Deadmen Productions:
http://www.deadmenproductions.com/
IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2029672/
Ron - we can wait to make this amazing movie with you!!!
