The D & The C-quel
In The D, a twenty-something-year-old cannot enjoy a kickback that his friends force him to have because his ex-girlfriend starts blasting "revenge" posts on social media. The saga continues in the C-quel with Omari and Calvin who awaken after a hard night of partying and deal with the aftermath of heartbreak and loss.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Natalie Rodriguez
Watch The C-quel here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
“The D” was an idea that had started out as a joke of some sort like back in 2015 or 2016. To be honest, I was just amused by doing a film that took place at a party. For about a year, I was trying to find a director. After a few turn-downs, one of my friends read the script and told me to direct it.
I thought he was dumb.
A few months later, I then decided to.
The making of “The D” was one of my hardest shoots, considering it was done on my lowest budget to date. We shot 13 pages in seven hours which consisted of cast and crew call in time and wrap.
But I was so persistent and itching to direct and write a story that was different from what I had usually done. At the time, I was diving into dramas—I mean, the short before “The D” was a feature film sizzled called “Apricots,” a story about child abuse survivors. To be honest, I might have burned out from dramas, so “The D” was a much-needed break from the heavier material.
Plus, we could not say the title of the film without laughing. We had fun making the film, regardless of a few hiccups and some unfortunate sexism that was experienced on set – especially with comments like, “That’s cute you’re a woman and want to direct.” Luckily, it was just from two crew guys whom I was not close to nor worked with after that.
After sharing the finished cut of “The D” with family and friends, it was received very highly, and it encouraged me to submit it to a few festivals in late 2016. I believe it was around March 2017 when it got into the first round of two film festivals. That was surreal and cool, especially when it then made it to the final rounds at Indie Night Film Festival just back in December 2017.
Before that, two of the cast members and I joked about making a sequel to the film out of curiosity to see where the story leads us. I remember telling one of them at the bar how it should be called “The C” and the rest was sort of history, especially when one of the actors recommended calling it, “The C…quell.”
But the making of “The C-quel” was just a nightmare when a lot of problems arose during production. During our first attempt at filming it, one of the principal actors complained about driving and being too busy. Then the audio was lost and deleted during our second attempt. On the third try, after finally getting the film project finished (about three months after originally starting), I think most of us were burned out. I know I was, especially more so on the financial part and realizing how much of a pain in the butt it can be to get a film done.
Yet that is also the beautiful aspect of filmmaking – just getting it finished no matter what the circumstances are. In the end, most people talk about making a film or talk about writing one. And I was thrilled to get to reunite with some of the cast and crew from “The D,” especially since their return meant a lot to me as someone who always wanted to direct and write a comedy piece.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Have you ever been in love and everything just seems to be going well? Then one day, the other person wants to break it off because their feelings are, perhaps, not mutual?
The audience should watch this film solely to see that we have all been through heartbreak and know what it is like to have someone rip out your heart and basically just stomp it to s**t. In all honesty, making the film had helped me overcome a breakup myself, and after receiving a pre-final cut of the film by the other editor, I realized how the themes of love, trust, and closure truly play out in the film.
I suppose most of us went into the project with having fun and seeing where it goes – ironically, like most people do in today’s world of dating – but for me, I kind-of found closure, especially since the lead actor, Adam, finds out that his ex is seeing someone else through social media and his two buddies are trying to help him at times, until they get caught up in their own shenanigans.
Other than that, most of us can feel Adam’s pain of officially being a poor man’s version of getting both dumped and played.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I think both the personal and universal themes tie into the reality that not all breakups are meant to be for a temporarily time. Sometimes, they are settled. The theme of staying cordial with an ex is so huge as well because once you give your heart to someone, I think a piece of you stays with them. That is the irony of both “The D” and “The C-quel” : we see two opposites going through the aftermath of getting broken up with and how one tries to shrug it off, while the other is literally crying and having a tantrum at a party. The truth is that most of us tend to not listen to our heart, and that is when the universe sends us signals to make a decision. Be honest with what you want and how you feel. There is never shame in that.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script did evolve as we got into production. I love working with actors who improvise or ad-lib. To me as a director, that is usually when you get the stronger takes is when they say something or do something in the moment. It is always fun to see the actors “be” the character.
The actors who play Calvin and Omari had improvised a lot on “The D” so it made sense to let them carry that into “The C-quel,” especially when we had like a few hours to film a 5 to 6-page dialogue scene. The beauties of going low budget.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
To be honest, these two films have received the most positive feedback out of all my short films. I think a lot had to do with most of my colleagues being shocked that I did a complete 180 when I sent them, at first, “The D” and then “The C-quel.”
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I did receive one feedback from a colleague with “The D,” where he made it clear that he found the content very offensive and had to turn off the film three times. He only watched the first 8-10 minutes. It was actually when the Omari character entered the frame, where my colleague stated that his line, “Wad up f***ers,” was too vulgar.
To be honest, I thought it was funny. I realize that you cannot make a film and expect everyone to like or love it. People will also hate it but that does not mean it is a bad film. It is just not their cup of tea. With these films, I learned to take feedback with a grain of salt.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would love for more viewers to get the chance to know the characters, as Adam, Omari, Calvin and Roxanne were always four people who were fun to write and give a voice to. Ironically, all of the actors also scared the hell out of me when they brought the characters to life, because it was like one of those cliché moments of them being a perfect fit. I hope other viewers can see that even though their own flaws, Adam, Omari, Calvin, and Roxanne are also four individuals who seek love and are learning how to cope with it when it does not work out, regardless if you are a player of not. Looking at you, Omari and Roxanne.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I think to help strengthen the film’s message, we would need to have a distributor come on board. The actors are so talented and deserve the recognition that they need to receive. I was always fond of both projects because the actors made it come to life and I am very fortunate that I had strong actors to bring them to life. It scared me at times, but I realize that that is when you have something great that needs to be seen. Plus, the characters deserve more time for us viewers to get to know them, which is why I strongly feel this would work as a web series of TV show. Who cannot relate to the Los Angeles dating scene?
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
To be honest, any reaction is always the goal because that is just proof that you did your job as a filmmaker, regardless if people hate or love it.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
It could spark a conversation about how men, in general, deal with dating. That was something brought to my attention was how male characters are not typically given the validation when it comes to breakups, and are rarely told that it is ‘okay’ for them to grieve.
Would you like to add anything else?
Watch both films and in chronicle order. See “The D” and then, “The C-quel.”
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Recently, I wrapped my directorial debut feature film called, “The Extraordinary Ordinary,” that follows the journey of three young adults, their history with mental health, and how they cope with it. This project is something I hold close to my heart. We are currently in post and will be updating everyone throughout.
Interview: July 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
The D & The C-quel
In The D, a twenty-something-year-old cannot enjoy a kickback that his friends force him to have because his ex-girlfriend starts blasting "revenge" posts on social media. The saga continues in the C-quel with Omari and Calvin who awaken after a hard night of partying and deal with the aftermath of heartbreak and loss.
Length: (The D) 13 minutes; (The C-quel) 15 minutes
Director: Natalie Rodriguez
Producer: (The D) Alon Dina, Stephane Guetta, Natalie Rodriguez; (The C-quel) Natalie Rodriguez
Writer: Natalie Rodriguez
About the writer, director and producer:
NATALIE RODRIGUEZ is a writer, director, producer, as well as a mental health and anti-trauma advocate based in Los Angeles, CA. Follow her @natchristinerod for her previous and upcoming writing and film work.
Key cast: (The D) Alon Dina, Shaun Guzman, Jesse Posey, and Brittany Grabill; (The C-quel) Shaun Guzman & Jesse Posey
Funders: (The D) Natalie Rodriguez & Stephane Guetta; (The C-quel) Natalie Rodriguez
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? YouTube & currently pitching to distributors