Meet Isaac Alvarez | Film Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isaac Alvarez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isaac, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk-taking is crucial when you want to advance your career and life. Of course, there are different aspects of risk-taking, and you have to determine whether you need to take a chance. Life is entirely of decision-making, and for you to be successful, from my point of view, you have to identify when you need to take that leap of faith. In our lives, we always encounter those obstacles, whether they are significant risks or small ones. There’s a quote that Denzel Washington once said that stuck with me. He said

“Dreams without goals are just dreams, and they ultimately fuel disappointment. On the road to achieving your dreams, you must apply discipline but, more importantly, consistency because without commitment, you’ll never start. But without consistency, you’ll never finish.”

Now, this hit me like a brick. Going back to risk-taking, you need to have a specific type of discipline to determine whether or not it’s the suitable risk you need to take. And when we assume that risk and the result is unsuccessful, we push forward and get back on the path. We can’t take the times we didn’t succeed as a negative thing. Failure keeps us from getting better at who we were yesterday, and we need to fail to achieve the things we didn’t know we could. Taking risks plays a big part in my career.

I take portraits and love extracting the essence of the person I’m photographing/filming. And I love playing with colors and gels. Before anyone used gels in photographs, I was intrigued with how they used them in film. I’m a big David Fincher fan, and his movies inspire me, mainly how he utilizes gels to relay emotions. So, one day, I went to a photo store and asked the clerk if they sold any colored gels. He asked me what I was using it for. I explained that I wanted to experiment and use them in portraits/photos. He then educated me that gels are meant for film, not photography. This intrigued me and made me want to buy it. I insisted on seeing them and would be the one who would determine if I would buy them. He walked me over the aisle, and while we were walking, he kept talking about how these gels are meant for film and that I would fail if I used them for portraits/photographs. This fueled my eagerness to buy it more. See, when someone tells me I can’t, it drives my inner will to want to do it regardless of what the other person suggests. This made me want to take the risk, and I told myself I would try it even if I failed. Long story short, that gel set my career to the next level, and the next thing you know, other photographers started using it in their portraits. I’m not saying I’m the person who steered the way on using gels; what I’m trying to point out is the story. The story is that someone tries to guide you in another direction, but your gut tells you to follow your heart and take the risk. So, taking risks is crucial to my journey, and I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t take those leaps of faith.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
So, I started as a photographer, photographing everything and anything that I could. From doing weddings to headshots to shooting products and events, I pretty much shot it and experienced it. But I never would have thought that I would end up in this career, let alone be in the creative industry making art. I worked in retail, and the most prominent one is Best Buy. I grew up in ranks from being a senior in the department to running my store as a store manager. From there, I learned how to run a business properly, and with my sales background, I gained a lot of charm in sales. That career ended when I got terminated from leaving the safe open. That was a big no-no. I don’t know if this was subconscious, but I did feel tired of being in that industry. I remember getting my last check and asking one of the managers there if I could get a discount on a camera, which led me to buy my first DSLR (Canon 50D), which sat on my shelf for a year. From there, I started my own business as a web designer until one of my clients asked me if I could begin taking product shots of their inventory. After a year, I grabbed and started using the camera I purchased. But I didn’t know what I needed, let alone use the intriquet machine. I then went to YouTube and started researching “how to photograph products.” I stumbled upon many tutorials that educated me on needing expensive gear, specifically lighting equipment. I didn’t have $3000 to buy one piece of lighting equipment at the time. But I’m the type of guy who thinks outside the box, so then I decided to go to my local Ikea and purchase 2x lamps. I went into my closet and cut a white t-shirt in half, which I used as a light diffuser. And with some practice and learning to maneuver the lights, I got a decent product shot. At that moment, I told myself lighting is the most important thing in photography. That’s when I dedicated myself to learning how to light. From there, the rest is history; now, I’m known as the lighting guru in the photography field. I did that for a bit and shot a lot of celebrity editorials, which kickstarted my career. Of course, you keep evolving as an artist, so I started learning how to film. At that point in my career, I knew that directing was my journey, and I fell in love with telling stories. And now, I’ve won multiple awards for my film and continuously pushed myself to be better than my yesterday self.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a big foodie, so fine dining is my go-to. I love hanging around the coast and going to five-star restaurants. I am also spontaneous, so I love to do things on a whim. Escape rooms are fun as well, and I love going to a place where you can think and have fun at the same time. I have a membership at Soho Houses, so I love ending the night there and getting a nice cocktail to unwind. Recently, I was introduced to theme parks differently, so I’ve been creative by taking pictures/portraits there. But overall, I love going out, having a good time, and enjoying life.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of people in my life who helped me pave the way to my success. Not only the people who supported me but also those who didn’t support me. Those are my biggest motivations in life: to prove to those who didn’t believe in me. When I started, plenty of people told me I should find a natural job cause photography is a hobby, not a career. This pushed me to prove all those people wrong. Do you think they deserve a shoutout? Probably not, but I know who they are, and those helped me to keep improving myself.

Now, for those who supported me, there are also a handful of them. And I can’t give one person all the credit. Those family and friends guided me and helped me decide on things that elevated my career. From a simple “great job” to more elaborate and intimate conversations, these people will always be on my list. A good friend of mine named Rafal Cwiok (filmmaker) shed some light on some of the decisions I made in the past that helped me fine-tune my career. Aside from him, there are a few more, but this list will fill up if I mention everyone. I’ll wait to say them once I accept my Best Director Academy Award lol.

Website: www.isaacalvarez.com

Instagram: @isaacealvarez

Twitter: @isaacealvarez

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