Meet Miles Lopez | Writer/Director

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

Hi Miles, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
If giving up was never an option, then keep going. That’s always been my standpoint on this. There’s a lot of filmmakers out there who seem to always have only one foot in, which to me, is the answer to that question already.

If you don’t have a true love and necessity to be a filmmaker, storyteller, or whatever your passion is, there’s nothing wrong with that. It can be a past-time that you do with your friends, or something you just enjoy learning about. However, if you’re not bleeding for this, you can’t be bummed or disappointed if it turns out to be harder than you expected, because it definitely will be.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think the biggest thing that sets me apart from other directors, is that my stories are very personal but also extremely raw. I like to direct with both my heart and my pride on my sleeve. Nothing is held back, and nothing is forced.

I like to look at things realistically and if something that I loved doesn’t make it into the film, I’m not one to make it about me and keep it in just to have it. I might look back and realize I was wrong about my vision. At the end of the day, it’s all about the story and how it makes you feel, so nothing’s personal.

In a similar vein, many writers and directors tend to hold onto their own perspectives too much when sculpting a character and it shows in the final product. Every director needs to pull from their own experiences and opinions, but at the same time, not be afraid to expose their own flaws to the audience. The most important thing when telling a story is to be honest. Even though it’s fiction, the audience can tell if you’re holding something back or not being personal enough with the characters you create.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think the best way to show someone LA who didn’t grow up here is to keep it loose. Of course I’d want to go all around and show them all the cool spots that they may have seen in movies, but LA has a lot more to offer than the false glamour that a lot of people come here for.

One of my favorite things to do has always been to just drive around without a destination. Let the city lead you. You’ll always end up finding a corner that you’ve never seen before, with local food that’s guaranteed to amaze you.

I would say the only place that I’m absolutely making a point to take them to eat though, is Chichen Itza, a Mexican restaurant in South Central that serves the most authentic food from Yucatán in Mexico. And if they don’t like it, I’m taking them straight to the airport.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The people I started with deserve so much thanks on my end. First off, my director or photography, Angelo Clarizio, is a loyal friend, but also someone who sleeps, breathes, and lives, filmmaking. Vince Lazzo is a talent manager who I’ve worked with for a long time, but he really gave me my first chance to prove myself when I was doing acting reels for his clients, and has always pushed me to be better than I thought I could be. Jonathan De La Torre is a good friend of mine who hired me to direct two different short films that he wanted to write and star in, which were both fantastic films with lots of heart. Noah Pinnt is a friend of mine from elementary school who is an editor and filmmaker that has grown a lot with me and we exchange lots of knowledge from our respective focuses which is great to have someone on either side to fill in the blanks. There’s many, many more, but those are a few of the people who stand out at this point in time.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miles_lopez/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mileslopez1?si=PEnBmUnMgorfVgmq

Image Credits
Lorna Lopez