Meet Rodriguez Jennings | Writer & Director

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

Hi Rodriguez, why did you pursue a creative career?
I was practically raised by film and television. Almost everything I’ve learned came from the silver screen. It was also my way of connecting with my family. My mother and father were always busy, but I could always connect with them through movies. I would always make my mother laugh was when I quoted Jim Carey’s lines from Liar Liar or the Grinch, and when my dad had downtime he would alway turn on Star Wars, old Westerns or Kung-Fu Movies, and would spend the whole time smiling or telling me about his favorite scenes, and characters. He was a big Yoda fan and went absolutely nuts watching Yoda fight Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones. I had never seen him that happy in my life. I loved these interactions and it’s something I wanted to capture. Being able to create characters that people can connect with, or having someone get excited when they watch their favorite movie scene they’ve seen a thousand times. It’s everything I want to accomplish as a filmmaker.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
To quote the great Spielberg “The most expensive habit in the world is celluloid, not heroin, and I need a fix every few years.” This is hilariously true, and when it comes to films production. It’s a harsh reality that filmmaking, and video production require a tremendous amount of money to make, and there are no guarantees of return or profit. Many filmmakers, including myself, have had to do without money, or connections. We’ve had to really build everything we have from the ground up.

It’s so easy for a lot of people in our field to get caught up in the latest cameras, or making their set look as professional as possible and not amateurish. But these things require so much money; money not everyone has. In all my years of experience I’ve met so many incredible artist that have brilliant screenplays ready to be made but wait 3-4 years for someone to give them the money to make it, and during this time, they lose their edge. This is something I was afraid would happen to me.

So in 2018 with 3 months on the production schedule, and $2000 I set out to direct my first feature length film “Honour Among Thieves.” I went through hell and back for this project. Admittedly the film is by no means a perfect movie, it has it’s fair share of audio issues, and due to some obvious budgetary constraints we weren’t able to take our time at the locations we were shooting at, so their is a lack of coverage. But all of these obstacles led to a more creative and unique film. A film that went on to premiere at the 2022 Malibu International Film Festival, and was a Semi-Finalist for Best Crime Drama at the the 2022 Lonely Wolf: London International Film Festival.

Truthfully, my film did not launch my career, in the same way that “Primer” launched Shane Carruth’s career. But for a punk with $2000, and a small crew of friends and family, that ain’t half bad. I always encourage other filmmakers young and old to do the same. Stop waiting for someone to deliver you a millions dollars, and go make your project. Take your time, and focus on what you can accomplish with what little money you have. If your story is there, and your cast and crew got your back there is no telling what you all can accomplish.

Just remember when your film is being projected on the big scene, the audience doesn’t care or know the difference between an Arri Alexa LF, and a Canon 7D. People just come to see a great story. The film industry is in a very strange place right now, and it need more independent artist and creatives, lets give em’ a good show.

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.
Confession time, I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan (yes I’m a dreaded expat lol). Before moving to Los Angeles I had a lot of people tell me all the scary and evil things about this city but I’ve always been an open minded individual. I have to say with all honestly that I love this City. Yes it has its struggles and problems but despite this I’ve met some of the best most genuine people out here. The key to navigating this place is making friends with the natives. The natives are the best and they always know the real spots, and they treat you with such hospitality, as long as you stay away from sports talk of course.

When a friend comes to visit I’m going to subject them to a hike in Franklin Canyon Park, followed by grabbing a burrito at El Tacote food truck in Northridge, for dinner maybe head over to the Sawtelle area for some Ramen at Ramenya. The next day go to the El Gato night market to splurge on some food, take a drive through the Santa Monica mountains during sunset, maybe hit up a club in Korea town for some drinks and dancing. Can’t forget about firing up the grill and have a big house party, and when its time to leave and I drive them to LAX, we’ll grab a burger at In & Out before saying farewell. There are a ton of other things I wanted to add to this list but I’d need to write a novel for that.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank my mother for always supporting me. Sometimes she and I were like oil and water, but she’s always had my back and never discouraged me from pursuing my dreams. I could not have gotten this far without her. Love you, you crazy woman!

Website: https://jenningsrodriguez.wixsite.com/rodriguezjennings

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAmUfj24cI1NksNm-pDN6bw

Image Credits
Mahiro Sato Tori Zaitonia Asher Osaze Rodriguez Jennings