Who are you and what’s your filmmaking background?
My name is Ricardo Andres Lugo. I’ve been making films for close to nine years. I started making them in high school after my former best friend and I got in trouble with the dean of my school. My best friend wanted revenge and got the bright idea to make a video parodying the dean. While I was making that video, I realized that was the happiest I’d ever been in my life and I knew I wanted to keep doing it. I’ve been making films ever since. A film that I’ve done that has gotten some notoriety within the past few years is my film ”The Devil’s Due,” which premiered at Miami Supercon 2015 and got official selection at The Boca Black Film Festival, The Miami Life Awards, and The 15 minutes of Fame Film Festival. I love the entire process of filmmaking; I love writing, directing, editing, and even doing sound.
Ricardo Lugo’s “Above the Skyline”
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on two projects right now. “Ardor,” a silent romance and “Above The Skyline,” a documentary about the band of the same name and their trials and tribulations in the independent music industry.
What are you promoting?
I’m promoting “Above the Skyline” on my social media channels and website.
What do you want the audience to take away from your films?
I want my audiences to be entertained first, but I want them to feel intellectually stimulated as well. We have so much brainless action films in cinema right now (cough, cough… All the Transformers movies!), so I want my audiences to view my films and say, “That was a good, well written story.”
What’s your favorite story from filmmaking?
How Robert Rodriguez got funding for his film “El Mariachi” and how he loved film so much that he became a human lab rat in order to get the money to make his film is one of my favorite film stories.
Filmmaker Ricardo Lugo
What are your wildest dreams for your filmmaking career?
I just want to make a living telling the stories I want to tell. I wouldn’t mind getting famous, but only because it’ll allow me to give the woman I love the life she deserves.
What is something bizarre about you?
I actually really love the movie “The Notebook.” I think it’s one of the best modern romances. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling were great in the movie.
What currently inspires you?
My dreams to tell the stories I want to tell and the love of my life.
What’s your best advice for an aspiring filmmaker?
Take your camera and start making stuff, regardless of whether you have a DSLR or an everyday camcorder, because the sooner you start making films, the sooner you’ll learn. Sure, your first few films will suck, but once you start learning from your mistakes and accepting unbiased feedback, you’ll get better. Also, don’t be discouraged if you don’t win film festivals. There will be fests where you’ll lose to films that you know weren’t as good as yours, but as long as you make connections at the fest and get your name out there, that’s what matters.
Check out my comedic web-series “Fruit For Thought” and my other work at http://prizeboxproductions.com/ as well as my website https://ricardolugo1036.wordpress.com/
Watch my girlfriend Lauren McGarrett’s films on the Prize Box Productions website, she’s a way better filmmaker than me.
Watch and vote for “Above the Skyline” competing in 2016 Music Film and Video Contest on Audience Awards.
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