My interview with the Director of "Tinsel" and "Man On The Roof"
Mikel Ledesma is a fairly young guy on the Indie film scene. Born in 1991 in Texas he as focused and determined to make it in the industry as any seasoned director. A fortitude of character that has already paid off for him as his first ever short film "Tinsel" has garnered praise from the Independent film community, most recently being nominated for best short film at the San Antonio Horrific Film Festival. The film did when best F/X for a short film, an achievement that he proudly sees as validation for the hard work that went into the movie's production and opposition he delt with on his choice of career.
"Tinsel" told the story of a young girl who feared Christmas for one reason only. The Tinsel Killer, a soul so evil and twisted by childhood tragedy that he sought to kill anyone who dared decorate their tree with the festive foil. The movie was impressive to say the least. A strong body count, plenty of blood splatter and a clever twist to the plot that really leaves the story open for future exploration. Something that Mikel is not too keen on at the moment but admits that the idea has found it's way around the office at Twisted L Films. The acceptance that Mikel Ledesma recieved from the horror community gave him a stronger drive to focus on a bigger project. His first feature length film tentatively titled "Man On The Roof". A very modern story with originality and daring written all over it. More about this film later further down in the article.
At the ripe old age of 21 Mikel Ledesma has already been awarded for his accomplishment but his biggest award comes from the acknowledgement from those dearest to him, his family. Those voices of opposition I mentioned earlier? Several came from Mikel's inner sanctum and to finally be able to show that he was serious and had a gift for story telling is a much bigger reward for any young talent starting out. A talent that was first sparked at the tender age of 10 when he saw "The Problem Child". The title character was one he felt he related to and that connection told Mikel Ledesma that there was something special about film, something he wanted to be apart of and share with others. Later after watching "Jeepers Creepers" he set out to determined to succeed in the art of making movies. Something that he is well on his way to doing. If "Man On The Roof" looks as awesome as it sounds, and based on "Tinsel" it will be then Mikel Ledesma has a long career ahead of him. I recently had a great chat with the young director about his work, most importantly about this most creative new project "Man On The Roof" and his next film in line "Crazy & Beautiful".
ASouthernLife: "Man On The Roof"..who's idea was it to do this concept?
Mikel Ledesma: The concept of "Man On The Roof" actually came from me.
My cousin used to swear to us that she would see a Man On The Roof on the neighbors roof, and I took her horrible vision and ran with it.
ASouthernLife: wow...did anyone else see the man on the neighbors roof?
Mikel Ledesma: No, Just her. And now that I am making the movie. She is totally against it.
ASouthernLife: Aw..maybe once she sees the movie she will be okay, so can you give any details about the movie? Is everything still on schedule and will there be a lot of blood?
Mikel Ledesma: Well I took the movie and the story to another level, and made some major changes so it wouldn't be so much like what she went through. I wanted to make something different and visual. I wanted dark, scary, gory, sexy, etc. I wanted to give the horror hounds what they want. The movie will be another shocker like Tinsel was, Expect the unexpected. Can I give you any details? I can, There will be a very high body count. I think we have 23 deaths. And they all die really cool. I will give away 2 death scenes, We have a scalping scene, and a bong kill scene. This movie is more on the torture porn side, instead of people just getting stabbed. They actually get tormented and tortured. There will be TONS TONS TONS of blood. We stepped it up a lot, this film will have nothing on "Tinsel". Everyone is in for a treat!! And as of right now, we are still on schedule. And the film is expected to drop 3.13.13
ASouthernLife: So it has a grittier more grindhouse feel than a slasher feel. oh and thanks for the death scene details...so far the film sounds pretty killer.
Mikel Ledesma: Yes it will be way more grittier, and more thrilling. We are building up the suspense a lot. Yes, I don't think we can consider this one a slasher. But Horror fans will be pleased. I Promise. We are getting a great response from everyone who has read the script. Everyone is saying we stepped it up a lot.
ASouthernLife: "Man On The Roof" sounds like it will make horror fans happy, may even create new fans.
Mikel Ledesma: I think we will set the bar REALLY high with "MOTR". It is just such a different story. And I feel like it just hasn't been done. And everyone deserves something different, and not the same old recycled stuff.
ASouthernLife: After this film you have "Crazy& Beautiful" want to talk a little about that one?
Mikel Ledesma: Yes, "Crazy&Beautiful" is my next film. I can't wait to give everyone a sneak peek of it. YOU ARE FIRST TO HEAR ABOUT IT!! No one's been told anything about it, except the people who are a part of the film. We just sent the script out also. And everyone is seeming to LOVE it!
Not only did Ledesma give me some juicy details on "Man On The Roof" as far as gore and kill scenes and what to expect but he did also let me know about some new details concerning the "Crazy & Beautiful" project which I will share later. It will be a film totally different from the two projects Mikel Ledesma and Twisted L Films are doing at the moment and should show this new kid on the scene can be proficient and clever. Although his love lies with horror he is eager to explore concepts that reach into other areas which will be evident once "Crazy & Beautiful" begins production in the future. A film that is a revision of the classic Romeo & Juliet story.
Mikel Ledesma has a busy schedule with "Tinsel" still going out to festivals, production gearing up for "Man On The Roof" and "Crazy & Beautiful" already on paper but Ledesma already has an idea for a web series that will bring him back to his passion. He told me that he is toying with the idea of a horror web series sometimes in the future when he finishes these projects. Plus you never know if the Tinsel Killer will ever live to slay another season! Maybe not but anytime soon but an idea is a seed just waiting to grow into something fantastic. My words not his. "Tinsel" is done, officially and will live wonderfully as a short film that is one hell of a slay ride into life psychotic.
For now with the recent and affirming acknowledgement from family and horror community alike Mike Ledesma has his sights on the next phase of his life. Making new completely original movies that are modern and twisted beautifully. I think the bigger of which is finally feeling he has gained respect and approval from his father who is someone he looks up to and means the world to him. His words not mine. Although even if they were mine they would still be true. The moment he saw his Dad's face light up when he Skyped him, showing him the award, it validated all the days of struggle leading up until that moment where worth it and this young man who considered himself to be a "problem child" was now an accomplished director and the son of a proud father.
Mikel Ledesma is a fairly young guy on the Indie film scene. Born in 1991 in Texas he as focused and determined to make it in the industry as any seasoned director. A fortitude of character that has already paid off for him as his first ever short film "Tinsel" has garnered praise from the Independent film community, most recently being nominated for best short film at the San Antonio Horrific Film Festival. The film did when best F/X for a short film, an achievement that he proudly sees as validation for the hard work that went into the movie's production and opposition he delt with on his choice of career.
"Tinsel" told the story of a young girl who feared Christmas for one reason only. The Tinsel Killer, a soul so evil and twisted by childhood tragedy that he sought to kill anyone who dared decorate their tree with the festive foil. The movie was impressive to say the least. A strong body count, plenty of blood splatter and a clever twist to the plot that really leaves the story open for future exploration. Something that Mikel is not too keen on at the moment but admits that the idea has found it's way around the office at Twisted L Films. The acceptance that Mikel Ledesma recieved from the horror community gave him a stronger drive to focus on a bigger project. His first feature length film tentatively titled "Man On The Roof". A very modern story with originality and daring written all over it. More about this film later further down in the article.
At the ripe old age of 21 Mikel Ledesma has already been awarded for his accomplishment but his biggest award comes from the acknowledgement from those dearest to him, his family. Those voices of opposition I mentioned earlier? Several came from Mikel's inner sanctum and to finally be able to show that he was serious and had a gift for story telling is a much bigger reward for any young talent starting out. A talent that was first sparked at the tender age of 10 when he saw "The Problem Child". The title character was one he felt he related to and that connection told Mikel Ledesma that there was something special about film, something he wanted to be apart of and share with others. Later after watching "Jeepers Creepers" he set out to determined to succeed in the art of making movies. Something that he is well on his way to doing. If "Man On The Roof" looks as awesome as it sounds, and based on "Tinsel" it will be then Mikel Ledesma has a long career ahead of him. I recently had a great chat with the young director about his work, most importantly about this most creative new project "Man On The Roof" and his next film in line "Crazy & Beautiful".ASouthernLife: "Man On The Roof"..who's idea was it to do this concept?
Mikel Ledesma: The concept of "Man On The Roof" actually came from me.
My cousin used to swear to us that she would see a Man On The Roof on the neighbors roof, and I took her horrible vision and ran with it.
ASouthernLife: wow...did anyone else see the man on the neighbors roof?
Mikel Ledesma: No, Just her. And now that I am making the movie. She is totally against it.
ASouthernLife: Aw..maybe once she sees the movie she will be okay, so can you give any details about the movie? Is everything still on schedule and will there be a lot of blood?
Mikel Ledesma: Well I took the movie and the story to another level, and made some major changes so it wouldn't be so much like what she went through. I wanted to make something different and visual. I wanted dark, scary, gory, sexy, etc. I wanted to give the horror hounds what they want. The movie will be another shocker like Tinsel was, Expect the unexpected. Can I give you any details? I can, There will be a very high body count. I think we have 23 deaths. And they all die really cool. I will give away 2 death scenes, We have a scalping scene, and a bong kill scene. This movie is more on the torture porn side, instead of people just getting stabbed. They actually get tormented and tortured. There will be TONS TONS TONS of blood. We stepped it up a lot, this film will have nothing on "Tinsel". Everyone is in for a treat!! And as of right now, we are still on schedule. And the film is expected to drop 3.13.13
ASouthernLife: So it has a grittier more grindhouse feel than a slasher feel. oh and thanks for the death scene details...so far the film sounds pretty killer.
Mikel Ledesma: Yes it will be way more grittier, and more thrilling. We are building up the suspense a lot. Yes, I don't think we can consider this one a slasher. But Horror fans will be pleased. I Promise. We are getting a great response from everyone who has read the script. Everyone is saying we stepped it up a lot.
ASouthernLife: "Man On The Roof" sounds like it will make horror fans happy, may even create new fans.
Mikel Ledesma: I think we will set the bar REALLY high with "MOTR". It is just such a different story. And I feel like it just hasn't been done. And everyone deserves something different, and not the same old recycled stuff.
ASouthernLife: After this film you have "Crazy& Beautiful" want to talk a little about that one?
Mikel Ledesma: Yes, "Crazy&Beautiful" is my next film. I can't wait to give everyone a sneak peek of it. YOU ARE FIRST TO HEAR ABOUT IT!! No one's been told anything about it, except the people who are a part of the film. We just sent the script out also. And everyone is seeming to LOVE it!
Not only did Ledesma give me some juicy details on "Man On The Roof" as far as gore and kill scenes and what to expect but he did also let me know about some new details concerning the "Crazy & Beautiful" project which I will share later. It will be a film totally different from the two projects Mikel Ledesma and Twisted L Films are doing at the moment and should show this new kid on the scene can be proficient and clever. Although his love lies with horror he is eager to explore concepts that reach into other areas which will be evident once "Crazy & Beautiful" begins production in the future. A film that is a revision of the classic Romeo & Juliet story. Mikel Ledesma has a busy schedule with "Tinsel" still going out to festivals, production gearing up for "Man On The Roof" and "Crazy & Beautiful" already on paper but Ledesma already has an idea for a web series that will bring him back to his passion. He told me that he is toying with the idea of a horror web series sometimes in the future when he finishes these projects. Plus you never know if the Tinsel Killer will ever live to slay another season! Maybe not but anytime soon but an idea is a seed just waiting to grow into something fantastic. My words not his. "Tinsel" is done, officially and will live wonderfully as a short film that is one hell of a slay ride into life psychotic.
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