SANTOS SKIN TO SKIN is an outsider’s story, a film about the love of family, music and overcoming loss. John Santos’ story transcends the individual into something we can all recognize and it uses music to get us there. He’s not just a musician. He’s a culture bearer, a historian and a father who looks to the future with the strength of the past. SKIN TO SKIN is a message we can use right about now, given what we’ve all gone through and the state of the world today.
Welcome to SxSW! Is this your first SxSW experience? Are you attending in person or doing the virtual fest?
We’re honored to bring this story to world premiere at SXSW in person for the first time before a live audience. SANTOS also has one virtual festival screening.
How did this whole project come together? Give me a rundown from the preparation to execution to now!
I’ve worked on other projects in Puerto Rico and Cuba, both music and straight documentaries, so I’m somewhat familiar with Caribbean culture. My co-producers had good arguments for making this movie; John is an acknowledged expert in Afro-Caribbean music; he’s consulted on numerous films about the subject; he’s had an amazing recording career. Still, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical in the beginning about doing another “music” film.
But John Santos is a complex individual as well as a great musician and that’s what piqued my interest. I love the music, but its the person that intrigued me. So, I wanted to tell a personal story with access to what motivates him – the struggles and joy for audiences to relate to in universal ways. And I could use music as a vessel to tell that story.
While working on a project, what’s your creative process?
The creative process is different from film to film. There is no formula. It takes time, a sense of openness to find the unfolding story in a documentary. Most importantly, I listen to the film and where it wants to go.
What was your biggest challenge with creating this feature, and what was the moment where you realized “Yes, this is IT!”?
The biggest challenge was asking John and Aida to talk about difficult things, to go closer rather than move away. We all experience life-changing loss at some point and it’s hard in documentary to get people to talk about those things, to reveal their true selves. It took time and trust. As far as the moment when you realize, “this is IT.” As I said before, listen to the film.
I am a tech person, so I would love to know about the visual design of the movie from the cameras to the formats used and how it was made from a technical standpoint!
We shot over a period of years so the technical aspects of the film changed. We started shooting HD and then moved on to 4k when that became available. Some of the more intimate sequences were shot with just myself and producer/cinematographer Ashley James. When we started the film, some of the performances sequences were shot with one or two cameras because, well, we didn’t have permission or the budget to do more than that. Later, we had as many as eleven cameras shooting the performances which made for “interesting” editing decisions.
The thrust of the SKIN TO SKIN design was always to show visually, often through cinema verite and montage , John’s motivation and employ music as a metaphor for his life. As a character-driven documentary we tried to use the soundtrack to carry the story into and transport us throughout the film.
What are you looking forward to the most about showing your movie at SxSW?
SXSW audiences! Known for being enthusiastic, diverse and cutting edge.
Where is this title going next? More festivals or a theatrical or streaming release?
We finished the film just in time to deliver to SXSW for a world premiere. There are festivals in the works for a west coast and east coast premiere and a hybrid limited theatrical release. We’re open to all of it and everything.
What is the one thing that you would say to someone who is wishing to get into making movies, especially now as the world is changing at such a fast pace?
One thing leads to another. Never give up.
And final question: what is the greatest movie you have ever seen at a film festival?
There are too many worthy films to have an ultimate favorite. A film festival favorite discovery is The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis, any of the DA Pennebaker films, Stanley Nelson makes great documentary films. Agnes Varda too. There’s a great Cuban filmmaker, Roberto Chile , who should be better known in the U.S. And there’s more. The list seems endless but worth the trouble to compile.
This film and many others like it will be showing at South By Southwest taking place March 11-20. For more information point your browser to www.sxsw.com!