Taking Filmmaking into Your Own Hands with Eduardo Castrillo
Eduardo Castrillo is an indie filmmaker in the Bay Area with thirteen years of experience, seven films, and a production company.
The son of divorced parents, Castrillo grew up dividing his time between the Bay Area in Northern California and Orange County in Southern California. “The cultures are a bit different, and if I was in Southern California for something and I came back to Northern California, I would miss a phase of music or clothing or something. It would just be wild to me.”
When Castrillo was a teenager, he got into sports. However, he and his friends would often skip Friday practice to go to the movies, where Castrillo’s true passion began. When Once Upon a Time in Mexico premiered in September of 2003, there was no looking back for him.
Castrillo has been making films since he was eighteen. He went to the Art Institute in San Francisco and swears by film school for any aspiring filmmaker. “I’m very adamant about film school. I think people should go because you do learn things you wouldn’t learn from a YouTube tutorial.”
When he first started in the industry, Castrillo was disappointed to realize that success as a filmmaker didn’t mean an immediate ticket to Hollywood. “You hear the golden ticket, the lottery stories, a lot of people release their films at Sundance, and next thing you know, you get job offers. It’s really not like that.”
While he has had the chance to work under producers before, Castrillo finds enjoyment in the freedom that comes with being an indie filmmaker. “I’ve worked under producers before, and I’ve gotten projects I wasn’t fully happy with; things I didn’t get to edit or don’t have the final say.” Despite this, Castrillo acknowledges that every film he makes is very much a team effort. “Giving up freedom is different than collaboration.” He sheepishly admits that, while he enjoys taking the lead and having creative control, “If I don’t know what’s going on, I will say it.”
Castrillo’s method of producing films is to save up enough money to get started on a project. “Money gets you time,” he explains. He doesn’t know where he gets the rest of the money after he gets a project started. “It’s not the smartest way to go, [but] let’s get the momentum going.” To film Worth, his sports drama about an aspiring Muay Thai fighter, he made extensive use of the actual gym that he frequented to practice Muay Thai. “I knew I had access to a gym and fighters in that type of world.” This type of resourcefulness is necessary for indie filmmaking. The result is not always the most polished work, but according to him, “you do the best you can at your level.”
Castrillo does what he does for the love of film. He’s not looking to be the next top Hollywood director (although he certainly wouldn’t turn the job down). “You make the movie for yourself and your audience,” he says.
Most of all, Castrillo loves the experience of being on set. The story is essential, and the scriptwriting process comes second to production. “I have this World War II idea. What can I draw from that? I put stuff down, I try to make the characters a little bit different, and then I roll with it.”
Above all, Castrillo is always looking towards the future. He is excited to share his next film, a World War II story featuring a prominent Latino cast. His new film just wrapped production earlier this year.