Hey – it’s the weekend!  Let’s make Guacamole!  How hard can it be?  I think I’ve got a recipe by PES somewhere…..

Here are a few recipe notes from film-maker PES, compiled from various interviews:

Salon Magazine: Have you ever calculated the number of hours of work that go into each second of your finished film?

No. I try not to do that, really. The funny thing about it is, I would almost guarantee that I spend more time thinking about a film than shooting it. I work on these ideas for years, you know, I finally reach a point where I’m like, “OK, I’m ready to shoot this.” I really don’t like to pick up a camera until I’m ready to go and I know the ending and I have a clear vision of everything. I produced “Fresh Guacamole” in four months, which seems like a long time to a lot of people for a 1 minute 40 second film. My friend told me I’ve been thinking about it since 2004, as far as he can remember.

full interview at: http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/pes_i_worked_on_this_for_years

In a Creative Review UK, he gave movie making tips:

“Something I encourage all filmmakers to do is make your ideas as short as possible. Your goal isn’t to make the longest film you can make, it’s to get rid of anything superfluous,” he says.

“I also kind of feel like it’s respectful to your viewer to not overstay your welcome. You should know the length of your idea…. The whole reason I do previs is to figure out what I don’t need as much as what I do … and my goal is always to find the simplest, most direct, leanest way to tell a story.”

He also stresses the importance of having a clear story arc. It’s a simple concept, but one that is all too often overlooked in overly long ads.