From Viral YouTube Shorts To A Multi-Million Dollar Feature Debut With Felipe Vargas

In this episode, I am joined by filmmaker Felipe Vargas - whose viral horror short films helped him land his feature film debut Rosario.

Throughout our discussion, we explore Felipe’s journey from DIY shorts to large scale feature productions and lessons learned along the way.

Topics covered include: 

• How Felipe's childhood passion for horror and folklore shaped his filmmaking style
• The success of his short films, including Milk Teeth which garnered 15 million views on YouTube
• The realities of getting representation and what comes after
• How his feature film Rosario came together after developing relationships with producers
• Shooting across two countries (New York and Colombia) on a sub-$10 million budget
• The importance of being consistently productive and self-generative as a filmmaker
• Using test screenings effectively and the value of planning for pickup shots
• The unique character-first approach Felipe uses to break down scripts and scenes

Links from the show:

Felipe Vargas - Instagram

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