Interview With “Música” Director/Writer/Star Rudy Mancuso

[00:00:00] You are listening to The Next Best Picture Podcast and this is Dan Baer's interview with the writer, director and star of the film Music Us. Rudy Mengu So. Rudy? Are you even listening to me? Hello? I think you can do anything. I think you could do that but I also think that maybe there's a word for it. You put all this creativity just towards a stable job or something more consistent with actual money.

[00:00:30] Sorry. What? I'm Rudy. He's a Bella. She's a Bella Prasya. Prasya.

[00:00:43] Mom, what? Welcome everyone to The Next Best Picture Podcast where we are talking with Rudy Mengu So the writer, director and star of the new film Music. Rudy, thank you so much for joining us today.

[00:00:59] Thank you for having me. Happy to be here.

[00:01:01] Very excited to be speaking to you today. This was one of my favorite films that premiered at South by Southwest that just happened and I've also been a fan of the Akron puppet show on YouTube for years that you started on years ago.

[00:01:18] And before doing that, you were making content on Vine if I recall correctly. So I'm curious when the idea for a feature film came about for you and what made it this particular film?

[00:01:34] Yeah, the inception of the idea for music I think arrived before any of the things you just mentioned. I think before a professional career in creating and making short videos and directing music videos.

[00:01:53] The goal was always make a film and make it as personal as possible that explored synesthesia, that explored Brazilian culture.

[00:02:02] When, where, how I didn't know I had to answer those questions, but I knew that that was the long term goal. And I got lucky enough to have a career creating.

[00:02:13] And I knew that all those things just mentioned from Vine to YouTube, to awkward puppets, to redirecting music videos, to composing for TV, were all in an avenue to to arriving at at Mozita, which was the feature of my dream, the first feature my dreams.

[00:02:35] And one of the things that I really loved reading in the production notes for this is that you cited Charlie Chaplin as an influence because of how he did everything and stories that he knew that he can tell with his skill set.

[00:02:51] And I'm curious when were you first introduced to Charlie Chaplin, and how did that affect your work going forward?

[00:02:59] And as early as middle school, we would watch clips of early Chaplin. I remember watching the kid in the immigrant. He's actually right here by the way. He's with us.

[00:03:12] Oh, I love that tattoo. That's great.

[00:03:15] And I remember reading about how he really was a one human band. And not only would he, where he lead his films as an actor and performer, but he would direct them. He would compose the score.

[00:03:28] He would physically edit them. You'd cut the film himself in the cutting room, he would choreograph the dance sequences and the stunts. And that was the first time I heard of somebody being this really all encompassing creator.

[00:03:43] And as somebody who also dreamed of doing all those things, and not knowing if it was possible Chaplin's early work was a reminder that it was. So I always looked up to him more, more than anything for his ability to wear so many hats.

[00:03:59] It is possible to do all those things. And it is possible to do all those things well.

[00:04:04] Absolutely it is. And his work is he's one of my favorite filmmakers. So I really loved reading that about you.

[00:04:12] Musica is really about synesthesia, but you never really name it in the film. Was that intentional and why or why not?

[00:04:26] Yeah, I wanted to explain the experience and the perspective as little as possible. It was more like a would rather rather shown and not told aside from the scene where Rudy's sitting with his bell and he attempts to explain to her in the park.

[00:04:41] This is kind of how I see the world and she accepts him for it. I know point wanted to give it a name, you know this isn't this isn't a film about somebody who's who's describing their symptoms in a in a clinical or medical way.

[00:05:01] It's more so about seeing it, it's seeing the perspective unfold in real time. And if he does explain it explain it as subtly and little as possible because at the time I didn't know that there was a name for the time that I was having his experiences growing up.

[00:05:18] So that that what synesthesia was, I didn't know that this was a neurological condition that a lot of people have and there's a lot of research about.

[00:05:28] So it only felt more authentic for the Rudy in this film to not know about it either.

[00:05:34] That makes sense. You talk about that scene in the park with Isabella, which is so vibrant and all of the music sequences in the film I think are really vibrant and joyous sort of explosions of music instead of just you know music being played.

[00:05:51] Did you have all of those sequences like really mapped out in your head before going into filming like is what we see exactly what was in your mind when you were writing this movie.

[00:06:04] Hell yeah was.

[00:06:06] I wrote the music and conceived the musical set pieces.

[00:06:11] Before the script was even finished, we actually wrote the script and worked the story around those set pieces. I already knew how I wanted to become an editor so I know I wanted to be cut which is which was massively helpful by the time we were there on the day shooting.

[00:06:33] So all the musical sequences came first before even the story.

[00:06:38] Yeah, yeah.

[00:06:40] In fact the park, the music for the park and for the opening diner scene in the fish market were recorded via demos of all that stuff before we even got greenlit to make a film.

[00:06:51] I love that as a former dancer and choreographer I especially love that it's so helpful to anyone we sent the script to we also had a short to show them which was like a makeshift version of the opening diner scene and a bunch of music to show them so the vision was very locked by then.

[00:07:08] I was going to ask what the journey to financing was like for this project, you know being that it's your first feature and there's a lot about it that is very unexpected and fresh in terms of the point of view and how you go about telling the story.

[00:07:25] So what were the reaction from people like?

[00:07:28] Yes, I suppose the advantage that I had a lot of first time filmmakers maybe don't is having a following with an array of hundreds of videos that I culminated over many years were auditioned a lot of the idea that ended up being reimagined for the film everything from the water to the treating items and miscellaneous objects as instruments.

[00:07:52] So I was a version of almost every set piece in music that exists on my YouTube, my social or my shorts, Ruppers War.

[00:08:02] So when I was in the room pitching it pitching the story I had so much to pull from I so much to show on top of that I shot a short that was essentially a four man's version of the opening scene and a diner this is like five almost five years ago now.

[00:08:19] And when we went to market I would show that clip and I said this is represents a version of the opening scene and it's almost shot for a shot when ended up being in the film obviously the film is a little bit bigger it's a bit more elaborate and elevated but but it's pretty damn close.

[00:08:37] I gave the studio confidence in me as a filmmaker and also like every idea I had that might have seemed a little bit crazy or out there.

[00:08:45] I could defend and justify because of all this stuff that I had I had auditioned on the internet years prior so yeah I met Dan Lagana became my co writer who I fell in love with his style and his he helped guide me through writing a feature script and structuring a feature screenplay because I never done it.

[00:09:06] I'm myself Wonderland Mary Viola Wonderland we went into Amazon with this package and and they loved it in the rest of history.

[00:09:14] Very very cool and I'm glad that you brought up that one because that was definitely the moment in the film that made my jaw drop once I realize what was happening.

[00:09:27] I because it's not just a wonder for the sake of a one or we're following Rudy as he systematically lies to all the women in his life and the connecting thread between that so I'm assuming that you always envisioned it as one take.

[00:09:44] Yeah, how it was going to look yeah so how much time did you spend planning rehearsing and shooting that scene.

[00:09:52] Not enough but I think my fantastic D.P. Shane and her production is under Patrick Sullivan for helping conceive this schematic and geography on how to pull it off I mean you know there's never quite enough time or money or resources to pull these grander ideas off.

[00:10:11] But we fought and fought and fought and finally found a way to make it work on a stage it was it was kind of an essential to me this one or not the sake of being a one or but the nature of trying to pull off a five minute long duration take with movable sets being assembled and disassembled in real time.

[00:10:34] And the geography of the camera you know tracking room you from behind the rotate nine degrees and then retrace in a step backwards and rotating 180 degrees and then finally landing back where we start.

[00:10:45] It's chaotic and it's difficult and it's challenging and it's thrilling and the whole cast crew is in it together and that was very reflective of what Rudy the character was experiencing that films trying to balance and control the chaos of his life so.

[00:11:00] The frantic nature of a one or was very much emulating what Rudy is the character was experiencing so that it made so much sense to me and also lend itself to.

[00:11:10] The style tone of the film where sometimes we do take these musical and theatrical leaps absolutely and it took about half a day rehearsing and half a day to shoot and no one took everyone told me it wouldn't be possible and they said it's going to end up in the cutting room floor.

[00:11:26] Better hover your ass get another cover and then a few different angles or plan for a reshoot.

[00:11:33] You know what that happened to all of our listeners of the next best picture podcast we know you love movies we do too.

[00:11:40] Do you like going to the theater well regal unlimited just makes sense regal unlimited is the all you can watch movie subscription past that pays for itself in just two visits see any standard 2d movie anytime with no blackout days.

[00:11:56] Or restrictions when you want to watch a movie in a premium format like 40X i max RPX or screen X your regal unlimited membership gets you into his premium experiences at reduced cost and with regal unlimited you won't just save money on tickets.

[00:12:14] You'll also save on snacks members get 10% off on all non alcoholic concession items so if you're planning to see two movies this month just too you need to join regal unlimited.

[00:12:25] Sign up now in the regal app or on reg movies dot com slash unlimited that's our eG movies dot com slash limited and you can tell them next best picture set you with the promo code slash regal nbp 24 that slash regal nbp 24.

[00:12:47] How many takes did you do before you were satisfied?

[00:12:51] I think it was 14 takes all.

[00:12:53] Wow and did you end up using the last one the 14th?

[00:12:58] No, I think not mistaken it was it was like the 10th or 11th there was a take I really love that I believe was take 7.

[00:13:08] And there were just a couple of beats and cues that landed landed better in a later take but it wasn't elastic.

[00:13:16] That's always cool how those things worked out and how you feel like what you feel and what you see on set can sometimes be changed when you see the final product.

[00:13:24] Yeah, it's very cool how that happens.

[00:13:26] Yeah, more times than none I might have been using the very first take or the very last.

[00:13:31] You know, I have to say because I love my mother and she she is an excellent actress.

[00:13:39] I cannot imagine casting her in my feature film debut and what that dynamic would be like so why why put yourself through that?

[00:13:55] Yeah, well quite simply because she was the only person that could play herself and represent what my mother meant to me growing up.

[00:14:06] And as authentic a way as possible in the world so it's challenging obviously working with your mother it's you know it's it's a triggering anxiety inducing pain the ass also so fun because my mom is very funny and very energetic.

[00:14:22] The reason why I am the way I am and do what I do so what a dream to be able to cast my actual mother to play my mother that was always the goal if I was told for some reason that wasn't possible.

[00:14:32] I wouldn't have had that character in the film because no one could really feel those for those shoes she's she has a unique ability to be herself on a polygetically on an off camera so I needed to use that I needed to.

[00:14:45] How did you navigate that dynamic and set.

[00:14:50] To be honest I had a conversation with my D.P. earlier on and not just for my mother but for for for pretty much every character where there's any a and B dialogue exchange.

[00:15:02] I want to cross shoot so that we can improv and we can capture the nuances of the performances with my mom we even had three cameras a lot of times at two overs and one two shot rolling at all times.

[00:15:16] I noticed that with my mom it was less about you know let's rehearse the scene let's try and nail the lines and get a performance she couldn't really remember the lines doesn't really understand film shooting so.

[00:15:27] I ignored the pages completely and I told her ignore the pages and we just had a conversation I would steer it to hit certain beats so a lot of what you're seeing is just real natural back and forth from my mother and I.

[00:15:39] What any any feels real natural you can feel the dynamic between you and also like your mother is wonderfully charismatic and like you said like just so unapologetically herself she's she's a joy to watch and can only imagine what that must have been like for you on set.

[00:15:57] Yeah it was a challenge but ultimately very rewarding I can imagine and then I paid off you know the other thing that that paid off I think for the movie is shooting on location in the iron band neighborhood of Newark New Jersey and that's where you grew up right.

[00:16:19] I lived in Glen on Ridge New Jersey which was 10 15 minutes from from Newark but we spent like almost all of our time in Newark that's where our family friends were that's where my mother would do her shopping and aside from sleeping that's where we spent all our time so.

[00:16:35] So it was and the reason was because it's tight knit Brazilian neighborhood it was super diverse but it was primarily Brazilian and Portuguese so my mother felt really at home really welcomed as did I can't say the same for other towns in New Jersey so we're able to shoot there in the actual streets that I would walk growing up my entire life we shot in the actual fish market that we'd buy fish growing up we shot my mom's actual home where my childhood home where I grew up.

[00:17:04] Which not a lot of filmmakers have the opportunity to do yeah now it's incredible and you know especially that that scene in the park that we were talking about earlier with Isabella it really does feel like you just like happened upon music that was just happening in the park.

[00:17:20] It has a real communal feel to it and I'm wondering like did you when you were shooting did the community like get involved in any way where they're like lots of onlookers or like did you look at local musicians at all.

[00:17:36] Yeah both there were tons of local folk who ended up being a part of the film in some way they would offer their stores and in cafes as locations or catering on there are a lot of a lot of our rhythm performers were newer for New York locals.

[00:17:54] A lot of which happens to be Brazilian as well the park was an ambitious ambitious one to tackle because it was such pivotal moment between Rudy and Isabella for a story while also being a very complex musical set piece those are first day shooting at first two days of shooting in the park wow that's a that's a wonderful for the first day yeah no it's the ambitious first first two days but it also was really helpful.

[00:18:19] It kind of set the tone for the rest of the shoot and we started with such a complex piece so it educated the whole crew on how we were doing the music in this thing because it's one thing to see it on paper here about it another thing to actualize it we recorded all of our sounds live.

[00:18:36] And that's a very unconventional thing to do again it paid off yeah it looks and sounds great is someone whose career has really grown with the Internet.

[00:18:48] Starting with the fine and then going through all these other things how do you see the Internet as a kind of talent incubator and outlet for creative expression well for me I tribute all this to success on the Internet it was where I was able to do with no parameters tell any story I wanted to tell and one of the only places where you can do that and you don't need to go to the Internet.

[00:19:17] And you don't need much if you have a phone you could tell pretty much any story you want to tell I learned language or making videos in six seconds that eventually turned into 15 then a minute and then five minutes the music videos the TV was a natural evolution and progression and it's all spirited by creating on on the Internet it was a tool was a free tool and I was able to make any song I wanted to tell any story I wanted

[00:19:46] to play any character with no one telling me how why or when it's the only place where you can do that and had not been for for countless ideas that I auditioned on the Internet I probably have gone opportunity to make this movie.

[00:20:04] I really like that phrase you think you keep saying you auditioned these pieces on the Internet it's a really.

[00:20:10] Everything I've done in the Internet has been auditioned for this movie.

[00:20:14] I think all that experience and practice that you got it really shows the movies insanely ambitious first feature and you pulled it off in something really entertaining and unique so thank you for the movie.

[00:20:27] Thank you for joining us today looking forward to whatever you have coming next.

[00:20:34] Yeah well we'll be sitting here on the next one for sure talking about more things that I did that caused anxiety.

[00:20:41] I look forward to it Rudy thanks so much again.

[00:20:44] Thank you appreciate it then.

[00:20:46] Here everyone thank you so much for listening to Dan Bears in review with the writer director and star of the new film Musica Rudy Nankusso here on the next best picture podcast.

[00:20:56] Musica is now currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

[00:21:01] You have been listening to the next best picture podcast we are proud to be part of the evergreen podcast networked and you can subscribe to us anywhere where you subscribe to podcasts.

[00:21:10] Be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know what you think of the show.

[00:21:13] We really appreciate your feedback and your support which you can also lend on over at Patreon for one dollar minimum a month you'll get an exclusive podcast content from us.

[00:21:23] Thank you all so much for listening as always and we will see you all next time.

[00:22:01] Hi I'm Christina Yerling-Biro host of the podcast pop culture confidential join me as I go way behind the scenes with some of the most influential people in entertainment and media.

[00:22:23] Here actors such as Successions Brian Cox talk about his favorite characters to play.

[00:22:28] There always has to be a mystery the audience have to be in a situation where they want to know what's going on.

[00:22:35] Meet studio execs like Pixar chief Pete Doctor and learn his secret on how he makes us cry.

[00:22:41] The motion is our first language and so many others who are defining popular culture from Obama speech writer David Lit to top chef host Padma Lakshmi.

[00:22:52] We don't often think about food politically or we don't want to but it really is.

[00:22:59] Join me search for pop culture confidential wherever you get your podcasts.