Vipul Bindra: 0:04

Mario, thank you for coming and coming here to talk to me. It's always a pleasure talking to you. Anyway, how many sessions of talking have you had?

Mario Rangel: 0:14

Well, first of all, thank you, people for having me. I'm proud to be here. Let's talk film. I mean, we've uh, a lot of times uh, yeah and uh about everything. So, yeah, no, we seem to be here we've done so many projects together.

Vipul Bindra: 0:34

You've helped me out so much. You even helped me move. I mean, come on, uh, we've definitely built, I think, a strong fun uh friendship since, uh, since met, which is so crazy how we met. We can go into that story later, but yeah, and like we were talking.

Vipul Bindra: 0:48

The whole point of this is we already talk and you know so many times. There's so much information going around and I'm like people could so benefit from this and at least find some entertainment. I guess, at the most minimum who are in similar fields so happy to you know, record this and, um, you know, talk to you. So, for anyone doesn't know, you're helping me write my movie. We've done a lot of projects together. You know you're freelance filmmaker who's?

Vipul Bindra: 1:15

gone, 95 are now going back to freelance filmmaking so you know long journey, but let's start first with how we met. I think that'd be pretty cool.

Mario Rangel: 1:24

Yeah Well, we met October. I remember. Now November 2022. No, 2023. Three, so we've known each other.

Vipul Bindra: 1:39

What about a year and a half?

Mario Rangel: 1:40

I would say roughly, yeah, roughly a year and a half.

Vipul Bindra: 1:43

And funny enough. I've kind of talked about that story before. It was Daisy's movie right you were working for her so obviously I've talked my perspective. People have heard it how she approached me. I think it was in. Sean's podcast, and you know what I did but I want to know your perspective you were on the inside man you were working.

Mario Rangel: 2:02

You were working for her kind of full time pretty much.

Vipul Bindra: 2:04

And then you were also the AD on the inside man. You were working, you were the, you were her you know you were working for her kind of full-time pretty much, and then you were also the ad on the movie. You knew everything in on the inside. I didn't know. I was just coming from the outside. I didn't know any of the vision or anything yeah, I remember um.

Mario Rangel: 2:17

So okay, we were editing a film. She um shot like two years or like it was 2021. Okay, I remember they were in the middle of COVID they had like mask on.

Mario Rangel: 2:37

That I saw through the footage. So yeah, it a long time ago. So we were editing the film At that time. It was me as an editor with Kip he was another editor working with Daisy in that film. So the thing is there were a lot, a lot of issues with the film. I mean there were like whole full days without audio, like external audio.

Mario Rangel: 3:15

Oh wow, okay, so the amount of footage that we had to work with, we didn't have a story, okay, we didn't have a story. Okay, we didn't have a a full, full story. Um, so we had to come up with an idea of how to connect and build the story from what we have I mean because obviously, when they were shooting they uh daisy had, um, an idea of what she wanted to be Like.

Mario Rangel: 3:49

Obviously it's a really show. Uh, for anybody that doesn't know, the film is called uh, that one is called Milton, this music, okay, so it's like a, like a documentary comedy reality show. But even that people didn't do their jobs and there was no story okay. So from that we were okay, we have to write something. We have to write something and then shoot it. Yeah. Okay, and that's when.

Vipul Bindra: 4:21

So basically they have this footage from a couple years ago. I don't know. I mean, it's all right, it's not that that great quality in my opinion and from what I saw, obviously it was shot a couple years ago, so who knows what, what equipment and budget and everything they had. And, um, so you had no story. Basically you had some content and you started helping her basically write and build a story, that or new footage that could be shot to build it into a movie, into india.

Mario Rangel: 4:47

So we have like, okay, this is happening, this uh there with these artists. Right, it's about like artists making music uh for uh, for a show. So we start okay, let's write it from your perspective, from daisy's perspective, perspective, perspective uh, going through that uh journey. Okay, so that's how we wrote this uh like a parallel story uh about her and and and and with and her family through through one night, uh. So, yeah, we came in that from that idea and through that, then we started writing it. Uh, we were like four months writing that. It was like around how much? Like around 20 pages.

Vipul Bindra: 5:34

Yeah, pretty much something like that it was and you know why I loved it, which is so crazy? Because the ass sounded crazy.

Mario Rangel: 5:40

That's my thing the what uh, the ask from her that what she wanted me to do so essentially, uh, when I was approached and like I've talked about, a little bit before is, um, you know, I was shooting an event for a chamber.

Vipul Bindra: 5:53

She's obviously very active in the community which, by the way, daisy's amazing but at the time, you know, I didn't have that much, I didn't know her that well so she approached me she said hey, I have something I would love and obviously you know you get excited. But when I find out it's an indie movie, you know I kind of stay away from indie movies because there's not much budget. You know it's a challenge and you know, that's not my thing. So you know, I love movie making, but I also do this for money.

Mario Rangel: 6:18

You, know I have bills to pay. Same here.

Vipul Bindra: 6:25

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So as soon as I found out it's an indie movie, at first I was about to say no, but then I find her the way she wanted to do it she's like the challenge was very, very interesting, because it was like, hey, I want, we want to film this over one night and we have to film like 25, 20, 25 pages, whatever, and to build this movie around some footage. I already have remember at that time I had no, none of this idea. No, what, yeah, what?

Vipul Bindra: 6:45

the footage looked like what it did and I was like, hey, it won't match. First thing, I say she's like, well, it doesn't matter, because the way I'm gonna, we're gonna write it, it doesn't need to match. And I was like, but that's very intriguing. And also she said she wants to do multi-cam, which is not normal for movies. So she's like she wants to shoot three cameras she wants to do it all overnight.

Vipul Bindra: 7:02

She wants to somehow shoot, you know 20 30 minutes of footage, which is very much like my expertise. You know, multi-cam, uh, you know run gun type of thing right yeah. So I was like this is very much like an indie movie but shot like a corporate movie, but yet at the same time she's willing to give me like yeah well narrative at least what I shot was narrative, and then she wanted, uh, to give me somewhat of a creative control, like as in obviously it's her movie, her, your script, but like I can shoot it how I want to shoot it which is what you want to hear as a filmmaker right, and so I was intrigued.

Vipul Bindra: 7:34

I was like, okay, you have my attention.

Mario Rangel: 7:36

And then obviously I came to her office and that's when I met you for the first time, we met um.

Vipul Bindra: 7:42

So at that time, uh, we, I think I sent you the, the script yeah, I think I already had seen the shot list, or seen the shot list, yeah yeah, you already seen something, but obviously you read that that like how can I say that new script for the reshoots and it's like a short film? Like a short right.

Mario Rangel: 8:07

So, uh, I remember you were a little like like hesitant also I remember that, like a little hesitant, like okay, what is this, what is the project I want?

Vipul Bindra: 8:19

to like really understand, right, I remember that, I remember so yeah, but you know, if I'm putting up in my name which a I don't work for this credit credit, as you've seen. I don't care. We make awesome content. I don't care if anyone knows what I did or not. I mean, half my projects are nda, so people never know. You know what we did and that's fine with me, but this project, since it's a narrative, my name's gonna be on it and I don't want my name on anything, so you know exactly.

Vipul Bindra: 8:45

So for sure I wanted to definitely know what was going on what are you doing, like?

Mario Rangel: 8:49

what are you getting into? So, yeah, for sure, uh, I know, I know how how that feels even more if you, yeah, if it's an uh, an important project that and it's going to be your name as as one of the main um dps right, so I fully understand that. So that's why I remember also like trying like really to for you to understand what we're doing, and obviously, daisy, she wanted to do everything, like you said in one day.

Vipul Bindra: 9:21

Or one night, one night.

Mario Rangel: 9:23

Yeah, obviously. And then I said okay, but we mostly most of the shoots we have is at night. So if you want to do everything, well, let's see how. And that's when we decided, okay, let's do it night.

Vipul Bindra: 9:37

Everything at night, all night.

Mario Rangel: 9:38

Okay. So yeah, I mean.

Vipul Bindra: 9:42

and Daisy, she wanted to do multicam because I told her yeah, the only way you could have done it, the only way to do this in one night if you go multicam and if you which is what got me on. Just so you know. If it was single cam, I mean I probably said no so I think that's a good choice.

Mario Rangel: 10:00

Yeah, because no, there was no other way of doing filling all those pages.

Vipul Bindra: 10:04

Exactly, and that was the challenge that I liked.

Mario Rangel: 10:06

I was like ooh this is pretty intriguing, that was the challenge and yeah, so I remember after that, I think we had one more meeting, yeah, and it's so funny.

Vipul Bindra: 10:17

So talk about that, let's go there. So anyway. So I met with her and I obviously understood the challenge. I kind of had far more clarity and I met you. Obviously we're strangers kind of, yet You're somebody who works for her and so we meet, you know, she introduces me and I'm like okay, perfect, so you're the AD, so I'm going to kind of be working with you and my thing was okay.

Vipul Bindra: 10:36

So for me this to happen, I need to bring in my crew right People. I trust they don crew right people. I trust they don't have to be high. I don't say that people are. Great point is that they don't have to be the most expensive cam ops and dps. As long as they understand the tasks that work with me, that they can work at the pace that we want to work at, without, you know, making terrible content. Right, we obviously all understand we're not making a spielsberg movie here, of course, but at the same time I don't want to make trash, um, so anyway.

Vipul Bindra: 11:02

So I'm basically what I think the way I laid out was like hey, we can absolutely do that. Uh, the the only way I can do this is I'm gonna have to not be an operating dp because I need to be able to, you know, manage three cameras. I need to make sure they match, uh. So I'm gonna need three camera operators and I'd like to bring my own. And then I was like I'd like to bring a gaffer. You know, maybe some equipment, obviously like a, a van, a grip van, would be nice. And then I need an ac. I think we had one ac, you know what I mean for for an indie movie. That was a decent sized crew, right, and I laid that out. And then she said obviously, you know, we'll go over everything. And then, um, she reached out to me and she obviously wanted me to do it.

Vipul Bindra: 11:43

Now, here's, I think, one of the most awkward calls I've had, because she expected me to work at Indie Rates and I don't do that because, you know, to be real, I was very reasonable with her. I don't very much work at like just day rate thing, but, like I said, the project was interesting, but I'm like here's the minimum that you know I get out of bed for, right, we all have that, so anyway. So she called me and I was like, okay, absolutely I would love to. And you know she wanted me to work at bare minimum rates and I was like, well, a first, I can't find people to work at free or very minimum wage to come work on the project, and then, two, I need to have my bare. So the call kind of went bad.

Vipul Bindra: 12:23

You know, yeah, the first call beer, so the call kind of went bad. Uh, you know, so yeah, the first call, well, yeah, no, yeah, the meeting went great, but then when she called me to actually sign me up or whatever. I think the call went bad on my side, so I thought okay though it's fine, like we yeah, it's not gonna work out.

Vipul Bindra: 12:37

but what happened on the other side? Because now, obviously, yeah, a couple of days later I got the call saying, oh, we'll do it how you want to do it, which which I think, by the way, my ask was reasonable. Now, I wasn't. Obviously we're not cheap, like you know, no, but we weren't. I was trying to be very reasonable. I was trying to do the best indie movie thing I could do.

Mario Rangel: 12:54

But anyway, I know, I mean I know the price, yeah, so after that, yeah, you know all the insights.

Vipul Bindra: 13:01

So you were the AD, so please tell me what happened in that two days. Somehow it went from okay, never mind, to please. I want you to do it. Please come and do it so.

Mario Rangel: 13:11

I remember her okay. After that call she met with me and she said I mean, it's too the price is too high. Okay, I mean it's too the price is too high. Okay, so. So I said, oh okay, can I? Can I see how much? And I, and she sent me the link for for the budget and I look at it, okay. And like you said I thought it was very reasonable for what we needed to do.

Vipul Bindra: 13:50

Yeah, the amount of crew, the amount of equipment.

Mario Rangel: 13:50

The amount of crew for one day. Obviously, multicams, not only. What came up is everything by three.

Vipul Bindra: 13:56

Yeah, plus FX6s.

Mario Rangel: 13:58

I think we had FX3s and the cameras were good quality.

Vipul Bindra: 14:00

Yeah, the whole production equipment lighting, gripman, gaffer, you know multiple grips. We even had two grips.

Mario Rangel: 14:06

Anyway, yeah. So, and that's when I told her look, if you really want to do this shoot with a great quality, it's not going to be less than that ever. I mean, there's no way. Yeah, okay, I mean there's no way, yeah, Okay. So if you really want to make it right and this is a story, a project that you really want to finish, I mean I think this is a good price. Yeah. Okay, and she was hesitant at first and then I think she thought about it.

Vipul Bindra: 14:47

And then I think, the next day or a couple of days, she called you and okay, and she told me okay let's do, let's go and do it, and that was so crazy for me to get the call which I mean to be real, that's not the first time I've had, so many times where the call of the which obviously I try to have great meanings.

Vipul Bindra: 14:59

But my whole thing is, I'm going to be honest, right, I'm trying to create, uh, and you know, good content or at least help my clients. So once I knew I couldn't execute the pricing, that she was trying to do it initially, I told her and that's why the call ended. So you know, I kind of move on. But sometimes, you know, clients do realize that and they do want to do it right, which I didn't know at the time. So, thank you, you were on the back because you know we don't know each other yet, you know we're not like friends yet. So that you were, you know, helping, you know telling her giving her good advice Because you are from the film industry, so anyway.

Vipul Bindra: 15:32

So yeah, two days later I get the call. She's like okay, we can do it, I can provide one other cam up. So I think that was her. So I was gonna bring mainly my department right. So it was me two cam ops, eight, one, uh, first ac gaffer and two grips, I think, is ultimately what my thing be ended up being. Yeah, and then so in only person in my department. That was not my department, or like provided by me was nat the third camera up and you

Vipul Bindra: 16:12

know I was like that's reasonable. You know, I know what my people and this is just me not knowing that- but yeah so I was like, okay, that's fine, that makes sense. You know, here's a healthy compromise and if that's her budget, then that's you know we're gonna do it.

Mario Rangel: 16:26

Yeah, yeah and that, yeah, I think that's something that we were discussing also. Okay, if you don't want that much, well, you will have uh one less crew, or or let's see what, what we can uh deduce like for a little bit of less price. And and that's when I told her okay, you know what, If there's going to be these three come-ups, maybe he can bring two and one I can tell nuts.

Mario Rangel: 16:53

I know that she's good with what she does and then he can go with his crew and then with come-up and we were also talking about like PAs and then he can go with his crew and then come up and we were also talking about like PAs and like second AD, things like that.

Vipul Bindra: 17:15

Yeah, which is great. I mean, see, at the end, that to me is completely fair because you know she has a budget, obviously she needs to stay within. It is a little like I said I was a little hesitant, I hesitant, I was like, oh, I don't know who I'm gonna walk into.

Vipul Bindra: 17:28

Obviously nat turned out great which nat has been on the podcast so you know people have heard from her side of the story. But anyway, so that that to me that was a healthy compromise and obviously that's how we met. And then, uh, once I arrived on set, obviously everything went incredible. I was like you were such a good first AD. I was like, oh, I have to tap into him.

Vipul Bindra: 17:47

And then you know, obviously that started eventually after the movie started our working relationship or whatever. I think after the premiere of the movie is when it really kind of kicked off. You me.

Mario Rangel: 17:57

Nat and obviously the other projects. So after that we went to the shoot. It was crazy, a crazy night.

Vipul Bindra: 18:06

It was like almost 12 hours.

Mario Rangel: 18:08

Yeah, it was really long.

Vipul Bindra: 18:10

And what's crazy, though, is both you and Nat were kind of not feeling at the best of your health too. We were not feeling great, but you were both troopers.

Vipul Bindra: 18:17

That's why I knew the only way it got done and I'm going to put this on the record the only way it got done, obviously, my crew. You met all the people Now. I think it was Emmanuel, sean, gio, me, brian and then his two grips, so everyone, I think, was on top of their game but also the two people that were part of at least helping me you as the AD and then Nat as the third camp.

Vipul Bindra: 18:45

Both of you, even though I could kind of tell, okay, you guys are a little under the weather and no point did you slow down. Rather, you were the one keeping everyone track because you know initially when we started. Obviously things are slow makeup's taking too long actors and and which is up. It's pretty normal and you know, you knew after the first scene like hey, no, we gotta, you gotta speed up. So you kept everyone in line, so you did.

Mario Rangel: 19:04

Great is what I'm saying as a first ad on that shoot, yeah, yeah, no, it was crazy uh. I mean, when we started I was like feeling a little off?

Vipul Bindra: 19:15

yeah, you were, but you, you, we couldn't tell. I'm saying, when we started it was like mario's great, and then halfway through night, I don't know if it was we were pushing you so hard or no I don't know what, I think no, not the week before, not.

Mario Rangel: 19:31

She was, uh, she was sick. So I thought she made you sick just at that time through that night at the end I was like a mess no energy, like fevered. Sweating was crazy. But yeah, I mean we have to. We didn't have another option, so we have to push through and I think everyone pushed through.

Vipul Bindra: 19:53

So I mean we got everything. I remember we got just everything but that one drone shot she wanted to get. But we did get everything else I mean, yeah, it worked amazing. Uh, oh yeah so I do want to know that. So now, obviously, again, I don't know any of this. So obviously I shot it. I went home to me, I thought we killed it, I sent you guys the footage.

Vipul Bindra: 20:13

Now, what's the other side? What did daisy say? Or anything about me or the crew, or the feedback? Because it's interesting for me. I don't typically talk about the other side that I don't hear. So what happened?

Mario Rangel: 20:23

yeah, so. So after that, uh well, they, she was really really tired also so yeah, I mean we were all tired, so but we were happy.

Vipul Bindra: 20:34

Tired, but happy did she say anything about me or the crew?

Mario Rangel: 20:38

she felt amazing uh she felt that because obviously she, she was also acting. But from from the time she saw the replays, the shoots, she was really happy with everything so tired, stressed, but happy with what we got, and she had a really high praise for you and your team. Um, so, and after that, okay, okay, let's go and do the edit continue the eight and see how it came up. Uh, comes up right, because obviously with every reshoot, well and this one is like I forgot also the audio guy was my guy.

Vipul Bindra: 21:17

Yes, but go ahead, yeah, um there, which he did great, by the way. Marco, I gotta have him on the podcast. But marco, yeah, I think it was the yeah I remember on the grip um brian right brian was the gaffer, yes, and then he had two grips with him, yeah, yeah I remember, yeah, he's great.

Mario Rangel: 21:36

Uh, I remember him also going to a premiere okay uh. So, um, we start editing and I said, with every reshoot and I mean, this one is like a whole new story. You don't know really what you're going to get. Like story-wise, I mean, we know that the footage is quality right, but story-wise it's like let's see if this works right. Finally.

Mario Rangel: 22:02

So after that was in november, after two months of of editing like video and audio, we were doing like, uh, parallels, like oh hey, I'll finish this part and I'll send it to you because, if not, we're not going to finish, because Daisy wanted to finish by January. Okay, so we were all tight. Yeah, very tight and at the end we did finish.

Vipul Bindra: 22:30

Yeah, no, you did, we did.

Mario Rangel: 22:31

And I remember the screening right, Not the premiere- the screening was in January, I think or February, maybe I don't remember too well, but I mean we were right on schedule. I don't remember too well, but I mean we were right on schedule and it turned out, I think from initially, what we had to what we got, I think is a really great achievement. Yeah, it was pretty good. I was surprised.

Vipul Bindra: 22:56

No, definitely Because you know again, having done indie movies a long long time ago and then so I kind of know what to expect. So I was like going in with you know, I knew what we shot was good, Obviously rushed one night to do that much content. It's not like every scene is perfected, but I think we did great. So, coming to the screening, I was very interested to see, because I had no idea. You guys told me all the new stuff. I had zero idea how it was going to mesh, what the story was. Plus, as a DP, I'm always like how is it going to match?

Mario Rangel: 23:31

Because, even though Daisy told me it was okay, I'm just like, yeah, exactly you don't know the footage, you don't know the story, I mean, you only know what you're shooting Exactly.

Vipul Bindra: 23:41

So when I watched it A I really liked again talking to why I started working with you. I knew what you had done and I looked at the edit. I was like, first of all, this is edited really well, so that was pretty good.

Mario Rangel: 23:54

And then two.

Vipul Bindra: 23:55

I was like obviously I could clearly tell our shots were nicer looking, yeah, and that's what we wanted, exactly.

Mario Rangel: 24:05

We wanted to really make a difference between what we had that was like in the past, in like story-wise and the present, that it was Exactly, and that's what I liked.

Vipul Bindra: 24:12

So I think that it made sense, finally, what you guys were trying to do. But it also made sense why the difference in quality would work, because now everyone knows when we go to the past, when we're in the present, when we go to the past, because the footage is drastically different. But it worked for her story, it worked for her movie. Obviously it is an indie movie, but I think everyone did a great job for what they were given with and I also really liked your editing on it. I think you did a great job, thank you.

Vipul Bindra: 24:42

Which is why I think. I was like oh, we gotta work together we gotta find a way to, yeah, and that's when, after the screen yeah, after the screening I think we met or something yeah, we were talking hey, uh, yeah, it was a great job, and it was you and that too, and I was like, oh, I would definitely have not back as it came up, yeah so and that's when we said, hey, let's work more, right, why not, I mean.

Mario Rangel: 25:03

And that's when we really begin our like, I said like relationship, uh, through, through work, yes, freelance, so that's great, so I know. Okay, I'm like how random, it is right I want people to know.

Vipul Bindra: 25:16

It's all about relationships and who you know, but you never know where you meet them because on my side.

Vipul Bindra: 25:21

You have to see, I was. I just uh, initially like as I met you as a, as an employee of somebody who's hiring me. Then, at the screening I come to find out, oh, you also do freelance work. You're a you know total, you know filmmaker, uh, graduate a full sale and stuff like that. Like you know your craft, you're a good editor, obviously I could see you know what you did. So at the end of the day I'm I'm saying it and you know, as soon as you know we met. After that I think it was something you, me and nat kind of met and I and you know also, I like to work with people who are cool and fun so you and you and nat are cool and fun, obviously so I was like oh, we got to collaborate somehow.

Vipul Bindra: 25:57

I didn't know at that time, obviously what, because it's not like I had a project in mind, but I was like, oh, definitely we have to collaborate, we have to figure out how to work together.

Mario Rangel: 26:06

Um, because you know it's, it's about just all about cool people working together, collaborating and making good content, I think exactly at the end of the day, yeah, um, I think that's one of the coolest thing about working in this industry is just the people you meet. Yeah, and I think, because of the environment, you build a really strong relationship. So I'm glad that it was with you and it was crazy how we met, and I'm really happy with all the praise that we have.

Vipul Bindra: 26:39

Well, awesome. So now, obviously, as far as the audience knows, we obviously met, we've done this movie, it's been screened. And then do you remember what was the first project I brought you on?

Mario Rangel: 26:49

The first project.

Vipul Bindra: 26:51

Yeah, parley, no, no, no. It wasn't Parley I'm even not having a hard time, I know with Nat it was the live stream she talked about that. Do you remember which one was it where you came first?

Mario Rangel: 27:04

What live stream For her? Oh for her. So she came yeah. So she came.

Vipul Bindra: 27:08

Yeah, so we talked about it so she helped me. We did like a ribbon-cutting live stream. She came out and she helped me, which I had forgotten about too. I was like oh yeah, that was great.

Mario Rangel: 27:21

So that was her first time Do you remember, because I kind of, to be real, I make trouble remembering which one. Mine, yeah, it was parody. I remember going to the villages so it was the villages.

Vipul Bindra: 27:31

That was the first huh. So I worked with Nat before I did with you huh.

Mario Rangel: 27:36

I think so, maybe, oh, maybe, maybe because I was well, I was working with Daisy yeah maybe it was a day that I couldn't make. It okay, I I was working with daisy. Yeah, maybe it was a day that I couldn't make it okay.

Vipul Bindra: 27:45

I don't know if I why I thought I worked with you before I worked on that.

Mario Rangel: 27:49

Yeah, I don't either. It's fine either way.

Vipul Bindra: 27:51

Yeah, but it's okay, we did a decent amount of project, but yeah, I do remember working with you quite a bit, obviously, definitely that project up in the villages. You helped me a lot, because not only did you uh, come obviously be the cam out with me there was. I think the first one we did was uh, we did these a few projects with them. I think, though, one of the ones was like recording like a session or something like a classroom session, right, yes, and it was like a two-day shoot or whatever, and then I remember um you not only coming obviously in to be a cam out with me, but you also helped me bring equipment because, uh, it was so much

Vipul Bindra: 28:27

equipment that I needed to bring that. At that time, you know, I I didn't have my trailer and I was still using my truck, so, and my truck can only fit so much so and I was bringing the rest of the crew with me, so you helped me bring a bunch of the lights. Funny enough, we didn't end up using most of that, but that's how it works, right. So you helped me bring some of the equipment. You did great. Do you remember anything from the shoot? How was it?

Vipul Bindra: 28:50

I mean, it was great um two days of doing the same thing right it was yeah, it was today they wanted for some reason they wanted us to capture same thing twice, twice, yeah I think, yeah, it went really good.

Mario Rangel: 29:04

Uh, first time working together well, second time really, but first time working for, for, for your uh, for your company, right? So, uh, I think obviously at the beginning I was like nervous, like excited, also like to work with you, um, with. I remember that's when I met geo emmanuel yeah, I think it was the four of us.

Vipul Bindra: 29:29

Yeah, four of us when he fed us the bad food geo talked about that the stupid chinese you were with me.

Vipul Bindra: 29:34

Yeah, yeah, that was all his fault, uh, so, yeah, we've talked about that story too, anyway. So, uh, that's fun. Uh, that that's when we met and, um, did you learn anything new? Or I mean, it was a very simple shoot, so I don't wanna. But, um, how, what do you think about the working environment? Because, um, technically, we had worked, um, you hadn't, you had worked with them on the movie, but, you know, only as an ad, not directly so I don't know, uh, do you?

Vipul Bindra: 30:01

uh, I don't know, I don't know how was it?

Mario Rangel: 30:04

No, I mean, it was amazing because you guys, you are really open, really fun, really chill, Like there's no like bad attitude or nothing, and I feel so like confident with you guys Like, yeah, I mean I can ask anything, there's no nothing bad that can happen. Really, there's a lot of of trust. That's what I felt. So that made my my my job easier and and fun also.

Vipul Bindra: 30:42

Yeah.

Mario Rangel: 30:42

Fun to be there, excited, which easier, and and fun also.

Vipul Bindra: 30:46

yeah, fun to be there excited, which is how you know it should be. It should be fun. I don't know. I like people who you know don't make sets fun, uh. And then I think you helped me a bunch because that was the month we were doing a ton of content for them. I think you also helped me at the main, my bread and butter, which is interviews you helped me. I remember the shoots where we were going uh, interview, b-roll, interview, b-roll, like we would set different locations we would go set up the interview.

Vipul Bindra: 31:06

That's basically what I find myself doing a lot, yeah, so how? How was that experience? Because you know you have to be on your mark, you have to go, and I think we were able to bring that on those two I know, yeah, yeah, she was there because she was the second day oh, second day I remember that one.

Mario Rangel: 31:22

It was crazy. A lot of breakdown and going through different locations. But, yeah, it was hectic but it's fun, right.

Vipul Bindra: 31:32

Right, that's fun, yeah, and I think, once you master that you can do any corporate commercial work Exactly. That was like a mini audience. It's more like I would say, mini corporate documentary essentially what we're doing, right yeah? And we were in clients' homes that are clients' clients' homes. So you have to be very respectful because, at the end of the day, you're not only responsible for representing my company, you're representing the client's company. So you can't screw up and you're in other people's homes. You know that are not even our direct clients.

Mario Rangel: 32:02

Yeah, so you have to be very careful and obviously everyone killed it yeah yeah, uh, and I I think in that one. Uh, that's one of the freelance that I've learned the most because, uh, mostly how to do interviews, um, like how to light it well yeah, and we did it, we did a ton of those just in that time, so after that did you learn anything new those?

Vipul Bindra: 32:26

did you like my style how I do them?

Mario Rangel: 32:28

yeah I mean, I, I love your style. Um, it's really you. You really want to make it cinematic, even as something so simple as an interview. Uh, simple, not not, not not like uh, uh uh, breaking breaking it up, but as a like. Somebody that sees an interview is oh, this is something easy to do, there's nothing difficult about it, but you go the extra mile of always. Just bring this high quality to all the, and I think the best thing is to me um.

Vipul Bindra: 33:05

People don't know that you put an effort you know, I hate the filmmaking where, especially in the corporate world, people already know that you're producing these videos where you could tell the the the interviews produced. You know what I mean? I find it, at least for me, that's just I don't know. It's off-putting to me. So I like to to make my interviews. Like I said, we'll completely. If you remember the same one you talked about, we transformed their office completely. We took out the desk and the chairs and everything.

Vipul Bindra: 33:32

But to the audience at the end, Dave, when you look at that interview, it doesn't even look like anything was changed or anything was even lit.

Mario Rangel: 33:39

I purposefully tried to do it in a way motivated lighting from lamps and stuff purposefully try to do it in a way, motivated lighting with from lamps and stuff, so it looks like natural natural, but even though obviously we know it's not cinematic. So I think that's a thin line to something to look uh like high quality and natural maybe sometimes that can be tricky, but I really love how you light uh interviews.

Vipul Bindra: 34:03

I think that's one of your restaurant suits and if you remember how, when we showed up, they were instantly changed everything on us and that's how you have to be ready. On corporate, because we didn't have much time, because they go. So the plan was I think we were going to go in, we're going to set up for interviews.

Mario Rangel: 34:19

And the clients were already waiting.

Vipul Bindra: 34:20

And we show up and we're like we're on time and they're somehow like expect, thinking at least their staff was like you're not, I'm like no, I have a schedule right here, Anyways, yeah. So they already had their clients and obviously their clients come first.

Vipul Bindra: 34:34

So, we had to like pivot immediately. And what I liked was and obviously I want to know how you were thinking, because I know obviously I'm in a panic, but as the leader, I have to go, I can't show panic so I'm like okay, so here's what we're going to do divide and conquer. I go okay, me, and I don't remember who. I took one person with me and I was like okay, we're going to go set up for the interview and we're going to do a quick setup. We have five minutes to do what. And then I send you, I believe, and Emmanuel to go do B-roll, b-roll outside.

Mario Rangel: 35:02

That was. They already feel like they're doing something With the clients and you and Gio, yeah, setting up the interview. Yeah, so well, thank you you remember. I remember so.

Vipul Bindra: 35:10

I think the idea was that the clients don't feel cause you know we got to go in the next five minutes. It's like they don't feel like we're time is valid because you know that's what. That was the there. What why the client was worrying? Because they have their clients sitting there nothing happening, even though, again, somebody screwed up in the scheduling. But either way, that's okay and but I did like how everyone was able to pivot.

Vipul Bindra: 35:34

There was not an argument or anything yeah we go there, even though I'm stressful, I'm trying to make everyone calm, but everyone's calm. I, I, I loved it. I was like, hey, here's a camera, here's a camera. Go to bureau me and geo quickly. And then, obviously, once we did get those initial set of clients out, we were all able to come together, obviously, make the interview even more cinematic, do how we initially planned them with three cameras, you know, and all that. But initial rush was kind of very hectic but fun.

Mario Rangel: 36:02

I don't know what would you say yeah, I remember is like, I remember you saying that like I thought the same as you okay, let's go, let's set it up one, then we like we always do, like set up, we'll take a break and then let's go, yeah, right but it was like we put everything okay, let's go, let's go, let's go okay. Uh, let's go, okay, let's start shooting. I was like, oh my God, what's happening? What's happening.

Vipul Bindra: 36:25

What happened At the beginning? I was like oh my God.

Mario Rangel: 36:28

But I think that's.

Vipul Bindra: 36:29

At least you didn't let me see, so that's good.

Mario Rangel: 36:31

No, no, no, I couldn't tell you yeah of course, but I think that's something that, in this line of work, is something that you adapt, especially in the corporate and commercial world.

Vipul Bindra: 36:44

You're going to be thrown all sorts of things at you and you have to be able to pivot. You have to be able to find solutions, because I think that's why we're paid, the main reason, you know, because if it was just pointing a camera, anyone can do it right. It's not that complicated nowadays. It's mostly problem solving and still being able to deliver quality content and be able to be on top of the story, because at the end of the day, what matters was the story that we're telling.

Vipul Bindra: 37:12

And now there's a disconnect because it makes our job harder, because now you guys are doing B-roll with the clients that we're doing the A-roll with and guess what? You don't know what questions we're asking, what, what sound bites they're giving us. So the b roll needs to match. And what I love right about you and emmanuel and um, you know other great people that work with me is that you guys know what to expect, as in a corporate world. You know it's not that hard either. But point is, I knew for a fact here and if you remember the edit, how it turned amazing.

Vipul Bindra: 37:44

A client loved it and their clients loved it. But what's crazy to me is we were not connected at all. But the B-roll match. They have a soundbite when they're talking about how, when they come in, you know it's such a nice environment. People greet them. And now in the edit, I love it how we had exact B-roll.

Mario Rangel: 38:02

We had the B-roll of the building.

Vipul Bindra: 38:08

It was planned. Yeah, like we planned it all. There is a b-roll of the building I think you did that shot and then people the same people from the outside coming in, then from the inside coming in, them being greeted by the, the receptionist, uh, the whole shebang. They're happy. Also, them wearing the, the clothes of the company, like swag point is if there was zero connect between, at that in the initial rush, between the interviews and the b-roll team and yet somehow our b-roll was perfect and you know and match exactly the sound bites we had from a roll.

Vipul Bindra: 38:36

So I love that uh, you know that we, we had that synergy, um, and that's what it's. I mean not saying that the shots are overly unique, it's just the knowledge of knowing what to expect?

Mario Rangel: 38:48

Yeah, what to expect? What you want to shoot for Can't compliment what the clients will say about the company, and I think that's what makes us everybody a great team. Yeah, we're all just so jealous everybody a great team.

Vipul Bindra: 39:05

Yeah, we were all just so jealous, plus it was fun, like I said nobody was panicking. Nobody was acting Like whether, even if they were panicking on the inside, everyone kept calm, get the job done Exactly.

Mario Rangel: 39:15

Obviously it's like, oh, what's happening? But after that you have to get used to it. Like you said, pivot and okay, let's go and do it. And I think that's what's fun and amazing about these jobs. It's like you know, you, maybe you won't expect in each shoot or freelance job that we have. There's no on corporate work. There is no, no day that everything goes as planned. There is something that you don't expect.

Vipul Bindra: 39:46

Exactly, and that's what makes it fun and interesting, at least for me, because I don't want to do the same thing over and over again.

Mario Rangel: 39:52

Each day is unique, is different, and that's why we really like doing that. Yeah, and the other memorable.

Vipul Bindra: 39:59

Obviously we did a ton of shoots my favorite. Let me talk my story. One of my favorite one was so great I was helping a buddy do a live stream like a political live stream or whatever, and it's so interesting, he had his crew, so I'd offer to do all of it, which makes sense anyway.

Vipul Bindra: 40:14

Uh, he asked me to just be me and my gear, so I didn't have any of the crew. Right, it was my equipment, me setting up, but it was his crew. And then I guess, no, somebody didn't show up or something like that. But I remember showing up at location, having mostly set up and the live stream's about to go in an hour, hour and a half, and him going hey, can you get a cam up? And you know you were, I think, the first call I made.

Vipul Bindra: 40:37

I knew I was like let me check, I know you have a job because you know you were working with Daisy at the time and know you're working with daisy at the time. And I was like let me, let me ask mario first, because I knew you, you you'd be on top of it. Uh, because that's been my experience, you know you're very willing to do um, you know, be be ready. So I was like hey, mario, I've got this live stream. Do you want to come be a cam op? And you were like, uh, let me check. I don't know if I can leave now 30 minutes. I was like that's perfect, you're gonna arrive in time, I'll have everything ready. And you showed up and you killed it, obviously, and what's amazing to me is the crew that he had hired, uh, you know who also was using my equipment, because I brought the equipment, so they used that. He came in, use the equipment and then just left versus um, you know you, which is not appropriate, I think, but um, what's?

Mario Rangel: 41:22

crazy to me is you came in we stayed.

Vipul Bindra: 41:25

We helped him break down, you helped me break down. And then I was like I think I could see in his eyes he could notice the difference between working with good people. Both of us stayed and helped him. You know, pack up and everything versus you know, the other guy just left.

Mario Rangel: 41:39

Like literally left, didn't even bother to. Yeah, he's like, okay, we're done, Okay. I'm out of here.

Vipul Bindra: 41:44

Yeah, he disappeared yeah that's like the best way to not get hired. And I'm not saying, like you know this is you going above and beyond? Obviously, because I brought you in, I would have done it anyway. I know Help, break down, but what I'm saying is you were brought this, not just you, and obviously you're great, but other people who've been on podcasts would have done the same thing you know, because that's what we do.

Mario Rangel: 42:13

And that's why you want to work with these people, with me, because you know that we go the extra mile. Yeah, and we really want, because we are passionate about doing the best content, yeah, the best quality, and at the end of the day, everyone works together.

Vipul Bindra: 42:33

To me it's not that and you know, you think I think same way, because you stayed, I stayed. It's like it's not that big of a deal if we can help him, because you know he was by himself to help him, help him, you know, because he had some of his equipment in there too, some of his camera. So like, if he can come in, help him, you know, pack up, make life easier, why wouldn't we? Plus, you know you help me too, obviously. So I'm saying I don't know it doesn't make sense, but that's why I think again, I don't know how those other people find work. Uh, because I know I wouldn't work with them as a producer. Um, but, like I said, that was incredible and I think you made a great impression with my buddy. You were like, oh yeah, that's how it should be, because I didn't have to tell you, I didn't say anything, you just did it. You know, like I did it Anyway, but that was great and I liked that you were able to just hop on literally last minute, kill it.

Mario Rangel: 43:18

Yeah, I think you called me around on three and I was there four. Yeah, something like that. Yeah, it wasn't that long. Yeah, it wasn't that long, very quick, yeah, yeah yeah, any other okay.

Vipul Bindra: 43:27

So yeah, that was what I want to tell, but any other stories that come to mind, or anything from any of the shoots we've been on and which I think is quite a few, yeah, I remember the other one that it was also for well, I remember okay.

Mario Rangel: 43:39

So I remember the one for parody, also for the anniversary.

Vipul Bindra: 43:43

I that was a good event.

Vipul Bindra: 43:44

And, funny enough, I wasn't even there. You guys killed it.

Vipul Bindra: 43:48

No, I was somewhere else. I don't think I don't know if it's Nashville or something. I was doing some other shoot.

Mario Rangel: 43:52

I was doing a shoot in the United States, but that one it was really cool. I mean, the event was amazing, very well organized.

Vipul Bindra: 44:05

They supposedly spent a million dollars on two nights. Oh, my God. So half a million dollar night event, which is crazy to think about. Obviously, I don't know if this is accurate or not. This is straight from client.

Mario Rangel: 44:16

Yeah, but yeah, which looked like it.

Vipul Bindra: 44:18

I mean, they spared, no expense it was amazing, I think I may have been the cheapest vendor there. Oh my God, I need to up my prices it was amazing.

Mario Rangel: 44:24

I think I may have been the cheapest vendor there. Oh my god, I need to up my prices.

Vipul Bindra: 44:26

Yeah, next time, you know you know, but I had a good crew there. I think I had like nine people there, because we provided iMac, we provided a recap video and then just recording general recording of the event. Either way, I think we I had like nine people, I think there, if I'm not mistaken yeah, thing there, if I'm not mistaken.

Mario Rangel: 44:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we were a lot of people there. Funny enough, I wasn't there, but but you guys killed it. That's what I like, you know bringing in people that you like. You know again no like, and you know that can do the job even if you're not there um, they can do a really good job. Oh, and that's. Oh, I remember that one because that's when I saw the edit from from from the interviews oh yes we? I saw, yes, because they played it over the screen, which is so amazing.

Vipul Bindra: 45:09

And, by the way, people I think that company is so good at marketing they knew it. That's why they made us make that video, because normally I'm like 20, 30 minutes is a long time and you need a captive audience to do that. And then they had the perfect thing they brought the people there for the event and they fed them good food and now they're like watch you have to watch because you can't go.

Vipul Bindra: 45:30

Yeah, you can't, yeah, you can't go anywhere, you know, yeah, and which is great, I mean at the end because the idea of the video is to build, you know, long-term relationship, relationships and also promote the company as in like they're building relationships and stuff like that anyway, um, but a bond right, yeah, a bond, yeah, connection.

Mario Rangel: 45:49

Yeah, because you don't want just any customer.

Vipul Bindra: 45:50

You're saying, like our customers are the best customers either way. Uh, we built a video, but people have to watch it, and I loved that, the way they tied it in, that it was like, hey, we're gonna have this event anyway, let's show this video here, because now people, we have a captive audience of two nights. They're gonna be forced to watch this 25 minute video and at the end they were making everyone emotional and happy anyway. But, yeah, so it's so interesting because I've, I had seen it. Obviously you had not seen that video. How'd you, how'd you like it to be? And that was a massive led wall that they were playing it on. Yeah, I mean, I mean, I was sure I said they were, we were playing it.

Mario Rangel: 46:22

I think it was a massive LED wall that they were playing it on. Yeah, I mean I was shooting. I said they were, we were playing it. I think it was.

Vipul Bindra: 46:27

Alex and I think Emmanuel were on the iMac. Yeah, but yeah.

Mario Rangel: 46:31

Yeah, I mean I was shooting like B-roll, but once in a while I was like looking and hearing, obviously, and it was like you know, it felt like a short documentary from Netflix. Yeah, like about a company. Yeah, and, funny enough, their clients. How fast we moved.

Vipul Bindra: 46:52

Only us knew how fast. And that's why I tell people get and I've said this before again like people get envious of other people, like they look at Instagram in two ways. One they go, oh, this is so good, or whatever, and then the other way is, oh, I could have done it better. I'm like you don't know the circumstance they were in, as in like most people when they see that video will have no idea what that rush was that we just talked about a little bit ago. We walk in and it's like no, get B-roll, get interviews. And then it's like go, go, like, go, pack up one location, pack up one another location, pack up another location. We've got most 15, 20 minutes to set up. So you don't know, I'm saying, what the shooting scenario and the timeline looks like how it was, yeah, but I'm so glad you thought of that.

Mario Rangel: 47:35

You know that it looked like netflix or whatever it was. It was amazing. I love that video, um, but yeah, I mean, that's something that also happens a lot, right, that people only watch the final result. So, yeah, they, they don't know.

Mario Rangel: 47:54

Well, we, like the guys, the people behind, go through yeah, to achieve that like from from from, I mean from planning the shoot from from going and shoot it and then all the go through. Yeah, and also with the edit, like julie was a trooper and I, just so you know it was we didn't get done because we we obviously did that.

Vipul Bindra: 48:15

See the other side of it that you don't know. So we did that two-day shoot. But then they want, which absolutely made sense, uh, they wanted to get the family of the main guy you know of the owner yeah, of the owner and the owner, and so we had to go back to his home to get that, yeah, so you uh. So what I'm saying is we didn't get all of that footage to like a Tuesday or Wednesday and a week or so later whenever.

Vipul Bindra: 48:38

And then the event was like Saturday or whatever, right. So we went, like Julie went, I'm saying three days nonstop and you know I'm going to commit that. I mean I'm going to do it. So two or three of us, I say me Julie was a trooper, she did it, she pulled that and remember that. Say me, julie was a trooper, she did, she pulled that. And remember that's hundreds of hours of footage, hundreds of hours, because that's like at least what?

Vipul Bindra: 48:58

15 interviews, if not more 20 interviews either way she did it yeah she made that 25 minute video and and the rule was everyone's footage has to be used, because you know we can't record a client and then not use that because you know again, they're their clients, clients point is, and which is hard, because when you're trying to tell a story you can't be forced to just use for anyway.

Vipul Bindra: 49:21

So the rule is somebody has to be used a little bit everywhere and I think she killed it because she she did it like I think last time she went like 30 hours or whatever, no sleep. And and again you've seen the footage. I think it came out great it.

Mario Rangel: 49:34

It came out so great.

Vipul Bindra: 49:35

It's the goal. I think it's every single person working together at the end to create something awesome.

Vipul Bindra: 49:41

And I think we all loved it making that, so that's awesome. Plus, in general, I think that event, everyone killed it Because, like I said, I assembled some of my friends and some of the people I trust who helped me on other shoots and uh to to make that event happen. And uh, because I knew I wasn't going to be there and I only want people there that I know will execute without me, like I don't have to even tell you guys, obviously I pre-planned everything but and then, uh, you know, but what I liked was everyone just knew what they were doing, because we even had an interview station. We had like B-roll stations but not station. But you know, you guys were doing B-roll and they, plus you had to do like big, huge confetti cannons and you know, yeah, it was crazy, but you guys made it happen, and you made it happen on your own.

Vipul Bindra: 50:28

That's what's incredible to me.

Mario Rangel: 50:29

For nine people to show up. Yeah right, I remember interviews outside B-roll and we were like, okay, go help the interview and then you go to the B-roll and then we swap, so yeah, but yeah, it was amazing. I really like those types of events, obviously. I mean, live events are also different from doing interviews. Right, interviews is like you go set up and then record, then you go to another one and live events is like okay, let's, let's see what's happening. Right, okay, what can, what can be cool, so you can include in the video.

Mario Rangel: 51:12

So that's that's amazing.

Vipul Bindra: 51:14

Also, that's really fun and, by the way, that recap video came out amazing, so you can include in the video.

Mario Rangel: 51:19

So that's amazing also, that's really fun and, by the way, that recap video came out amazing. The clients said it was the best video they had ever seen on their company. Again, I'm like we killed it. Yeah, I remember you showed me that one also.

Vipul Bindra: 51:26

I love that one, yeah. So we definitely killed it for them and I'm so glad, I'm so thankful to you and the rest of the crew that helped out on that.

Mario Rangel: 51:33

Thank you for believing in me. And well, natalia was there also and all the people that were there to shoot. I think to find the right people to work is one of the hardest things, but once you find those people you can do great things. Yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 51:56

No absolutely, like I'm telling you, and to me the biggest thing is even not only the people that shoot, the people that edit. Like I said, it's very easier said than done to give somebody you know like hours and hours of tens of hours of footage, footage and in three days, four days, to make a 25 minute, you know mini documentary where, uh, you know, you have to tell an amazing story, um, you know, um, without revisions, because again, we don't have time for revisions, right, saturday's the event.

Vipul Bindra: 52:27

So it's like, uh, you know, you can't, most editors can't do that and julie kind of pushed through and created something so beautiful and I know you're a great editor, so it's like I'm saying, it's like everyone put together, you can't risk it, you can't have you know something.

Mario Rangel: 52:43

Everything has to come together. Everyone has to do their best.

Vipul Bindra: 52:47

Yeah, for that to happen.

Mario Rangel: 52:48

Same.

Vipul Bindra: 52:48

Thing with the recap video, like I said, it had to be shot, it had to be edited. I was like I had my vision, I told everyone what my vision was, but that was it. Like everyone executed, it was done completely without me and you guys again knocked it out. Apart from the shooting to the imag, to the, to, like I said, to the, to the edit, uh and and sharing that with the client and it's so great. I sometimes want to know like I get so much praise. I'm like no, it's the sure I do a lot of planning. I did send everything prepared.

Vipul Bindra: 53:17

But what's crazy, though, is you know, I didn't do that much you know, and so the client's like you did it great, you know you're the best, or whatever, and I'm like thank you, you know I feel appreciated, but at the same time it's like you know there's all this people behind me. You know I'm happy to call them friends at this point, because everyone there was yeah, that's what's been great.

Mario Rangel: 53:36

Yeah, um, we build a really good community of friends yeah, and nothing. We work together. So that's amazing. That's awesome.

Vipul Bindra: 53:44

Yeah, no, we did a ton of projects together and I'm just so happy. But here's the crazy thing. So I think the next I want to talk. Not only did we do all these cool projects last year, so obviously I do corporate and commercial filmmaking. Everyone should know that by now. But obviously my love is filmmaking and for years I've been wanting to you know, make a, make a movie, because you know I would love to. It's just I don't want to make an indie movie, which is why I don't do movies that often, as you know we talked about earlier yeah.

Mario Rangel: 54:12

So I mean, and I mean you we know that indie movies are really hard to make money. Yeah, and they're hard to make money and it's hard to do. It's hard to do and it's hard to make money. Yeah, because you have to ask favors.

Vipul Bindra: 54:24

I don't like asking for people to work for free, I don't like any of that. And plus, you know, then the end result's terrible. You have Film Cirque, you know, and then unless you can I mean, obviously there's been great indie movies- made Of course.

Vipul Bindra: 54:37

But anyway, my whole thing was, if I'm ever going to make a movie, I want it to look like it belongs. Like you said, netflix I mean again, it's Netflix is just one of the platforms, but I don't want anyone to go, oh good indie movie or bad indie movie. I just want them to go look at it and go, oh, great movie. Hopefully they like it and be like oh, netflix or Max or whatever spend a lot of money on this and it's good, or oh, they spend a lot of money on it and it's trash. Either way, I want them to not know that we made it with low or no budget and which is very hard to do, otherwise it'd be done.

Vipul Bindra: 55:11

The advantage I have is, when I run this successful production company, I have over half a million dollars of equipment. I'm like might as well use it. So, anyways, I've been. I've been building the story in my head. I'm obviously not a writer, but for years I wanted to. You know some of the passion projects like this. I wanted to do this podcast. We're finally doing it.

Vipul Bindra: 55:30

The other one was to make this movie, but I want to make it in my style, and so for years I was thinking how can I make a movie that will look good, that'll look like it belongs, that'll look not like an indie movie, but we can do it for a low, mid to low to actually no let's say no budget. And it requires obviously a crew and of talented people. And I think the final thing I was like oh what if we do it in what I'm good at, which is talking head and b-roll, right, but how do you make a full length and I'm not talking short movie? I don't want to make a short movie or a document, I'm saying a full length, 100 minute movie, uh, with interviews and b-roll. Now that's the hard task, because now you have to make it interesting, because it's just a bunch of people talking to a camera for 100 minutes, maybe with some b-roll.

Vipul Bindra: 56:20

And so I had this idea in my head. So I worked on it. You know, in my head just building and building. Now I needed someone to put it on paper, someone to understand my vision, because, again, not a writer. And that's where you come into play, because you're also a writer. So so I think I met with you I don't think you came over either at my old place and we sat down.

Mario Rangel: 56:39

No, I think before that.

Vipul Bindra: 56:41

Yeah, go ahead. Please tell it correctly.

Mario Rangel: 56:44

Yeah, I remember, I remember Before that there was a time like I was working, you were doing your thing and we said, hey, let's meet. Okay, and that was the time that Nat was working in downtown Orlando in the library.

Vipul Bindra: 57:04

Yeah, yeah. In the video production section, and so that's when okay, let's go meet in downtown, and I remember that we met um in mecatos oh yeah remember yes, yeah, and I tried some of the stuff I'd never tried and it was then that you started talking about this idea, this idea right yeah, because at that time I knew obviously we gelled together, so I was looking for people to you know collaborate exactly and that's when you uh asked me hey, if you know a writer?

Mario Rangel: 57:44

yeah like let me know that this is my idea and we started talking about your idea. Well, I mean, I like your idea. I think it's. It's a very cool idea to do with interviews. I know that you're great at that. Because we already have worked a lot, I know what you can do right.

Vipul Bindra: 58:05

Well, thank you.

Mario Rangel: 58:06

Yes, if I can't light and make good interviews, then I don't know what I'm doing yes, no, but I mean, and plus this one, by the way, these are not even going to be yeah, not a lot of people does that. Uh, a good quality? Yeah, and I do want people to know.

Vipul Bindra: 58:19

I have a range of interviews, so a lot of time.

Vipul Bindra: 58:22

You know, um, obviously majority of them are on the on the fx6 level, whatever, but then I do a ton for high for my higher end client, you know, interviews with I'm saying those where we have production designers and we we build, you know decent sets, and then we'll have um, um, like ari, alexa, minis and mini, uh, mini, lfs and, uh, you know, signature primes or cook lenses or something you know higher end stuff and, uh, big lights, you know, uh, so, anyway, so, and that's what I wanted to do, so, anyway. So, when we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it at that level. I don't want to do another fx6 interview, so anyway. So, yeah, that's the goal, obviously, that'll be what I'll be doing. But anyway, let's backtrack again to where you were.

Mario Rangel: 59:04

So and that's when I mean it occurred to me. I mean, obviously we're working, I'm working with you for this corporate work, but I mean I really love to write. I think it's one of the the things about film that I love the most is writing and and well being on being on sets, editing.

Mario Rangel: 59:30

But I think obviously I haven't done that a lot, because I know writing is like one of the most difficult yes, things to do in the industry, especially to do well, yeah, so it's very difficult If you want to just do it, chat GPT, but to do it well to do it entertaining Because, remember, to keep audiences' attention for 100 minutes, 90 minutes, 100 minutes that's a task.

Vipul Bindra: 59:53

You know Especially what we're trying to do, because there's one thing with a lot of moving action drama. You know, blah, blah, blah we're trying to keep people's attention for 100 minutes just looking at people talking. You know what you can do on a documentary yeah people have done it. Obviously, if you watch, have you watched chimp cranes?

Mario Rangel: 1:00:11

chip chimp crazy team crazy, yeah, okay.

Vipul Bindra: 1:00:14

So that's the guy that made Tiger King. It made another documentary, oh, another documentary, yeah, about chimps. You know that one. I get it Because you know there's good documentaries, obviously, where you can keep watching, because the story is so engaging you can just keep watching interviews. So what I'm saying is, when we're trying to make a movie which is just interviews and B-roll, we have to have such an engaging script in such an engaging plot that people just want to listen, people just want to know what happens next.

Mario Rangel: 1:00:39

Right, yeah, um and yeah. So that's the challenge of the of this break.

Vipul Bindra: 1:00:45

So I want to know if the first time I told you. I think I don't. Uh, do you remember if we met in person or over video when I told you what the script was?

Mario Rangel: 1:00:54

Well, it was there. You told me a little bit.

Vipul Bindra: 1:00:57

Yeah, no, but when did I tell you the whole story? The?

Mario Rangel: 1:00:59

whole story, like with more detail, was once. We said there like okay, let's work together. Yeah, let's write it together.

Vipul Bindra: 1:01:08

And what made you want to do that? Just because you liked the initial idea.

Mario Rangel: 1:01:12

Because two things I like the idea, I like working with you and I know what you can do. Okay, what you can do, uh. So I think this is a really good opportunity okay to to do a great narrative uh feature perfect, so obviously come over right and tell you the whole story right uh, I kind of blurted out, remember.

Vipul Bindra: 1:01:34

This is just in my head. There's no nothing on a piece of paper. Yeah, I've just been building and building, and building and again, you know, I'm just looking at it visually, right, I'm not looking at it. What the script will look like anyway, and I've been trying to build plots. So you know again the goal I have to keep audiences attention.

Mario Rangel: 1:01:55

Things have to happen every five to beat, something happens.

Vipul Bindra: 1:01:57

Yeah, exactly, it's like beat after beat after beat, obviously following the triple. You know the typical arcs, uh, but more often we're not just doing three arcs, we're not just doing like, hey, here's an arc, ends, another arc ends like a typical movie. We have to do major arcs, obviously, but then there's beats, because we understand audience is going to get bored listening to these people.

Mario Rangel: 1:02:19

Like everything, something needs to be happening every five minutes yeah, or 10 minutes at most, even more than in narrative film.

Vipul Bindra: 1:02:25

Yeah, um well, obviously, if it's more commercial, more arty the beats are more spaced out right yeah, it depends, and also we are trying to make it mass market. We want to make a commercial movie, not an art movie.

Mario Rangel: 1:02:39

So that's also a challenge, right. We want to do an idea that is really not a commercial, but do it really a commercial for streaming, right? So we have to have a really good beat uh, for, for, for, for. Like I mean people talking, yeah, exactly, that's. That's a really so amazing challenge.

Vipul Bindra: 1:03:02

No, absolutely said it great. So now you listen to this. Obviously, don't give people any spoilers.

Mario Rangel: 1:03:06

They gotta watch the movie when it comes up yeah, but but yeah surprise.

Vipul Bindra: 1:03:10

Yeah, so obviously, now you, I want to know your perspective. So you listened to the script, right, I blurted out everything.

Mario Rangel: 1:03:17

I know you were taking notes and stuff, yeah, yeah, so you have now listened to this.

Vipul Bindra: 1:03:24

What are you thinking? Because you knew a little bit, but you didn't know all the twists and turns and all that and obviously we still had to develop all of it. But point is, you listened to it. What's your perspective? What?

Mario Rangel: 1:03:38

do you think initially and you think I was too crazy, or what? No, no, I mean the whole, the whole. Other way, I mean at the beginning I was like I was interested. Okay, before that let's see what. What was his idea? And obviously I want to give a chance because I like writing. But once you told me with more detail I was like, okay, yeah, we can really make this happen. Like I was even more sure that this is a great project and I was very motivated to start writing like right away. So yeah, but when you listen to it.

Vipul Bindra: 1:04:16

Do you think people are going to be engaged?

Mario Rangel: 1:04:17

enough. What do you think about?

Vipul Bindra: 1:04:18

the full story from my crazy brain, from a corporate filmmaker a full commercial entertaining movie that's just people talking to a crazy story.

Mario Rangel: 1:04:32

I mean I think it's a crazy story. I mean I think it's a story that's going to leave audience very surprised A lot of different twists, okay, that people will not see coming, and I think that's something that's very difficult to do, like to come up with an idea that is going to surprise audience, because right now there's so many movies, so many stories. That is very even more now, I think, to have a script that's going to surprise, that's going to shock that's going to like veer's going to shock.

Mario Rangel: 1:05:15

That's going to like veer the normal stories right that we can watch. So plus.

Vipul Bindra: 1:05:22

I like the twist at the end yeah, I wonder how many people are gonna go watch the movie eventually, whenever it comes out and come back, and I'll listen to this and understand what we're talking about yeah, so yeah.

Mario Rangel: 1:05:32

Right now it's like what are they talking?

Vipul Bindra: 1:05:33

about hey look, if somebody, if somebody's watching, please thank you. But I mean you don't have to.

Mario Rangel: 1:05:38

But you guys will know, they will know what we're talking about once they see the film. We're very excited and well, right now we are doing. We're focusing on dialogue.

Vipul Bindra: 1:05:54

Yes, so you basically finished the script? Yes, and I think we went a revision or two the structure.

Vipul Bindra: 1:06:00

Yeah, the structure, the beats and I think we got most of the way there and I think we both agreed that it was good. We're mostly there as far as the story goes. We just need to now refine it and we need to get the dialogue. I want each person to sound different and engaged Again because, remember, our movie is just people talking on camera. I want people to be very clear, that's all. It is right, but maybe some B-roll, obviously. But I'm like we need to have each person be very good, like we have to work extra hard than people would on characters, because they need to be authentic, they need to be, you know, uh, they need to talk like them. You know, they need to be individuals. Um, and so we brought in a writer, another writer, well, I guess a dialogue writer, because you wrote the script. You know, I came up with the movie story you wrote, wrote it for me, and now we've, at this stage, we're working with someone to fix our dialogue is that the way you would say it?

Mario Rangel: 1:06:54

yeah, uh, no, and I think more than that. Okay, so let's go through it. Uh well, uh, this writer is. His name is will with will alby. Um, he's one of my friends from full set and he from the beginning. He said I'm a writer, I'm a writer, I'm all right. So he's fully focused on writing.

Vipul Bindra: 1:07:16

Just writing. Unlike us, he just wants to do that.

Mario Rangel: 1:07:20

He doesn't. Obviously, throughout the studies in Full Sail, he was on sets and things like that, but he didn't want to. He wants to write. I think that's his strong, strong, uh, strong skills is writing. Um, he has a way with words that is so, so cool, so good for for even more for for this, for the story. So that's when, well, we met, we, we met with him and we told him the story. You tell him your vision and and that was my thing.

Vipul Bindra: 1:07:59

I told him, uh, so I was like look, read the script yeah that's easy.

Vipul Bindra: 1:08:03

Mario put all the story in there and then I just kind of wanted to give him my vision of each character because, like I said, it's in my head. I was like, let me, let me also tell you. You know how. I told Mario, because, you know, mario is very great. He has like a two-pager with every character who they are, their past, present, future. It may not even in the story. So I loved how you already had fleshed out the characters, when I was like, let me tell you what I think. Let me tell you who the character is inspired by and all that. And now you have all Marioio's resources. But now you have initially, you know, me coming up with what I was thinking when I came up with all that and, uh, I think then I'd be basically like you guys, uh, I'd let you be like, do your thing.

Vipul Bindra: 1:08:45

I mean I'm here with your question so update me, I don't even know because I'm like, look, what are you doing? Obviously I want to make the movie now, but I don't want to make it until it's ready. It has to be ready to be made and I want you guys to take as much time as needed, because no point going to make it until it's ready.

Mario Rangel: 1:09:07

And I think you'll be amazed and I think you'll feel that it's worth this time of taking this time to really go through the dialogue, to make it as natural and real as possible, because I think it's turning out amazing. So right now I'm working with Will. Each week we are getting together to go through new dialogue. Okay.

Mario Rangel: 1:09:38

What we do is just go through this section of the story, for example, let's do okay, this section is the first two, three beats. Okay, let's go and go through it. Let's discuss the characters. Okay, so the first meetings were mostly let's see what the characters are. We know that we build these character profiles for each one. But the great thing about this is that Will has elevated that. He's making that character profiles even better.

Vipul Bindra: 1:10:18

Look at that Okay, it's collaboration.

Mario Rangel: 1:10:21

So that's amazing, amazing, amazing, and we are coming up through the dialogue obviously to enhance that character, motivation and character background that feels real, exactly exactly. I can't wait to read it plus.

Vipul Bindra: 1:10:39

You know, what I'm more excited about is hopefully, uh and again yeah already writers meeting here. But I'm like it'd be so cool, you know, if it's like you know how, like a real documentary, real movie, when you know it could just go back and forth, like you know where people are saying contrasting things, I don't know. I like that in the idea that you know somebody's like this happened and then the other person we just cut to and says this happened, and then you're like let the viewer believe let them believe, right yeah because that's not our goal to tell you or whatever.

Vipul Bindra: 1:11:07

But anyway, this that sounds awesome that you guys have been, you know so and we like, we said uh, without giving any information.

Mario Rangel: 1:11:20

We just met today okay. Like for another review of revision of the script. And, yeah, I mean, it's turned out amazing, you know, amazing. We have the family, all the family, Like we. You know when you have the character, because you know, you feel that they are real, that you're thinking about them and you know how they are. Yep, okay, we are at that point, like we know who they are Makes me so happy. So that's amazing, that point, like we know who they are okay, so happy, so, so that's amazing, uh.

Mario Rangel: 1:11:59

So, and now we know how everyone talks, what they feel, what, what are their fears? Uh, their, their, their skills, their their good things, their bad things, everything. So, and that's making the script so so much better. Um, and we are even, we are even talking how can we connect all all of these character profiles? Uh, for the, for the end, okay that how these motivations are going to connect at the end. So I won't give it away. Yeah, you'll.

Vipul Bindra: 1:12:34

You'll know I'm still looking forward to it and this is this is live, guys, this is exactly where we are at, and but the the thing is, I completely trust you at this point, mario, and that that you know my vision and I'm pretty sure obviously I haven't seen will's work yet, but I think once we had that call I was like, oh, I think he gets it, he gets what I'm trying to do he gets it and that's the key.

Vipul Bindra: 1:12:54

You know people can. Obviously great writers may fail when they don't know what the director, the producer, is wanting here.

Mario Rangel: 1:13:01

I think you both both get it and you know why I thought of him because I remember he loved writing this kind of stories like horror crime thrillers, yeah how would you describe?

Vipul Bindra: 1:13:13

people are movies. Is it what a thriller? Like a crime thriller maybe?

Mario Rangel: 1:13:20

no, it's what it won't even be a mockumentary like a crime, docu-fiction, that's what?

Vipul Bindra: 1:13:24

okay, crime docu-fiction. Okay cool, that's what I'm calling, yeah maybe something in general, I don't know, yeah, but maybe it exists who knows yeah I know that that docu-fiction exists.

Mario Rangel: 1:13:34

Yes, uh. So yeah, crime fiction.

Vipul Bindra: 1:13:38

Look, that's what I'm here's my goal with this movie simple as that a I wanted to make it like in a corporate style which is so weird or a documentary style, let's say that.

Vipul Bindra: 1:13:47

But I wanted to look, um, I want anyone to watch this movie. Obviously this is an inside audience, right, they'll know. But I'm saying anyone who watches the movie. I don't have one ever want them to be able to say, oh, uh, was this, uh, you know this movie, whether they like it, hopefully. Obviously we want people to like the movie. But even if they don't like the movie, I want them to visually look at, be like this is the most beautiful, looking, you know, indie movie, ever type of thing. Like they shouldn't even know it's an indie movie.

Vipul Bindra: 1:14:14

They'll be like, oh, netflix wasted a couple millions on it or whatever right whichever sleeping platform that it ends up on, if any at all point is, I just want it to be visually good looking, and I think I know we're gonna make that happen, and now we're trying to make sure with this writing and the story that it actually is uh, it's going to be up there not not only just visually but also story-wise, because the ultimate goal is we want people to just get to the end. I want people to see that end.

Mario Rangel: 1:14:41

It's going to be mind-blowing and, I think, the really great. How can I say you can have the amazing visuals like you just said but if the story is not there, people are not going to watch until the end. And that's what we want.

Vipul Bindra: 1:14:59

We want people to go to the end because I feel like we're gonna get and again, you can try. It may not happen, but I think our movie has a chance of getting viral marketing because I feel like our end is so cool that people will go and tell their friends be like did you see that, yeah, you have to watch hopefully, hopefully they'll spoil it.

Vipul Bindra: 1:15:17

Yeah, but they say, hey, go watch till the end. So, uh, but for us to have that effect, we have to have people the initial audience watch till the end, right, that's why we have so many beats to keep it entertaining for people to go to the end. But, like I said, this is the best team I could build. So, yeah, and generally we do a good job right when we build a team. So I'm excited, obviously, once we feel like and that's what I'm saying like we want to do it fast but we don't want to rush yeah, so we want to once it's fully ready, but but secure with maintaining the quality, um.

Mario Rangel: 1:15:47

So yeah, I'm so excited for this, I think it's a passion project.

Vipul Bindra: 1:15:51

At the end of the day, our goal is nothing but to make something awesome, but at at the same time, we are making a commercial movie. We are trying to make it mass market. Obviously, ideally, we'd like to sell it to some kind of streaming platform or somewhere, and for us to be able to do it has to match the content that they're already producing, and for us to do that with a zero dollar budget, I think that's already going to be incredible Because, remember, this is just a passion project. There's no budget behind it. Um, it's all the people that I know pulling their resources to make it happen. But I do believe in what we're doing and I do think we can make something that most people won't be able to look at and go, oh, this is just, you know, made at zero dollar or whatever like this is made with no budget. I want people to be able to look at it and go, oh, you know, they did a good job. Like nothing about the budget.

Mario Rangel: 1:16:40

You know, yeah, and I have a question for you. Yeah, so we know that we want this, like this film, this project, to be on Netflix or any of these big platforms.

Vipul Bindra: 1:16:57

At least we're going to try.

Mario Rangel: 1:16:59

That's what we are going to try, that's what we are aiming. So I don't know too much about how can people do that. My question is what do you know about that mean, what have you figured out?

Vipul Bindra: 1:17:18

or something like that my thing is let's first make the movie that's my style then, then we'll figure it out, but hopefully we'll have someone watching. Maybe they can help us if they're in distribution or whatever. But look, here's the truth. There's so many people out there, maybe even making great content. You know what we can do, yeah.

Mario Rangel: 1:17:34

Yeah, Once, obviously once we have it's just. Yeah, they just occurred to me. Once we have the final film, like maybe we can to all the filmmakers in the film making committee I don't know in Florida. Yeah. Let's invite them to a screening.

Vipul Bindra: 1:17:51

Yeah, that would be incredible Right.

Mario Rangel: 1:17:56

And get their feedback, all the filmmakers in florida at least, or, okay, let's start with orlando, yeah, and then we can go where yeah, exactly, and let's go and they can google watch it, and then yeah, but but here's my thing.

Vipul Bindra: 1:18:05

Look like I'm gonna be a front here, like I've been with everyone. Uh, people all day, every day, want to sell their content to netflix or penguin. Uh to yeah you know, peacock or whatever like. There's so many streaming platforms out there now, so that's why I'm like I can't promise anything but here's what we can promise, right.

Vipul Bindra: 1:18:23

If we make a mass market, uh, high quality and I'm not joking, like you know I mean like actually high quality, very good scripted content that could easily be put on any streaming platform and it would belong, right, then I don't think we should have any trouble finding a buyer for it. When we start looking to find a buyer, I think our goal is. The good thing is, I don't want any outside funding. It would only matter, you know, if you were like, oh, we need funding or whatever, right, or we need to go take this to someone.

Vipul Bindra: 1:18:55

My whole thing is I want this to be my and our vision and I don't want any compromises. I don't want anyone coming in pre-production and production telling me what to do. Right, we're gonna go out there and, plus, I know I can pull my resources, I can get alexas, I can get those, uh, anamorphic lenses that I want to get. Point Point is, I know and I already have all the other equipment and the talent around me, so the thing is we don't really need outside funding. Maybe the actors, right, and which I think we're going to do a good amount of time on finding the right talent.

Mario Rangel: 1:19:27

That's a really good, important thing. Yeah, very important here, because the cast has to feel really good.

Vipul Bindra: 1:19:33

But at the end of the day, what I'm saying is, if you make good quality, high quality content that stands out, it doesn't look like any other indie movie, then if we can stand with these big leagues that are you know, because I don't want to make another Hallmark movie either Point is, if we make something really good that belongs, we can then figure out the distribution. Once we get there right, I'm not as worried about it. But at the end day, even if, let's say, hypothetically it doesn't sell, I think people will learn so much and we would make such high quality content that it will be okay.

Vipul Bindra: 1:20:06

Obviously the goal isn't that the goal isn't to make something just to just to go on youtube or whatever. But if you have to do that, I think you will, I think we'll be fine. Uh, obviously we're going to try and make it so high quality, we'll try and screen it for all the uh people in our community. Maybe even some people listening can come in and watch, and but obviously I do want people to know this is not art house cinema. We're not trying to make a critically acclaimed movie. We are trying to make a mass market movie with mass appeal and uh, so it's not gonna. You know like you can go obviously find flaws in the story or whatever Like if you want it to be realistic.

Vipul Bindra: 1:20:39

I'm saying we're not trying to be realistic. We're trying to make a, like you said, a crime, docu fiction that people can watch and people can be engaged for 90 to a hundred minutes and then they can watch our twist and be shocked and go tell everyone about it and go tell everybody To go watch it or whatever and whatever.

Vipul Bindra: 1:20:57

Then they farm their own opinion. We're kind of letting the viewer kind of farm their own opinion and that's kind of what we're going for. But yeah, I would love for other filmmakers to watch and kind of shred hopefully critically to pieces. It's okay, it'll be fine. That's what we're aiming for for yeah, we're not trying to make what do you call a highly like indie and even the best directors.

Mario Rangel: 1:21:20

Yeah, they have that. They have that, especially when you're trying to like look at Michael Bay, I mean at the end of the day, his movies make so much money at the box office, but they're not, they're action, action. Yeah, that's what it is. Simple stories? Yeah, it's not, uh, but it's just an aspect of a spectacle, right? And?

Vipul Bindra: 1:21:37

yeah, some people just want that. You know, like, for example, I love, uh, my, um, you know movies that I love watching that are like you watch it as a filmmaker, you watch it for like an art house movie, but then at the same time, you know I'm one of those filmmakers I will happily sit down when I'm having a bad day or not having a good time watching an Adam Sandler movie, I don't care, it makes no sense.

Vipul Bindra: 1:21:59

You have to obviously turn your logical brain off but, they're fun yeah exactly, man, they're fun, they're engaging, I mean they're making Happy. Gilmore 2, come on.

Mario Rangel: 1:22:07

I want to watch that.

Vipul Bindra: 1:22:08

Yeah, exactly, I'll go watch it, yeah that's what I'm saying and and obviously I'm already expecting like I'm not going to sit there and say this is going to be uncut gem or whatever right Uncut gems. But this is what I'm saying is there's place for all, like we all sat and watched Tiger King, right, it was so stupid and crazy, but we all did, and that's what I'm saying. There's place for, I think, all types of there's a market for everything. Yeah, especially when you're trying to make mass market.

Vipul Bindra: 1:22:36

We want to appeal to major audiences, not film critics, you know, but at the same time, we want it to visually look very great, we want it to be a very engaging story and I just can't wait. I just can't wait for us to finish start shooting it. Obviously do you have a timeline. Obviously, again, not to rush you guys what? Do you think when do you think we'll have a script done again?

Mario Rangel: 1:22:57

I'm not going to hold you to it being realistic maybe just give weeks, like don't give exact dates yeah, yeah, maybe between six eight weeks, that's not bad. Okay, I think we'll be there around that time so, but I'm going to send you a revision next week okay, that's pretty good because we wanted to have at least at least like 30 pages yeah, so I can yeah so you can go through and get the feel for it to get a really good feel of what we are doing.

Mario Rangel: 1:23:34

Because maybe 10 pages ago, okay, but so that's what we're doing now. We're doing now and then after that. Now, once you get the feel, then another version will will go maybe at one like one one hour script, I will go for a second.

Vipul Bindra: 1:23:56

Uh no, I like that, I definitely like that and that ways. You guys can be sure you know I like it. But to be real, I think at this point I kind of trust you guys. I was already happy, kind of, with the script. I think we just needed to flesh out the beats with the dialogue. And you know editing between the dialogue essentially, um, point is to kiss, just keep it. You know engaging, keep the audience. You know editing between the dialogue essentially, point is to just keep it, you know engaging, keep the audience, you know engaged. But no, I'm excited about it. Look at that live. We're doing this on this podcast.

Vipul Bindra: 1:24:18

Because genuinely I haven't seen it since you guys started working together, you and Will. But you know that's what I'm saying. Like you don't have to just stick yourself to corporate filmmaking, like not saying there is anything bad about it. I love corporate filmmaking. The project with parody that we were talking about earlier, uh, in the in this podcast uh, that was pretty much a mini documentary. So you can do enough creative projects just with this, but nothing stops you from still going out there doing corporate making money and, on the side, pursuing your passion projects right I mean you don't have to kill the filmmaker inside exactly

Mario Rangel: 1:24:55

exactly and that I think, like the people that we're close to, everybody wants, wants to pursue that, like we want to do this type of work. Um, because obviously we we have to have money, so later we can also do this type of job that are more like about our passion, like filmmaking. So yeah and they. I think they go hand to hand because without another you can not do the other one.

Vipul Bindra: 1:25:25

So plus, you know, as I listen to more and more and maybe that's why I need to get an indie movie filmmaker up here, so they can explain their struggles because every time I talk to somebody who loves and is passionate about making indie movies, the horror stories they tell me and that's not the movie script the horror stories they tell me of sets and uh yeah yeah, on set, the experiences they've had, you know, and then on top of that they're not getting paid.

Mario Rangel: 1:25:49

Uh, you know, it's just horror and I'm like I I can't imagine people are willing to put like they, they say like how they were treated, or or the requirements they were supposed to be being paid and no, no, no, the pay is very little anyway.

Vipul Bindra: 1:26:03

Yeah, yeah, yeah and if anything, because I'm saying you know they're exploitative in a way, but you know, and again, these are other passionate filmmakers trying to make passion projects.

Mario Rangel: 1:26:13

Point is it's like somebody always have to compromise, yeah and and the experience I'm saying is horrible for most people on indie movies.

Vipul Bindra: 1:26:23

so, um point is it's not, uh, you know this, this loved uh thing, you know you get into it because you love it and then you're like, uh, I can't make money off of this. This is a reasonable amount of money to survive in Orlando. You have to, you know. Then deal with the DPs or directors who are rude to you or whatever Point is, the stories that, at least I've heard, make it sound like something I wouldn't want to do, and that's my goal with this movie was just to, you know, make something where everyone's proud of it.

Vipul Bindra: 1:26:54

Everyone can speak up, everyone will be respected and we'll all be proud of something to show Like you know you won't be. Oh like, no, it's just an indie Like. I don't want anyone to even have to say, oh, what they show, like, look, this is what I can make, right, and it should be so high quality that people should have no or just look like anything that, like I said, that belongs on any uh, nice, fancy documentary or narrative movie. There's nobody should um, what do you call? Uh, you know, feel embarrassed or whatever, or have that story.

Vipul Bindra: 1:27:29

uh, you know where they were mistreated on the set or whatever, or removes that story you know where they were mistreated on the set or whatever or removes their passion of making indie movies or something like that anyway, that's great.

Mario Rangel: 1:27:38

I think that's really something that is hard to find or that happens a lot, even mostly a lot in indie movies, because, like you said, the pay is not good, maybe the treatment is not that great. There's a lot of issues right, People that are not as experienced, right, so a lot of errors. But yeah, I think it's great that you want to do this in the project, but as high quality as possible for the project itself, but also for the people working.

Vipul Bindra: 1:28:15

Yeah, because I just want to be with my friends and make something cool, you know, some cool shit, I mean at the end of the day right, and I think we're going to achieve that. I've already talked to enough people that I know and they've all shown interest. Especially, remember they haven't even seen the script once or know the script. This, the, what do you call? Nobody knows the twist ending but you and me, and maybe now will. Now, uh, maybe nat. Have you told nat?

Vipul Bindra: 1:28:37

no, no, and even that doesn't know, look at that so I want everyone especially i'm- saying when people get involved, which is great, I want a lot of people to. Um, you know, and julie doesn't know either so I'm saying I want a lot of people to actually get that shock.

Mario Rangel: 1:28:48

That surprise? Yeah, because that's also when we show them these people, because, yeah, people obviously, well, people close to us can have bias right, but I think we know that people close to us are also people in the industry. Yeah, that people close to us are also people in the industry, so they know and they will be giving a really good experience of how is the movie exactly and, plus, you know, we can screen it, we can do a focus test and all that.

Vipul Bindra: 1:29:23

But the main thing being is what I'm saying, like I'm excited to actually share all the crew, that I want to have the actual script with them Cause, you know, they'll have to know, obviously, to be able to film it. They'll know the twist, which kind of sucks. But point is, I'm really excited. I have a very good feeling that so many people that have been on this podcast, or other people that have approached, will want to be part of it once they read the script and they kind of actually see the vision that you and I have been seeing for a while now. Um, so I can't wait to just share, bring in the crew, uh, read them the script, let them see it, because, uh, I think once they hear it and once they they, you know, they know the beats and the twists and everything I think they're going to be even more excited more excited to work?

Mario Rangel: 1:30:05

yeah, for sure. Um I, yeah, I'm so excited. Let's go fast, but safe. Yeah. So, yeah, let's keep working. I'm excited also to see the rewrite for the script.

Vipul Bindra: 1:30:22

If you don't like the visuals, you blame me.

Mario Rangel: 1:30:26

If you don't like the script, you blame mine.

Vipul Bindra: 1:30:28

Yeah, you know who's the guilty one yeah no, you know who's the who's the guilty. Yeah, no, uh. So anyway, let's jump, uh uh, to the other side.

Mario Rangel: 1:30:40

So obviously now you're, you're going very soon independent. Yes, uh, back to freelance life.

Vipul Bindra: 1:30:42

Freelance fully fully full-time all into it, and I'm sure a lot of people, uh listening, want to do that. Um, are you excited? Have you made a strategy? Or maybe not yet?

Mario Rangel: 1:30:58

It's too soon. I don't have anything planned, really. What I want to focus on right now is to get to know more people like in in the in the industry for freelance corporate work. I do want to focus on that because I think that's the thing that can attract like, like, and I can earn more money, yeah, um, with those type of jobs, um. So, yeah, that's what I want to do, and what I wanted to ask you is like, how was your experience doing business productions or building your company?

Vipul Bindra: 1:31:40

Really fun. I mean in one way. Obviously there's lots of challenges, you know.

Mario Rangel: 1:31:43

Yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 1:31:44

You know things weren't easy. There was a lot of sleepless nights. There was a lot of, you know.

Mario Rangel: 1:31:50

How many years have've been doing so?

Vipul Bindra: 1:31:51

uh, the company, I think, started september 2018, so that's six years yeah, six and a half years now so basically, um, you know, obviously, like I said I, I had been doing freelance video before before that yes, so I can't end plus.

Vipul Bindra: 1:32:09

I was, I'm obsessed with the industry so I knew about everything that could be known. I've been on enough sets, uh. But the goal was just to elevate, you know, corporate and commercial video production within certain budgets. Right, I was aiming for 50k and under at the time and, um, you know, was to just come in, elevate it, get people success. And I found huge success, obviously immediately. You know, closing, starting with I think it was 1K, 4k same day, then it was like 7K, then 10K, like within, I'm saying, three days, three days.

Vipul Bindra: 1:32:46

Yeah, and the seven was like three, four times. Point is it was a huge amount of sales. And then you know because initially you go okay.

Mario Rangel: 1:32:56

And where did you get those clients?

Vipul Bindra: 1:32:59

So I talked about this on our previous podcast. But basically a buddy of mine was like, hey, I have a buddy who wants to make a movie trailer and he'll give you, you know. And I was like, look, a thousand bucks minimum, that's my start. And said, okay, I can set up the meeting then for a movie trailer.

Vipul Bindra: 1:33:18

Yeah, but remember this is a half-day shoot, it's not much much of a real movie trailer I want you to know, this is somebody's passionate about it and they had a something they wanted to do a one page or whatever and I was like I can do it. Then, uh, a minute, minute and a half, and then on the other side, we had set up a meeting through the same friend, like at a college, at a university, and then I had another meeting set up with another local business for the next day. Then I had a meeting set with another service-based business the following the same day. So basically it was just going to a meeting, simple, the first one. Obviously I was in that interest. I was like thousand bucks. And they were like sure, make my trailer, here's a thousand bucks, straight up. And I was like, obviously you got to pay me up front, sign the contract, because you know I wasn't that intrigued by that, but it's so funny I started like thousand bucks immediately then I was a

Vipul Bindra: 1:34:03

confident and when the next one, they were like look, we want to get this testimonial done. This company in the US charges 5K. We want it done for 3K. And I was like, look, 3k is too low. You know again just throwing numbers. I was like, how about 4K? And they're like, let me think about it. I walked outside 30 seconds. They gave the call, said let's do it. I was like all right, you're going to sign my contract, you're going to meeting.

Vipul Bindra: 1:34:36

I was like okay, I can help you. 10 grand again. I'm trying to distill it very quickly, but it wasn't that easy, but you know what I mean. And I was like, oh, okay, 10k. Obviously I'm also diagnosing their problem, I'm helping them.

Vipul Bindra: 1:34:41

This isn't just me arbitrarily throwing numbers out, but at that time, at least in my brain, I was like I'm gonna walk away with 10k, right, right, that's just a goal. So I go in. I'm like, okay, I want 10K. And he goes okay, let's do it. The wife goes, oh, let me think about it. I was like no, no, no, you got to, let's do it now. And then he goes yeah, let's start to think about it. Give him the check, took the five-day check. The wife decided and that's been decided. My wife was just anyway, no, but obviously we did good work, for the point is walked out. Then another now I'm like, okay, now I'm gonna go to 15k.

Vipul Bindra: 1:35:15

Remember, this is day two, this isn't like months of planning. I'm like, okay, now I want to do 15k. So I I presented the project, this one again, little arbitrary, I don't like it, but I already had a plan. So I was like look, here's the package. It's going to be 15k, it's going to be this many videos or this whatever, and they were like let me think about it same thing. They were like okay, let's do it all right. $7,500 immediate payment pointed. So I sold like 30 grand or whatever and just projects. Uh, first, three, four days and I was like holy crap this is this is great, uh, you know.

Vipul Bindra: 1:35:45

So that's basically how it started. And then, obviously, you know I had to learn everything. That's what I said there, that the opposite side of this.

Mario Rangel: 1:35:52

I immediately had to learn and you already have the equipment. Yeah, yeah.

Vipul Bindra: 1:35:55

So yeah, I'm redoing so I had a gh4 and a gh5s at the time from freelance work, and then some lights, some hot lights, and then I immediately went out and bought um. So I used that for the testimonial, I think. And then I immediately went out and bought c200, one uh and then three more uh very soon because I didn't shoot a testimony, a brand video for 3500 and I was like, oh, I don't like that, they don't match. So I bought like three more and then I bought an aperture, I think 120d mark ii. They had like three light kit about that um and uh. But I had most of the stuff. I had wireless mics, I had labs, I had boom mics, the mkh416 that everyone buys. Then I went out, you know, slowly started acquiring very higher quality stuff like chefs and dpa and stuff like that. But yeah, I was never compromising on equipment. That was my whole thing. I'm gonna make the movie the quality and the type of sets I want to be on right. That was the whole point of being a production company.

Vipul Bindra: 1:36:51

I'm like no, I'm showing up with a crew, it's not me anymore, right, and uh, I think this set me apart, um, because, like I said, most people were not doing that you know from from, at that time at least, and plus, I was actually genuinely offer them real advice. So the part that I take out right now is I was genuinely like trying to figure out in these interviews, like what do you need, why do you need it, where are you going to share with it, who?

Mario Rangel: 1:37:15

so I was genuinely invested in helping them right interested in in solving the problem right and then, uh, and then the.

Vipul Bindra: 1:37:22

Obviously the other thing I did was I had all these marketing agencies that I worked with in the past. So I reached out to them. I was like, hey, I'm doing video production now. We've got an audio engineer, we've got, you know, other people in the team, we've got editors or whatever you know. Plus, I had a cousin in India who does animation. So I reached out to him. I was like we can do animated videos immediately.

Vipul Bindra: 1:37:41

So, you know, it was kind of like just reaching out to every resource that I had and just you know, and just doing it and, like I said, a local production company that I reached out to didn't get any response of. At first I wanted mentorship, but then I was, like you know, f it. Like you know, I can only do so much. I just went, I went for it and, like I said, it just kept working, kept working, kept growing up, um and um. Yeah, there was no just stopping it, but, like I do want people to know the other side of it, there was a lot of sleepless night, there was a lot of learning how to um, like a lot of problems. Like you said, first time the cameras didn't match, so figuring out time code. Then it was like, oh, the two cameras first I meant like match by like they didn't sync properly.

Vipul Bindra: 1:38:20

I've always done multi-cam with the production company. The second one was like, oh, the a and b match, okay, so I gotta freaking invest in another you you know, expensive camera. But mainly I think it was as soon as every time I encountered a problem I would go solve it and I think that has kind of, at this point, made my company so resilient, like, as you see, with just something with data, like I'm like going two cards always simultaneous to very expensive cards, to multiple drives, to servers, to you, you know, uh, online, like my clients deserve this. You know this, what you call trust and that's with everything. This is one thing. Same thing with cameras I always bring backup cameras. I bring extra cameras plus, I bring backup cameras for those. So it's just kind of like that that that's just been my style.

Vipul Bindra: 1:39:08

I'm just crazy, uh again so you don't have to do as I do obviously there's more efficient ways to do it. I'm always like uh, you know, there's other people like me in your town, owner operators, just hire them. You're way better off, because equipment changes. You know you're better off renting, you know, uh, from other people or bringing them on. Be like hey, look, I'll pay you this much. Um, you know, bring all your equipment, or whatever, because you're you're. You.

Mario Rangel: 1:39:32

You know the equipment's gonna age, the lighting is gonna age like look at aperture, so I have tons of everything, like everyone, like the knowledge you watch, like, for, yeah, they're changing everything, blair, so everything I have is gonna be old, so I'm gonna have to start switching those out.

Vipul Bindra: 1:39:46

So I'm saying the, the, unless you're using a ton, uh, the roi, isn't there an investing gear?

Vipul Bindra: 1:39:52

the only gear that is worth it buying and that's. But again, it only makes sense to buy that gear too is if you're an audio guy. Microphones don't age. Their prices don't go down because the same mkh416 is still popular, same mkh50 is still popular. These mics have been out for decades. But outside and that too only these microphones, wireless and headphones goes out of style too. Point I'm trying to say is most gear in video production, um, is not worth investing. You should have a bare minimum kit as a dp or as a freelance video, and then anything else. I think my advice is just you should be renting it, because then you can easily put that off on somebody else and there's usually owner operators, unless you're trying to be owner operator, which is fine, uh but most owner operators.

Vipul Bindra: 1:40:41

So like me, like I own all my equipment right, I'm an owner operator okay yeah, but I have more than just uh, some one camera package like I'm not just a DP, I'm a whole production company.

Vipul Bindra: 1:40:52

I've got, obviously, a grip van out there with two tons of grip electric, pretty much every aperture, light and the camera cards, camera sound, shep sound, Sennheiser sound. So you know what I mean. I have everything. So you're way way better off renting from and then it's not just me. If you go to some other towns there'll always be somebody like that. You're better off renting from them. Because now you're passing off. Sure, that's a cost, but it's a cost of doing business that you can write off, that you can also pass on to the client.

Mario Rangel: 1:41:22

Exactly, and then?

Vipul Bindra: 1:41:23

now. Yeah, exactly, and then you can also. Plus, owner operators are willing to work.

Vipul Bindra: 1:41:31

See what happens is if you go to my share grid, for example, I'll say the rate is the rate share grid's gonna take their, take my rate is the rate you end up paying more versus you get the item. So, like you say, I want to rent uh, I don't know a nova, right, let's say a light aperture nova. I'm gonna give you the light. I'm gonna say, go right, but if you hire me and I bring my novas, I'm going to bring bunch and bunch of accessories that go with those to be able to tilt them to be able to yeah because I have.

Vipul Bindra: 1:41:56

I've actually used it on set and I know what I need to light to make it work for how I want it to work. So the point I'm trying to make is when an owner operator comes and, unlike a rental house, they bring everything because they use it, they know what it needs and you get more out of it, just like my fx6. I'm not gonna bring just the fx6, I'm gonna bring these one terabyte cards, these lenses, the matte boxes, the filtration, the batteries, um, you know, extra cables, monitor, wireless transmitter. There's a lot more than just if you say I want to rent your fx6, then there you go, you know you get the body and you got to figure out. The rest Point is there's a lot more to it and I'm saying that it generally makes more sense.

Vipul Bindra: 1:42:39

And the good thing is, if you're not getting those higher project price projects, you're not going out and selling a 6K, 8k, 10k project, then you have zero cost Because you never invested anything in it. That's what I'm saying Do as then you have zero cost because you never invested anything in it. That's something. Do as I say, not as I do, because in my opinion that's way way more lucrative, because if I start to break down my costs every month. They're, they're absurd. Obviously we do a huge amount of business does it make sense?

Vipul Bindra: 1:43:02

yeah, it doesn't make any sense is what I'm saying, especially on a corporate commercial world. Unless, like I say, you're trying to be an owner operator, you want to do a huge amount of work.

Mario Rangel: 1:43:10

It makes way more sense just to rent it, just to go rent it, yeah, or just hire owner-operators and what's your biggest I couldn't say your biggest cost with your company, like you said, like each month, right? Yeah, you have some. What was your most costly?

Vipul Bindra: 1:43:36

Well, the most costly thing is people always. Yeah, people, and then also equipment. And then there's other costs, you know, like taxes, and there's freaking 10 different taxes that you have to pay. As a company, yeah. Plus rents. You know, the companies own multiple storage units which we're trying to consolidate now. Right. Now the company owns vans, it's the van payment that you have to pay. There's also a rent for now this location. The company has to pay. That's new.

Mario Rangel: 1:44:07

What else the rent of this space?

Vipul Bindra: 1:44:10

Yeah, this space is new for the company uh, that was but also our office. So I have a main office in the millennia area. That costs money, um, so everything, you know everything, uh, like that, but mainly obviously it's all these people. But, um, the way I like to do it is I have my editing staff, which is my constant cost, but then the um, the shooting cost varies. So, um, you know, if it's local in florida or maybe even atlanta, I like to hire from my network where I can use my equipment, my van, obviously. If it's um, uh, you know, out of state sometimes, you know, if the budget is there I'll fly, but otherwise I'm also doing the same thing I'm hiring owner operators there.

Vipul Bindra: 1:44:49

Otherwise, if I don't have the budget or I have the time to go there, um, I'm gonna basically hire locals there um to go make manage oh, you don't go yeah, sometimes sometimes it varies, yeah, and sometimes I don't know, you don't go, and then you hire somebody from there to go and yeah, and, and I'll, generally somebody you already know yeah that, or if it's a new market, I have to find some owner operators you have to, then you know, vet them, you have to make sure, um, and that's what I'm saying, that's why I like owner operators, because I don't want it to be like oh, I'm a dp with this camera package, well, if your camera package breaks right or I'm hiring three different people because that's the crew one of them calls out, I prefer personally to hire owner operators. The the advantage is I'm like okay, you, plus it's going to be a three-person crew, right? So most owner operators are like me. If you call out, right, let's say you got sick or whatever, I can go dial quickly and get people on the set right. So that's an advantage.

Vipul Bindra: 1:45:46

Plus, I have my own equipment, so I generally have backups of everything you know, like on live streaming when we go. Everything I bring a backup of that could possibly fail Again. Anything and everything that can go wrong will go along during live. So that's what I'm thinking on our operator. But versus, if I just started renting equipment, it may not come with backups, right. So does that make sense?

Mario Rangel: 1:46:07

Yeah. So, that's what.

Vipul Bindra: 1:46:08

I like to do? I just push the liability Again. That's all we were trying to do. Push the liability on someone else but at the same time they're interacting with my client and I don't want to also ruin the my relationship.

Vipul Bindra: 1:46:21

When they're working with me. They're representing my clients. So when somebody hires me in direct let's say a filmmaker, for example adam was on here I'm representing him. So I'm always out there looking for him because I know I don't want to be um, you know, because whatever I do is not going to now look bad on me, it's going to look bad on him, if that makes sense. And that's the same relationship I expect from people I hire, right like they're going to go out there they're representing you and your company yeah, so.

Vipul Bindra: 1:46:50

So that's basically the biggest cost. I would say it's always going to be people and it's going to be equipment. Sometimes you can merge the two, like I said, by hiring owner operators, or you can do it differently. There's so many different ways of doing this. I've seen it always. I've seen it people where they'll hire employees and do it Right. I've seen it where they're like with me, like it's freelance based. Sometimes it's a balance of both, right? I guess it varies because it's very hard to find consistency. Is what I'm saying? Like even with me, I'm doing so many various things. One day I'm doing um dp work for a friend, right?

Mario Rangel: 1:47:27

and it could be only a couple thousand.

Vipul Bindra: 1:47:29

Then the other day I'm doing a thirty thousand dollar commercial right. Then I'm going on a corporate interview set for like 8k. You know what I mean. It's so varied, yeah so very done.

Mario Rangel: 1:47:39

Yeah, how much can you make from project to project?

Vipul Bindra: 1:47:44

like what do you mean money?

Mario Rangel: 1:47:46

like money wise, the difference of like you said, like you go to one that pays just 2K but, then the next day you go to another party for the same amount of time right, well, it depends, yeah, or similar yeah. So you're earning like 10 times more. Yes, so I think the best way is to scale.

Vipul Bindra: 1:48:09

That's a very good question, though, mario, I think you're the first one to ask me that the biggest way to scale is to know that you're one person and is to bring in other people. So the best way I'll give you an example I scale is by doing multiple things at once, so I will be on one set doing one project. Right, let's say you call me. I'm just making hypothetical. You're like come help me with ripple, so I'm coming out there and I'm charging you, I don't know, 1500, 2000, whatever, whatever the rate is like come out to help out just, yeah, you know, and you get the advantage you don't have to buy that equipment, I'll bring the equipment or whatever right.

Vipul Bindra: 1:48:44

And then on the other side same say like it's a half day shoot, then I can go the later half be helping another friend. Then on the other side I have another shoot going on. Let's say in New York that I've hired an owner-operator to. So essentially most of the time I have two, three things going on at once. Is what I'm saying. Like three breaks At once.

Vipul Bindra: 1:49:04

I'm saying, sometimes on the same day, like the project we talked about earlier, I was doing another project in Nashville while the nine of you were here there, plus I had multiple rentals out, and then I had another project I was doing pre-production on at the same time. Right, you have to be doing. What I'm saying is you're doing three, four, sometimes five things at once. That's how you scale, if you want to scale and how. Because if you're doing one thing at a time, you have a limit.

Mario Rangel: 1:49:31

You have only 365 days. How can you manage all those at the same?

Vipul Bindra: 1:49:35

time exactly no sleep, that's that's what I'm saying.

Mario Rangel: 1:49:38

Yeah, don't go crazy as me, but I'm also obsessed don't go crazy as you.

Vipul Bindra: 1:49:42

Good advice, I mean the good thing is um, uh, yeah, like I said, we're friends, you came to my home for thanksgiving. You see that I spend time with the family right, I pay attention to my family. It's not I'm not working all the time but, to be real, that's what it takes. At least what I'm doing may not be the healthiest thing. I'm. I'm trying to spend good time with my family, but the rest of them I'm working. I am uh, I'm all the time working I mean 3 am I'm working.

Vipul Bindra: 1:50:09

2 pm. I'm working. The good thing is I don't find it work, because I enjoy it anyway. You know, as you've seen, like if you come and talk to me, I'm available, right, I can manage my schedule. I'm like oh hey, mario, what's up, right, and we talk, but then you go, I'm back to work.

Mario Rangel: 1:50:24

Yeah, so yeah, and I I know that you, that you like, you like, uh doing that, but have you thought sometimes like it's too stressful. I need like somebody to do this for me.

Vipul Bindra: 1:50:41

Yes, absolutely, and that's what you know, or you just?

Mario Rangel: 1:50:45

go okay, let's go through it and you don't think about it. No, I mean, currently I enjoy it.

Vipul Bindra: 1:50:49

Automatic. I do delegate. Like I said, I don't do this just by myself. The only way I can do three, four shoots, sometimes in a day, is because I hire incredible people.

Vipul Bindra: 1:50:58

And then I'll hire you and other people, and you know it's all about balance. Obviously, I can't do it all by myself, so I do. I'm just saying my people cost is the number one cost and that's okay. That's what I'm saying. I'm all about collaborating, meeting other people. It's not just me but, yes, logistically I have an assistant, obviously for emails and stuff. But at the end of the day it's me Like I have to discuss and edit after this. I have to discuss and edit with Julie and then I have to pack and like literally three hours I have to be to the airport.

Mario Rangel: 1:51:30

So I'm going to get any sleep tonight?

Vipul Bindra: 1:51:32

No, no at all, no Right. And then I have to fly all the way to West Coast. So that's just part of what we do. That's just the truth. And I bet you, when I go there, you know I'm all thinking, oh, I'm going to go to the hotel and I'm going to sleep, but watch me Probably going to end up a client's going to want to meet or have lunch or whatever. But the point is it's a challenge. Yes, it's not easy, but if you love this and you feel passionate about it, you know it doesn't feel like work.

Vipul Bindra: 1:52:01

The other thing I want to say is you don't have to scale this much. There is other ways and I want to bring a few other people that have scaled differently, where they have automated, and hired people where they don't do as much. But my obsession also is I want to do different types of things. I couldn't just do one type of video. So the better way to find success in video production, in corporate video production, is to niche down. Like my offer is, I help, not mine. I'm just saying hypothetically If your offer is, I help lawyers which make you know, which help people in the 30 to 50k range, whatever, like, once you niche down, you have an easier offer right, so you can automate that. You can find clients, you can automate the content, but you don't do that I would get bored. Yeah, no, I my problem is different breaks.

Vipul Bindra: 1:52:47

Yeah I, I would lose my mind. So, yes, I do do the same thing either live stream or I go make commercials or I make, you know, interviews in b-roll. I do want to narrow down technically, I don't do that much, however. Or conferences, I guess events shoot some kind of, but everything's different right. One day we're at a conference of freaking screws and the next year conference for I don't know yarn, you know. I mean, it's so random and so different that it makes it engaging. And then every interview is different. People you're meeting. You hear their stories, you know some could be emotional, some could be funny.

Vipul Bindra: 1:53:22

Um point is I like to and that's why I like to, work in different industries. Uh, same thing. And I love the challenge of live streaming over live action and being able to maximize clients budgets and figuring out how to do that point is I like to. I like the challenge which makes it harder, um to to automate things, because it's all so different it's, and I love that. I love not getting bored, because if I got bored it would be just a job and I couldn't do it at least my personality doesn't gel well and I have a question.

Mario Rangel: 1:53:58

So what do you think is the next step for your production? Like you want to scale more, or you, I think. What are the next steps? No, I think.

Vipul Bindra: 1:54:11

I want to do, which is so crazy. That's why I'm like doing this, I don't know. No, I mean no, for me it's this, uh, to be real. At this point I'm happy. 2024 was an incredible year and for years was your best year.

Mario Rangel: 1:54:24

Yeah, uh, yeah, oh, definitely 2024 was the best year.

Vipul Bindra: 1:54:27

I was also for years saying things like hey, I want to have a dedicated space, I want to have a dedicated space, I want to have a dedicated van, like I've talked about, finally was able to finish it, like I said, literally finished 2024 with finished dedicated, you know, production man, uh, group man, dedicated space to just come hang out with people and be able to record these. Then other thing was I wanted to share because you know, once you get to your revenue goals, you're like what's next. I wanted to make this podcast. I wanted to share because you know, once you get to your revenue goals, you're like what's next. I wanted to make this podcast. I wanted to share these amazing conversations that I have with people and I want to make the podcast that I want to listen to.

Vipul Bindra: 1:54:58

You know, when I'm traveling, literally like I'm on a plane and I have to struggle to find a podcast that I'm going to enjoy for the four-hour flight. So something like that, that's been my goal. So something like that, that's been my goal, so I'm kind of doing it. So to be honest, the goal for 2025 is just that I want to just do what I did in 2024 and find those extra time to be able to collaborate with more like I would love for you, now that you're going to be doing freelance, to find your own clients, I would love to be able to come on your sets and help you.

Vipul Bindra: 1:55:27

and then I would love to because I don't have prep days anymore, since I've automated most of the prep process I would love to be able to go on more sets. I would love to be able to talk to more people like this. So this is technically what I'm trying to do next for me and as long as I can maintain my revenue last year, hopefully it doesn't go down, and that's the thing I like about being a private company. There's no one here trying to tell me to. You know, I have to up year over year. I'm just like we did great it was good.

Vipul Bindra: 1:55:57

I just want to do the same this year, while doing all this extra stuff, the extra which is more projects with friends, more collaborations that are not mine, and then also be able to continue this um, you know this this podcast that I started, and just be able to continue this podcast that I started and just be able to talk and obviously, initially I'm doing it with the people that I know and I want to have these talks with.

Vipul Bindra: 1:56:17

But eventually maybe even talk to new people that I haven't connected with yet. Maybe I can hire them, they can hire me. That's all it's about. It's a networking thing. Because, it's not like I'm peddling anything. People have nothing to gain. I have nothing to gain out of this. Uh, like I'm not selling people courses or ads or anything here. You know sponsorships. There's no. You know code down here to select anyway, that's at least what I'm aiming for, right?

Vipul Bindra: 1:56:41

what about you? What's your goal with this freelance thing? Do you have a certain goal, or revenue goal, or anything in mind?

Mario Rangel: 1:56:46

um, I mean yeah. I mean yeah, it's the like. You know, I've been full time and obviously doing freelance also from time to time with you. To to how can I say, focus on a, on a niche, like you said. I think for me that's something I want to do.

Mario Rangel: 1:57:25

Because, really it is a first time doing like freelance full time, so I have to go and connect and and people that can offer me the opportunity to work with them and also, once I find this niche, they can also work with me. Obviously, covid are with you and you work also with me once, once I'm doing that. So, yeah, that's something that I want to um really focus on this year.

Vipul Bindra: 1:57:56

yeah, no, that's very smart, like like I was just saying. Yes, if you just want to find success, the easiest way to find success, don't make it harder on you, like I am um, you know, and again, it's also personality too.

Vipul Bindra: 1:58:09

I like it, like I said it makes me want to work 18 hour days. You know, otherwise I wouldn't want to even work eight hour days if I would get bored. I've had you know, attorney especially asked me to do the same thing over and over again, and it gets so annoying and boring, but anyway, yes. No, that's very smart, because once you niche down, like I said, once you figure out, hey look, this is what I enjoy, this is what my offer is, and when you make that offer, what happens is you become an expert.

Vipul Bindra: 1:58:36

Yes, and there's a very huge advantage to being an expert, Because currently people are who are like Bindra. Bindra is like the best you know video company for businesses, but then that's too broad right, Like currently how people describe me.

Mario Rangel: 1:58:51

What type of business? There's a lot of different type of business and that's happened to me because I mean I've done work with you like for business, for corporations. I've done wedding, I've done like photography editing, so a lot of different kind of freelance. Yeah. But I do really want to this year just focus on an issue.

Vipul Bindra: 1:59:13

Do you have anything in mind or not? Yet I think you're gonna probably try a few things. Yeah, I want I want to try.

Mario Rangel: 1:59:17

I want to try different things and then decide what really excites me, like like you said, like you and my working like whole day, like 18 hours, and you love it. That's something I want to find also this year.

Vipul Bindra: 1:59:32

Yeah, I think that's a very deep question to look at. It's an individual question, right? Like I've said so many times, if you just want to make money, there's so many easier things to do in life where you can make money. Video is not the easiest.

Vipul Bindra: 1:59:48

I mean it's not hard to make money, but it's not the easiest. But then if you're gonna just have any job, I mean you might as well have other jobs. But if you love it right, you can make a very good living in video. Not that hard, that's what I want people to know it's not hard to make living doing video full-time, corporate or commercial video as long as you enjoy it, uh, then it won't feel like you work, right? You?

Vipul Bindra: 2:00:11

don't feel that work that hard, uh, and you can make a good living, um, but it's not the the career to just be like, get into because it can pay well, right, because it's going to be long days. You have to learn so many things, so many entrepreneurial things that some people don't enjoy, like accounting and figuring out, um, you know all the business stuff, full-time job and you have to know about everything.

Mario Rangel: 2:00:34

Yeah, I mean, you're doing video, but then, like you said, yeah, you're doing customer service sometimes you are marketing you know you also have to go network with people.

Vipul Bindra: 2:00:43

It's not, it's not the easiest thing, but again, it's not the hardest thing either, and we have in the past podcast. Quite literally, I love how guests have come in and told people exactly what to do and multiple different approaches, and so I love how much resource we're putting out there, and all I want is just more people to succeed, and I want you to succeed and I'm here obviously to help you to you know, succeed in any way.

Vipul Bindra: 2:01:06

Plus my goal would be now, hey, new goal, I would want to just hire you more and more. I mean, make this awesome movie, plus the. You know I love hanging out with you, so why? Not just do more projects and uh, who? Who needs you to find a niche if you can just work for me? I?

Mario Rangel: 2:01:23

mean like we said uh, uh, I think that's uh, I'm gonna say like agreement that we have. Yeah. I can work with you, but I also, every time that I can have a client I will represent, like Bindra. Yeah absolutely. I think, that's something that you know why? Because I make the sale like make a sale to new clients because that's something that I think there's a lot of opportunity out there.

Vipul Bindra: 2:02:01

Exactly.

Mario Rangel: 2:02:02

Orlando is a really it's a city that a lot of companies are moving here. Orlando is expanding, yeah, so there's a lot of companies are moving here. Orlando is expanding, so there's a lot of opportunities.

Vipul Bindra: 2:02:15

We just have to go and there's so many companies and what's crazy is not just Orlando, any city, guys just drive around. What's crazy is we close with our eyes. We go to specific places, like I'm going to Walmart. Or you'll see some businesses with billboards or whatever. That's different Sometimes. Go to a business district or an industrial area in your city and you'd be surprised you'll hear the name of companies that you've never heard of.

Vipul Bindra: 2:02:40

And then you google them and you go oh, this is a multi, multi-billion dollar logistics company that I've never heard of, or this is a uh, you know this type of packaging company, or they make paper products or they make this, they make that. Like there's so many companies that you've never heard of. They need marketing, they need video. So there's so much work out there and I just that's what I'm saying, and all you have to do is just open your eyes, look around you. And here's the thing, mario, I want to continue talking to you and somehow it's already been two hours, my friend, it's time to wrap this up.

Vipul Bindra: 2:03:11

I know we got to, I think, with you. What I would love to do is once, let's make this movie. I would love to have you back, I would love to talk more?

Mario Rangel: 2:03:19

Yes, with spoilers, yes, so I would love for you to come back but thank you again for coming.

Vipul Bindra: 2:03:27

before we go, do you have anything else you want to say? Or before we wrap up, or anything?

Mario Rangel: 2:03:31

um, well, no, I mean, I feel great, uh, with you here. People, thank you again for for inviting me. Um, it's very nurturing just to talk here. Uh, it felt like the the hours passed so fast, uh, and, yeah, I'm excited to continue working with you with the projects that we have. Keep building these projects. I'm really excited and let's make this year another great year.

Vipul Bindra: 2:04:04

Yes, 2025 for the win. We're going to all grow together you, me, everyone who's been on this podcast, everyone listening. Let's kill it. 2025 is our year. No excuses, just going out there getting things. So before we Also, do you want to shout out your Instagram or anywhere?

Mario Rangel: 2:04:22

people can follow you. Yeah, my Instagram is at Mario R-A-N-G-E-L-H-U-R at mario r-a-n-g-e-l-h-u-r, and my website is wwwmariorangelcom okay, mario, r-a-n-g-e-l-h-u-rcom, we got it, thank you.

Vipul Bindra: 2:04:49

Mario for coming. It's always a pleasure. I mean, dude, you just live down the street.

Mario Rangel: 2:04:53

Yeah, we can have this conversation anytime.

Vipul Bindra: 2:04:56

But yeah, I'm looking forward to just making more content with you. Thank you again for coming. It's always a pleasure, and it's always a pleasure to call you a friend. Thank you again. I appreciate it.

Mario Rangel: 2:05:05

Thank you people.