Samuel Gonzalez Jr. Photo by Lindzee Meltzer.
“There is no true terror in the bang, only the anticipation of it.” — Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock’s wisdom provided the inspiration for the concept of “CATASTROPHE,” a month-long exhibition of elaborately staged, large-scale, dark-toned photos created by undergraduate Film alum Samuel Gonzalez Jr. opening today (Jan. 28) at the ArcLight Theaters in Hollywood.
The 30 photographs on display in the theater lobby through March 28 juxtapose surrealist images illustrating the turmoil of the human condition against period landscapes, all the while alluding to humanity’s relationship to the artificiality of a heightened cinematic experience. The psychological narrative animating the photos informs the show’s subtextual ideas about the collision between film and reality. Gonzalez’ eerie pieces blend beauty with horror, love with betrayal and truth with despair, suggesting an open world of endless interpretations and possibilities.
Gonzalez has gained an intimate understanding of this particular confluence of ideas, after spending much of his life creatively interpreting the world around him to create new opportunities for himself. As a young Army recruit stationed in Iraq, Gonzalez’ deployed a creative outlet to offset the stress of combat by starting a rock band called Madison Avenue (after the ironically named path on which his barracks were built). That experience paved the way (financially) for him to attend Art Center’s film department and has since provided the inspiration for the mini-series he’s currently developing with one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers.
The 28-year-old Florida native has never been lacking for determination and outsize dreams. He spent most of his youth making short films with neighborhood friends with an eye toward his goal of becoming the first in his family to graduate college…and a world class filmmaker.
“The military was a way for me to fulfill those dreams,” he explains. “It was a sacrifice, spending two tours in the Iraq War, but it made me stronger and prepared me for Art Center.” After completing basic training, he was soon deployed to Iraq, where he saw combat and endured the loss of his best friend on a nighttime attack on the streets of Baqubah. His actions during the ambush earned him an Army Commendation Medal with Valor. His fervor to tell stories grew more intense.
After his service, he enrolled in the Film department at Art Center, where Gonzalez was a recipient of the Matthew Rolston Endowed Scholarship. As he has with other students, alumnus Matthew Rolston, considered one of the leading photographers and directors of his generation, became an important mentor to Gonzalez and encouraged him to take photo classes. The two met weekly to review assignments. “The photo work helped me hone my attention to detail since it requires you to tell a story in a single frame, it really strengthened me as a filmmaker plus it helped me discover and develop my style,” said Gonzalez, who earned his BFA last year.
Thanks to an introduction from his mentor, veteran film editor and Art Center instructor Billy Weber, Gonzalez, seized an opportunity to meet with legendary motion picture producer Edward R. Pressman (Badlands, Das Boot, Wall Street, Talk Radio Reversal of Fortune, The Crow). Pressman immediately saw potential in Gonzalez and groomed him to pitch a remake of Cherry 2000 to the president of MGM. Gonzalez pulled out the stellar presentation skills he learned at Art Center, cut a trailer for the proposed movie and was ready for his close up.
“I was super nervous, it was my first time in the spotlight at that level,” said Gonzalez. Moments before they walked through the doors to the executive suite, Pressman coached Gonzalez to offer a personal anecdote if he feels the meeting beginning to tank. After patiently hearing the pitch, MGM took a pass on the sci-fi project. Tanksville. This was the opening for Gonzalez to pitch the story he really wanted to tell based on his Iraq war experiences. “Everything shifted in that moment,” said the director.
Twelve months later, that project has now become “Madison Avenue” (borrowing its title from his band name), which is being developed as a Band of Brothers-like 12-part mini-series, produced by Pressman and Lauren Selig (Lone Survivor, Parkland). The story centers around a singer in a rock and roll group stationed overseas, who, much like Gonzalez and his band mates, discovers that making music together was key to surviving war’s horrors.
Gonzalez is in good hands with Pressman, who has made more than 80 diverse motion pictures during a 30 plus year career and is known for fostering the careers of young filmmaking talents such as Oliver Stone, Brian De Palma, Terrence Malick, Kathryn Bigelow, Jason Reitman and Alex Proyas. The series with Gonzalez marks Pressman’s first foray in to cable television.
“We’re thrilled to see Sam’s talents being recognized by the industry,” said Ross LaManna, chair of the graduate and undergraduate Film departments. “His experiences at Art Center are a great example of the benefits of studying at a small, hands-on conservatory film school like ours. A close-knit family of working-professional instructors can help a student realize his artistic vision, create amazing and ambitious work, provide opportunities for exposure to key industry players and succeed.”
As the “Madison Avenue” project coasts toward a green light, Gonzalez has kept busy planning a three-week shoot in March for a Sunrise Pictures movie presenting a curated selection of short horror films. Similar to the 1982 sleeper hit Creepshow, a horror anthology film directed by George A. Romero and penned by Stephen King, the movie, features a series of wrap around segments to be directed by Gonzalez linking five short stories already in the can. The film is slated to hit theaters this summer.
Melanie Cook, one of Hollywood’s most powerful talent lawyers, is on the dream team negotiating Gonzalez’s business deals. He recently joined Cook’s impressive A-list client roster including Tim Burton, Scott Rudin, Carey Mulligan and Keanu Reeves. One day while waiting to meet with Cook in the lobby of the posh offices of the powerhouse Ziffren Brittenham law firm, Gonzalez met director Sam Mendes, who is also represented by Cook and has been a major source of inspiration for the young filmmaker for many years.
Gonzalez is certainly not lacking in auspicious signs of a future with his name above the title on a movie poster. And his recent run of success is all the sweeter, given the battles he faced getting here.
